In this article, we are going to show you everything you need to brew coffee in the most interesting ways at home. We are going to give you the basics of how to do the extractions as well as the basic apparel you will need to have. After reading it, you will be able to extract coffee in X ways and test lots of variations for them (always remembering that in the specialty coffee world, everything can be changed and tested to be adapted to the taste of who is consuming it). But before, we strongly recommend you to visit as many specialty coffee shops you want and taste the main methods to see which one suits best with your tasting profile, in order to start with your method of preference and then start exploring others. This can save you time and money. To do that, we have the post of the best specialty coffee shops in BARCELONA, as well as our MAP.
Manual brewing methods are becoming more and more popular because it has an effect of meaning in what you are doing, as you can see something made from your own hands. Nowadays, the ritual and the challenges in doing something are very trendy and nothing is better than extracting a great quality specialty coffee by yourself and seeing the progress you can get along the way into a great drinking product that has been taken care of since it was planted in the coffee farm.
We will always put on the main characteristics and steps of each extraction method, and for those who have more interest in that specific method, we will link you to a much more detailed article. Our idea is to situate you in the specialty coffee world so that you will be able to become more specialized.
QUICK GUIDE FOR BREWING YOUR COFFEE AT HOME
- In TOOLS NEEDED, you will be able to click on the links of the gadgets/tools, and the links are directed to a product I like to use in brewing for each method
- At the end of the post, there will be links with more detailed info about various subjects mentioned in the article
- At the end of the post, I will be also doing a suggested shopping list of other alternative methods of brewing
- Along with the post, I will be also linking some videos as well about the methods
INDEX
- BREWING WITH HARIO V60
- BREWING WITH MOKA
- BREWING WITH AEROPRESS
- BREWING WITH COLD BREW
- BREWING WITH CHEMEX
- BREWING WITH FRENCH PRESS
- BREWING WITH KALITA WAVE
- BREWING WITH CLEVER
METHOD 1 FOR BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: HARIO V60
Dripping coffee is extremely popular in the whole world. It’s very likely that you have already seen a MELITTA FILTER extracting coffee. This German brand has been a pioneer in dripping extraction methods, and HARIO V60 is an evolution of that.
Hario is a Japanese brand that has filter support that is very well-known in the specialty coffee world. Perhaps, their champion product is the V60 Filter Support. The name comes from its characteristics, a V-shaped cone with an angle inclination of 60 degrees. The Hario V60 has a single hole in its bottom and some circular grooves from top to bottom, that allows the water to pass through faster, therefore providing every clean and delicate extraction.
People who are not used to the specialty coffee world can find at first that the V60 extraction method provides a too watery cup of coffee, almost like a tea, but once they get to know this world better they see that it enhances lots of aromatic and sensorial nuances of the bean.
So, once we made this fast introduction to the first method to brew at home, let’s see what we need to make a very decent version of a V60 coffee. We will give you links to the products to buy here in SPAIN, that we think are suitable for that.
TOOLS NEEDED: HARIO V60
Gooseneck Jar – it is very important once you will be able to pour the water in a very even, smooth and delicate way into the filter, but it is not MANDATORY if you are still wondering if it is worth it to enter this amazing world (we think and enforce you to, by the way!).
Hario Ceramic V60 Filter Support – of course, the most important device, along with the paper filter. There is also the Plastic Version, but we recommend the ceramic one because it can hold more heat during the extraction.
Hario V60 Filter – we strongly recommend you to use white instead of unbleached paper, cause it can leave a more perceptible paper taste.
Timemore Chestnut grinder – We recommend you to use the Timemore Chestnut grinder that has the best value in the market for its amazing quality.
Hario Coffee Jar – you will need a container to pour over your coffee, but of course, it is not mandatory, as you can always put it on the cup itself or in a jar you already have at home.
Hario V60 Kit – on Amazon and other stores, you can also find the complete kit and can save some money buying it.
Weight Scale – a home weight scale is very useful, not only for coffee extraction. We recommend you to buy one with a chronometer too, so in the extraction is much easier to follow the volume of water with the time demanded on each step.
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BREWING COFFEE WITH: HARIO V60
Heat the water until it reaches 93 degrees. If you do not have a thermometer in your gooseneck jar or a separate one, do not worry, you can stop boiling the water once bubbles start to appear on the bottom, or let it boil completely and wait 2 or 3 minutes approximately.
Put the paper filter into the Hario V60 support and hydrate it with the heated water: it will help the filter to stick into the support and the residual glue or any other flavor contamination to go away with the hot water in this first rinse. This procedure has also another function which is to preheat the cup/jar and the filter as well. Do not forget to throw that water away!
Grind your coffee beans in a relatively big granulometry. Remember that once ground, coffee can oxidate very fast, causing flavor and aroma loss, so try to grind it only at the exact moment you will extract it. Let’s use 20 grams of coffee, in a ratio of 1:15 (meaning that for each part of coffee, we will pour 15 parts of water or 300 ml)
Put the ground coffee inside the filter, and pour the hot water into it. This is the most important part and there are many ways to do an extraction. But we will pass you the easiest one, and some more detailed links where you will be able to explore more different kinds of extraction with the Hario V60.
Pour over 40 ml of water (or 2 parts of water. This will help you know the amount of water when you use different quantities of coffee) into the ground beans with your gooseneck kettle, making sure you have hydrated all the powder. Wait for around 30 seconds or until the water has passed through the filter.
After that, you can pour 100 ml of water, and when the chronometer hits 1 minute you can pour the rest (in this case the last 85 ml). Try doing circular movements with your gooseneck kettle, in the same orientation as the grooves, so you add some revolve to the ground coffee and water.
The whole process should not last more than 2 minutes. It will ensure a more light and delicate extraction, and if it lasts much more or less, you might have to adjust your bean granulometry (size of the ground coffee parts).
After that, enjoy your coffee.
METHOD 2 FOR BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: MOKA POT
Perhaps one of the most iconic and charming coffee devices is the Moka Pot. Invented by Luigi de Ponti, and patented by Alfonso Bialetti, this “macchineta” uses the vapor pressure to extract coffee, as you can see in the diagram below. It is such a robust machine that this exact same model is still sold by Bialetti and many other companies that copy its design, and if it is taken care of properly, maybe you will only need one throughout your whole life to brew coffee.
Many people call the coffee brewed from the Moka an espresso, but it is not really espresso, although it has many similarities: it is extracted with pressure and has as an outcome a very strong and bodied coffee. But, differently from the espresso extraction, the Moka has a higher water temperature (cause it is vapor) and less pressure than an espresso machine. If you love strong coffee and are not very afraid of bitterness (many coffee specialists do not like Moka because it is considered to over-extract coffee, but we use it and like it a lot), and like simplicity, that can be your choice of method. It is also a great option for milk blended receipts!
TOOLS NEEDED: MOKA
Moka Machine: you will only need a simple, well-known Moka Machine, and a coffee grinder. We chose to link you to a 4 cup size machine, so you can brew for a reasonable quantity of cups, and if you want less, it is just about reducing the amount of grounded coffee and water.
Coffee Grinder: the same as linked for other methods in this article
Brewing specialty coffee in a Moka machine has its tricks. Unlikely low quality or commodity coffee, having it over-extracted would not be a problem because the quality of the bean is already so low it makes no sense to do a great extraction. But when it comes to specialty, you do not want it over-extracted, so let’s follow those steps below:
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BREWING COFFEE WITH: MOKA
Make sure your Moka is clean
Fill the base of your Moka pot with water
Grind your coffee beans: the grind size has to be in between the espresso and the filter, so, bigger than espresso and slightly smaller than filtered drip methods.
Fill the filter funnel loosely. Differently than the espresso extraction, you do not need to press the ground coffee into the filter, or else it can cause it to over-extract, once it will need extra pressure for the water goes through the coffee grinds.
Make sure your rim is properly clean, so it will not lose pressure during the preparation
Close the machine and put it on the stove (preferably a gas stove, but you can also do it on electric ones).
And here is the main trick of extracting specialty coffee with a Moka machine: once coffee starts to flow to the top compartment TAKE IT OF FROM THE HEAT. The residual heat will be enough to extract the rest of the coffee without “burning” it.
Use a dessert spoon to mix the coffee still in the upper chamber, to equalize the coffee layers and get a uniform flavor
But in the cups straight away and enjoy your MOKA!
One last tip: you can also put a very thin layer of water in the upper chamber of your Moka, so when the extracted coffee goes up, it does not hit an extremely hot metal and the burn factor is very diminished.
METHOD 3 OF BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: AEROPRESS
Aeropress method is one great extraction method for many reasons: it has a greater body than dripping extractions, you can control all the variables in the extraction process, it enhances the flavors in a very great way, it is so easy to clean (which is very important once we are talking here about brewing at home), and finally, Aeropress has a very fast extraction time, oscillating from 1:20 to 2 minutes in conservative extraction ways. Because of that is one of our most recommended methods, in which you should definitely order in coffee shops to see if the method suits your taste and if so, go for it at home!
Many people get confused and think Aeropress is the same as French Press, but it is not. Aeropress has a more clean cup, even though it still has lots of oils in the cup, but the French Press has still some solids, which makes a more bite coffee, and differently from the Aeropress, the French Press has the capacity to do more than one cup. We will be talking about the French Press as well!
The Aeropress device can be seen almost like a syringe, without the sharp point in its bottom, but the physical principle is the same: pressure. Unlikely dripping methods, Aeropress uses immersion to extract coffee (you put the ground coffee in the chamber and add water right away), which optimizes it, once it extracts at a uniform temperature. Unlikely the espresso method, it prolongs the extraction time, increasing saturation. The other great factor about Aeropress is that in lower temperatures (usually between 80 and 90 degrees Celsius), you can avoid over extracting and so bittering your coffee.
Has that been said, let’s go to our apparel needed?
TOOLS NEEDED: AEROPRESS
Coffee Grinder: the same as linked for other methods in this article
Gooseneck Jar: the same as linked for other methods in this article
Weight Scale: the same as linked for other methods in this article
FIND THE COFFEE GADGETS ONLINE
BREWING COFFEE WITH: AEROPRESS
Aeropress is a very versatile method, so we will give you the basics and after that, you will be able to play around with the many variables of the process after you get comfortable with the basics of it. But we can assure you that is extremely satisfying to do those uncountable variations until you reach your ideal cup of coffee. Let’s go then, to the basic steps:
Heat up the water at around 85 to 88 degrees
Grind around 16 grams of coffee, in a slightly coarser pattern than the V60 grind pattern
Add the round filter into the Aeropress and rinse it with hot water
Add the ground coffee to the bottom of the Aeropress device, and put the mug and the Aeropress on top of it, and those on the weight scale to know how much water you will be adding
Add around 50 ml of water and let it bloom for around 30 seconds (infusion methods do not require so much bloom, so you can skip it if you want). You can mix it with a long spoon in order to get a more evenly ground saturation.
Add 200 ml of water slowly, and let it rest for 20 seconds
Couple the plunge, remove the scale, and press it very slowly into the mug, aiming for a 25 to 40 seconds press. If it is too hard to press, your ground coffee might be too fine, and if it is too easy, it might be too coarse. Adjust it as you are getting more used to the method!
Put it in the cup, and have a nice coffee!
METHOD 4 OF BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: COLD BREW
Cold Brew is a relatively new kind of extraction that is starting to become very popular around, mainly in the healthy lifestyle world. The cold brew can have the same characteristics the hot coffee has (although with a little bit less caffeine, and less bitterness as well), and can have an extremely good fit in sports and fitness for example. People use to take it before training, and it also fits perfectly in places that have a more hot climate. It can also come blended with a slice of orange or some other fruit, the options are endless. Sports addicted coffee lovers have a great product on their hands. And there is one extra advantage to this drink, it is very easy to make!
But pay attention, Cold Brew is not a diluted refrigerated coffee. Its extraction is made at a cold temperature, and it remains at a cold temperature until you drink it. And that is the reason why it is less caffeine concentrated and has less bitterness: cold water does not have the capacity to extract as much caffeine, oils, and fatty acids from the bean as hot water. Consequently, it is a much more friendly drink for people who is acid sensitive (researchers say that cold brew can be 67% less acidic than normal extraction coffee).
The industry is getting more and more interested in this kind of drink because it can have a relatively long shelf life if taken care of properly. Some experts are going even further and pasteurizing on a vacuum, which can put the shelf life of this product to more than 6 months. We could taste one of these in a cupping event in NOMAD and it was awesome.
So let’s see how it is done!
TOOLS NEEDED: COLD BREW
Cold Brew Jar: we have a great and beautiful Jar we love linked here, but it really can be any jar you have at home
Manual Grinder: as linked before
Weight Scale: the same as linked for other methods in this article
FIND THE COFFEE GADGETS ONLINE
BREWING COFFEE: COLD BREW
Grind your coffee in a big coarse, coarser than drip filter, almost like a tiny rocky-sized. You must be able to feel the rocky aspect in your fingers.
Add 1 part of ground coffee to 4 or 5 parts of cold water (it can also be room temperature water)
Give it a mix with a spoon
Let it sit for 12 to 24 hours in the fridge. A good tip is to make it at night, and in the morning you will have your cold brew coffee ready to be drunk.
After this time, your cold brew will be fresh for 24 to 48 hours
This is a home-style brewing, but of course that cafeterias that are specialized in have many more tools to do a better extraction. If you wanna know more you can click here to see more specific cold brewing options.
METHOD 5 OF BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: CHEMEX
It is very likely that you have seen, and also very likely that you adored the CHEMEX recipient in some coffee shop. Due to its aesthetic, this method is quite known in the specialty coffee world. It was invented by Dr. Peter Schlumbohm in 1941 and remains the same since that date. The company that makes is still a family business in Massachusetts. Made simply from non-porous, borosilicate glass and fastened with a wood collar and tie, it is a very beautiful coffee masterpiece and has also a decorative effect in your house.
The filter is also specific for the brewing and as having a thicker consistency, it allows less oils and acid to pass through, leaving a clean body and beautiful clarity coffee.
Due to its bigger size, it is often used when more people are in the house, so it also makes Chemex so great, it is a symbol of community, and several people can appreciate good quantities of coffee when using the CHEMEX.
TOOLS NEEDED: CHEMEX
Chemex Jar: the superstar of the show, the Jar is even housed in the MOMA permanent design collection for its beauty
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BREWING COFFEE WITH: CHEMEX
Boil water until it reaches a temperature between 93 and 97 degrees celsius
Put the filter in the Chemex (attention to put the single fold of the filter away from the sprout), and rinse it in the hot water in order to get rid of glue and residual tastes in the paper filter – after that throw the water away paying attention to holding the filter. This is very important as well to preheat the CHEMEX so the extraction gets better quality.
Grind the coffee: let’s assume you are making 500 ml of coffee for 3or 4 people, so you will need approximately 35 to 38 grams of ground coffee (1:13 to 1:14) a little bit coarser than in a V60, so it will be like granulated sugar. After that, put your coffee in the center of the filter
Pour around 3.5 parts of water, or 130-140 ml of hot water into the filter with ground coffee, and mix it with a spoon, to make sure there is no dry coffee in the moisture.
Wait between 30 to 45 seconds beginning from when you poured the water to pour some more approximately 250 ml water and wait more seconds until you pour the final amount of water (110 to 120 ml)
Wait for the coffee to be extracted …
Enjoy!
METHOD 6 OF BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: FRENCH PRESS
The french press is another very common and known method. Easy and consistent to brew, this Press is very reliable. Its classic design hasn’t changed much since it was invented in 1929, and it’s perfect for making multiple cups and the result is heavy-bodied coffees.
Because it has a relatively long time of brewing (4 minutes) the ground size is recommended to be coarse, cause a fine ground can provide a bitter and hard to brew coffee.
TOOLS NEEDED: FRENCH PRESS
French Press: also a decoration object, its vintage look can boost up your kitchen or your coffee space
Gooseneck Kettle: but in this specific method you can very much use any kind of kettle
BREWING COFFEE WITH: FRENCH PRESS
Despite taking a little bit (and really a little bit) longer than most of the methods here exposed, French Press is very easy to make (and so, none of the others are rocket science as you noticed throughout this article). We recommend you use a 1:13 ratio of coffee and water coffee. Let’s go to it, then
Boil your water between 93 and 97 degrees Celsius
Pour hot water into the press to give a final clean and also to heat it up (less temperature oscillation when starting brewing)
Grind 17g of your coffee in sizes of granulated sugar (a little bit coarse than in the Kalita Wave, for example)
Pour your ground coffee into the French Press and gently shake it back and forth to settle the grounds
Pour about 100 ml of water trying to hydrate all the ground coffee, and wait for 30 to 40 seconds.
Using the spoon, stir the coffee gently for 5 seconds to break up the crust, and mix the grounds evenly with the water.
Pour the remaining water over the (170ml). Place the lid on your French press with the plunger pulled all the way up. Let it rest until the fourth minute.
Put on the plunger in the press, and slowly press it to the bottom of the french press. Immediately put your coffee into your mug, or else it will become bitter
Enjoy this more bodied coffee!
METHOD 7 OF BREWING COFFEE AT HOME: KALITA WAVE
Kalita or Kalita Wave is a very interesting method to brew at home. As the name suggests it is a Japanese company, and its filter format is very seducing, really looking like waves. It provides and a rich and well rounded flavored cup of coffee, and with such an incredible ease of use, and that’s why it is a very recommended brew at home extraction: even if you mess up a little bit, you will still have a good and round cup of coffee to drink. The 3 holes in its filter support allow the coffee to remain infused for a little longer than the Hario V60 for example, so you will get a more bodied cup, and the waves in the paper filter increase the contact surface with the infusion too. Kalita wave has two sizes, but we advise you to always go with the bigger one, as you can do one small cup in the bigger size as well.
TOOLS NEEDED: KALITA WAVE
Kalita Filter Support: the main device for this extraction method
FIND THE COFFEE GADGETS ONLINE
BREWING COFFEE WITH: KALITA WAVE
The process of brewing in Kalita is very similar to brewing in Hario V60. Some aspects change, for example, the ground coffee size, because it is a slower process. So we advise you to grind it a little bit coarser than what you use in Hario V60 (of course this is very personal, but you can start from there). Differently from other drippers, the ground size does not influence too much the speed that the water passes through, because of its geometry.
Boil water until it reaches a temperature between 93 and 97 degrees celsius
Rinse the filter (or not): Kalita filters are thin enough that they don’t really need to be rinsed, but if you will, do it very slowly to don ́t affect the walls of the filter. Best way i to pour water directly into the middle of the filter and fill it up.
Grind your beans (approximately 25 grams) a little bit coarser than a V60 pattern. The ratio of coffee and water varies from 1:13 to 1:16. So you can start it with 1:15 (1 part of coffee to 15 parts of water) – in this case, 375 ml of water
Start with the blooming: pour over approximately 60 ml of water (2 times the amount of coffee), try to wet every part of the powder, and wait for the water sit approximately 40 seconds
After the first pour, add more 170 ml of water, and with the chronometer, wait for more than 40 seconds until you drop the third and final quantity of water (145 ml).
Wait for all the water to pass through. This whole brewing should last between 3 and 3:30 minutes (the geometry of the filter explains a longer brewing time than Hario V60 for example, even with coarse ground coffee).
Have a nice Kalita Wave coffee!
METHOD 8 OF BREWING AT HOME: CLEVER FILTER
The Clever Dripper is a very versatile device that can combine the worlds of dripping and immersion in the coffee extraction method. Its shapes are very lookalike a V60 dripper, but this device has a valve in which the water stays “trapped” in the immersion until the user decides the time it will release. And it happens in a very beautiful way: when you put the device in the top your cup of coffee for example, the valve is activated and your coffee starts dripping. Its name, Clever, has to do with this characteristic, as the device is Clever, helping the user to brew easily. The Clever dripper gives you the ease of use and full-bodied flavor of a French press. But thanks to its paper filter, you don’t get any of the resulting sediment in your cup.
TOOLS NEEDED: CLEVER FILTER
Clever Dripper: you can brew in two sizes, but we always prefer to recommend you the bigger devices once on them, you can also do smaller quantities as well.
Melitta Filter: the beauty of the Clever is that you can use the Melitta, found everywhere and for a great price
Spoon
FIND THE COFFEE GADGETS ONLINE
BREWING COFFEE WITH: CLEVER FILTER
Heat up the water between 87 and 93 degrees celsius
Grind your coffee mostly like in the French Press method: looking like granulated sugar for example
We suggest you use the ratio 1:15. And in this Clever Device, a good recipe would be 23 grams of coffee to 345 ml of water
Pre rinse your filter with the hot water: as shown many times, this is very important to remove some undesirable tastes and material that can remain in the production of the paper filter, heat your device itself and the mug
Again, do not forget to throw to rinsed water away, or it will result in a very bad coffee and sadness.
Bloom your coffee bed. Or in other words, put around 50 ml of water into the ground coffee in order to wet in evenly, and wait for around 40 seconds, before starting pouring the rest of water.
Pour the rest of the water (295 ml) into the Clever Device. You can do it very fast, no technique needed.
Wait for two minutes approximately, and break the crust. In other words, shake your coffee with the wooden spoon. You will see a crust forming in the top of the mix, so you can break it. This will guarantee that all grounded coffee is evenly “wet” and provide a good extraction
Wait for extra 1 to 1,5 minutes and place it in the top of your mug to see the magic happen!!
SHOPPING LIST FOR A SPECIALTY COFFEE LOVER
In this article, we give a lot of tips if you wanna make a specialty coffee lover happy
COOL LINKS – LEARN MORE
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