We have created a simple guide of the best home brew methods.
The aim of the guide’s simplicity is to reach people wanting to start exploring the specialty coffee World 🙂 You will see that with really practical tips you can make a very nice cup of coffee at home using simple equipment.
P.s: beautiful artwork was developed by Emma, our commercial manager.
First, check out the list of roasters that can deliver microlots and simple equipment to your door. There are some lists available:
(Feel free to let us know if you have access to updated lists)
http://hoppercultureclub.com/2020/03/24/roasteries-still-roasting/
You can buy the coffee in whole beans and freshly grind it at home with a hand grinder or ask the roaster to grind it for you. If you mention the brew equipment you will use they will know exactly which grind to use. We have selected the main equipment for home brew and wrote down simple instructions for it. We want to make it simple and not to detailed, which makes it ideal for people who are using this period to learn something new and start experimenting with coffee. The equipment we will describe into more details are paper filters, French press, Aeropress and Italian Moka.
PAPER FILTERS: you can use filters such as a simple Melitta, which you can buy at a normal supermarket, or something such as V60, Chemex or Clever. Filters will brew a more delicate coffee and it is ideal for you if you like to start the day with a big mug of coffee. Each of them has slightly different brewing instructions and but we will focus on V60:
Grind Size: Medium
Recipe: 20g of coffee per 300ml of water
Method: Pour a bit of water on the coffee (75ml) and wait for 1 minute. Pour some more (125ml) and wait about 1 minute or so then pour the remaining (100ml). Total brew time should be between 3:30 – 4 minutes. Enjoy your beautifully brewed cup of filter, it should highlight perfect terroir flavours of your coffee in a cone.
FRENCH PRESS: If you like coffee full of flavour and with more caffeine, French press is for you.
Grind Size: Medium
Recipe: 70g of coffee per 1 litre of water.
Method: Pour the water over the ground coffee and give it a stir. Leave for 4 minutes so it brews properly. Give it another stir, insert a plunger and press down. Enjoy your cuppa.
AEROPRESS: This method results in a coffee tasting in between the v60 and moka pot. Has more body and creaminess than v60 but not as much as Mokapot.
Grind Size: Medium – fine
Recipe: 15g to 200ml of water. Method: Wet the filter, assembly the Aeropress, add coffee to the chamber. Pour the water, stir and leave for 1 minute. Press for 20 seconds and enjoy immediately.
MOKAPOT: Also known as Bialetti. This is the ideal home method for espresso lovers. Expect low acidity and full body, which goes well with milk but give you a kick on its own too.
Grind Size: Fine
Recipe: Fill up the middle part with coffee, the filter basket.
Method: Boil the water. Fill the base of a Moka pot with water to the top mark. Add the coffee to a filter basket, up to the top, don’t count how many grams – just feel the breeze and go for it all the way in. Put the filter basket on the base, screw on the top of chamber. Turn the heat on, not too hot, so the coffee doesn’t splutter out. It needs to flow out nicely and tidy, once there is no more liquid coming out – time to turn it off. Leave to cool in your cup and enjoy!