What did you learn from your coffee brewing method today?

[rudygu]

David @GoodShave thanks for the shout out!

Hello Trevor @rudygu! David's memory is correct, I had a Bonavita goose neck kettle and could not pour slowly. My work around was pouring in bursts, which was a pain some days. Oxo had their gooseneck on a sale to compete with Amazon Prime Day (or at least it was cheaper buying it directly from Oxo than the sale price at Amazon). What I liked about it, in addition to allowing a slower pour, was a hold for the temperature, and a dial to get the temp I wanted. It is used multiple times a day and I have no regrets getting it.

Excellent! Thank you for the recommendation.

 

[rudygu]

David @GoodShave thanks for the shout out!

Hello Trevor @rudygu! David's memory is correct, I had a Bonavita goose neck kettle and could not pour slowly. My work around was pouring in bursts, which was a pain some days. Oxo had their gooseneck on a sale to compete with Amazon Prime Day (or at least it was cheaper buying it directly from Oxo than the sale price at Amazon). What I liked about it, in addition to allowing a slower pour, was a hold for the temperature, and a dial to get the temp I wanted. It is used multiple times a day and I have no regrets getting it.

Amazon currently has the Oxo on sale for $79. I ordered one, but won’t be able to try it until Christmas

 

[GoodShave]

Amazon currently has the Oxo on sale for $79. I ordered one, but won’t be able to try it until Christmas

I have enjoyed my Oxo kettle. It is a little heavier than my Brewista Artisan kettle but it also holds the temperature better.

FYI, I use citric acid powder and water to descale my Oxo kettle instead of the more expensive Oxo cleaner.
It also works better than vinegar and water.

Here is what I do to descale the kettle:
Fill the kettle with water almost to the fill line of the kettle.
Add 2 tbs (or 6 tsp) of citric acid powder to the water.
Stir the mixture in the kettle.
Then set the kettle to boil.
Then let the solution sit for 15-30 minutes (with the kettle turned off).
Then rinse kettle 2-3 times.

 

[rudygu]

I have enjoyed my Oxo kettle. It is a little heavier than my Brewista Artisan kettle but it also holds the temperature better.

FYI, I use citric acid powder and water to descale my Oxo kettle instead of the more expensive Oxo cleaner.
It also works better than vinegar and water.

Here is what I do to descale the kettle:
Fill the kettle with water almost to the fill line of the kettle.
Add 2 tbs (or 6 tsp) of citric acid powder to the water.
Stir the mixture in the kettle.
Then set the kettle to boil.
Then let the solution sit for 15-30 minutes (with the kettle turned off).
Then rinse kettle 2-3 times.

Thanks for the tip! I’ve saved this post as well and I’ll try it with my bonavita

 

[rudygu]

Hmm, have you thought about only using it for the first pour when the water level is low? Then, keep the water level up a bit and use the kettle(instead of letting it drain all the way down each pour). At least until you get your kettle.

I thought I’d reply here instead of complicating the daily coffee thread too much with my rambling thoughts. I hope you don’t mind.

That makes a lot of sense and I will try that as I continue working on my technique. I did make a second cup where I used the Winton 5 pour method with Drip Assist and my results were much closer to what I’m looking for. I’m finally confident that with some grind size tweaking I can equal and possibly surpass the results I get with the Clever. In all honesty with the Drip Assist I probably don’t strictly need the Oxo kettle, but it’s a gift and I like its aesthetic and versatility more than the Bonavita.

i will add that it’s entirely possible if not likely that the coffee I’m currently using just doesn’t really excel with the V60. It’s middle of the road roastwise according to the density website (.389 , 61/120) and I got it to pull easy espresso shots to make quick morning americanos for my wife and son. It’s really good for that, but there’s probably not much complexity to pull out with the V60.

 

[Flanders]

I thought I’d reply here instead of complicating the daily coffee thread too much with my rambling thoughts. I hope you don’t mind.

I was going to do the same, lol!

I had the Bonavita long enough that the plastic parts were literally disintegrating, the rest is a tank. I think you will really appreciate having a modern kettle, regardless of need. That price is crazy cheap for what it is, I secretly want one.

Good idea going with more pours plus the drip assist, try everything you can think of. Remember that water level has an effect too; I tend to prefer to let each pour go until it's right at the coffee bed, but that does increase agitation.

I know exactly what you mean about the V60 being the wrong dripper except that it's usually the one that I go back to when another one isn't giving me the results I want. You are probably right, if that coffee worked for espresso then I would use a different brewer. Probably a French Press or Aeropress honestly.

 

[rudygu]

I had the Bonavita long enough that the plastic parts were literally disintegrating, the rest is a tank. I think you will really appreciate having a modern kettle, regardless of need. That price is crazy cheap for what it is, I secretly want one.

Definitely. I’d like it just to use a knob instead of the membrane buttons on the Bonavita. The more precise pouring is icing on the cake. I remember you mentioning the plastic deterioration on yours and have been monitoring mine for any signs of it. Mine will be 6 years old next month and it’s still going strong. I’ll clean it up thoroughly and stow it away for backup or travel.

Good idea going with more pours plus the drip assist, try everything you can think of. Remember that water level has an effect too; I tend to prefer to let each pour go until it's right at the coffee bed, but that does increase agitation.

That is pretty much my preference. Any agitation while using the Drip Assist is negligible compared to my heavy-handed Bonavita pours (not blaming the kettle. I could have done better, but my technique got sloppy).

I know exactly what you mean about the V60 being the wrong dripper except that it's usually the one that I go back to when another one isn't giving me the results I want. You are probably right, if that coffee worked for espresso then I would use a different brewer. Probably a French Press or Aeropress honestly.

Generally I try to keep a 2 pound bag of a quality espresso beans for all of us and something a little more exotic for pour over. My wife and son pretty much only drink americanos now, but I like to experiment. I mismanaged our inventory a little bit and my normal source was unable to ship due to Pennsylvania blizzards, so I ended up going with the Methodical Late Night as an all-rounder. Its pretty good for that, but predictably it’s a little light for the espresso and a little dark for pour over. It‘d be good in anything, but it seems to really shine in the Clever. I pour the water in first, Hoffman style, so there’s no agitation to speak of. It’s light enough that there’s a nice berry note. Not complex, but nice. Ive been using Kalita 103 filters in the Clever and they do a good job of getting that balance right.

 

[GoodShave]

i will add that it’s entirely possible if not likely that the coffee I’m currently using just doesn’t really excel with the V60.

I tend to test drive new beans in a conical brewer like the V60/Hario Switch but also in a flat bottom brewer like the Kalita Wave/Varia FLO/April brewer. I generally find that the beans tend to do better in on design than the other.

 

[GoodShave]

I was gifted a Cracker Barrel - Autumn Coffee Collection variety pack of flavored coffee (12 - 30g packets of ground coffee).
I am researching how to brew the coffee and not get my gear flavored by it (I don't normally brew flavored coffee).
Since I don't normally do ground coffee, I was digging through my notes to see how I handled this situation in the past.

Since the coffee had no information on where it was from or who roasted it, I assumed it is dark roasted commercial coffee with flavor added.

I brewed a cup tonight of Cinnamon bun flavored coffee. I went with a water temperature for dark roast.
I used my glass V60-01 with Cafec filter an used my Gabi Dripmaster B for the bloom and main pour (probably using the recipe that was listed for it).
I figured that would be very gentle and would help me not to over extract the coffee.

There was a hint of bitterness, so I would probably go a little cooler water with it. Also, there was a powdery mouth feel to it. Not sure if it was the beans or the brew method. I think I will try the Hario Mugen next and see what happens.

 

[rudygu]

Also, there was a powdery mouth feel to it. Not sure if it was the beans or the brew method.

Could be the chemical flavoring as well. I’d try going significantly cooler with the brew water to approximate a cheap Mr. Coffee or Walmart brand dripper. I don’t mean that to be snarky - it’s most likely what that coffee is intended to be brewed with. Years ago out of boredom i used a quick read thermometer to monitor the brew temp of a cheap drip machine at a friend’s house. If I remember correctly it peaked somewhere in the mid 170‘s F. I once encountered some nasty chemical flavors when using the V60. I finally traced it back to some cheap filters of unknown origin that came with coffee scale or something I got from Amazon. After that first time i paid attention while rinsing the filter and the smell almost made me sick when i pulled the V60 to my nose to check. Anyway, my point is sometimes it doesn’t take much to extract some some undesirable elements when there are chemicals in the mix.