dukas Senior Member Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 9 Location: Florida Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Oct 21, 2012, 9:38am Subject: Re: Not black enough
I use a burr grinder at its coarsest setting. Three rounded tablespoons for 12 ounces of water. No grinds get past the mesh and into the cup. I am not satisfied with the taste, but I am a beginner and not sure whether the coffee is too bitter or too weak.
Posted Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:03am Subject: Re: Not black enough
There is no real rule- do what makes the coffee you like. Grind finer and/or use more coffee for a richer beverage. And since the beverage we call coffee is made from water and coffee beans, and water is basically tasteless, it does matter what coffee you are using and how it was roasted and how old it is. When in doubt, use a different coffee. Find a local roaster and get some fresh if you have not already done so. Water temperature is also important. Put the press on the counter across the room from where you heat the water. Preheat the press and the plunger by filling it with hot water from the tap. Boil the water (stove or 'wave) for brewing while the press preheats. When the water is near boiling, empty the press and dump in the ground coffee. get the water and walk across the room. By the time you get to the press it should be around the correct temperature. Pour in the water and stir once to soak the coffee. Put cover and plunger in place and begin timing.
Posted Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:40am Subject: Re: Not black enough
There are a lot of different burr grinders. Which one do you have?
Get a scale that reads in grams. 22-24 grams of coffee for 355 grams (approx 12 fluid ounces) is the normal range for press. That's approx. 4 tablespoons of coffee, so you might be a little shy on your dose, but weight works much better than eyeball.
Posted Sun Oct 21, 2012, 11:41am Subject: Re: Not black enough
+1 on the scale.
But to get you going - try 4 1/2 level tablespoons for 12 oz of water. I bet you'll find that more on par with your drip.
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
dukas Senior Member Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 9 Location: Florida Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Oct 21, 2012, 4:21pm Subject: Re: Not black enough
There are a lot of different burr grinders. Which one do you have?
A Kenmore #80011 flat burr. I'm new at this, and I did the research and learned enough not to get a *blade* grinder. I apparently did not do *enough* research, as it wasn't until after the purchase that I learned that there is *flat* and *conical.* For grinding no more than three or four tablespoons of beans at one time, do you think that there is enough heat generated to be causing my problem?
Posted Sun Oct 21, 2012, 6:09pm Subject: Re: Not black enough
dukas Said:
...For grinding no more than three or four tablespoons of beans at one time, do you think that there is enough heat generated to be causing my problem?
is the difference between methods. Given the same brew ratio (ratio of brew water to brew coffee), at same "extraction", the press pot will be weaker (in your terms "not as black") than the drip coffee.
Bump the amount of coffee for immersion/infusion methods like the AeroPress, Press Pot/French Press, and Clever Coffee Dripper.
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
The heat generated probably is irrelevant in this case, I would try grinding finer, maybe using more coffee, using freshly roasted coffee, using water at the right temperature, preheating everything, but above all, trust your taste own buds, they know what they are talking about.
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