I'm glad you like the Espro. And in the 4 or 5 years that I've discovered the art of french press coffee brewing I have only broken one. So, I think I'll still be ahead of the game with my vintage cheap stuff when I'm 6 feet under. AS for the 5 to 7 minutes of it sitting, that has little to do with the size of the grind. It has to do with the coffee smoothing itself out. In fact, if anything, the finer the grind, the more chance that the coffee in the cup can be bitter. If you don't have the time, you don't have the time. I won't twist your arm. It appears that the approach to making coffee in the Espro is no different than any other french press. The only difference appears to be the filter contraption. I watched a video that shows how to use one and I found it interesting that they recommended a medium course grind similar to that of sea salt. That is quite large. I grind my beans on a 26 setting on my Baratza Virtuoso and the grind is quite fine. Seeing how the Espro is used, I think you could benefit from following the same approach of scooping any grinds that have not sunk to the bottom as they are still in the process of brewing and can add bitterness. I also noticed that they suggest a very very slow plunge of the plunger, which means the Espro could be prone to the same stirring up of sediment and bitterness as any other french press. Try no pressing the plunger down at all and see how you like it. You could be surprised. If you're at all interested, this is the video that dramatically changed my french press coffee in the mug for the better. Listen to what he says and the rationale for his approach. It really makes sense.
New to Coffee, recommend me a pour over setup.
- Thread starter KeenDogg
- Start date
I'm glad you like the Espro. And in the 4 or 5 years that I've discovered the art of french press coffee brewing I have only broken one. So, I think I'll still be ahead of the game with my vintage cheap stuff when I'm 6 feet under. AS for the 5 to 7 minutes of it sitting, that has little to do with the size of the grind. It has to do with the coffee smoothing itself out. In fact, if anything, the finer the grind, the more chance that the coffee in the cup can be bitter. If you don't have the time, you don't have the time. I won't twist your arm. It appears that the approach to making coffee in the Espro is no different than any other french press. The only difference appears to be the filter contraption. I watched a video that shows how to use one and I found it interesting that they recommended a medium course grind similar to that of sea salt. That is quite large. I grind my beans on a 26 setting on my Baratza Virtuoso and the grind is quite fine. Seeing how the Espro is used, I think you could benefit from following the same approach of scooping any grinds that have not sunk to the bottom as they are still in the process of brewing and can add bitterness. I also noticed that they suggest a very very slow plunge of the plunger, which means the Espro could be prone to the same stirring up of sediment and bitterness as any other french press. Try no pressing the plunger down at all and see how you like it. You could be surprised. If you're at all interested, this is the video that dramatically changed my french press coffee in the mug for the better. Listen to what he says and the rationale for his approach. It really makes sense.
Good choice @KeenDogg. I’m a big fan of coffee. I worked at shop in college. i even roasted my own green beans for awhile (no time for that now a day). I’ve tried most every method of brewing.
My preferred brewing method is pour over. I own and enjoy 3 pour over types:
Pour is the best way to make great coffee imo, but the beans are the most important ingredient. Grinding the beans freshly makes a huge difference, even with mediocre beans. Burr grinders are best but a cheap blade grinder is still a big improvement over preground coffee.
My preferred brewing method is pour over. I own and enjoy 3 pour over types:
- Chemex - The classic pour over method. It makes great coffee but requires proprietary filters and an even course grind to brew it’s best. I use this one the least. I own the largest Chemex and a person can break a sweat hand grinding for a full pot.
- Hario V60 - I use this one the most and highly recommend it. Its great for single small to large servings. Hario makes special filters for the V60 but the Melita filters, for sale everywhere, work just as well. A medium grind works well. I usually will use my cheap blade grinder.
- Kalita Wave - This is favorite pour over, it makes consistently great coffee and seems the fastest brewing maker. It also Takes proprietary filters. I have this one:
Pour is the best way to make great coffee imo, but the beans are the most important ingredient. Grinding the beans freshly makes a huge difference, even with mediocre beans. Burr grinders are best but a cheap blade grinder is still a big improvement over preground coffee.
Watching with interest, as I am trying to get away from drip coffee....
Thanks for the education!
I’m fairly new to this type of coffee as well. I found a cheap plastic filter holder from China that takes Harris No 2 filters. I also found a small gooseneck pourer that was sold to me as a coffee pourer but I suspect it maybe for olive oil. It still works as I pour the boiled water into the gooseneck kettle then pour the hot water over the coffee in the filter.
- Thread starter
- #26
You'll never get away from it, I suspect
- Thread starter
- #27
Thanks everyone! I see there quite an interest. I think I want to start simple as my time is limited. My 3 kids keep me ultra busy! 8m going to look into these suggestions and report back. One question: Is it better to find a gooseneck pot with a temp gauge in it?
Easy is always better.
I have all 3 gooseneck tyres. Temp controlled. Straight electric. Stove top.
There is no difference other than convenience. The temp control is turn on and forget. It keeps the water at brew temperature and waits for you to use it. The others require you to stay on top of them.
HINT: if you get a non temp control, wait a minute or so after the water boils before using. Boiling is too hot. Let it cool down to 190-195°
Really any kind of pour over coffee maker. Plastic, or ceramic I've found that one is not better than the other. A gram scale would help. A carafe, I use an old Mr. coffee 12 cup. Really you don't really need to get too fancy on what you use to heat water in. This is what you will end up with. A grinder would help also. Good luck.
CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
I'll echo what others have said.
The set up is far more important than what brand of pour over you choose.
The oils on top of coffee beans cause them to go rancid rather quickly when ground.
Unground, beans have a short shelf life as it is.
I would always zip my unground beans in a ziplock bag, get as much of the air out as I could, and take them out the morning of use.
Ratio - Measure the ratio of weight of coffee beans to water. These things are crucially important and require experimentation to find your sweet spot.
Grind - can't stress enough how important grind is. Get a conical burr grinder to ensure uniform grind size. Irregular grind size = irregular extraction = sub-par coffee.
Water temperature - same as with the above, absolutely crucial. There are recommendations for what temperature to use with what brew method but it comes down to personal preference.
Most important, have fun!
The set up is far more important than what brand of pour over you choose.
The oils on top of coffee beans cause them to go rancid rather quickly when ground.
Unground, beans have a short shelf life as it is.
I would always zip my unground beans in a ziplock bag, get as much of the air out as I could, and take them out the morning of use.
Ratio - Measure the ratio of weight of coffee beans to water. These things are crucially important and require experimentation to find your sweet spot.
Grind - can't stress enough how important grind is. Get a conical burr grinder to ensure uniform grind size. Irregular grind size = irregular extraction = sub-par coffee.
Water temperature - same as with the above, absolutely crucial. There are recommendations for what temperature to use with what brew method but it comes down to personal preference.
Most important, have fun!
at the risk of breaking all forum rules of etiquette, may i recommend taking a look at the aeropress? i was a coffee drinker for years before i tried one and i don't think i'm overstating the fact when i say it changed coffee for me. I use an aeropress, a little ceramic burr hand grinder, and fresh roasted Medium to Light coffee beans. The nuance of flavour i found over drip or sbux or anything else made me fall in love with coffee again. no dig on the pourover folk...i like those too...but i found it required less fuss and technique in the aeropress to get a really good cup of coffee.
and with that $.02, I leave you.
and with that $.02, I leave you.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah .....
OK, there's the derision you obviously expected.
Years ago, I invited a colleague from work on a campout a bunch of us had organized over a holiday weekend. His dating criteria was pretty lax, so he arrived with some hippie chick hitch hiker he scooped up offa the roadside. She was the real deal - hairy armpits, vacuous and gulliable personality, scent of many unbathed days out on the roadside "looking for a ride". We all had guns and did a lot of target shooting & although she was "scared of guns" she was willing to try. We also had a bunch of dogs, and they steered clear of each other.
Time came for coffee and she volunteered to make it. Reaching into her oversized travel hand bag, she pulled out an immaculate little plastic tube I initially mistook for either a feminine hygiene device or maybe a travel bong. She assured me it was a coffeemaker, and she didn't seem to be bright enough to have a sense of humor.
She processed several loads of coffee into our coffee pot --- it was outstanding. In return, we fed her, and the colleague later 'exercised' her a bunch.
I went on to find an Aeropress used on E-Bay really cheap & use it more often than my other gaggle of Espresso makers, coffee pots, or French Presses. The Melitta cone that fits over my 16 oz coffee cup gets used more often when I'm in a hurry, but the Aeropress always gets the first scoops from the freshly opened coffee bag or can. It really does make exceptional coffee. Everyone should have one.
For the OP: The Melitta funnel is all you need for a pourover - you either already have a carfe, or at least a big coffeecup to put this atop. It's fast and a snap to clean up afterward:
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I must be a coffee pour-over philistine:
Pour me a cup of Joe!
- Melitta filter cone
- Grocery store ground coffee
- Pyrex measuring cup w/ water heated to boiling in the microwave
Pour me a cup of Joe!
Everybody should prepare and drink coffee in the way that satisfies them.
That said, if you're going to use grocery store coffee why bother with a pour over?
Microwave is fine to heat the water (ideally 200 degrees not boiling). I know have an electric kettle with a 200F setting (love it) but before then I timed how long to get a given volume of water to 200F in the Microwave.
Another way is to boiled and figure out how much cold water to add to get 200F (not much).
That said, if you're going to use grocery store coffee why bother with a pour over?
Microwave is fine to heat the water (ideally 200 degrees not boiling). I know have an electric kettle with a 200F setting (love it) but before then I timed how long to get a given volume of water to 200F in the Microwave.
Another way is to boiled and figure out how much cold water to add to get 200F (not much).
CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
I once worked with a guy who - no joke - would open Keurig containers, pour them into a mini french press, press them, and call it coffee...
It makes the best tasting coffee, and it's the way I've always made it, since my first Chemex in 1979. But that was a pain to clean, so I got a Melitta cone and carafe set. These days I have a variety of cones, to fit various mugs and carares. But I mostly make it by the mug.
It was just the way I made coffee. Simple and cheap. I didn't even know they had a name for it--pour over--until seeing in on this forum. Now I see it's been elevated to a brew method.
First I heard of the term 'pourover' was at Starbucks. I've found the Starbucks across the street makes exceptional coffee - I also discovered they're one of the few who do. I used to use their WiFi when my service went down, and got free refills after a purchase using a gift card. Set up a meeting with a colleague from work at a Starbucks (against her better advice) and found that location made lousy coffee. In fact several different Starbucks I visited subsequently, all made substandard or old & harsh tasting coffee. Nevertheless, the Melitta pourover coffee I make using store brand ground coffee rivals even the best Starbucks coffee from the one [apparently] great Starbuck on the planet.
I get excellent results with either pourover or Aeropress coffee methods. I have 2 French Presses & they make mediocre (woody-tasting) coffee at best. If I need to scale weigh hand roasted and precision ground coffee, use a stopwatch & digital scale to make the French Press produce coffee rivaling that of my Pourover or Aeropress using store brand ready ground coffee, then it's time to toss the FP's at E-Bay & let some other
time to pull out the vacuum pot
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