If you are here, it means you are looking for ways to make better coffee at home instead of going to a cafe every time. We get it, Speciality coffee can get confusing. Bean profiles, techniques, equipment and the different ways to brew.
First things first… what kind of flavour profile are you looking for?
Flavour profiles and how it affects coffee
A single coffee bean has over 800 flavour compounds.
In specialty coffee, these are the most commonly seen flavour profiles -
- Fruity - A berry like sweetness, something more vibrant and maybe citrussy
- Chocolate - Warmer with a certain bitterness seen in dark chocolate
- Nutty - Prominent taste of roasted nuts with a slight sweetness
- Earthy - Think fresh soil or the aroma of first rain
- Spicy - Imagine the warmth of cinnamon or the sweet woodiness of cardamom
- Floral - Yes, coffee can taste like flowers. These notes are delicate, subtle and aromatic
Every coffee you buy will be a mixture of at least 2 of these profiles. It is also not uncommon to see one flavour profile being more noticeable than the other.
Some profiles are more subtle than others, test out different coffees to find something you like.
Now that you understand flavour profiles, let’s talk about taste notes
Taste notes - Pointing you in the right direction
Simply put, taste notes are ways for a taster to describe what the coffee's flavour reminds them of. This varies from person to person and is highly subjective, but coffee brands still add them to their packaging.
Think of taste notes as a guide, it can tell you what to expect but it can't tell you what to taste.
For example, our Panama Geisha - Panama Lot 926 has milk chocolate notes but it's so subtle that only our most experienced tasters get it.
The type of taste notes matter too. If a coffee has fruit notes of passionfruit and berries, that will taste very different to notes of stonefruits or oranges. The brewing method will also affect which tastenotes you experience.
Brewing methods
Coffee brewing methods can generally be categorised as
Immersion
Pour-over
Pressurised (Espresso) &
Traditional Methods
Let’s go over some of the most common ones
Moka Pot
An Italian household staple, this is a stovetop method that uses pressure to brew the coffee. The pot has 3 chambers - one for water, a coffee basket for the coffee grounds and the top chamber that collects the brewed coffee. This method works by heating up water and using the steam pressure to push the water through the coffee grounds extracting the coffee. The richer flavours closely mimics an espresso and makes for a bold brew.
To make coffee in a Moka Pot you will need
Moka pot
Stove
Pour water into the bottom chamber till it reaches the screw, place the coffee basket on top and fill the basket with the coffee grounds. Make sure the grounds are not fine, just slightly coarser than what you use for an espresso. Screw on the top part tightly and place the moka pot on the stove but on low flame keeping the lid open.
Once the coffee starts coming out, close the lid and take it off the heat.
Drink as an espresso or top it off with milk for a milk based drink.
Pour over
This is a very popular brewing method in third wave coffee circles. This is a manual brewing method that uses a dripper to extract coffee as water passes through. Usually you will find three parts - a dripper, filter paper and the server. Filter paper ensures the grounds do not pass through. The coffee itself gets collected in a carafe or server placed below the dripper.
For making this type of coffee you will need:
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Hot water
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Dripper
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Server or Carafe
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Filter paper
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Scale (optional)
Place the filter paper in the dripper. Pour hot water over the paper to wet it, this is to remove the paper taste. Use a coarser grind to ensure proper extraction. Pour hot water in stages, letting it soak through the grounds and drip into the server below.
There are many styles of drippers in the market - conical, with ridges, flat bottom and many more. Each style has its own pros and cons to look through.
Find out more about the bloom and why it's important here.
Be on the look out for brewing recipes on our social media pages
French Press
A versatile brewing device, the French Press uses immersion to brew rich coffee. This is one of the easiest ways to make an amazing & flavourful brew. With a distinct plunger component, coarse coffee grounds are submerged in water. This brings out the rich essence of the coffee in around 5 minutes.
Put in coarsely ground coffee in the carafe of the French Press, pour in hot water (just below boiling) and pour into the carafe. Stir once to incorporate the water and the coffee. Place the lid and slowly push the plunger just until the grounds are submerged in the water. Steep for around 4 mins before pushing down the plunger completely.
The French Press can also be used to froth milk as well to use for your milk based drinks or even to make a batch of cold brew.
If you want to know more about cold brew read this blog about how cold brew is the hottest drink of the summer.
Aeropress
The Aeropress combines 3 coffee brewing methods in 1. An advanced version of the French press, this is now a beloved brewing method in specialty coffee.
There are three parts: the chamber, the plunger, and the filter cap. Attach the filter cap to the chamber, put coffee grounds and hot water and stir to incorporate. Use the plunger to then push down, pushing the water through the coffee grounds and into the cup.
Turkish Cezve
Originating from Turkey, this method involves boiling coffee grounds in a Czeve. Cezeve (also known as an Ibrik) is a small pot attached to a long handle to hold over heat. From hot sand to the modern stovetop, the cezve has evolved over centuries. Now you will find this method almost everywhere in the MENA region.
Varieties of this brewing method exist - from hot sand to the modern stovetop, the cezve has evolved over centuries.
Learn more about traditional Arab and Turkish brewing methods here.
Brewing a coffee using an espresso machine brings out very different characteristics compared to brewing with a v60. If you are someone who enjoys a more subtle taste try pour-over and but if you enjoy a bolder taste try espresso. Of course there are other ways to brew as well.
Conclusion
Coffee doesn't have to be complicated, just intentional.
Becoming a home barista is a journey, you can only progress through trial and error. Learning to brew coffee is like painting a picture. Techniques will take time to learn before you perfect them. The process itself can get really messy but the end product, whether it is the cup or the art makes it all worth it.
Of course, it never hurts to have good beans that taste good regardless.
