Brew Like a Champ

Andy Sprenger
Head Roaster & Q Grader - Ceremony Coffee Roasters
U.S. Brewers Cup 2011 & 2012 Winner
World Brewers Cup 2012 Runner-up
 Lesson #1
Experiment, Experiment, Experiment!
- don’t discount one method too quickly
 V60
Benefits Challenges
•  Fast Brew •  Fast Brew Time
Time •  Up-dosing to
compensate for
under extraction
•  Tightening grind
to slow
extraction
 Kalita Wave
Benefits Challenges
•  Choice of •  Filter’s shape
glass, ceramic, easily crumples
stainless steel •  End of brew
•  Good heat choking
retention with
smallest size
 CLEVER DRIPPER
Benefits Challenges
•  Ease of use •  Plastic taste
•  Heat loss over
time
•  Consistency
•  Turbulence
and agitation
 Kone
Benefits Challenges
•  Flow rate •  Filters retain
much like oils from
paper filter previous brews
•  Reusable •  Sediment
•  Allows more •  Less flavor
flavor oils clarity
through
 Chemex
Benefits Challenges
•  Allows for •  Lots of paper
in the filter –
brewing
risking a lot of
larger paper taste
quantities •  Heat retention
•  Clean cup
 Beehouse
Benefits Challenges
•  Small holes •  Consistently
help control even extraction
flow rate
•  Choice of
filters
•  Cheap
 Lesson #2
Be systematic but flexible with
variables
- For pour-overs, do side by side
comparisons maintaining variables as close as
possible
- change 1 variable at a time
- blind tastings
Filters
 Lesson #3
Flavor clarity is best achieved by a
paper filter
-if the filter is rinsed very well
-poorly rinsed filter also impacts acidity
and mouthfeel
-white filters have less paper taste
 Lesson #4
Water temp leaving hot water boiler at
rest is cooler than boiler temp
Things to consider with temperature:
– Temperature of water in kettle
– Temperature of slurry
– Consider roast level
– Smaller brewers maintain higher brew temps
 Lesson #5

Use water without taste

– Taste your water from different sources
in café/lab – at home
– Home filters may not remove hardness
– Use filtered water, or spring water
–  A suggestion: If you own a shop,
provide brew water for your customers
Effects of Water Chemistry in Cup

Scott Rao – Everything but Espresso

 Lesson #6
Finish processing the beans
–  Remove quakers and other odd looking beans
 Lesson #7
Honing in on grind is
tricky!
Factors to consider:
– Brew Method
– Dose
– Means of turbulence
– Roast degree
– Fines and boulder
distribution (are your
burrs sharp?)
 Lesson #8
Grind to achieve desired brew time
keeping in mind:
– Finer the grind, the better chance of bitters/
over extraction
– The coarser the grind, the more chance of
under extraction/weak coffee/quick pour
times
– If time is fast, consider up-dosing before
decreasing size of grind
 Brew Time
•  Combination of grind size, shape of brewer,
pouring technique & hole size
•  For pour-overs, start with 2:45 minute total
brew time
 Lesson #9
Find a good ratio for your brew
method, but be flexible with each
coffee
– 1:17 is a good baseline
 Ratios/TDS/Extraction %
•  Use a scale
•  Use grams to measure coffee
•  Use grams to measure water poured
– 28 gram swing between an ounce
•  Weigh ground coffee before starting the
brew
 Pour-Over Brew Method
Ground Coffee to Water Ratio in Grams

Water (g) 15 16 17 18 19

Coffee (g)
12 180 192 204 216 228
13 195 208 221 234 247
14 210 224 238 252 266
15 225 240 255 270 285
16 240 256 272 288 304
17 255 272 289 306 323
18 270 288 306 324 342
19 285 304 323 342 361
20 300 320 340 360 380
21 315 336 357 378 399
22 330 352 374 396 418
23 345 368 391 414 437
24 360 384 408 432 456
25 375 400 425 450 475
26 390 416 442 468 494
 Lesson #10
In pour over methods, focus on
turbulence from gravity rather than
agitation to drive extraction
 Pouring Technique

•  Blooming and Degassing

–  Too long of bloom and crust hardens
•  For pour overs, consider using as little
agitation as possible
•  Try maintaining crust as long as possible
•  Don’t leave grounds high and dry
•  Read your coffee bed
 Lesson #11
Swirl or Stir: When coffee is brewed it
will be most dense early on and least
dense later so will stratify inherently.
Swirling or stirring will ensure a
consistent cup from top to bottom.
 Lesson #12
Don’t stop learning and apply new
knowledge