2.Loosen the grind. Do this only if the body is in a good spot and you don’t want to change it. If so, loosen the grind, but only in small increments, because this adjustment tends to both decrease your contact time and make coarser particles that are harder to extract. You don’t want to overcompensate and end up with under-extracted coffee!
3.Increase the bloom weight. Try this adjustment for pour-over methods only. Increasing the bloom weight allows more water to drip through into your brewing vessel. Remember, the most acidic-tasting parts of the coffee extract first (see page 16). Increasing the bloom weight means more acidity makes it into the cup, which balances the bitterness. Increase it by only half a gram at a time.
4.Decrease the contact time. Less contact time means less extraction. This is a better adjustment to make with immersion methods (for pour-over methods, pouring more quickly doesn’t just decrease the contact time; it can have a number of different effects and make results harder to predict).
5.Increase the bloom time. If your coffee is very fresh, it has a lot of carbon dioxide in it, and carbon dioxide is bitter. This means you may want to increase the bloom time because a longer bloom time will ensure that this gas escapes into the air and not into your cup. You shouldn’t increase the bloom time by more than five seconds at a time. When in doubt, pay attention to the bubbling in the bloom.
6.Decrease the agitation. Agitation helps coffee extract. For immersion methods, less agitation might mean less stirring. For pour-over pulse methods, it might mean removing a pulse. If you are continuous pouring, try to pour more gently.
7.Decrease the temperature. If you are using less dense (low-grown) medium- to dark-roast beans and/or a higher-temperature method, you may try decreasing the water temperature. Both of these conditions make it easier for coffee solids to dissolve, and less heat causes extraction to slow down.
ASTRINGENT QUALITY
Astringency, or the drying effect on your tongue that’s often associated with eating underripe fruit, is a sign of overextraction. See the Too Bitter section (previous page).
FILMY QUALITY
The coffee has a mouth-coating quality that feels oily. It indicates that the body is too heavy. In other words, the coffee is too strong. See the Too Strong section (page 252).
POWDERY QUALITY
You may feel a powdery texture on your cheeks (not on your tongue). This is an indication of bitterness, and it usually means that your grind is too fine. This is a case when you might try loosening the grind before you try increasing the dose. See the Too Bitter section (page 254) for more.
BURNT QUALITY
This is an indication of overextracted coffee. See the Too Bitter section (page 254) for more. It also could be just a quality of a darker-roast coffee that you might not like. Nothing you can do there but log your preference for future reference. If your method involves boiling the coffee together with the water, then your coffee could be literally burnt.
MUTED FLAVORS
This is an indication that your coffee is Too Strong (page 252). Sometimes coffee with a heavy body has a muting effect on flavors, even if the coffee doesn’t feel heavy in your mouth. The body can cover up flavors that you would otherwise perceive. Your coffee might also be too strong if the flavors seem fleeting or if you find you can kind of taste something but not really. If your coffee tastes flat and lacks complexity, it could also be old and stale. If it doesn’t bubble very much (or at all) when you bloom, then it’s likely stale.
MUDDY COFFEE BED
This is a sign your grind is too fine. Your coffee likely is overextracted. See the Too Bitter section (page 254) for more. If you continue to encounter this problem despite using your same tried-and-true process, the burrs in your burr grinder might be dull.
DRAWDOWN TOO SLOW
This mostly applies to pour-over methods. If your coffee takes forever to draw through the bed, your grind is likely too fine. Try loosening your grind. Alternatively, your filter might be getting clogged with fines. If the sides of your filter are bare in places (known as “balding”), you are likely hitting the sides of the device and washing fines to the bottom, causing a clog. To avoid this, try aiming your pour away from the sides of the device as much as possible.
DRAWDOWN TOO FAST
This mostly applies to pour-over methods. If you are pouring as slowly as you can and your coffee is still drawing through the bed too quickly, your grind is likely too coarse. Try tightening your grind.
Resources
All About Coffee
by William H. Ukers
Atlas Coffee Importers
www.atlascoffee.com
The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee: Growing, Roasting, and Drinking, with Recipes
by James Freeman and Caitlin Freeman
Blueprint Coffee
https://blueprintcoffee.com
Boxcar Coffee Roasters
www.boxcarcoffeeroasters.com
Brandywine Coffee Roasters
www.brandywinecoffeeroasters.com
Café Imports
www.cafeimports.com
Cat and Cloud podcast
www.catandcloud.com/pages/podcast
Christopher H. Hendon
http://chhendon.github.io
Coffee Chemistry
www.coffeechemistry.com
Coffee Research
www.coffeeresearch.org
Coffee Review
www.coffeereview.com
Colectivo Coffee Roasters
www.colectivocoffee.com
Counter Culture Coffee
www.counterculturecoffee.com
Fresh Cup Magazine
www.freshcup.com
Gaslight Coffee Roasters
www.gaslightcoffeeroasters.com
George Howell Coffee
www.georgehowellcoffee.com
Halfwit Coffee Roasters
www.halfwitcoffee.com
Heart Coffee Roasters
www.heartroasters.com
Houndstooth Coffee
www.houndstoothcoffee.com
How to Make Coffee: The Science Behind the Bean
by Lani Kingston
Huckleberry Roasters
www.huckleberryroasters.com
Intelligentsia Coffee
www.intelligentsiacoffee.com
International Coffee Organization
www.ico.org
Ipsento Coffee
www.ipsento.com
Madcap Coffee
www.madcapcoffee.com
Metric Coffee
www.metriccoffee.com
National Coffee Association USA
www.ncausa.org
Onyx Coffee Lab
www.onyxcoffeelab.com
Opposites Extract
www.oppositesextract.com
Panther Coffee
www.panthercoffee.com
Passion House Coffee Roasters
www.passionhousecoffee.com
Perfect Daily Grind
www.perfectdailygrind.com
Portola Coffee Roasters
www.portolacoffeelab.com
Prima Coffee Equipment
www.prima-coffee.com
Ritual Coffee Roasters
www.ritualroasters.com
Roast Magazine
www.roastmagazine.com
The Roasters Guild
www.roastersguild.org
Ruby Coffee Roasters
www.rubycoffeeroasters.com
Sightglass Coffee
https://sightglasscoffee.com
Specialty Coffee Association
https://sca.coffee/
Specialty Coffee Association of Panama
www.scap-panama.com
Sprudge
www.sprudge.com
Spyhouse Coffee Roasters
https://spyhousecoffee.com
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
www.stumptowncoffee.com
Sump Coffee
www.sumpcoffee.com
Supremo Coffee
www.s
upremo.be
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World
by Mark Pendergrast
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
https://gain.fas.usda.gov
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
www.nass.usda.gov
Variety Coffee Roasters
www.varietycoffeeroasters.com
Water for Coffee
by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood and Christopher H. Hendon
The World Atlas of Coffee: From Beans to Brewing—Coffees Explored, Explained and Enjoyed
by James Hoffman
World Coffee Research
www.worldcoffeeresearch.org
Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters
www.wreckingballcoffee.com
Index
“In this digital publication the page numbers have been removed from the index. Please use the search function of your e-Reading device to locate the terms listed.”
A
Abid Clever
Clever Dripper Cold Brew Method
Clever Dripper Method
filters and
fit on coffee mug
grind size and
Acetic acid, coffee flavor and
Acid reflux
Acidity (perceived), coffee flavor and
evaluating at tasting party
Adler, Alan
Aerobie AeroPress
brewing time and
Classic AeroPress Method
cup yield from 12-ounce bag
filters and
fit on coffee mug
grind size for
Inverted AeroPress Method
preground beans and
Africa, coffee cultivation in
Agitation, of brewing water during pouring
Airflow, filters and
All About Coffee (Ukers)
Aluminum tea kettles
Arabica beans (coffea arabica)
grading and scoring of
oiliness and mouthfeel and
origins of
see also Varietals and cultivars
Aroma
coffee flavor and
soluble gases and
Asia and Oceania, coffee cultivation in
Astringency, mouthfeel and
Automatic coffee machines
B
“Balding,” filters and
Bamboo filters
Baratza Virtuoso grind setting
Base specifications. See also specific devices
Batian varietal
Beakers, as brewing vessels
Bean Belt, geology and
Beans
arabica and robusta species, generally
brewing specs and fresh
complexity of
decaffeination of
freezing before grinding
hydroscopic nature of
importance of using high-quality
processing methods
roasting and
varietals and cultivars
weighing in grams before brewing
see also Buying, of beans; Origins, of beans
BeeHouse dripper
brew ratio and
filters and
fit on coffee mug
grind size for
Large BeeHouse Pulse Method
Beneficios (processing facilities)
Bentz, Melitta
Big Four coffee roasters
Bird-friendly coffee growth, certification of
Bitterness of coffee
overextraction and
Blade grinders
Blends of coffee
Blooming, of coffee
Blue Bottle
Blue Mountain varietal
Bodum
Body
evaluating at tasting party
mouthfeel and
Bolivia, coffee cultivation in
Bonavita kettle
Bondanini, Faliero
Bottled spring water, brewing with
“Boulders,” in filters
Bourbon varietals
typica crosses and
Brazil
coffee cultivation in
processing in
seasonality and harvest schedules
“Brazil,” on labels
Brewing basics
brew ratio and dose
“dialing it in”
elevation and
grind size and contact time
pour methods
strength and yield
temperature of water
see also Extraction
Brewing Control Chart
Brewing methods. See also specific devices
Brewing vessels, servers, and thermoses
Brown (unbleached) filters
Browning aromas
Browning sugars/caramels, roasting and
Burr grinders
Burundi, coffee cultivation in
Butane-burner siphons
Buying, of beans
from cafés and coffee shops
from grocery stores
identifying and locating of craft roasters
from online vendors
seasonality and harvest schedules
storage considerations
see also Labels, deciphering information on
C
Café Imports
Cafés, buying coffee from
Cafestol
Cafetière. See French press
Caffeic acid, coffee flavor and
Caffeine, mouthfeel and
Caffeine-free beans
Cake filtration
Calcium, in water
Calimani, Attilio
Canisters, avoiding coffee sold in
Caplan, Ralph
Caramelization
extraction and
roasting and
Carbon dioxide
blooming of grounds and
decaffeination and
extraction and
fresh beans and
off-gassing of
Carbon-filter pitchers
Caribou
Cast-iron tea kettles
Castillo varietal
Catimor varietal
Catuaí varietal
Caturra varietal
Central America, coffee cultivation in
Ceramic filters
Certifications, listed on coffee labels
Certified Home Brewer devices, list of
Chemex
brew ratio and
cup yield from 12-ounce bag
filters and
grind size for
pour time and
Six-Cup Chemex Pour-Over Method
Chemical solvents, decaffeination and
Chlorine, in water
Chlorogenic acids, coffee flavor and
Cholesterol, paper filters and
Citric acid, coffee flavor and
Classic AeroPress Method
Clever Dripper Cold Brew Method
Clever Dripper Method
Cloth filters
Coffea (coffee plant)
Coffee, history and US “waves” of
Coffee bed
grind size and
where to pour into
Coffee berry disease
Coffee cherries. See also Processing methods
Coffee leaf rust
Coffee press. See French press
Coffee shops
buying coffee from
grinding at
Cold-brew coffee
Clever Dripper Cold Brew Method
French Press Cold Brew Method
Colombia, coffee cultivation in
“Colombia,” on label
Colonna-Dashwood, Maxwell
Commodity coffee
Cone-shaped filters
Continuous pouring
#2 V60 Continuous Pour Method
Copper tea kettles
Costa Rica
coffee cultivation in
processing and
&
nbsp; Counter Culture
Country of origin, on labels
Craft coffee
specialty coffee contrasted
use of term
Crema layer, of espresso
“Cupping” method, of professionals
D
Dark roasts, sold in grocery stores
Decaffeination
Democratic Republic of the Congo, coffee cultivation in
Devices and equipment
automatic coffee machines’ limitations
brewing vessels, servers, and thermoses
filters
full-immersion devices
grinders
icons in recipes
kettles
percolators
pour-over devices
scales
thermometers
“Dialing it in”
Dicaffeoylquinic acid, mouthfeel and
Digital-read thermometers, water temperature for brewing and
“Direct-trade” coffee
Distilled water, avoiding when brewing
Dose and brew ratio
accurate measurements and
calculating dose
dose, defined
Double fermentation, of Kenyan beans
Dry distillates
Dry processing, label information and
E
Ecuador, coffee cultivation in
Eight-Minute French Press Method
El Salvador, coffee cultivation in
Electric kettles
Elevation, of coffee plant growth
altitude contrasted
bean quality and
brewing and
label information and
perceived acidity and
water temperature for brewing and
Enzymatic aromas
Equipment. See Devices and equipment
Espresso blends
Espresso machines
“Espresso roast”
Ethiopia, coffee cultivation in
Extraction
coffee compound categories
with cold water
experiment about
grinders and
processing methods and
soluble solids and
stages of
yield and
F
Fair-trade coffee
certification and
sold in grocery stores
Farms (fincas)
Feet above sea level (fasl)
Fellow Stagg pour-over kettle
Fermentation, of beans
Filters
body and mouthfeel and
cloth
how to crimp
insoluble oils and
metal
paper
permanent
wetting of
where to pour into
Fincas (farms)
Fines (bean fragments)
burr grinders and
extraction and
in filters during pour
Craft Coffee Page 23