There was a time not so long ago when coffee came in a can and was purchased at the grocery store alongside peanut butter and crackers. There were no lattes, no pour-over. There was just coffee — plain old, one-flavour coffee. These days, with the accessibility of beans from single-source origns and a spectrum of roasts, a lot of that has changed. But the need is the same — and oh do we need a warm cup of clarity in the morning.
Brewing coffee is a complex science and when done right it can provide different flavours and aromas. Depending on the bean and roast, the method chosen can make or break the coffee.
To help you get acquainted with the home brewing basics, we asked Rogue Wave Coffee’s David Laville to outline pros and cons of some of the most common home brewing methods.
“Simple, easy and consistent. Weigh out the correct amount of coffee, do a proper grind, push a button and you have coffee!”
“You are detached from the brewing process and have little control of the brewing process. However, some of the newer, more expensive coffee makers on the market mitigate this by giving you more control.”
“You will want to ensure the purchase of a drip coffee maker that gets the water to a high enough temperature to properly extract all that wonderful flavour in your beans. You will want to weigh the proper amount of coffee for the number of cups you are brewing. To get the most out of the setup, you will also want to invest in a good grinder and ensure you are using filtered water.”
“Can easily make a full-bodied cup of coffee with lots of sweetness.”
“Lose clarity of flavour that other brewing methods bring to the table, and there is some cleanup.”
“Think about getting a French press with a decent screen/filter in it, and use a consistent ratio of coffee to water (we recommend starting with a 1:15 ratio and experimenting to find what works best for you). Invest in a good grinder, use filtered water and you are assured of a good cup. The French Press is super forgiving and hard to mess up.”
“For those who love the ritual of pulling a shot of espresso in the morning, there are few things better in life than doing that on a machine you love.”
“It can be mighty expensive to get a setup you like and works for you. It can also take up a lot of countertop space.”
“Optimally, you will want a dual boiler set-up and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control, particularly if you are going to make a latte or cappuccino. The grinder is also of utmost of importance to pulling a consistently good shot of espresso, and that is an investment. We recommend saving up and getting high quality equipment you will love and enjoy for years.”
“We at Rogue Wave Coffee are a wee bit biased, but pour-overs are literally the best thing! You get to control every aspect of the brewing process – from agitation to water temperature to number of pours — you get to control it all.”
“There is a learning process to doing a pour-over and to do it right you will need to invest in a scale, grinder, goose neck kettle and decanter.”
“Be aware that it’s a slippery slope…once you fall in love with pour-overs you will forever be chasing that next great cup of coffee with aromas that take you to a different place. A pour-over is like learning how to cook. Once you learn, you are opened to a whole new world of flavour and tasting notes.”
