Many years ago, I began noticing that cups of coffee made one at a time, using a single cup filter cone (#4 size) on top of a cup, tasted much better than coffee I could get from a coffee machine, or even a regular pour style Melitta carafe. I've come to the conclusion that the reason for this flavor difference has to do with how much water you are pushing through a given quantity of grounds. When I make one cup of coffee, then, in this example, I am pushing 12 oz of water through about 3 tablespoons of beans. But if I make a larger amount of coffee, even though I have more coffee grounds, I am, in effect, pushing much more water through the same 3 tablespoons of grounds (albeit, they mixed up with other grounds), and so I am extracting more flavor, and, in my experience, more undesirable flavors. Making coffee one cup at a time is not a very efficient use of grounds. I realize if I make a larger amount of coffee I could use proportionally less coffee. As a side note, I've never quite understood the linear "2 tablespoons per 6 oz. of water" mantra that so many coffee suppliers promote, because anyone who has made more than two pots of coffee in their lifetime knows that the more coffee you are making, the less grounds, proportionally, you need to use. If you extrapolate the 2 tablespoons per 6 oz. of water out to a large coffee brewer, you end up with mud which is way too strong to drink undiluted. I finally put my Krups coffee maker away about a year ago and haven't pulled it out since. These days I either make a single cup of drip, or I make an Americano in my espresso machine. I have three filter cones and so can make three cups at a time for guests, if need be. One last thing: I also find that I get better flavor if, after I pour the water into the filter cone, I stir the water gently to keep the grounds suspended while the water drains. If you've ever watched the water draining out of the filter cone, you will notice that most of the grounds get stuck on the sides of the filter cone as the water level lowers. Once they are out of the water, there is no more flavor being extracted from them. By stirring the water gently, I'm able to keep most of the grounds suspended. When the liquid starts taking on the consistency of thin mud, and can't really be stirred anymore, I stop. I find that cups made this way have a richer, stronger flavor. Any thoughts? KP homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Many years ago, I began noticing that cups of coffee made one at a time, using a single cup filter cone (#4 size) on top of a cup, tasted much better than coffee I could get from a coffee machine, or even a regular pour style Melitta carafe. I've come to the conclusion that the reason for this flavor difference has to do with how much water you are pushing through a given quantity of grounds. When I make one cup of coffee, then, in this example, I am pushing 12 oz of water through about 3 tablespoons of beans. But if I make a larger amount of coffee, even though I have more coffee grounds, I am, in effect, pushing much more water through the same 3 tablespoons of grounds (albeit, they mixed up with other grounds), and so I am extracting more flavor, and, in my experience, more undesirable flavors. Making coffee one cup at a time is not a very efficient use of grounds. I realize if I make a larger amount of coffee I could use proportionally less coffee. As a side note, I've never quite understood the linear "2 tablespoons per 6 oz. of water" mantra that so many coffee suppliers promote, because anyone who has made more than two pots of coffee in their lifetime knows that the more coffee you are making, the less grounds, proportionally, you need to use. If you extrapolate the 2 tablespoons per 6 oz. of water out to a large coffee brewer, you end up with mud which is way too strong to drink undiluted. I finally put my Krups coffee maker away about a year ago and haven't pulled it out since. These days I either make a single cup of drip, or I make an Americano in my espresso machine. I have three filter cones and so can make three cups at a time for guests, if need be. One last thing: I also find that I get better flavor if, after I pour the water into the filter cone, I stir the water gently to keep the grounds suspended while the water drains. If you've ever watched the water draining out of the filter cone, you will notice that most of the grounds get stuck on the sides of the filter cone as the water level lowers. Once they are out of the water, there is no more flavor being extracted from them. By stirring the water gently, I'm able to keep most of the grounds suspended. When the liquid starts taking on the consistency of thin mud, and can't really be stirred anymore, I stop. I find that cups made this way have a richer, stronger flavor. Any thoughts? KP homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Keith Parker wrote:
<Snip>
Those grounds getting stuck on the sides always bothered me about the
Melitta design, but I think I've just compensated by using more grounds. I
have a friend who's made coffee by putting it in a French press carafe and
stirring it around a bit, then letting it sit a bit, THEN pouring the whole
slurry through a paper filter instead of pressing it in the pot. I tried
that and did like it, but it was a little too much extra trouble (yeah -
I'm lazy, especially in the mornings).
I like your stirring in the Melitta filter idea, but one thing I've found
is that sometimes if I disturb the filter after pouring the water in, it
takes longer for the water to drain - sometimes much longer. I used to use
a whirly-blade grinder, so there was a fair amount of powder along with the
grounds in there. I now use a hand grinder every day (usually one of those
little Turkish-style ones, but adjusted to give me less of a powder). The
grind seems to be more even than what I got with the whirly-blade (of
course), so I'll give your stirring technique a try.
Thanks for the suggestion - looking forward to trying it.
-- garyZ
Whirly-drip(paper)-black
& vacuum
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Cowboys on the trail used to put the grounds in a cup and pour the water over them. They would then let the coffee steep for a while, and then pour the whole thing through a sieve to strain the grounds. To me, and I have tried this, it makes superb coffee. I do think that the paper filters, brown or not, can distort the taste of home-brewed coffee. Also, I agree with Keith - don't use boiling water. I have found the ideal temperature to be 202 degrees. Cheers. Frank from Texas |
Another factor to consider is the "contact time", that is, how long the water is in contact with the coffee grounds. This might be another difference between the cup and carafe methods. The SCAA has recommendations on this, perhaps only intended to establish a cupping standard. Here's the URL and the relevant quote from the SCAA site:http://www.scaa.org/resources/quality_standards/chap11.html "7. Brewing Time Repeated studies have shown that prolonged brewing time adversely affects cup flavor. Because brewing time relates directly to coffee grind, or particle size, equipment designs may be modified to give shorter - or, in some cases, longer - water contact times. The water contact time, however, should never exceed 8 minutes. In testing brewing devices, SCAA will use the grind appropriate to the coffee-to-water contact time. Generally speaking, this will be regular grind for brewing times of 6 to 8 minutes, drip grind for brewing times of 4 to 6 minutes, and fine grind for brewing times under 4 minutes. Grind classification will be determined using the Ro-Tap standard sieve method." - from the SCAA The text of this chapter get's pretty technical, talking about a calibrated sieve to use to determine grind, ... - Jeff --- Jeff Vandegrift jvandehttp://dutch.org |
I was wondering if anyone has tried a cylindrical basket/filter (a la Mr. Coffe) over a cup( Are these even made?). . I've heard/read somewhere that the flat-basket design handled the suspension of the grounds much better than the conical.... Thanks, Angelo If you've ever watched the water <Snip> get stuck on the sides of the filter cone as the water level lowers. Once they are out of the water, there is no more flavor being extracted from them. By stirring the water gently, I'm able to keep most of the grounds suspended. When the liquid starts taking on the consistency of thin mud, and can't really be stirred <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
I've accepted Tom's advice on the one-cup method and ordered one of his Swiss gold-plated filter thingees. The sides are vertical, so no grounds cling. On mornings when I want more than one cup, I use a Bodum french press. homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Keith Parker wrote:
<Snip>
Tried it this morning, and noticed a definite difference. It wasn't a huge
change, but just as Keith says, the coffee seems more flavorful and rich
(without seeming "stronger"). It's closer to the full brews I get with my
Santos vacuum brewer and my press pot, though relatively lighter than the
coffee I get from those. I like it! Thanks Keith!
The other nice thing is that this shows the grinds from my little Turkish
grinder are at least fairly even, because, though the water filtered
through the stirred grounds more slowly than usual, it never stalled or
slowed a huge amount. That was an occasional problem back in the dark ages
when I used a whirly-blade grinder. Sometimes then the filter drip would
stall even if I didn't stir the grounds, because I tried to get a fine
grind to maximize extraction. (I was so young, so naive...)
Anyway, thanks again. You other listers ("fellow roasties"? "home
roasters"? "homies"?) who use paper cone filters should give this a try.
-- garyZ
Whirly-drip(paper)-black
& vacuum
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I bought one of these from Tom, and I really like it. My one complaint is you can't judge how much coffee has brewed unless you lift the device up and check. The solution would be for me to locate a 15oz glass mug, so I can see when I've poured enough water into the Swiss. mas <Snip> Swiss <Snip> On <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
You've hit the nail on the head, Jeff. What we're talking about here is extraction time. Once you have the roast and grind to your liking, the two remaining critical factors are brew temperature and extraction time. Even in a drip pot a remarkable improvement in the brew can be obtained by adjusting the amount of coffee and water until the brew time is around 5 minutes. Never let the extraction time exceed 6 minutes. I believe that is why most folks like the one cup at a time flavor over making larger quantities in a pot. They're getting faster extraction times. Of course, the higher the brewing temperature, the shorter the extraction time should be. Maybe that's how Ken gets away boiling his Sivetz roasts. :<) Since I often have guests to whom I serve coffee, I have made many experiments with my Braun 10-cup drip pot. The maximum capacity I can get without significant degradation of flavor is 8 six-ounce cups out of that pot. Like wine, coffee is best made in small batches! --Hugh |
You are correct, sir! My brew time for "press pot" is 2 minutes, and has been for about a year now, not since the new boiling water brews. And to me, a 1/3 liter press pot *is* one cup. -- Ken Mary - Aromaroast, Popper - whirlyblade - decanter ---------- <Snip> <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
<Snip> extrapolate the 2 tablespoons <Snip> is way too strong to <Snip> This is not my experience. I use 2 tbsp per 6 oz whether it's 6 oz or 48 oz. Any less is not strong enough for me. But none of the rest of the people living here like it that strong. I dilute it for them :) When I use the one cup cone I use 2 coffee scoops (4+ tbsp) and boil the water. I pour the water into the measuring cup to measure 12 oz. That cools it to proper brew temp and I pour in just enough to wet the grounds, then pour in a bit more every few moments, washing the grounds off the sides as needed, until 3 min is up. then I let it drip through for a slightly less than 4 min finish. If you pour all the water in at once it's no wonder you'd use more coffee for the quick brew time and less coffee for longer soak times (typical drip times are 4 min per pot). But it may not be a factor of how much is being brewed but how much time you let the coffee soak. Bob C. rcantor |
I've been using one of these for about 6 months, and have discovered the perfect method. I boil 12 oz. in a pyrex measuring cup, in the microwave (4 min), let cool for 30 seconds, and pour into top cup. Fills to brim. For this amount of water, 2-1/2 of the plastic scoops Tom included with this gadget, pretty well maxed out. Mike Quoting Michael Allen Smith : <Snip> complaint is <Snip> up <Snip> can <Snip> ------------------------------------------------- Get FREE DSL! Get Winfire DSL high-speed Internet access FREE...with Winfire athttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast">http://www.winfire.com.homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |