By Junior Indy Behr
The top shelf has my kettle, grinder, Chemex brewer, scale, and filters. On the bottom is my V60, moka pot, and a collection of single-origin coffee beans.
Indy Behr
I am a coffee fanatic. I believe making coffee is a form of art, and I think you might feel the same way by the end of this. The brewing of coffee is a blank canvas for creativity. There are so many variables that change the outcome of what ends up in your mug, including grind, roast level, and temperature. I think that when you get your coffee just right, there is no longer a need for additions like sugar, cream, or pumpkin-spice syrup.
There is a whole world to explore in the brewing of espresso–which is the base for things like lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites,–but that is an incredibly expensive hobby for true purists. Classic drip coffee is a great starting point that requires a much smaller investment. Though some may prefer to stick with their electric brewers, I enjoy brewing by hand. There are many methods that I enjoy, but I have narrowed it down to two.
Why I Love Making Coffee
I first began enjoying coffee several years ago, and it has been one of my favorite hobbies since then. A lot of my motivation for making coffee at home was my observation that there were not any great coffee shops near my house, and making coffee at home was cheaper anyway. Over time, it has almost become a mindfulness technique for me. It is a time where I can focus simply on pouring technique or grind level, with no distractions from the outside world being present. It is undoubtedly one of the most peaceful parts of my day. It takes a little trial and error sometimes. Some days my grind is a little too fine and my coffee is a little bitter; or sometimes my water is too hot. However, once I mess with the variables a few times, I consistently end up with delicious coffee.
Bean Purchasing and Storage
When it comes to coffee beans, some good sources are Verve Coffee, Square Mile Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee, or just visit your local coffee shops, almost all of them will sell you whole beans. I really enjoy single origins, meaning it is one type of bean from one region rather than a blend of multiple beans, and my preference tends to be lighter roasts so unique flavors won’t be masked by an ashy flavor. Personally, my favorite coffees are Ethiopian-grown coffees as they often have a very strong scent and flavor that resemble several types of berries. I always make sure to put my beans in an airtight container to maintain freshness. Roasted coffee can get very stale very quickly when exposed to air for long periods of time.
AeroPress
When it comes to brewing, one of my favorite brewers is the AeroPress. This device is incredibly fun to use. It is also very popular among people who camp regularly due to its portability and light weight; however, coffee enthusiasts who have dedicated their lives to this craft appreciate it as well, and in fact there is now a World AeroPress Championship that occurs annually, and all winning recipes are viewable online. There is also a whole world of third-party modifications that people use to make their AeroPress better for their needs, such as metal filters and devices that increase the brewing pressure. The only change I make is one that I found from several AeroPress Championship winning recipes, and that is using an Aesir brand paper filter, which is thicker and does a better job of catching fine grinds compared to the filters made by the manufacturer.
The recipe I often use is the AeroPress recipe by Square Mile Coffee owner James Hoffman, which I like because it does not use very much coffee. This was a major issue for those who wanted to deviate from the very basic recipe included in the user manual, as most specialty recipes used an obscene amount of grounds to increase the amount of coffee extracted from the water. This was so criticized in the coffee community that the AeroPress Championship recently capped the amount of coffee a recipe can use. For example, the 2019 winner used 35 grams of coffee, when most other methods use around 10g for a cup. This got very expensive for AeroPress fans as specialty coffee beans are not cheap. Hoffman uses 11g and 200 milliliters of water, almost a cup. A very simple recipe, all I have to do is add the water, add the plunger to create a seal, wait two minutes, stir the liquid, and then you press the plunger pushing the coffee through the filter directly into your cup. You get a delicious, smooth cup thanks to the Aesir filter, and it took almost no effort.
Hario V60
A Hario V60 in clear plastic is one of my favorite gadgets, and it costs only $9. This device is so simple yet so functional. It is my most commonly used brewer, and it has made some of my favorite coffee. It is one of the most iconic of what are known as pour-over brewers, likely because of its low price and simple cone shape. In short, this method involves the user manually pouring hot water on coffee grounds with a special type of kettle which then filters into a cup below.
I have tried many recipes for this method which can be found online. I have tried barista trainer Scott Rao’s method, James Hoffman’s method, and several others, yet my favorite remains YouTuber Sprometheus’s V60 recipe. Coffee brewing is often done in ratios, generally grams of coffee per liter of water. For ideal pour over brewing, a scale is needed, but these can be purchased for very little on Amazon or even at Target. Filters designed for this brewer are available on Amazon, and I have found that many small coffee filters in stores work almost as well. Sprometheus uses 18g of grounds and 288ml of water. When he puts the grounds in the filter he makes a spiral, a Japanese coffee method called kubomi, or depression/hole. This results in a more even extraction. First he adds 50ml of water for 30 seconds, to bloom the coffee, which releases any excess carbon dioxide from the beans. You will see the coffee bubble as you do this. Then, you pour 123ml of water over the next 45 seconds in a circular motion, and then pour 115ml of water directly into the center for just over a minute longer.
There you go, a perfect cup of coffee.
But how do you feel about Nespresso pods?
They are pretty good compared to other pod brands like Keurig but I prefer other methods. It also costs more in the long run.
If memory serves me well, the first and only time I ever have had coffee was in ninth grade. The story goes like this: I’m sitting at one of the circular tables by the red lockers. Mr. Sarkis walks up to me holding a cup of joe. He sticks it under my nose and utters, “Drink.” I take a sip for the first and perhaps last time. (I wonder if he remembers.)
Indy: I can picture that happening.