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Coffee is many things: an art, a science, a ritual, a requirement. Coffee is also fun and explorative. At our home we use a machine to brew coffee every morning. I say this because there is no right way to brew coffee (again: there is NO right way to brew coffee) as long as you enjoy it.

That being said, today we’re going to be talking about manual brewing or the craft of hand pouring coffee! You’ll need a gooseneck kettle (like this Fellow Kettle) and grinder (we love this one).

So grab a bag of coffee and let’s get brewing manually!

POUR OVER

20 g coffee

300 g water

Ratio: 1:15

Grind size – medium course

  • Grind 20g of coffee medium course
  • Use 300g water set to 200F (93C)
  • Bloom for 45 seconds with 50g, light circular pours.
  • Pour 100g via heavy centralized pour (150g total)
  • At 1:30 circular pour 75g (225g total)
  • At 2 minutes add 75g via a heavy centralized pour (300g total)
  • Serve and enjoy!

AEROPRESS

We partner with the beloved product line and you can grab one online here. [a]

Ratio: 1:16

Grind size: fine

18 gram water

288 gram water

Thoroughly rinse the paper filter to get rid of paper flavor.

Weigh out 18 grams of finely ground coffee.

Start your timer, and quickly pour the 200-205 degrees F water into the aeropress until it reaches 270 grams of water (near the top). Stir coffee.

Place plunger in just enough to seal the top, and keep coffee from dripping through.

At 50 seconds, remove the plunger, and stir for five seconds. Place the plunger back on the AeroPress to keep coffee from dripping through.

At 1 minute 45 seconds, remove plunger and stir for 5 seconds. Place the plunger and slowly push down for 20 seconds, until you hear a hissing sound. There should be moderate resistance. If it’s very difficult to push down, your grind is too fine, if it’s very easy, your grind is too coarse.

FRENCH PRESS

We love the Fellow French Press with this recipe

2 serving recipe

28g coffee

450 g

Ratio 1:16

Moderate to course

Place the French press on your scale and tare the scale. Pour your coffee into the French press. Pouring quickly, submerge the grounds with 200-205 degrees F water until the 450 mark and stir for five seconds. Stir again at 1:30 minutes. Plunge at 2.5 minutes.

CHEMEX

Purchase a Chemex here.[b]

  • Dosage: 50g coffee to 750g water (1:15)
  • Grind: 28/40*
  • Temp: 204°F (96°C)
  • Pre-Infusion: 75g water for 30-50 seconds
  • Total Time: not specified (we liked this around 4:00)

Method

  • Separate 4 layers of filter: 3 layers on one side, and 1 on the other. Insert filter into Chemex, with the 3 layer fold on the spout side, and rinse thoroughly. Be sure to discard the water.
  • Add coffee and shake and tap on counter to settle the grounds.
  • Add about 75g of water for a 30-50 second pre-infusion, saturating all of the grounds evenly with circular motions.
  • During pre-infusion, pick up the entire brewer and give it a swirl to agitate the grounds for even saturation.
  • Add 675g more water in an aggressive manner, pouring in a circular motion and avoiding the edges. If needed, adjust the pour speed to maintain level bed (about ½ inch from the top of the brewer).
  • Give it a little stir around the edges.
  • Admire extraction, allowing for it to completely drain. Admire a little more before serving.