Getting a good cup of coffee at home is a lot harder than you think. One problem is that consumers have learned to accept inferior brewed coffee from their coffee makers.
The most important ingredient in coffee other than the ground coffee is the water itself. Regardless of if you like straight from the tap or use a filtered water one thing for sure, if you’re brewing with a standard drip machine your water isn’t nearly hot enough.
Boiling or close to boiling water is the best water for brewing coffee. Water boils at 212 degrees. Your coffee maker will not come close. This is why I prefer a pour over using an electric kettle. It’s essentially the same thing as a drip coffee maker but you do the pouring manually.
At first people think this is too much trouble. Is it? The first cup of the morning. How important is that? I think a little effort goes a long way. To make a pour over you’re going to have to invest in a few items listed below. Other than the filters, it’s a one time investment and is probably cheaper than your fancy drip machine with the all the gadgets that regardless, still doesn’t get the water close to the proper temperature your Big Ridge Coffee is going to need to successfully extract not only the flavors but all the little goodies including antioxidants to improve your mind and health. See how important this is?
- Electric Kettle. $60-$85
Get one with a long spout. You’ll regret it if you don’t. It allows you to place the water with a more accuracy which are going to need. There’s a technique. - Scale
To prevent waste and to zero in on the exact ratio of water:coffee grinds you will need to invest in a kitchen scale. Some have timers and you’ll need it. - Timer
Any timer will work. Your phone or other kitchen appliance. - Pour Over System
There are several different methods and equipment for this. I like the V60’s and the Chemex because they allow for more coffee to be brewed.
A calculator will come in handy to consistently use the exact proportions. The golden ratio is 17.44:1. or multiply grams of ground coffee you’re using by 17.44 to get the amount of water you need.
Either of these methods will have instructions and there are many videos you can watch to learn how to make the best pour over. Here is my process.
- Heat up water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 Celsius.
- Soak the filter and the carafe with the boiling water.
- Dispose of water you just soaked the filter and carafe with.
- Add the ground coffee, making note of total grams. Try 32 grams of coffee. Multiply this by 17.44 to get 558 grams of water.
- Punch a little hole with your finger in the top of the coffee grinds sitting in the filter. Just a slight indention.
- Pour the proper temperature water in the center until all grounds are immersed then stop. Don’t put the total amount of water in just yet.
- Set your timer for 40 to 45 seconds and allow the coffee to brew.
- Pour the rest of the water, up to 558 grams, in the center of the filter. Do not pour around the sides to coat everything, keep the water in the center.
- Now sit back and wait for the water to complete. This takes a couple of minutes.
- Let coffee cool a bit in carafe. Maybe another minute or two.
- Pour into a cup. Enjoy.