How do you brew your coffee?

There are many ways to brew coffee, from the simplest method of Kopi Tubruk to the more complicated ones, including the acrobats of the coffee  brewers or baristas who use espresso machines, or syphon devices.

As we all know, there’s no right or wrong way in brewing coffee, because each individual has his or her own preferences. Some are accustomed to the simple method of coffee making – tear the coffee sachet out, pour the whole content to a mug and add hot water. Et Voila!

Others prefer the use of french presses to separate the dregs and preserve the taste and aroma of the coffee itself. The Vietnamese, in the other hand, are proud of their coffee drips, and are willing to sit for hours on the roadside, while enjoying their traditional pho. The question is; how do you brew yours? Let’s share it here!

Before brewing, it’s advisable to pay attention to the following factors that will influence your “holy” journey in enjoying your cup of coffee, especially if you’re using special devices like  syphons, french presses, Vietnamese Drips or even espresso machines:

Image 1: The French Press’ Plunger.
It’s not a pretty sight having coffee residue that sticks permanently on the plunger’s filter. If cleaning with soap just simply won’t do, then it takes a strong chemical solvent to remove the persistent coffee residue.

Equipment and its cleanliness: It’s better to use good quality equipment – despite them being pricey, but the durability and the beverage result will definitely worth it. In addition to that,  the best coffee that you have chosen deserves to be brewed in good quality devices, doesn’t it?

Coffee also contains very strong fat that sticks on and leaves abstract-like residue on your beloved devices. Try to pay more attention to the plunger of your French Press, especially the filter. You can find coffee residue left from previous brewing on its sidelines, which, if left too long, can change color from dark brown to black brown.

Even more for espresso machines where the compression of hot water results in residue on the sidelines of the group head, shower screen and portafilter. Coffee residue is the most vicious element that will ruin the taste of your coffee, so it’s advisable to spare some time cleaning your equipment regularly.

Many world Barista championships, when explaining about their experience in making coffee, always stress on the cleanliness of their equipment as the most important activity that every coffee brewer should spend more time on.

“I’ve spent 30% of my work cleaning my equipment,” states Gwylim Davis from England, the 2009 world championship from World Barista Competition, while visiting Indonesia and sharing his experience at Anomali Coffee.

Image 2: Measuring ground coffee.
One of the principles in measuring ground coffee and its relation to brewing time is: the more refined the ground coffee is, the faster it takes to brew it, and vice versa. The above picture shows ground coffee used for a French Press which takes around four minute brewing time, therefore the coffee is ground coarsely. Compare this for espresso that requires very refined coffee ground, which only takes 25-30 seconds of extraction or brewing time.

Own a grinder: It’s compulsory, period. With an adequate grinder, you can choose how you grind your coffee beans, from coarse to more refined, and suit it to your own brewing device.

The ground coffee or the grind size is an important factor which will decide the period of brewing time, or the extraction needed with the device being used. A French Press requires coarse ground coffee, while Turkish and espresso coffee requires more refined ground coffee.

For Moka Pots, Pour Over method and Electric Coffee Makers, the setting is usually in between those two.

Water and Coffee Ratio: Being a simple person that I am, I use a standard of 10 gram of coffee for 150 ml of water. However, this is just a basic standard, so you can add more water if the coffee is too thick, and it doesn’t reduce its strength whatsoever.

This ratio is especially used for French Press devices. You can also refer to the water and coffee ratio from Specialty Coffee American Association (SCAA), or my posting on An Increasing Popularity of Pour Over Coffee.

Others details: Pay attention to the water temperature, where the optimal temperature to brew coffee lies between 93-95°C (199-203°F), and as always, go for freshly roasted coffee (usually 2-3 days after it is roasted) to achieve rich and fragrant cup of coffee.

Image 3:
Whatever device you wish to use, you’re the judge on using the best method that suits your needs. There’s no right or wrong way, because taste is non-arguable.

In the next posting, we’ll talk about your favorite brewing method, so I would like you to share your stories on your most favorite brewing method, either tubruk, using Syphon device, the Pour Over method, using French Press devices, Vietnamese drip, Moka Pots and many more.

Shall we?

Bagaimana anda menyiapkan kopi ?

Sungguh banyak nian cara orang menyeduh kopi, dari yang sederhana sebagaimana yang kita kenal dalam tradisi kopi tubruk hingga “akrobat” para peramu kopi atau barista yang menggunakan mesin espresso atau alat seperti syphon.

Tak ada kata salah dan benar dalam setiap cara seduh yang kita ketahui, karena masing-masing orang punya preferensi tersendiri. Ada yang terbiasa dengan cara penyajian sederhana, buka sachet kopi dan tuang air panas, yang lain menggunakan french press agar ampas kopi terpisah selain aroma dan cita rasa yang terjaga.

Masyarakat Vietnam bangga dengan alat kopi (Vietnam Drip) dan betah duduk berjam-jam di pinggir jalan sembari menikmati makanan tradisional mereka pho. Pertanyaannya, bagaimana dengan cara yang Anda lakukan ? Mari berbagi cerita di sini.

Sebelum menyeduh kopi, ada baiknya untuk memperhatikan faktor yang akan sangat mempengarui pengalaman “ruhani” Anda dalam menikmati secangkir kopi. Khususnya bagi yang menggunakan perlatan kopi seperti syphon, french press, Vitenam Drip, hingga mesin espresso sangat dianjurkan untuk memperhatikan hal-hal sebagai berikut.

Peralatan & kebersihannya : Sebaiknya gunakan peralatan yang berkualitas walaupun harganya agak mahal, tapi daya tahan dan kualitas minuman yang dihasilkan akan berbeda tentunya.

Satu hal lagi, kopi terbaik yang Anda miliki layak mendapatkan pasangan alat yang berkualitas bukan ? Kopi mengandung lemak yang sangat kuat dan akan menempel hingga terbuat karya abstrak pada perlatan kesayangan Anda.

Coba perhatikan plunger pada french press terutama pada bagian penyaringnya. Di sela-selanya terkumpul sisa-sisa kopi hasil seduhan terdahulu yang warnanya semakin lama terlihat coklat hingga kehitaman.

Apalagi pada mesin espresso dimana kompresi air panas mengakibatkan timbulnya sisa kotoran pada pinggirian group head, shower screen, dan portafilter.

Sisa kopi adalah elemen ganas yang akan mempengaruhi rasa kopi, jadi sebaiknya luangkan waktu untuk sedikit kerja bakti membersihkan peralatan yang Anda miliki secara teratur. Banyak juara dunia Barista saat memaparkan pengalamannya selalu menempatkan kebersihan alat sebagai hal penting untuk diperhatikan.

“I’ve spent 30% of my work cleaning my equipment, kata Gwylim Davis dari Inggris, juara dunia WBC tahun 2009 saat berkunjung ke Indonesia dan berbagi pengalamannya di Anomali Coffee.

Miliki alat giling kopi : Ini hukumnya wajib, titik. Dengan sebuah alat giling yang memadai, Anda bisa melakukan pengaturan halus-kasar bubuk kopi sesuai dengan peralatan seduhnya.

Bubuk kopi atau grind size  adalah faktor yang sangat penting manakala hal tersebut akan  menjadi penentu  lamanya waktu seduh atau ekstraksi dengan alat yang digunakan.

French press menggunakan bubuk kopi yang paling kasar (coarse) sedangkan Turkish dan espresso paling halus. Moka Pot, Pour Over, Electric Coffee Maker, biasanya berada di tengah atau medium.

Rasio air dan kopi : Kalau saya sederhana saja, menggunakan patokan 10 gram kopi untuk 150 ml air. Ini hanya patokan awal dimana Anda bisa menambah air bila kopi terlalu pekat, tapi tidak mengurangi kopi.

Rasio ini khususnya digunakan pada alat french press. Tapi Anda bisa melihat rasio kopi dan air seperti dari organisasi kopi spesial Amerika (SCAA) atau posting saya di Pour Over Semakin Populer.

Lain-lain : Perhatikan suhu air dimana temepratur optimal untuk menyeduh kopi berada pada kisaran 93-95 derajat celsius. Satu lagi, kopi yang segar bugar atau baru saja di roasting dan siap diseduh (biasanya setelah 2-3 hari sejak tanggal sangrai)

Selanjutnya, mari kita telisik satu persatu cara favorit Anda menyiapkan kopi dan mohon berbagi kisah Anda tentang cara terfavorit baik itu dengan cara tubruk, syphon, pour over, french press, Vitenam Drip, Moka Pot, dan masih banyak lagi.

Yuk …