andrew.mcwilliam - things too good to miss...

November 10, 2009

One of the ways I make Coffee in the morning...

(download)

Thought someone might actually enjoy this?! I'm brewing using a ceramic pour over brewer from Cillio (Good luck reading that site however... I'm thinking German?) This is a great cheap brewer ($20). You can even go cheaper with a plastic version my mileka or the like... you may get a bit of a lingering plastic taste in your coffee though.

Mark Prince at Coffee Geek offers a much more detailed version of how to brew using this method. Mine method may vary a touch which is not to say Mark's method isn't great... just some different ideas.

I was going to edit out the chatter between myself and my family, but thought It added to the video. Especially the chatter about toast ends. Also apologies on the quality of this video. I accidentally don't show some things like adding the beans to the grinder etc. Any future videos I might make I'll try to capture better.

Brew method:

-24 gr Whole bean coffee. In this video I'm using coffee from www.drumroaster.com

-12 ounces of just off boil water.

-Grind beans a bit finer than drip.... I go two steps lower on my grinder.

-Rinse filter!!! You will taste paper if you don't.

-Pour about 1-2 ounces of coffee in first to wet the ground coffee... it will bloom and bubble... really fun to let any kids around watch this part.

-Pour the remaining water slowly and in a circular motion.... sometimes I stop every 4 ounces or so... sometimes I don't.

-I usually take the ceramic brewer off before all the coffee is brewed (when it looks just a touch swampy at the bottom)... if I don't I find there is a little unpleasant bitterness in the coffee.

Enjoy... coffee is to be fun, so do what you want as long as you enjoy it. It's fun to experiment with grind settings, methods (I used to stir the grounds after the first wetting of the coffee), how much coffee you use... whatever!

Notes on this coffee.... SWEET! Like honey... smooth like milk. Grapes and Light berries. Almost like drinking milky grape juice (Warm of course...). Haven't had much coffee this sweet before! If your on the island look www.drumroaster.com up and give it a try!

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January 6, 2009

Step by Step: Vac Pot (made with fresh snow)

Sarah got me a great Christmas gift.... a Vaccum Pot Coffee Maker. Many have asked what this is and upon seeing it accuse me of making drugs. It has quickly become my favorite coffee maker.... it highlights the fruitiness and spiciness of coffee's and it's impressive to watch! So for all who are curious or would like to laugh at my obsession with coffee... enjoy!

1. Grab some fresh cold water!

My friend Carsen suggested trying some snow instead of tap water. Makes sense... tap water sits in pipes just waiting to be used, snow is fresh. So I thought I'd go for it.... obviously this is very optional. When making any coffee though start with Cold fresh water!

2. Boil Water

Especially when using snow... make sure not to use the yellow stuff.

3. Use GREAT Coffee

There are some great coffees out there... buy online or buy local. I brewed some Guatemalan roasted by locals at http://www.drumroaster.com/. Don't ever EVER use Coffee from a Can :)

4. Set up Vac Pot

There are a lot of pieces to this thing... but don't let them fool you,,, it's super easy to make great coffee in this thing!

5. Add water to bottom of Vac Pot & begin to heat!

Use water off boil... let it cool for about 2 mins before adding heat. Then get your handy little bunsen burner ready... place under the water.

6. Add the top half of the Vac Pot & watch the water rise!

Because you create a vacuum seal with the top half of the vac pot the air (gas) inside expands when heated... this pushes the water up the middle tube... This water looks as if it's boiling but it's not, it just bubbles because it's shooting up the tube.

7. Add coffee.

When most of the water is up top you add your coffee. Only use fresh ground coffee.... ground seconds before use! I'm serious here!

8. Stir and watch (ok watchings optional but it's so cool!)

Stir your coffee just enough to make the bloom (bright caramel color) come out in your coffee. Then watch... it looks like lava or a bubbling swamp. Very cool.... let it do this for 2 mins.

9. Remove heat and watch the coffee fall...

This is the fun part. As soon as you remove the heat the bottom compartment starts to cool... the gas starts to shrink allowing the water to come back down. The now brewed coffee shoots through the cloth filter keeping the grinds out. This process is sped up by using a cold cloth to cool down the bottom,

10. Remove the top. Pour & Enjoy one of the greatest cups of coffee you've ever had!

Your welcome to invite yourself over for a cup of coffee!