A Coffee-Making Artform
Instant coffee in a fast-paced life is a necessary evil. But when you’re hosting, you need to pull out the big guns. No namby-pamby coffee-in-milk-and-stir will do. Wow, your guests with the perfect cup - one with sweetness, body, and complexity in flavor., Your beyond-origin serveware, and uber-functional brewing gizmos in addition to perfecting your brew, add a dramatic touch to your pour-over flair.
Speaking of, pour-over is an infusion method that involves consistent pouring of water over coffee grounds in a filter. It is almost meditative in its rhythm and demands more manual control over your brew. Here’s how you master the art:
Mise en Place
Keep things ready: freshly ground coffee, a scoop, a timer, a brewing device that includes the filter, a beaker or carafe for collection, a scale measure (optional), a gooseneck kettle, and a food thermometer! Or, make life simple with only The Caffeinator, and The Steamcatcher - everything else will follow!
Pot Meet Kettle
Fill the gooseneck kettle or The Steamcatcher with water boiled to about 195-205°F or 95°C. Pour out hot water over the filter placed in the brewing funnel to deodorise it.
A Bed of Coffee
Next add about 16gm of medium coarse, freshly ground coffee to the filter. Level the coffee bed with the base of your scoop. Consistently spread the coffee to prevent uneven extraction.
Note: If the grind is too coarse, your coffee will end up tasting weak or even sour. If the grind is too fine, the brew will end up astringent or bitter.
In Full Bloom
Now pour 60gm of hot water from The Steamcatcher evenly on the coffee bed to ensure it is wet. Wait precisely 30 seconds for the coffee to bloom as the carbon dioxide bubbles out.
It’s a Downpour
After this 30-second wait, start pouring again using a steady or pulse pour method. For a continuous pour, work in consistent circles from the center outwards, and back again. Do this for about 40 seconds using around 256gm of water from The Steamcatcher. For a pulse pour, add 100gm of water for about 10 seconds, pause for 10 seconds, and repeat. The goal is to ensure the entire coffee bed gets even ‘wetting’ without exposing the grinds to air.
The Drawdown
It’s time for the dissolution as the extraction trickles into the coffee carafe. Let the drawdown happen naturally for about 2 to 3 minutes without intervention before removing the filter.
Whiff and Sip
Give your carafe a good swirl. Do it 4-5 times. Now, take a whiff of pure magic before you pour it into stunning coffee cups – ready to serve guests. Nothing like an invigorating cup of the good morning! When it comes to brewing, many have questions about the type of filter – paper, cloth, or other, bleached or unbleached. And just as many about the types of brewing equipment.
Our take is that a metal mesh filter gives you the good bits of a pour-over and yet allows some of the essential oils to seep through for a touch of goodness. Your carafe should be borosilicate and even double-walled if possible. Your kettle needs a good grip handle, a technically angled spout for pouring, and an in-built thermometer to enjoy the finest flavour of your brew. Shazé brew ware is hard-engineered to elevate experiences like these, with its ergonomics and futuristic style. Give it a go.