The Family Shot
From left to right:
Hipster coffee beans from Asado: http://www.asadocoffee.com/
8 cup Chemex: http://www.amazon.com/Chemex-8-Cup-Classic-Series-Coffeemaker/dp/B000I1WP7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382107053&sr=8-1&keywords=8+cup+chemex
Jennings CJ4000 4000g x 0.5g Digital Scale: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C3CAB8/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Coffee Grinder: http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Bistro-Electric-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0043095WW/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1382107190&sr=8-16&keywords=coffee+burr+grinder
Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle: http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Variable-Temperature-Electric-Gooseneck/dp/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1382107249&sr=8-3&keywords=bonavita+hot+water+pot
Commentary on equipment:
The chemex products measure a cup at 5 oz, so the 8 cup is really 4 10oz cups. At work we also have a 10 cup(5 10oz). I prefer the 8 cup. It fits better in the hand but can still make up to 4 cups if needed.
Also, all products have at least a 4 star rating on amazon and all have been great so far.
Gooseneck kettles give more pouring control, but are not necessary. I would recommend though.
The Process:
Depending on the bean, I usually do about 18 grams per cup of coffee.
10 oz of water is ~295 grams. I usually go a little over that to account for loss in the filter an beans.
Further reading:
Good article about the inventor of the Chemex
Chemex Brew Guide
Article and Video
I hope you don't mind, but I turned your equipment links into clickable links. Only so when I have an extra $100 to spend, I can come back and pick up that kettle.
ReplyDeleteI should have done that myself. I'm so used to gmail auto doing that.
ReplyDeleteI should have done that myself. I'm so used to gmail auto doing that.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I cant stand k-cup and flavia, one cup brewers. You have such a scientific set-up, we should experiment and see if we can really tell the difference between a burr ground v. blade gound cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteThe burr grind would matter less with a chemex vs a French press, but I think there would be a difference. One of the things that seems to have an affect on the chemex pour is the time it takes to drip through. If the blade grinder crushed the beans too fine, it would slow down the pour and negatively affect the cup. If the blade grinder crushed mostly larger pieces then I think the pour speed would not be affected and the difference would be negligible.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing to worry about would be a very inconsistent grind, but I think a blade grinder would do fine if used carefully.
It is true that blade grinders do not offer much consistency in the size of the grounds. I ground beans recentlly in my blade grinder after making this post and the grind was in fact very inconsistent. Theoretically, I believe, the argument is that consistency in grind should effect the flavor in the same way that cooking large pieces of chicken with small pieces of chicken will. As the smaller pieces require less time to cook than the larger pieces. Cooking it at the right time for a uniform ground would then be the ideal.
ReplyDeleteBut thats all still theoretical. I would like to empirically taste coffee made controlling for all other variables, which would be extremely simple given your set-up. The only thing I could think that we arent controlling for would be the pour, but you have to be a psychotic PhD to invent a machine for that.
I love how simple coffee is, and I respect your controlling each variable to master the art. Very envious of your set-up!
I agree about taste testing being the way to go. I am currently refreshing myself on how to use the aeropress because I am out of chemex filters(and so was the whole foods by me).
ReplyDeleteI came across this.
http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress/
"It is important that the coffee be ground to a medium particulate size using a quality burr (rather than blade) grinder. By grinding the coffee this way, you are allowing for a more even extraction resulting in a fuller bodied and more nuanced cup. Blade grinders chop the coffee rather than grinding it, resulting in uneven and unpredictable particle size. This results in uneven extraction, leading to a brew with increased bitterness that is less true to the flavor profile of the coffee. In addition, the lack of uniformity in particle size results in inconsistent results from cup to cup."
I think that is basically what we expected, but I thought it was real good information.