The right way(s) to make coffee

bon appétit magazine
Photo: Courtesy of Stumptown Roasters
Photo: Courtesy of Stumptown Roasters

There is no end to the contraptions available for brewing coffee (or for keeping your coffee warm, for that matter). There are dual-chambered glass coffee vacuums; platinum machines that look like futuristic robots prepared to ingest your freshly ground beans; and there's the Eva Solo "CafeSolo"--a coffee maker that wears a neoprene jacket. Many baristas stand by the Eva Solo, but here at Bon Appetit, we stand by the old-school Chemex brewer or a French press to get the job done.

Once you have the right tools, follow these steps.


For Step 4 using a Chemex, we turn to Chicago's Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, famed roaster and coffee purveyor. They've sent quite a number of their baristas to the World Barista Championships (four in the last four years to be exact), so they know what they're talking about.

Here are Intelligentsia's tips for brewing with a Chemex:

You'll Need:

  • 24 fluid oz of water at 206F or 97C

  • 55g of ground coffee

  • pre-wet Chemex paper filter (preferably bleached)


Instructions:

  • Place pre-wet filter in the Chemex brewer.

  • Add ground coffee.

  • Place 24 fluid oz of hot water into an insulated pitcher or vessel.

  • Begin pre-infusion of the coffee by pouring 4 oz of water onto the grounds as evenly as possible.

  • Allow the grounds to "bloom", expanding as the water is absorbed.

  • Once the "bloom" begins to fall, evenly pour the water over the grounds in a spiral fashion starting in the center of the chamber working your way to the outer edge.

  • As the water in the top chamber begins to transfer into the bottom chamber, maintain a consistent water level in the top chamber. This will require multiple pours.

  • Once all of the pre-dosed water has been distributed to the top chamber, allow 1 - 2 minutes for the brew to complete and the coffee to transfer into the bottom chamber.

  • Remove the filter.


Or, try Step 4 with a French Press. Check out this helpful brewing guide from the Stumptown Roasters websites:

You'll Need:

  • Press Pot (aka French press), clean and dry

  • Spoon

  • Timer

  • Cups (and thermal carafe if preparing more than fits in the cups)


Instructions:

  • Grind coffee. It is important that the coffee be ground coarse and with a quality burr (rather than blade) grinder.

  • Add coffee to pot. You'll need one tablespoon of coffee for every 4 oz. of water.

  • Add water. Bring the water just to a boil and then let it cool for about 45 seconds. Then pour it aggressively into the pot so that it saturates the grounds. The key is to saturate all the grounds evenly. You should move the stream around as you pour to facilitate this. Do not fill the pot entirely.

  • Start timer for 4 minutes.

  • After 1 minute, you should stir grounds in the pot. If you need to add water to top off the pot, make sure it is again right below boiling.

  • Put press/top on pot. Make sure you line up the spout and the corresponding exit in the lid.

  • Press the pot at exactly 4 minutes.

  • Pour the coffee. You'll need to do this as soon as you've pressed the pot. If you're making more coffee than you can fit into a cup and want to hold some for later, pour coffee into a thermal carafe.


--Diane Chang
Photo: Courtesy of Stumptown Roasters

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