How to get more from your brew (part 1)
Have you bought coffee, brewed it up at home and always wished you could unlock those clearer taste notes you've experienced before at your local favourite coffee shop? Then this here blog is for you. We strive to source, taste & roast the best beans we can find. It's only fair we help you get the best from them too. So as a team we thought we'd share with you the most important factors when making a damn good filter coffee at home, so you know where best to spend your money to improve your morning cup.
1) Grinder. First things first, always grind fresh. Coffee starts to stale within around 20 seconds of grinding, with around 60 percent of aroma being lost within 15 minutes. So, it really doesn't hang around. But once we're all happily grinding fresh, the actual grinder we use makes arguably the biggest difference to the quality of your brew. Hopefully we don't need to say, but make sure you get a "burr grinder", as we still occasionally hear stories of grinding coffee with a nutribullet or a pestle & mortar... If you want more for your money & you don't mind the morning workout, invest in a decent hand grinder. Spending £200 on a hand grinder will get you the same results as a £2000 electric grinder. However if you really hate cranking a handle around while you're still half asleep, try not to spend less than £80 on an electric grinder. The quality drops drastically from this point downwards. This is a topic we could talk forever about, so perhaps we'll go into greater detail in a separate blog post.
2) Water. This one often surprises folk, but when you think about it it makes total sense. Filter coffee is made up of about 98 percent water, but more importantly in coffee water acts as a solvent. So, the mineral content in your water plays a huge role in the extraction of all those good flavours we're after. And it's not all about having the most minerals either. A lot of bottled water has a mineral content that's too high, or not containing the optimal ratio of particular minerals. Speciality coffee shops spend a lot of time and money ensuring they have the most optimum water for brewing coffee, but its not something that's often shouted about. Now you can buy water filters specifically for coffee, but in the mean time brew up a coffee using Tesco Ashbeck water and try it next to a coffee made with your tap water. Taste the difference for yourself.
3) Brewer. This is where people often jump to first, thinking that a fancy new brewer with slightly different features will drastically change their coffee. And while it's fun to play around with different brewing equipment, if you don't have a good grinder & water, that new brewing equipment will do wonders for your next instagram story but that's about it. That being said, if you've got those first two down and still want more, then there's two good main options. Aeropress is quickly becoming a household name, as it's damn easy to use and makes damn solid coffee. Think of it as the cafetières upgrade, good for travelling with & if you want to make a no-fuss brew with a little more body, this is the brewer for you. On the other hand, you have the V60. This little cone shaped brewer has become the image of high quality filter coffee. Partner this with a solid grinder, and you'll have a brew with a more delicate body and delicious clarity of flavour notes. Just a hint, both of these brewers are available to buy on our webshop with your next order of good bean!
