Coffee Brewing Methods

A short explanation of the different types of brewing methods.

Now I've been brewing coffee since 2017, if my memory is correct, my love for it started when I read Tokyo Ghoul, Kaneki was brewing coffee then killing countless of his own kind, dude was a savage. Continuing on thia isn’t my origins story this is about schooling y'all on coffee basics, let's get started.

Brewing Methods

There are many different ways to actually make a cup of coffee, some are simple and cheap, and some are more advanced and expensive. Let's go through them.

French Press

This method is the simplest and I'd say the most popular brewing machine. A spherical container with a plunger and a filter screen where the coffee beans and hot water are mixed and later is separated via the plunger and filter. It creates a bold and fuller cup of coffee some might even say it makes a dirtier cup of coffee since a bit of coffee bean sediment at the bottom of your mug. A French press is simple, cheap and easy. French Presses are usually all similar, but some might come with a double filter screen rather than a single screen, some are fully stainless-steel and other are made of glass.

Coffee to Water ratio: 1:14 (in grams)

Recommended grind size: Coarse

Pour-over

There's lots of different versions of this extraction method, in a nutshell, hot water is evenly poured over ground coffee in a circular motion, it produces a clean and light cup of coffee while still retaining a lot of the coffee's natural flavor. This method is a more of a specialty type of brewing method, fun to watch so it's nice to show off to your friends but will take some patience and time to fuller grasp the proper method of making pour-over coffee and also a special water kettle. There are many different types of brewing machines when it comes to pour-over such as the Chemex, the BeeHouse, and Hario V60 (my preferred machine). There is a rather old one called Walküre but when I checked the shopping tab on google, I just found a bunch of what I'll only describe as "hentai".

Coffee to Water ratio: 1:12 (in grams)

Recommended grind size: Medium to Medium-fine

Espresso

One of the more well-known brewing methods there are, makes what called shots of espresso, single and double and sometimes even triple, this coffee is generally way stronger than any of the other brewing methods here. Finely grinded beans are pressed down inside something called a portafilter basket and as hot water tries to pass through the grounds pressure builds up in the basket and creates a strong and small amount of coffee. Espressos are used in other coffee drinks such as a latte, cappuccino, americano, flat white, mocha, macchiato, etc. While espresso machines are usually very expensive, home espresso that can mimic commercial machines can cost more than $300. A moka pot is a good way of mimicking an espresso shot while on a budget.

Coffee to Water ratio: 1:2 (in grams)

Recommended grind size: Fine

Instant Coffee

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. That's all for that.

Closing

These methods above are the methods that I have personally had a lot of experience in, I know there are other methods such as cold-brew, Turkish coffee, aero-press, since I have no experience in those methods, I don't feel it's my place to cover them here. One more thing, a must have when learning to brew coffee is a digital kitchen scale being precise with coffee is the key to sucess, having the correct coffee to water ratio is crucial. What's above is just my preferred ratio they seem to vary from person to person and method to method, so play around with the ratios. Lastly get yourself a burr grinder, not a blade grinder, burr grinders ensure a more even grind than traditional blade grinders, that are just unevenly slashing coffee. Burr grinders crush them to ensure it is all evenly grinded and you'll get the best and even extraction of your coffee.