RECIPES AND BREW GUIDES

RECOMMENDED ESPRESSO RECIPE

We think the ideal espresso is made in a ratio of 1: 2 to 1: 2.5. This means that the dose of the ground coffee used should not be more than half of the yielded espresso drink. In a practical example, this means that if we use 18g of ground coffee, the minimum yield of our espresso drink should be 36g. For most of the coffee we roast, it is better to make a longer brew, say, extracting 40-42g of espresso drink from 18g of ground coffee. It is important to note that the weight of the coffee used should be selected based on the basket size of the portafilter and we should not try to alter the taste of the coffee by changing this dose!

Another important factor is the brew time. If we do not use pre-infusion or pressure profiling, our recommended extraction time falls between 26-30 seconds. The length of the espresso drink should be inversely proportional to the brew time. So if we want to drink longer espresso then we should work with shorter brew time and vice versa.

Obviously there is no perfect recipe and individual taste preferences greatly influence espresso making, but the following recipe can be a good starting point:

Use 18g of coffee, to extract around 40g of espresso drink in about 28 seconds.

For the best results, if possible, obtain a precision VST filter basket, a distributor tool and a 58.5mm diameter tamper.

To avoid ‘channeling’, make sure that the coffee grind is properly distributed and that the coffee bed is properly tamped. Chanelling is a common phenomenon in espressos. In our improperly prepared coffee cake, the water finds the part with the least resistance and flows through it in larger quantities. This creates over-dissolved and under-dissolved coffee in our drink at the same time, which means that it will be both bitter and sour. To avoid channelling, prepare the puck carefully by using a distributor tool and tamp it evenly with adequate force.

RECOMMENDED FILTER COFFEE RECIPE

According to most literature and our personal experience, the finest filter coffees are made in a 1:16 to 1:17 dissolution ratio. This means that the weight of the ground coffee used is 1/16 or 1/17 of the weight of the water. Simply put, use 16x or 17x as much water as coffee.

In practice, such a recipe looks like this:

Pour 18g of ground, 305g (94-100C) of water.

Made with HARIO V60

To do this, we will need a grinder, a Hario V60 device, a paper filter for it, a tenth-gram scale if possible, a stopwatch and a gooseneck kettle.

1. Boil water for coffee.
2. Weigh out and grind 18g of coffee in such a way that it visually resembles coarse sea salt.
3. Place the Hario V60 on a decanter, or mug.
4. Fold the the paper filter across the seam carefully and place it in the dripper.
5. Thoroughly rinse the paper filter with hot water so it sticks to the wall of the dripper. Don't forget to get rid of this water!
6. Place the mug with the V60 on it on a scale and press tare.
7. Add the ground coffee and shake the dripper from left to right to flatten the coffee bed. Tare your scale.
8. Pour in approx. 50g of water in a circular motion (counter clockwise) beginning in the center and then going out to evenly wet all the grounds. Start the timer as soon as water touches the dry coffee. Immediately swirl the slurry by moving the dripper around in wide circles. This will capture some coffee fines on the filter walls and flatten the coffee bed.
9. Wait for 45 seconds to bloom. In this part of the process CO2 gas leaves the coffee slurry.
10. At the 45 second mark, begin the first man pour in a circular motion beginning in the center and then going out. Use a relatively slow flow rate and stop at about 150g of water around the 1 minute mark. Swirl the slurry gently to flatten the coffee bed immediately after the pour.
11. After 1 minute and 15 seconds, begin the second, final main pour. Use a similar pour method, rate and height, and then swirl again when the pour is done.
12. Set your grinder so that the total brew time, will fall between 3:00-3:30 minutes. The finer your grind setting is, the longer your brew time will be and vice versa.
13. Stir the coffee and enjoy it.

Made with AEROPRESS

For this we will need an Aeropress, its own paper filter, a tenth of a gram scale if possible, a stopwatch and a kettle. The recipe below follows the inverse method, so put the Aeropress together and turn it with the filter side up, but don’t put the filter cap on it yet.

1. Boil water.
2. Weigh out and grind 15g of coffee in such a way that it resembles fine sea salt.
3. Place the Aeropress upside down on the scale (with the plunger down) and tare your scale.
4. Place a paper filter in the filter cap, then rinse it with hot water and set aside.
5. Place the coffee in the Aeropress and tare your scale.
6. Pour about 50g of already slightly cooled water (approx. 90-93C degrees) for the bloom and mix the slurry thoroughly with the plastic spoon supplied with the Aeropress.
7. After 30 seconds, pour in another 190g of water to give the balance a total of 240g. Mix the slurry gently again.
8. Screw the cap onto the paper filter.
9. Place a mug or decanter ​​on the top of the Aeropress and turn it over so that it now stands on the mug or decanter.
10. After a minute, start to push down the plug slowly and gently (in about 45 seconds in total) until you hear a hissing sound. From this we know that all the water has passed through the coffee grounds. 
11. Take the Aeropress off the mug and enjoy your coffee.

WATER FOR COFFEE

To make delicious coffee, it is essential to use some soft, filtered water or low-mineral bottled water, such as e.g. from Norda or Nestlé Vera. You can also use a filter jug like PEAK WATER ​​(Brita or BWT) or osmotic filtered water.

The best solution, though, is to mix your own water for yourself by mixing distilled water and mineral salts. We only recommend this to real fanatics. Detailed instructions can be found here: https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-redux/