Lately, I’ve found myself enjoying the ritual of drinking coffee in cafés. There’s something about savoring a well-brewed cup that has sparked a desire to recreate that experience at home. At first glance, the world of coffee enthusiasts can seem intimidating. From my point of view, they almost like a secret club with high entry barriers. It feels as if mastering coffee requires extensive knowledge and skill, and the people in this world often appear serious and unapproachable. But instead of letting that discourage me, I decided to take my time and learn at my own pace, discovering the joy of making coffee without pressure.
Like many people today, my first step was to look up videos on YouTube, especially when I was thinking of buying a “fancy” coffee maker like the AeroPress. That’s when I stumbled upon James Hoffmann’s YouTube channel, a treasure trove of coffee-related content. With countless videos available, watching them all felt overwhelming. I wanted to absorb the key points without spending endless hours glued to my screen. That’s why I was excited to find his book, How To Make The Best Coffee At Home. As someone who learns best through reading, this book seemed like the perfect starting point.
Hoffmann’s book doesn’t just cover brewing techniques. It also offers practical recommendations for each method, making it easy for beginners and enthusiasts alike to experiment and find their preferred style. I noted down the main takeaways and tips that stood out to me that you can find below, each one adding to my growing knowledge of coffee.
One thing I truly appreciated in Hoffmann’s book is how he acknowledges that coffee preferences are deeply personal. He emphasizes that even a cup that might not meet traditional “high standards” can have its own merits. This reminder, that even “bad” coffee has its place, is refreshing and a testament to the idea that enjoying something should be more about personal taste than meeting others’ expectation.
Summary
How To Buy A Great Coffee
To choose quality coffee, understanding its freshness is key. Here’s what affects it:
- Loss of Volatiles: As coffee ages, it loses its distinct flavors because aromatic compounds escape from the beans or grounds over time.
- Development of New or Unpleasant Flavors: Over time, the compounds in coffee react with each other, forming new, less enjoyable flavors.
- Rancidification: Coffee contains fats and oils that can go rancid. Exposure to oxygen (oxidation) or moisture can break down these oils, leading to unpleasant flavors. Darker roasts are more vulnerable as their oils are pushed to the surface, interacting more with air and moisture.
- Degassing: The roasting process releases carbon dioxide (CO2), which mostly escapes during roasting. However, some CO2 remains and continues to escape after roasting, especially in the first few hours. When brewing, if there’s a lot of CO2 still being released, it can make it harder for water to properly extract flavors from the coffee grounds.
Coffee Beans and Freshness
- Storage Conditions: Proper storage is essential. High temperatures speed up the staling process by providing energy that accelerates the chemical reactions causing coffee to go stale.
- Brewing Espresso:
- Rest Period: Wait at least 7-8 days after roasting before brewing espresso. This helps manage the release of carbon dioxide.
- Blooming Technique: Add a small amount of water to the grounds before brewing the main portion to help release excess carbon dioxide. This step ensures smoother extraction.
- Crema Changes: Over the first two weeks, the amount of crema (foam produced during brewing) decreases as the trapped carbon dioxide diminishes. While the crema lessens, this does not mean a drop in taste quality.
- Brewing Filter Coffee:
- Optimal Time: Good results can be achieved as soon as 4-5 days after roasting, making it ideal for quicker brewing cycles.
Ideal Coffee Freshness
- Grinding and Staling: Once coffee is ground, staling reactions speed up significantly. Many can tell the difference between coffee that is 12 hours old versus freshly ground, and almost everyone will notice the difference when coffee is 24 hours old.
- Recommendation – Grind Your Own Coffee:
- Aromatic Experience: Grinding your own coffee smells amazing, giving you a delightful start to your day.
- Cost-Effective: Whole beans offer better value compared to pre-ground coffee.
- Customization: Grinding at home allows you to adjust the grind size to match the type of coffee, the brewing method, and your personal taste preferences for the best results.
Storing Coffee
- Optimal Storage Method: Store coffee in a dark, dry, and airtight container to minimize exposure to light, moisture, and air.
- Refrigerator Storage Concerns:
- Condensation Issue: Taking coffee in and out of the refrigerator accelerates staling due to condensation forming on the cold beans.
- Absorbing Odors: If the bag is open, coffee can absorb strong odors from aromatic items in the fridge.
- Freezer Storage:
- Long-Term Solution: The freezer is a great option for long-term storage if coffee is sealed in an airtight package with minimal air.
- Avoid Condensation: Regularly moving coffee in and out of the freezer can lead to condensation, which is detrimental. The best approach is to store single-serving portions and only take out what you need for the day’s brew.
Where to Buy Coffee
- Supermarket:
- Best Before Date: Coffee sold in supermarkets usually has a “best before” date, not a “use by” date. While it’s safe to consume even after a couple of years, the quality significantly decreases over time.
- Local Coffee Shop:
- Great Option: A local coffee shop is an excellent place to buy coffee. The beans are often well-rested and typically about a week old when available, ensuring good freshness.
- Tasting Options: You can often sample the coffee before purchasing, making it easier to choose what suits your taste.
- Online:
- High Quality: Buying coffee online can be an excellent choice, as many reputable roasters offer freshly roasted beans.
- Lacks Personal Interaction: One downside is the limited human interaction, which can make it harder to get personalized recommendations compared to a local shop.
Roast Level
- Lack of Standards: There are no universal standards for what defines a light, medium, or dark roast, which can be confusing for buyers trying to decide what to purchase.
- Industry View on Strength:
- Brewing Impact: The modern coffee industry often points out that the perceived strength of coffee depends more on the brewing method and the coffee-to-water ratio than on the roast level itself.
- Darker Roasts: However, darker roasts are more soluble compared to lighter roasts. This means they can actually contribute more to the coffee’s strength, making strength labels somewhat accurate despite industry opinions.
Roasting Affects Flavor
- Longer Roasts:
- Flavor Development: The longer you roast coffee, the more it develops generic roasted flavors similar to those found in browned foods like bread or chocolate. If roasting continues, these flavors can turn into harsher, burnt notes.
- Bitterness and Acidity: As the roast darkens, bitterness increases, similar to how sugar becomes more bitter when caramelized longer. At the same time, the acidity in the coffee decreases.
- Acidity and Coffee Density:
- Growth Conditions: The acidity of coffee often correlates with its density, which is influenced by how and where the coffee grows. Beans grown at higher altitudes mature more slowly and are denser, leading to greater aromatic complexity and a higher potential for sweetness.
- Impact of Acidity: Proper acidity can add contrast, juiciness, and excitement to the coffee, making it enjoyable. However, if the roast is poorly executed, the acidity can become sour, harsh, and unpleasant.
Traceability
- Shortcut to Quality: For many coffee buyers, traceability has been a reliable way to identify good coffee. If the coffee can be traced to a specific origin, such as a particular farm, cooperative, or mill, it is often a sign of higher quality.
Decoding Package Descriptors
While not definitive, package flavor notes provide useful hints about the coffee’s taste profile:
- Fresh Fruit Flavors:
- Descriptors: Berries, apples, pears, citrus.
- Taste Profile: Indicates high acidity and sweetness. These coffees are often light to medium-bodied.
- Tropical Fruit Flavors:
- Descriptors: Strawberry, blueberry, mango, lychee, pineapple.
- Taste Profile: These notes suggest fermented flavors. Coffees with these flavors tend to have a heavier body. If you don’t enjoy fermented notes, avoid these.
- Cooked Fruit Flavors:
- Descriptors: Jam, jelly, pie (e.g., cherry pie).
- Taste Profile: Moderate acidity and full-bodied. The acidity is less dominant than in fresh fruit notes.
- Browning Flavors:
- Descriptors: Chocolate, nuts, caramel, toffee.
- Taste Profile: Low acidity, medium to full body. These coffees often have a comforting, richer flavor.
- Bitter Flavors:
- Descriptors: Smoky, dark chocolate, molasses.
- Taste Profile: Common in dark roasts. Expect a heavy body, minimal acidity, and prominent bitterness.
Main Considerations When Shopping for a Coffee Grinder
Choosing the right coffee grinder involves several factors based on your needs and preferences:
- Espresso Compatibility: Decide if you’ll be making espresso, as espresso requires a finer and more consistent grind.
- Aesthetics: Consider how the grinder will look in your kitchen or coffee setup, as some grinders are designed with style in mind.
- Noise Level: Grinders can vary widely in noise, so if you prefer a quieter option, this is worth considering.
- Aftersales Support: Look into the support and warranty options available, as quality grinders may need occasional maintenance or part replacement.
Hand Grinders
Hand grinders are a budget-friendly choice, especially for beginners:
- Metal Burrs for Quality: If you want good grind quality at a lower price, metal burrs are recommended for consistent results.
- Entry-Level Option: For those just starting out, an entry-level burr grinder around $34 offers an affordable way to try grinding coffee at home.
Main Categories of Coffee-Storage Canisters
Choosing the right type of coffee-storage canister can help maintain freshness and flavor:
- Airtight/Valved Containers:
- Features: These containers create a simple airtight seal.
- Examples: Mason jars and specially designed Tupperware for coffee.
- Note: If using clear glass or plastic, store it in a dark place to avoid light exposure.
- Displacement Containers:
- Features: These containers displace most of the air inside using a tight-fitting lid that rests on top of the coffee beans.
- Effectiveness: They don’t significantly improve the condition of the coffee over time but offer peace of mind that the coffee is well stored.
- Vacuum Containers:
- Features: These containers remove most of the air inside, creating a vacuum seal.
- Effectiveness: They do a slightly better job than other options for medium- to long-term storage.
- Cost: Vacuum containers are the most expensive but are worth considering if they fit your budget and you want to ensure your coffee stays fresh for as long as possible.
How to Brew Great Coffee
To brew an enjoyable cup of coffee, understanding the science behind extraction and the factors influencing flavor is essential:
The Universal Theory of Coffee Brewing
- Basic Concept: Coffee beans, once ground, become brittle and porous, exposing more surface area. This increased surface area allows for more flavor extraction when brewing.
- Extraction Basics:
- Composition: About 70% of ground coffee is insoluble; the soluble portion dissolves in water and gives the cup its flavor.
- Ideal Extraction Range: The coffee industry targets an extraction range of 18-22%.
- Measuring Concentration: A refractometer measures the concentration of coffee in a liquid.
- Underextraction vs. Overextraction:
- Underextraction: Total extraction is below the ideal range, resulting in a sour or weak taste.
- Overextraction: Exceeds the ideal range, potentially leading to bitter or overly strong flavors.
- Key Insight: Uneven brewing, not just extraction levels, often causes bad-tasting coffee.
Controlling Extraction
- Two Primary Methods:
- Adjust Grind Size:
- Finer grinds expose more surface area, increasing extraction. However, finer grinds can make it harder to separate grounds from the final drink.
- Change Water Amount:
- Water acts as a solvent for flavor. More water means more flavor extraction.
- Using a scale helps control these variables for consistent results.
- Adjust Grind Size:
Temperature Control
- Hotter Water: Extracts more flavor but can lead to overextraction and bitterness, especially with dark roasts.
- Roast-Specific Temperatures:
- Very Light Roasts: 95-100°C
- Light Roasts: 92-100°C
- Medium Roasts: 85-95°C
- Medium-Dark Roasts: 80-90°C
- Dark Roasts: 80-85°C
Evenness in Brewing
- Importance: Ensuring coffee grounds interact evenly with water leads to a sweeter, well-balanced cup with minimal sourness, astringency, or bitterness.
- Adjusting by Taste: Relying on key tastes such as bitterness and sourness is more effective than solely using readings like refractometer data.
How to Get the Best from Your Brewer
- French Press
- Recommendations:
- If budget permits, choose a dual-walled, stainless steel version. It’s more durable and retains heat better than glass, which can easily break.
- For those concerned with temperature loss during a longer brew, dual-walled stainless steel retains heat better.
- Recommendations:
- V60
- Recommendations:
- Start with a plastic cone; it’s affordable, retains heat better, and brews just as effectively as glass, metal, or ceramic options.
- Choose white, bleached filters as they do not impart a papery taste like unbleached filters can.
- Grind Focus: Gradually adjust grind size, going finer until the brew becomes harsh and bitter, then adjust accordingly.
- Track Brew Times: This helps identify the need to adjust the grind if the brew time changes significantly (ideal window: 3-4.5 minutes). However, focus more on grind size and pouring technique for better extraction.
- Recommendations:
- Melitta-Bentz
- Type: Paper-filtered circular dripper.
- Recommendations: Use a ceramic version with Filtropa papers for optimal results.
- Kalita
- Type: Flat-bottomed brewer known for more even extraction.
- Chemex
- Clever Dripper
- Type: Large, conical dripper with a stopper at the base.
- Feature: Combines the immersion of French press and the clarity of paper-filtered drippers.
- Aeropress
- Features: Can brew coffee for two people by using more coffee and diluting in a carafe.
- Recommendations:
- Fill the brewer as much as possible to ensure effective extraction (e.g., 22g of coffee with 220g of water).
- Use a longer steep time (~4 minutes) and add 160g of hot water after steeping for a balanced cup.
- Great for making iced coffee by brewing directly over ice (160g).
- Avoid pressing too hard, as this can affect the quality of the brew.
- Siphon Brewer
- Moka Pot
- Characteristics: Stronger than filter coffee but not as intense as modern espresso.
- Maintenance: Regular cleaning prevents bitterness from the buildup of oils.
- Recommendations:
- Choose an induction-compatible Bialetti pot.
- Never fill the base past the safety valve to prevent pressurized water ejection.
- Automatic Coffee Maker
Iced Coffee and Cold Brew
The main difference between iced coffee and cold brew lies in how the coffee grounds are extracted—hot water for iced coffee and cold water for cold brew.
Extracted with hot water:
1. Iced Filter Coffee
- Dilution Compensation: Brewing with ice dilutes the coffee, so you need to adjust for this.
- Pour-Over Method:
- Use ice for about a third of your total brew water. For a typical 30g of coffee using 500g of water, replace 165-175g of water with ice and brew with 330-335g of water.
- Adjust the grind to be slightly finer and pour more slowly to increase extraction time.
2. Iced Pour-Over
- Ice Proportion: Around 40% of the brew should be ice in the cup or carafe at the start.
- Example: For a 30g coffee-to-500g water V60, use 300g of water and 200g of ice.
- Adjust Grind: Use approximately 65-70g of coffee per liter of water to allow for dilution when serving over ice.
3. Iced AeroPress
- Ice Amount: 40% of the total brew water should be ice in the cup or carafe.
- Example:
- For one cup: 12g of coffee, 120g of hot water, and 80g of ice.
- For two cups: 24g of coffee, 240g of hot water, and 160g of ice (AeroPress capacity is 240g of water).
- Brewing Tip: Add an extra minute to the steep time from the regular AeroPress recipe.
4. Iced Espresso Drinks
- Perceived Bitterness: Chilling espresso and diluting it (as in iced americanos) can intensify perceived bitterness.
- Bitterness Explanation: Cold espresso tastes more bitter due to temperature and dilution effects.
Extracted with Cold Water: Cold Brew
- Extraction Process:
- Hot water extracts soluble flavors efficiently, but cold water doesn’t extract some acids and compounds, leading to a lower-acidity drink that may cause fewer digestive issues.
- Challenges:
- Long Brewing Time: Cold water takes longer to extract flavors. Coarser grinds are used to aid filtration, but this extends brewing time and increases oxygen exposure, potentially causing an oxidized taste.
- High Coffee-to-Water Ratio: Used to compensate for lower extraction efficiency. This creates a stronger drink but may still taste underextracted. Unlike hot brews, underextracted cold brews generally lack the sour, acidic flavors and are only unpleasant if they’re also weak.
My Favorite Bits
Once you really start pay attention to flavors, hunt for language and try to paint a linguistic picture of the tasting experience, it is very easy to stop actually enjoying it. Paying attention to something can reveal greater beauty but you can easily begin to focus on its flaws and not its strengths.
James Hoffmann, How To Make The Best Coffee At Home
Author: James Hoffmann
Publication date: 4 October 2022
Number of pages: 224 pages
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