Að laga hinn fullkomna bolla

"Coffee has a unique benefit of being as simple or complex as you make it. There are a few concepts that will help you understand brewing theory more thoroughly."
WATER TIME TEMPERATURE TURBULENCE
| WATER |

Water is an incredibly crucial part of brewing, comprising over 98% of brewed coffee, yet it is usually an afterthought. It's important to know what's in your water and how it can affect the coffee you brew. High concentrations of certain chemicals can have an adverse affect on the resulting flavor of your coffee, and others can cause scale build up or even corrosion to your home brewing equipment. Here we will discuss some of the key factors of water as an ingredient in coffee brewing and provide some useful tips for best results.

PURIFIED VS FILTERED WATER FOR BREWING COFFEE

If you don't have access to an RO system or a filtered water service, we recommend buying 1 gallon jugs of water usually labelled "Drinking Water" from a local grocery store for your coffee brewing. This water is usually RO filtered water that can range from 50 - 100 ppm, perfect for brewing coffee.
For the majority of coffee brewers, filling up the kettle or coffee brewer is as simple as turning on the faucet. Unfortunately, this generally isn't ideal for coffee brewing for a number of reasons. The water quality from your tap will vary by where you live. If you live in LA, for example, the water is incredible hard and has high concentrations of chemicals (like magnesium and calcium) that will cause build up in your brewing equipment, in addition to muting most of the delicious, nuanced flavors from your freshly roasted coffee. Even though water from your tap has been treated with chemicals to make it pure, which is to say, it is safe for consumption, it doesn't mean it will make your coffee shine. Simply put, just because water is 'pure', doesn't make it the best ingredient for brewing.

By filtering water, usually through a reverse osmosis (RO) system, we can remove high concentrations of any chemicals that would add negative flavors or make your coffee less tasty. For example, too much chlorine in your coffee and it will increase the perception of bitterness. While small amounts of sodium can make your coffee taste sweeter, high concentrations can make it taste sour and unpleasant. An RO system will then add desirable mineral content back into the water to get it to an appropriate mineral level. For best results, we recommend brewing with water between 50 - 150 ppm of total dissolved solids.

| TIME |

In coffee brewing, there are a number of variables that can have huge effects on the final cup. Some of the most important of these can be remembered as the "3 T's".

Time: The "contact" or "dwell" time, refers to how long coffee remains in contact with the water. Generally, brewed coffee needs to sit with water for at least 2-4 minutes to fully extract the desired available flavors compounds (water soluble solids). If coffee sits with water for too little time, you risk underextraction, which will result in weak, sour tasting coffee. If coffee sits with water for too long, you risk overextraction, which will result in harsh, bitter, and astringent tasting coffee. Remember that each brew method has a different ideal brew time that can be affected by grind size, how much coffee will be brewed, water temperature and how much agitation occurs.

IDEAL CONTACT TIME BY BREW METHOD

Espresso: 25 - 30 seconds
Aeropress: 1 - 3 minutes
V60 Pour Over: 2.5 - 3 minutes
Clever Coffee Dripper: 3.5 - 4 minutes
Chemex: 3.5 - 5 minutes
French Press: 4 minutes
Auto-dripper: 6 - 8 minutes
Cold Brew: 12 - 24 hours
| TEMPERATURE |

For optimal extraction to take place, water must be roughly 200°F when in contact with the coffee, and stay within the range of 195° - 205°F for the entire duration of brewing. If the water temperature drops below this temperature range during the brewing process, one risks underextraction, resulting in weak, sour tasting coffee. If the water temperature maintains a temperature higher than this during brewing one risks overextraction, resulting in harsh, bitter, and astringent tasting coffee.

Be mindful that water temperature stays relatively stable when in a large mass, but becomes volatile and can fluctuate easily when that mass is decreased. We recommend bringing a goose-neck spouted kettle filled with filtered water to boil on the stove top immediately prior to brewing. This will ensure that the water is just above 200° when brewing starts and will maintain proper temperature for the entire brewing process.

| TURBULENCE |

Turbulence, also referred to as "agitation", is the chaotic mixing of grounds, gases, and hot water during coffee brewing. The main source of turbulence that we can control is agitation caused by an external force. This usually involves the use of a spoon or paddle to stir the coffee and water mixture during brewing. It is important to be aware of the effects of agitation and its potential implications for the resulting extraction. Agitation will accelerate the rate of extraction and improve the uniformity of extraction. This means that the careful and intentional application of agitation will help produce an optimal and even extraction.

We recommend simple, easily repeatable motions when stirring so that you can produce consistent results, brew after brew. We recommend 2 or 3 slow and controlled stirs instead of violent and random stirring.