Tip Sheet for Filter Drip Brewing – Filtercones (Beehouse, Porcelain, Plastic, etc)

Tip Sheet for Drip Brewing  Filtercones (Beehouse, Porcelain, Plastic, etc)

The Chemistry of Coffee Brewing… 

When you brew coffee, hot water acts as a solvent, washing the soluble solids out of the coffee grinds and into the brew. If you dissolve table salt in water, you have a soluble solid. Brew methods that use paper filters have only the soluble solids in the cup. Some brew methods also allow insoluble solids to enter the brew. French PressA simple coffee brewer also called a Press Pot: grounds and hot water are added to a carafe, allowed to sit for several minutes, and then a filter..., EspressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is... or Turkish CoffeeA strong preparation of coffee, finely ground, and often prepared in an Ibrik over a heat source like a gas stove. Traditionally it was placed in hot sands... are three methods that will have insoluble particulates suspended in the liquid.
There are five main factors that control brewing results. First is the brew recipe, the ratio of water-to-coffee. More on that below. Second is the particle size of the coffee: finer grind means more surface area of the bean is exposed to the water. Third is the temperature of the water, ideally between 198-204 f, since water is a better solvent at near-boiling temperature. The fourth factor is contact time, how long the water and coffee are in contact with each other. And lastly is agitation, since stirring the coffee-water infusion increases extractionRefers to the process of infusing coffee with hot water. Hot water releases or "extracts" the flavor from the roasted, ground coffee. The term is used mostly with... rate of soluble solids. Other factors influence the brew, but these are the main ones.
Knowing these simple theories might help you troubleshoot that next bitterBitterness is one of 5 basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter and Umami (savory flavors). There are many types of bitterness, hence not one avenue to tracking down..., weak, or a flat tasting cup. Here are a few general tips too:
And please look at the Brewing Fundamentals page for some basic parameters and approaches to brewing. There is also a pdf version of this tip sheet.

Here’s a video of Tom demonstrating a pouring technique with a porcelain filterconeFiltercones, as the name implies, are simply cones that hold a coffee filter. The cone fits on to the top of a coffee cup, grounds and a filter...  and pour-over techniques on You Tube. Check out the Sweet Maria’s channel there.

Recommended Method for Filter Brewing
The ideal brewing practice is:

1. Rinse all paper filters with hot water to wash away loose paper fibers that will give an off taste in the cup, especially when brewing small amounts.
2. Preheat your filtercone by rinsing with hot water. With a ceramic filtercone it is often enough just to place it over a cup of hot water.. You can do both by simply heating extra hot water, and washing/preheating in one step.
3. Grind immediately before you brew. What grind to use?  You want to use a medium to fine grind for drip cone brewing.  If the resulting brew is too weak, you may push the grind finer.  If water pools and fails to drain, make the grind coarser.
4. Measure the correct amount of ground coffee into the filter,  See the chart below for some recommendation. Generally the rule is 11 grams of coffee (or one coffee scoop) to 5 oz water

5.    Using water just off the boil (about 205 degrees F) add a small amount of water to wet all the grounds and let the coffee “bloom” or rise. Wait maybe 15 to 30 seconds, then start to pour the rest of the water slowly from the center of the grounds outward, in  a circular motion. Even as the coffee begins to filter downward, a slow even pour helps draw out infusion time and maintain the thermal mass of the coffee/water mixture. Total brew time should be about 2:30 minutes.
6. Remove the filter and enjoy!

*** We have found that for the most accurate brewing, it is best to measure your water by weight. This is easily done by preparing your coffee on a scale. For 8 grams of coffee, you want to use about 130 grams of hot water.

Remember to keep brewing equipment clean! Old sediments easily make for rancid flavors in the cup. A good rule of thumb is if you smell an odor from your coffee making equipment, clean it. If you cannot remember the last time you cleaned your brewer, clean it.   Coffee is fresh for 10 minutes or less. Try to make the right amount of coffee so you are drinking fresh brewed coffeeBrewed Coffee refers to all coffee preparations produced by adding non-pressurized water to coffee grounds. Contrasted with espresso coffee, which is produced under pressure, brewed coffee is primarily... more often.