Pour Over Brewing Part II

As stated in my first post about Pour Over Brewing I was going to have my Mom and Sis #2 do a taste test.  Since I'm still developing my coffee palate, I figured they would be the perfect audience since they have been drinking coffee for a long long time, they like it black, and they will give me an honest answer.  So last week I hauled over all the equipment to my Mom's house along with Klatch (Guatemalan) and Intelligentsia (Kenyan) coffee beans and brewed up a few pots with the following measurements:

- 12 oz of water
- Water at 200 degrees
- 5 tbs of coffee (my previous post had it a 2.5 tbs but that was incorrect)
- Coarse grind
- 2:00 - 2:30 mins of total brew time.

The first pot was done with the Klatch beans and I was glad when they didn't immediately spit it out and make me promise not to make another cup of coffee, ever.  However I was also disappointed when they didn't claim it was the best cup of coffee they ever had either.  What they did say is that it was good but it could be stronger.  So I added about a half a tablespoon of coffee to the next pot and they again said it was good.  I then made a pot with the Intelligentsia beans with the same measurements.  These beans definitely have a fruiter taste over the Klatch which they seemed to like better.  While tasting each pot I made with them, I just could not see how this is good tasting coffee.  So a couple of days later and not satisfied with 'good enough' I started tweaking the measurements to see if I could brew something that I would like drinking.  What I figured out was that my grind size was too coarse and I was using too much coffee.  I'm not sure if the coffee I was brewing was over-extracted (bitter taste) or under-extracted (sour taste) but once I adjusted those parameters I was able to brew a cup of coffee that I liked.  Once again this week I will have Mom and Sis #2 try it out and tell me what they think.

Oh yeah here's the measurements I changed

- Grind size set somewhere between coarse and fine
- 6 oz of water to every 2 tbs of coffee

How coffee benefits your health

One of the many things I didn't know before learning more about coffee is it's health benefits. Sure this is just part ignorance but also a bit of 'I don't drink coffee so what the hell do I care' attitude. I'm sure that I have read articles expounding on these benefits but as quickly as I read them I forgot them (I do that a lot with all subjects). What stayed with me more was all the myths attributed to drinking coffee, like 'it will stunt your growth' or that coffee causes cancer. But recent research shows quite a lot of health benefits for drinking coffee.

- Coffee is a great source of antioxidants and is actually the #1 source of antioxidants for most Americans
- Reduces the risk of Alzheimer's by 65%
- Reduces the risk of prostate cancer in men by 60%
- Reduces the risk of liver cancer by 50%
- Reduces the risk of a stroke in women by 43%
- Reduces the chance of colon cancer by 25%
- Reduces the chance of Type 2 Diabetes by up to 25%
- Increases your metabolism which can be an aide to weight loss.

However over consumption can be potential harmful to ones health.  The articles I read state that up six 10oz cups of coffee a day can be beneficial, but more than that might have negative effects.  Even drinking in moderation can pose the following risks.

- Weight gain from  the extra calories from sugar and heavy creams
- High consumption of unfiltered coffee can increase cholesterol levels
- Increase in heart disease in people with a specific genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body
- Withdrawal symptoms when quitting
- Increased risk of miscarriages for pregnant women

I do like all the positive benefits I have read lately about drinking coffee, but I really have to question the accuracy or even process on how this research is conducted.  Case in point, as stated earlier in this post coffee was linked to an increase risk of cancer in some studies, however it was discovered that the people included those studies were also heavy smokers and when subsequent studies were done with non-smokers the increase rate of cancer disappeared.

Now I'm not a researcher or a scientist or am I saying that the results are inaccurate, but who's to say that coffee drinkers are just not healthier in general or that there is some other factor that is not being considered in these studies that provides these benefits?  I guess if I lose weight, don't get cancer or Alzheimer's or Diabetes I can give credit to my increased coffee intake.  Check back with me in 40 years and I'll let you know the result.

Coffee Shop Review - Sunrise Coffee

In the desert that is the Las Vegas coffee scene Sunrise Coffee is a much needed Oasis.  I won't get into why there are not more independent specialty coffee shops for a city our size (that's for a future post), I'm just glad we have Sunrise Coffee.

Located in a strip mall on Sunset Blvd right next to a tattoo shop is this small friendly shop that serve up excellent coffee and tea products.  They pride themselves on being all organic and use Fair Trade coffee from Klatch Roasters.  I can go on and on about how much I love their Latte's and Cappuccino's, but what truly makes this place is the owners and barista's that work there.  Not only are they knowledgeable and proficient about the coffe and tea that they serve, but are extremely friendly and make you feel at home.  You never feel hurried to leave this place and can easily get caught up in the relaxed atmosphere.  For instance, while lounging on one of their three couches you can read a book from the library or play one of the many board games they have available or surf the net on their free wi-fi or just look around appreciating the local art that adorn the walls.  All this while enjoying one of their awesome drinks and something off of their all Vegan menu.  I love this place so much that I'm there about 3-4 times a week and I'm not the only one as I see a lot of the same people there day after day, which is hard to do with the fickle Vegas local.

If you love coffee or tea, Sunrise Coffee is a must.  Trust me you won't be disappointed.

Pour Over Brewing

My ultimate goal on my coffee adventure is to be able to have the necessary equipement to pull a great shot of espresso.  Unfortunately that requires some expensive equipment that is outside my budget at the present time, so I've settled for trying to learn other less expensive brewing methods.  The frist method I'm using is called Pour Over brewing.  It's just basically pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee beans to make a cup of coffee.  Pretty simple right.  Well for most people that might be the case but I had my challenges.

First off you need the some equipment to make this happen.  For me I purchased the Hario Pour Over kit, Hario Skerton Hand Grinder, the Hario Kettle and some coffee beans.  This is the same equipment used at Intelligentsia Cafes, so I decided that was good enough for me.  There are plenty of other pour over systems out there with the Chemex coming highly recommended also.  For the beans I decided to use the Klatch beans sold and used at Sunrise Coffee.  The reason for this is that I would be able to compare the drip coffee they make with my home brew to see the taste difference.

Still with the proper equipment and beans I had no idea what to do next.  After spending a some time on Youtube and some coffee forums I thought I had a good understanding of what to do.  Turns out I did not.

Challenge #1
This is all new to me, so I had no idea between what a fine grind is compared to coarse grind.  And although the Skerton Hand Grinder is awesome it doesn't have any setting on it to tell you what the grind size is.  After a few attempts though I was able to find a good grind size.  For the Skerton that is about half way between fully open and fully closed.

Challenge #2
It is very important for pour over brewing to be exact on your measurements and I was not.  Most instructions will tell you that for every how many ounces of water to how much weight in coffee is to be used.  Well I didn't (and still don't) have a scale for the proper measurement of the coffee.  It took a lot of trial and error to come up with using 2.5 tbs of coffee for 12 oz of water measurement.

Challenge #3
I don't like coffee (see previous post), so no matter how I brewed it, it all tasted bad to me.  After about 3 days and 15 pots of bad coffee, I was able to convince brother JJ to try a sip (he's been off the stuff for about a year now so he was reluctant).  At first I thought he was messing with me when he said it was a really good cup of coffee, but it turns out he was being genuine.  The true test is going to come on Friday when I visit my Mom and sister to have them try it out.

Not only was I able to overcome these challenges I was able to learn new things like what over-extracted and under-extracted meant and how they tasted and how to avoid them.  Now once approved by Mom and sis I will work on perfecting this technique and deciding what to tackle next.

Here is a summary of my Pour Over brewing process

Equipment:

- Dripper
- Filters
- Kettle
- Coffee
- Grinder
- Scale (optional)
- Measuring spoon (optional if you have a scale)
- Thermometer

My Parameters:

- 12oz of water
- 2.5 tbs of coffee
- Coarse grind setting
- Water at 200 degrees
- Total brew time is between 2:00 and 2:30 minutes

Step by step

- Place a dry filter in the Dripper
- Pre-wet the filter and pot with hot water
- Pour out water in the pot
- Grind the Coffee
- Place coffee in the Dripper with the pre-wet filter
- Smooth out the grounds so that they are somewhat even in the filter
- Pour just enough hot water over the grounds to wet the top and start a coffee bloom
- Wait at least 30 seconds
- Slowly pour in rest of the water by starting in the middle and working your way out to the sides in a circular motion
- (Optional) Once all the water is in the Dripper, stir the slurry (the water still waiting to make its way through the filter
- Drink and enjoy

And so it begins......

I have recently embarked on a journey to discover the joys of the many different incarnations of coffee and have decided to record my discoveries for everyone's enjoyment.  My history with what I had previously known as "coffee" is the same as most who grew up on the West Coast in the 70's and 80's.  Coffee was something in large containers from the grocery store that all the grown ups had in the morning to wake up.  It was all about the Mr. Coffee and the Foldgers freeze dried or the Sanka instant coffee.  No one under 40 ever had a cup of coffee or even considered drinking such a thing.  Of course being a kid I asked my Mom once if I could try some and she obliged me.  I have learned over the years that asking to try something my Mom likes is like asking someone to pore molten fire in my mouth.  She grew up on spicy New Mexican cuisine and as a result her taste buds regiester flavors and heat differently then me, my Dad, and my sisters.  She liked her coffee strong, hot and black and was only to happy to let me try a taste.  I remember it being too hot for my young tongue and the taste way to foreign to my inexperienced palate to comprehend and my Mom laughing at the face I made.  To sum up; I didn't like it and decided from there on coffee was not for me.

My next experience with coffee drinkers came from my 3 years in the Army.  Coffee in the Army was only for the career solider; hence the term "lifer juice".  I was never tempted to even try the stuff while enlisted but can't imagine it could have been any better then my pervious experience.  If I was to believe all the complaints from the "lifers" in the service it had to be one of the worst ways for water to be used to make a drink and should be banned and most likely would have been if not for their maniacal dependence on the stuff.

At about the same time I made it back to civilization and started college, Starbucks was expanding into the Las Vegas market.  At the time I couldn't understand paying $4 for a cup of coffee.  Sure I've heard the terms Cafe Latte and Cappuccino by this time but to me it was all just coffee.  It was at this time I was introduced to the Frappaccino and decided that paying $4 for one of those is totally acceptable because it's not coffee.  I guess you can say this frozen concoction was my gateway drug into developing a taste for coffee.  However it was not a fast transition to other coffee drinks.  It was still a few years before even trying a Cafe Latte and only after the prodding of a friend while in Australia.  But the espresso or the black coffee were still not anywhere on the horizon in terms of drinkability until recently.  You see I've been unemployed for well over a year now and to keep myself sane I was spending time out of the house at Starbuck's or Panarea Bread having their version of a Latte and looking online for a job.  After a few weeks of this brother JJ suggested I try Sunrise Coffee and my life was changed forever (a little dramatic I know).  The owners and barista's at Sunrise Coffee are to blame for my new appreciation of the black juice.  They blend a Cafe Latte or a Cappuccino with such perfection that you could swear you were in one of the great coffee shops in Seattle and what started as just a minor appreciation of their craft has started me on this journey of discovery.

Also I feel now as a middle aged man who has had his up's and down's, who has loved and lost, who has been around the world, and most importantly who is now well into his 40's; I can finally truly appreciate all that coffee has to offer.  Of course that's all bullshit, it's just good to have a hobby.