Craft Coffee

by Jessica Easto

  You don’t need to break the bank with a scale (unless you want to), but I do recommend buying at least a cheap one for simplicity and accuracy. If you are dead set on never using a kitchen scale, you will, of course, still be able to make coffee; you’ll just be doing so while enduring a self-imposed hardship—mark my words!

  POPULAR KITCHEN SCALES

  Ounces and Grams and Milliliters, Oh My!

  Conveniently, one milliliter (a measurement of volume) of water is equal to one gram (a measurement of weight) of water. This means that when you use weight to figure out your brew ratios, you’ll also know the volume of the coffee you are brewing: 400 grams is 400 milliliters.

  KETTLES AND THERMOMETERS

  For most brewing methods, you’ll need some kind of kettle to heat the water. A standard tea kettle is a common kitchen device, so there’s a good chance you already have one. If this is the case and/or you are not interested in investing in a third piece of coffee equipment, a tea kettle will work well for many of the methods in this book, particularly the immersion methods. To be clear, I don’t think you will gain that much by using a special kettle for methods like the French press, the AeroPress, or even the Walküre or Clever.

  You may want to choose your device based on the kind of kettle you already have. However, for methods where speed and control are more critical (such as the Chemex and V60), you may consider purchasing a gooseneck (sometimes called a slow-pour or a swan-neck) kettle. Let’s take a look at the options for both standard and gooseneck kettles.

  Standard Tea Kettles

  A standard stovetop tea kettle can cost anywhere from $20 to more than $100. They are usually made of some kind of metal:

  •Aluminum. This is usually the least expensive kind of kettle, but it can get dinged up and tarnished easily.

  •Copper. Besides being easy on the eyes, copper is a great conductor of heat. But it also is pretty expensive and on the softer side, making it prone to blemishes. Copper also tarnishes, although it can be polished back to shine.

  •Cast iron. Cast-iron kettles are usually coated in enamel. This metal heats evenly and retains heat very well. A bit of maintenance is required to prevent it from rusting, but a cast-iron kettle should last a lifetime, if not several. Cast iron tends to be heavy, though, which matters if you are a weakling like me.

  •Stainless steel. This is a great option for kettles because it’s durable (less prone to dings and dents) and easy to clean. My home kettle is made of stainless steel, and it resists wear very well.

  Kettles can also be made of glass. Tea kettles come in all kinds of colors and styles—something you might want to consider since you’ll likely be looking at it every day. However, you don’t want appearance to be your sole consideration. I, for one, have been burned (literally and figuratively) by a pretty-looking kettle. Don’t underestimate the importance of:

  •How easy it is to add the water. On a lot of kettles, the handle arches over the opening where you add water. Depending on the design, this can make it annoying to pour water into the kettle from pitchers and other vessels.

  •How heatproof the handle is. You would think manufacturers wouldn’t even make kettles with handles that get piping hot, but you’d be wrong. Make sure the handle is well insulated.

  •How much water it can hold. Water capacity is usually more of an issue with gooseneck kettles, but you want to make sure any kettle you have can hold enough water for the device you plan to use (plus a little extra).

  •How easily it pours. Easy pouring is most important when looking for a gooseneck kettle, but you should be able to pour water easily and smoothly from any kettle. Many regular tea kettles tend to dribble water down the side if you pour too slowly.

  Tea kettles can also vary in the speed with which they boil water and how well they retain heat. You don’t want to be waiting around all day for your water to boil. If you are really impatient (like I am), you might also consider an electric kettle (see page 99).

  Gooseneck Kettles

  Because pour-over methods require such a controlled, slow pour, a specially designed kettle known as a gooseneck kettle has evolved from the standard tea kettle design. This kettle has a long, skinny, curved (like a goose’s neck!) spout that is usually attached near the base of the kettle. This spout allows for slow, smooth, continuous pouring. It also allows you to direct the water stream exactly where you want it to go.

  Gooseneck kettle

  If you are interested in pour-over methods, I recommend investing in a gooseneck kettle for your third home-brew purchase. It can be difficult to control the results of your cup without one, and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to get a slow, smooth pour out of a tea kettle: the water usually comes out too fast and causes much agitation, or it comes out too slowly and dribbles down the side of the kettle. Is it impossible to make pour-over coffee without a gooseneck? Of course not. In fact, I personally brew that way multiple times a week at my office, where we have a Melitta dripper but no gooseneck. The coffee I make that way still tastes better than it would out of the automatic coffeemaker, so there’s that. But a gooseneck kettle is similar in price to a regular tea kettle (anywhere from $25 to more than $100—although a midgrade gooseneck probably is slightly more expensive than a midgrade tea kettle), so it’s worth considering.

  When choosing a gooseneck, you want to consider the same things as you would with a regular kettle. However, there are a few extra important details to keep in mind:

  •Size. Some gooseneck kettles do not hold as much water as regular tea kettles. I would say about 1 to 1.2 liters (1,000 to 1,200 grams) of water is the average capacity. Additionally, some designs don’t work as well when the kettle is completely full, though this usually isn’t an issue for typical small-batch brewing. Because the spout is attached near the bottom of the vessel, boiling can cause some of the water to boil out of the spout. This is a common criticism of the Kalita Wave 1-liter kettle, the kettle I use at home. However, I’ve never personally experienced this issue, likely because I remove the kettle from the heat at the first sign of boiling. But the subject brings me to my next point.

  •Lack of whistling. Most tea kettles whistle when the water boils, alerting you that it’s time to come off the heat and preventing you from boiling the kettle dry. Most goosenecks do not whistle. You can tell when it’s time to take a gooseneck off the heat by the sound of the roiling water inside it or by watching how the steam leaves its spout (it vents in rhythmic fits and bursts). The point is you must watch gooseneck kettles more carefully than regular kettles. Boiling the kettle dry is very hard on it, and you never want to lose much water to evaporation anyway.

  •Water control. Not all goosenecks are made equally, and some certainly control flow rate better than others. I never really thought about this until Andreas and I upgraded our Bonavita stovetop kettle to the Kalita gooseneck we use now. Although Bonavitas are used in professional shops, I struggled with ours, routinely pouring too quickly for my BeeHouse. When I switched to the Kalita, I actually started pouring too slowly. The difference between the two was mind-blowing. However, some kettles, including the Bonavita, can be fit with flow-rate restrictors to help you out. These restrictors are a less expensive alternative to purchasing a high-end kettle.

  Because gooseneck kettles can be unfamiliar, I’ve provided a short list of popular options at a range of different price points. Note that the full capacity might not be the same as the practical capacity and that the price is suggested retail—you will likely be able to find all of these at certain retailers for less. Also, there are many, many other options; use this table as a starting point.

  POPULAR GOOSENECK KETTLES

  Electric Kettles

  Electric kettles have been around since the late 19th century. They include their own heating element, so there is no need to use a stovetop. Modern versions can bring water to temperature quickly, turn off to prevent boilover, and/or hold specific temperatures. They are extremely convenient, and
I personally love them.

  Electric kettles come in standard and gooseneck versions. In fact, you can purchase electric versions of both the Bonavita and the Hario kettles mentioned in the table on the previous page. In addition to making coffee, electric kettles are also great for making items like tea, hot cocoa, and rice noodles because they boil water so quickly. If you drink tea, an electric kettle that can be programmed to hold a certain temperature can be extremely useful because most tea is better when steeped at lower temperatures. (Although, for similar reasons, this function is great for coffee as well.) The feature eliminates the need to wait for the water to cool off or use a thermometer.

  Duck, Duck, Gooseneck

  Gooseneck kettles are the target of a lot of antipathy. Poor (pour?) goosenecks! It’s really undeserved—especially because the price range is similar for gooseneck and standard kettles. I have had extensive experience using both, and for pour-over methods, the gooseneck, hands down, makes what I’m doing (directing water—let’s not lose sight of that) easier and more consistent. I’ve read elsewhere that some consider goosenecks for the home brewer to be overly complicated, expensive, and prone to losing heat if not used properly. I don’t get it. It’s just a kettle with a different spout, and you should use it the same way as you would a regular kettle. No, it’s not necessary to have a gooseneck, but if it makes pouring easier and doesn’t cost that much more, then why not get one? It doesn’t make you complicated—it makes you a person who bought a kettle. On the other hand, abstaining from the gooseneck life does not make you a coffee philistine. If you don’t want to buy one, plenty of brewing methods get great results without a gooseneck kettle.

  At our house, Andreas and I use the economical Melitta 40994, which is a 1.7-liter electric kettle, in conjunction with the Kalita stovetop kettle. The electric kettle brings the water to boil super fast, and I find that transferring it to the Kalita cools it off just enough to be the perfect temperature for most brewing methods. However, if the Kalita Wave kettle came in an electric version, I’d probably cut out the middleman and just use that.

  When choosing an electric kettle, keep the following in mind:

  •Minimum and maximum capacities. Most electric kettles can hold more water than standard kettles, which is great for people who want to make larger batches of coffee (especially if the model has a temperature-hold feature). However, most electric kettles have water minimums, too. Our Melitta’s is 0.5 liters (500 grams), which is usually a bit too much for my normal serving. I just use the extra water to wet my filter and rinse my device after use.

  •Limescale buildup. Electric kettles are prone to limescale buildup: chalky deposits of minerals that can affect the appliance’s performance. Proper care and maintenance can prevent this.

  As with standard stovetop kettles, the spout on an electric kettle isn’t as much of a concern if you are planning to use immersion methods.

  Thermometers

  The other part of the kettle equation is the thermometer. We’ve discussed how water temperature affects the extraction of coffee. All in all, I would say perfect temperature is not as critical as some other details, like grind size, and it’s easy enough to keep your kettle off heat for a few moments so the temperature can reduce (when it’s not boiling, you know it’s cooler than 212°F).

  However, a digital instant-read kitchen thermometer is nice to have for various uses (cooking meat, baking, etc.), and a decent one only costs around $8. (An analog thermometer will work too if that’s what you have; you will just have to wait longer to read it.) You can even find thermometers that clip to the side of your kettle, which might be worthwhile because steam burns! Just make sure whichever model you choose can read beyond the boiling point of water.

  Alternatively, some electric kettles come with temperature-read and -hold functions, and you may be able to find a stovetop model, like the Fellow Stagg pour-over kettle, that has a temperature gauge built into the device itself.

  BREWING VESSELS, SERVERS, AND THERMOSES

  Many of the brewing devices in this book are sold separately from any kind of brewing vessel or carafe. Most devices, including the AeroPress, Clever, Melitta, BeeHouse, and V60, fit directly on top of a standard coffee mug (about three inches in diameter). When brewing directly into your cup, note that most pour-over devices (except for the BeeHouse and Melitta, which have windows) are kind of hard to see through. If you aren’t measuring carefully, you’ll want to monitor how full your cup is. A clear glass mug easily solves this issue.

  However, if you are making more than one cup of coffee, you are going to need a brewing vessel. Most coffee equipment companies, including Melitta, Hario, and Kalita, make brewing vessels that perfectly fit their drippers. However, a cheaper alternative (and my personal preference) is to purchase borosilicate glass Griffin beakers like those you used in science class. You can get a 600-milliliter beaker for about $9 from certain online retailers, while brand-name servers can cost $20 or more. The 600-milliliter beaker has enough capacity for most large pour-over batches and a diameter of about 3.5 inches, which fits most pour-over devices (except for the BeeHouse). These beakers are also extremely durable because they are made for science experiments and can withstand extreme temperature fluctuations—which cannot be said for all glass. One benefit of purchasing a brand-name pour-over server is that you know you’ll be able to brew directly into it. It also generally comes with a lid, while a beaker does not, but I usually don’t leave coffee sitting around at home.

  Griffin beaker

  If you like to make extra coffee and/or keep some coffee warm for later, you’ll need an insulated vessel. Whether you are looking for a thermal carafe or a thermos, note that those with a double wall and a vacuum chamber retain heat the best. Most thermal carafes and thermoses are made of stainless steel, although some are made of glass. With any insulated vessel, I find that a thorough scrub is a must after each use, as lingering coffee oils quickly go rancid and can give freshly brewed coffee an off flavor.

  No Vessel? No Problem

  If you don’t want to bother with a coffee server, choose a device with one built in, such as the Chemex, siphon, or Walküre. Technically, you can serve from a French press, too, but it’s recommended that you transfer the brew into cups immediately to prevent overextraction.

  The Limits of Keeping Coffee Hot

  Scientists think there may be some evolutionary basis for the fact that most people love hot coffee or cold coffee but generally detest everything in between (most people like drinking coffee at 150°F to 180°F). Unfortunately for us, coffee cannot stay hot indefinitely. It’s a common scenario: you brew a delicious cup, life gets in the way, and your coffee is tepid by the time you get the chance to finish it.

  The best way to keep your coffee warm, as it turns out, is to never let it cool down in the first place. To ensure that your coffee stays the right temperature for the longest period of time outside of a thermos, preheat your brewing vessel or carafe. This is accomplished easily if you are wetting your filter before brewing (see page 54). Just use hot water to rinse the filter into your brewing vessel, and you’ve killed two birds with one stone.

  Coffee can stay surprisingly fresh for several hours in a high-quality preheated thermos or insulated carafe. Once coffee’s temperature falls below about 175°F, however, its chemistry starts to change, resulting in increasingly sour or bitter flavors as the temperature continues to drop. But even if a thermos could keep coffee at a constant temperature forever, the coffee would still oxidize (because there is oxygen in water). Oxidation happens when oxygen molecules from either the air or the water in the coffee mingle with other molecules to create entirely different compounds that, unfortunately, taste different from the original ones. This gives the coffee its stale taste. Oxidation happens to coffee left at room temperature, too, although obviously much faster. It can be fun to taste how coffee’s flavor changes as it cools, but at a certain point, it all goes south. Because of this, most professional shop
s keep their drip coffee in insulated urns for a limited amount of time, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

  You may be thinking: well, I can just reheat my coffee if it gets cold. But before you turn to the microwave, hear me out. Reheating coffee usually results in an undesirable outcome. As discussed, coffee is fragile and its molecules are untethered. Lukewarm coffee has already had its flavor changed by the cooling process, and reheating will break down what good-tasting molecules remain into more bad-tasting molecules. What results is a sour, bitter, astringent, woody-tasting cup. Next time you get the urge to microwave your coffee or set your (heatproof) vessel over the stove, try pouring your tepid brew over ice instead.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Coffee

  NOW THAT YOU KNOW what kind of device and equipment to use, it’s time to turn your attention to the bean. This chapter examines many of the factors that make coffee taste the way it does, from the different types of beans and where they’re grown to how they’re processed and roasted. For something that’s so small and unassuming, the coffee bean is utterly complex, and after many centuries of consumption, it is still revealing its mysteries to us. For most of coffee’s history, the art of roasting, growing, and processing—some of the biggest factors when it comes to how coffee tastes—were learned through trial and error or apprenticeship. The idea of scientific coffee research is a relatively new one, and there is still much to learn about how factors such as roast, varietal, and origin affect the coffee you drink.

  BEANS

  In the previous chapter, I stressed the importance of choosing a device that lets you manually adjust the brew variables that an automatic machine does not—even high-quality beans will yield low-quality coffee when brewed in a poor-quality automatic coffeemaker. But it’s important not to underestimate the power of great beans. Manual devices and manual techniques can only do so much, and no matter how much you perfect your technique, you won’t be able to shift the quality meter that much if you’re starting with horrible beans. In fact, coffee scientist Christopher H. Hendon suggests that the outcome of any given cup is dependent on four key variables: the quality of the green (unroasted) coffee beans, the roast, the water chemistry, and the brewing technique. However, he doesn’t give each of these equal weight.