This week on the pod, Kathryn and Marygrace brew up a discussion on the science of coffee - or at least, how coffee gets from the plant to the bag. They discuss the processes involved in making great coffee, and how every step plays a role in a coffee's flavor. So pour a cup of your favorite bean juice (that isn't actually a bean) and enjoy!
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Resources:
- Compounds involved in aroma and flavor: https://www.coffeeandhealth.org/coffee-and-the-senses/aroma-and-flavour-composition-of-coffee
- Coffee roasting and grinding: https://www.coffeeandhealth.org/coffee-and-caffeine/roasting-grinding
- Trade coffee blog: https://www.drinktrade.com/blog/t/coffee%20101
- James Hoffman YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMb0O2CdPBNi-QqPk5T3gsQ/playlists
- Maillard reaction: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/maillard-reaction
Kathryn's Pour over Method:
- Boil a kettle of water with desired amount (or more) needed for brewing
- Using a kitchen scale, measure out the desired mass of coffee grounds (I'm lazy and generally use pre-ground coffee, but if grinding your own, aim for medium-fine)
-- the amount of coffee should be 6-7.5% of the desired volume of coffee. If using a paper filter, use 6%. If using a metal filter (which is what I use), use 7.5%. This means that if you wanted to brew 100mL of coffee, you would include 6g (or 7.5g, respectively) of coffee beans in the filter.
-Once your water is boiling and ready to go, add water in the following method:
-- divide the volume of water to be added by 5
-- every 30 seconds, add 1/5 the volume of water (the total volume of water should be added by 2 minutes and 30 seconds). After each addition of water, gently swirl the pour over to release any coffee grounds stuck to the side and level out the coffee bean bed.
-- you can add the water however you like, but be careful not to overly disturb the bed of coffee.
- After all the water has been added, simply wait for the water to stop dripping. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Note: pay attention to how the coffee tastes immediately after it's done vs. after 10-15 minutes, when it's had time to cool. Do you notice a difference? ;)