kbrizzo Senior Member Joined: 25 Feb 2010 Posts: 18 Location: Nashville Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Jan 25, 2011, 6:59pm Subject: Pourover brewing issues
I recently fell in love with brewing via chemex/hario. I have brewing epic cups of coffee full of flavor and depth almost effortlessly using my kyocera hand grinder. I recently switched to a bodum bistro grinder to simplify the brewing process. The hand grinder is a little more work for multiple cups of coffee compare to a single shot of espresso. The problem I'm having is since I've switched grinder I have lost all the subtle flavors and just have strong coffee. My dosage for both grinders has been 16 grams of bean per 9 oz of water. The bodum visually seems more consistent at a coarser grind but so far I am halfway between drip and French press and still missing more subtle flavors. Any suggestions out there? All this dissapointment might just bring me back to espresso
I recently fell in love with brewing via chemex/hario. I have brewing epic cups of coffee full of flavor and depth almost effortlessly using my kyocera hand grinder. I recently switched to a bodum bistro grinder to simplify the brewing process. The hand grinder is a little more work for multiple cups of coffee compare to a single shot of espresso. The problem I'm having is since I've switched grinder I have lost all the subtle flavors and just have strong coffee. My dosage for both grinders has been 16 grams of bean per 9 oz of water. The bodum visually seems more consistent at a coarser grind but so far I am halfway between drip and French press and still missing more subtle flavors. Any suggestions out there? All this dissapointment might just bring me back to espresso
I don't think it is a pourover issue. I think you have a grinding issue. That is your only variable. The Kyocera is delivering; the Bodum isn't. I know nothing about the Bodum Bistro except the price tag. If that is any indicator, I think therein lies the issue. Good prices on Virtuosos out there on eBay. Suggest you consider one.
I use my Hario Skerton for coffee, and my Rocky For Espresso. Something about grinding each bean by hand before making my coffee in my French Press I really like. I have never used my Rocky for anything but espresso because I like the results I am getting.
I find it doesn't take a whole lot of time, I start my water boiling, and right about when Im done grinding, the water is ready. Works well for me. I also use the skerton to grind a lot of beans when brewing in my ZojiRushi for my dorm floor. We charge a buck for a large mug of coffee (people love it!).
Interesting. There's no guarantee that a more consistent grind necessarily tastes better. Some coffee blends are produced by blending too coffees at different roast levels. So I think one could argue that a less consistent grind may be more complex.
Interesting. There's no guarantee that a more consistent grind necessarily tastes better. Some coffee blends are produced by blending too coffees at different roast levels. So I think one could argue that a less consistent grind may be more complex.
Really? I don't think I'd agree. I'd say for each brew method there is an ideal grind size that provides optimal extraction. Inconsistent grind is NOT the same as varying two different beans/roasts/etc.
With grinding, surely the ideal is identical size grinds across the board, then you dial-in the grind size to best match your extraction method and extract perfectly from each grind the optimal it has to give. If your grind is inconsistent, some grinds will over-extract and some will under-extract and the resultant beverage will be bad.
That's the conventional wisdom. I'm not talking about having some grounds at espresso level and others at french press. I just wonder if slight variation yields more complexity.
Another way to think about this. What if you brewed one cup of coffee at 19% extraction and another at 21% and then combined them. Would this taste better or worse than a single cup brewed at 20%?
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