Coffee - the drink that fuels the world. One of my favorite things about it is its inherent ability to draw people together, surpassing the barriers of rank, race, and religion. Coffee brings unity, keeps us running, and just makes us happy. One challenge many face is not knowing where to start when it comes to making a good cup of coffee at home. Due to their ease of operation, the Mr. Coffee and K-cup revolution has held precedence in the average household for far too long. It’s a common misconception that home-brewing drip methods are inaccessible to the average person or take too long to perform. In reality, giving yourself an extra five to ten minutes and acquiring some basic brewing knowledge can dramatically improve your morning caffeine dosage. It’s worth it - we promise. With that being said, I teamed up with my man to share his recipes to two of our favorite home-brewing methods. They may take some practice to get right, but they include some helpful information to aid you in your process of finding your perfect pour!
Method 1: Chemex (Pour Over)
Materials Needed:
- Pour over vessel (we used a Chemex 5-Cup)
- Chemex filters
- Gooseneck kettle
- Burr coffee grinder (or professionally pre-ground coffee)
- Scale
- Timer
- Coffee of choice - Mug
14:1-16:1 ratio of water to coffee. We used 28g of coffee to 400g water (13.5oz). Yields about 12 oz. coffee.
1. Begin by heating a kettle of water to 200-207 degrees fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer, just bring the water to a boil and wait about 30 seconds to allow the water to cool. 2. Wet the filter of your pour-over vessel to rid the filter of any papery taste and to preheat the vessel. Dump the excess water.
3. Add coffee grounds, preferably freshly ground. Grounds should be about the consistency of coarse sea salt/kosher salt. If you do not have a good burr grinder, it is better to have it professionally ground to ensure an even grind size. Evenly ground beans are necessary to provide a balanced flavor. You can try buying coffee beans from your favorite local coffee shop and have them grind it for you!
4. After adding the ground coffee you will start your first pour. Zero out (tare) the scale, so that it weighs the water, not both the water and ground coffee. Start a timer and pour 50 grams of water, trying to evenly wet all of the coffee. Pour the water in circles, starting with smaller circles in the center of the bed of grounds, and then reaching towards the edges of the filter with larger circles.
5. When the timer reads about 30-35 seconds, you will begin your next pour, gently pouring the water until you have reached 200g at about 1:00.
6. Wait about 15 seconds before beginning your third pour, up to 300g. 7. Wait another 10-15 seconds and begin your final pour, up to 400g. At this point, you can either tap the brewer or give it a quick stir so that all of the wet coffee will settle and the water will drain through evenly.
8. Allow the coffee to finish draining. It should finish around 3:15-4:00 on your timer.
9. Stir/swirl the coffee in the vessel to incorporate all the flavors.
10. Serve into a mug, preferably preheated (boiling water poured into a mug and dumped). Enjoy!
Note: Any of the variables - coarseness of grind, ratio of coffee to water, pouring technique, water temperature - can be adjusted to your preference of flavor.
Method 2: Aeropress
- Aeropress
- Aeropress filters
- Hot water
- Spoon
- Burr grinder (or professionally ground coffee)
- Coffee of choice
- Scale
- Mug
Amount/ratios needed:
14:1-16:1 ratio of water to coffee. We used 16g coffee to 250g water. Yields about 8 oz coffee.
1. Begin by heating a kettle of water to 200-207 degrees fahrenheit. If you don’t a have thermometer, just bring the water to a boil and wait about 30 seconds to allow the water to cool.
2. Wet the filter to rid of any papery taste and preheat the mug/vessel that the aeropress will be served in.
3. Grind your coffee (or have it professionally pre-ground; see Chemex recipe) to a relatively fine consistency, about that of table salt.
4. Place the aeropress on your vessel and add the 16g of coffee.
5. Start the timer as you begin pouring the hot water. Pour up to 100g.
6. Stir the coffee in the Aeropress and then add 150g water for a total of 250g water.
7. Wait until the timer reaches 1:30 and press the Aeropress. Be careful not to press too heavily. It should take about 15-20 seconds to press.
8. Enjoy!
Note: Any of the variables - coarseness of grind, ratio of coffee to water, pouring technique, water temperature, etc. - can be adjusted to your preference of flavor. These recipes were provided by Jacob Morgan, a barista at North Carolina’s top third-wave coffee shop, Not Just Coffee. He suggests using Counter Culture Coffee, a roaster located in Durham, NC that ships nationwide. Using a lighter roast from a high-quality source like Counter Culture allows the unique flavors of the coffee to shine through rather than being masked by a darker roast. The ratios we used for the Chemex can also be applied to any pour-over, such as a Hario V60, Kalita Wave, or Beehouse. Because of the thick filter of the Chemex, it is important to grind coarser than with the other options just listed, so simply adjust the grind size to accommodate.
Other Products Used:
- Badala Noche Serving Tray
- Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle
- Hario V60 Drip Scale
- Buziraguhindwa (washed-process) Counter Culture Coffee
- notNeutral mug
- Capresso Infinity Grinder
Olivia Douglas is an creative entrepreneur based in Charlotte, NC. She co-owns Quilt + Color Photography, contributes to multiple faith-based publications and social communities, and has big dreams to see the world changed by the power of Jesus through art and business. You can follow along with her journey at @smiley_livs!