Iced Coffee. For some people it’s a summertime treat and for others it’s just shy of a way of life. There are many shapes, sizes and brew methods for iced coffee. For instance, we use a YAMA tower in our cafes, which allows us to create Cold Brew Iced Coffee. We know that most people do not have access to, nor the capacity to adjust a YAMA tower for 8-24 hours; however, we can show you how to brew up a delicious cup quicker than that.
Flash Brewed Iced Coffee, also known as Japanese Iced Coffee is a method of using ice in your normal pour-over method. Without going too far into the weeds with the chemistry, the idea is essentially to instantly freeze the flavors onto the ice trapping in the wonderful, fruity aroma. We find this to be an excellent and efficient way of making iced coffee, particularly suited for the summer months.
What you will need:
Pour-Over Method of Choice, we prefer a Chemex
Filter
Freshly Roasted Well Coffee
Grinder
Filters
Kettle, preferably goose neck
Ice and Hot Water
Scale
Timer
Mug or Glass
Patience
Brew Time: 3-4 Minutes
As for any brew method the amount of coffee will depend on your preferred strength of flavor and the bean density itself. We recommend for a 16oz cup, dose between 30-38g of coffee. The size of the grounds should look about like Kosher salt. For a better experience and more aroma in your cup, grind just before you prepare your coffee. As this method relies on a certain amount of aromatics, it's recommended to use a fresh, fruit forward coffee. After grinding, your coffee loses it’s specialness rather quickly; so you want to keep your unused coffee in whole bean form and out of the sun.
As any water aficionado can tell you, not all water tastes the same. We definitely agree with that. In fact, your paper filter changes your water taste dramatically. It mostly tastes reminiscent of a sweet glue. We don’t like that taste in our cup, and we imagine you won’t either. Fully saturating the filter getting all of those nasty glues tastes out will improve your cup tremendously.
Fold the filter with 3 ends resting on the spout of the Chemex leaving a single end in the opposite direction. Keep pressure on the filter as your pour to seal it into its proper place. Discard the filter water without removing the filter by simply pouring. This is where we diverge a bit from our typical Chemex routine.
Remove your wet filter and add 100g of ice. Tear out the scale to 0. The bigger cubes, the less diluted your cup will be at first sip. Replace your wet paper filter as best you can in it’s original placement. This can be a bit tricky, because it's like putting back on an already wet swimsuit.
Add your pre-dosed coffee to the Chemex and give it a gentle shake to level out the bed of coffee. Make sure your hot water is about 30 seconds off boil or around 204-208ºF. Next is one of the trickier parts. Start your timer and with as little water as possible (generally around 30-40g), wet the bed of coffee making sure that everything is fully saturated. Do not tear out the scale to 0. Most of us start in the middle and spiral out. Watch as the fresh coffee will rise and release the gases created in the roasting process, known as blooming. This allows for many of the not-so-tasty aromatics to purge. Begin on the next step between 60 seconds after starting your bloom.
*We intentionally bloom a bit longer with this brew method to fully extract the flavors during our pour. Try to stick close to 60 seconds rather than between 30-60 seconds like usual.
Now is time for the main event! Start your pour like the bloom by spiraling in and out of the coffee bed. Pour clockwise until you hit a total of 270g on your scale (including bloom). Pour slow, almost painfully slow. Your pour should be as gentle as possible without breaking the stream. Avoid pouring on the filter as well as pouring too heavily in lightly colored areas of the slurry. Try to give it all an even distribution.
If you’re accustomed to making pour-overs, it may feel a little weird not pour a ton of water to finish out due to all of the ice. Keep in mind that any agitation will trap those negative tastes in amber as well. Trust the process!
Once the stream of coffee from the filter starts to stutter and the bed is no longer covered with water, remove the filter and discard. Your timer should read anywhere from 3.5-4.5 minutes depending on the coffee. If your coffee brewed too quickly, make your grind a bit finer. If your coffee brewed too long, make the grind a bit more course.
Add 100g of fresh ice into your glass of choice. Pour directly into your glass and enjoy!
Pro Tip: Coffees with fruitier or floral forward tasting notes tend to be a better choice for flash brewed cups of Iced Coffee, whereas more balanced or nuttier/chocolatier tasting notes can appear more muted with this brew method.
The V60 is quite frankly one of the most versatile brewing methods available. We always have at least one coffee dialed in for a V60 in the stores. They are a workhorse for the price, and they make an easy traveller as well. If there is only one brewing method that you’re willing to invest in, go for a V60. With the right parameters any coffee can taste good through a V60. This brew method typically offers a medium-bodied mouth feel, while retaining subtle notes. Also if your roommate or partner is sticking to their guns with a normal coffee pot, the conical filters often work for both. This guide will be for a 12oz cup; but if you need to scale down for an 8oz, simply lower your dose and tighten up your grind a bit. It won’t work effectively for pours over 12 oz due to the design of the V60.
Here’s what you’ll need:
V60
Hario Numver 2 Filters
Kettle
Grinder
Digital Scale
Timer
Mug
Patience
Brew Time: 3-4 Minutes
Step 1 - Dose and Grind
As for any brew method the amount of coffee will depend on your preferred strength of flavor and the bean density itself. We recommend for a 12oz cup, dose between 24-28g of coffee. For a V60, the size of the grounds should look similar to kosher salt or a medium-fine grind.
For a better experience make sure to grind right before preparing your coffee. After grinding your coffee loses it’s specialness rather quickly, so you want to keep your unused coffee in whole bean form and out of the sun.
Step 2 - Wetting the Filter
As any water aficionado can tell you, not all water tastes the same. We definitely agree with that. In fact, your paper filter changes your water taste dramatically. It mostly tastes reminiscent of a sweet glue. We definitely don’t like that taste in our cup, so we recommend fully saturating the filter getting all of those nasty glue tastes out. This helps warm up your brew method to extract better. This is also a good time to add hot water to whatever mug you will be using later.
Open the filter, fold it towards the spine and sweep your finger across the spine to keep the filter in an open position. Drop the filter in the V60 and saturate fully. Discard the filter water.
Step 3 - Bloom
Add your pre-dosed coffee to the V60 and give it a gentle shake to level out the bed of coffee. Make sure your hot water is about 30 seconds off boil or around 204-208ºF. Next is one of the trickier parts. Start your timer and with as little water as possible (generally around 30-40g), wet the bed of coffee making sure that everything is fully saturated. Most of us start in the middle and spiral out.
Watch as the fresh coffee will rise and release the gases created in the roasting process, known as blooming. This allows for many of the not-so-tasty aromatics to purge. Begin on the next step between 30-60 seconds after starting your bloom.
Step 4 - Pour
Now is time for the main event! Start your pour like the bloom by spiraling in and out of the coffee bed. Pour clockwise until you hit a total of 375g on your scale (including bloom), which you will want to hit at about 1:30. Your pour should be as gentle as possible without breaking the stream. Avoid pouring on the filter as well as pouring too heavily in lightly colored areas of the slurry. Try to give it all an even distribution.
Step 5 - Clean up and Enjoy!
Once the stream of coffee from the filter starts to stutter and the bed is no longer covered with water, remove the filter and discard. Your timer should read anywhere from 2.5-3.5 minutes depending on the coffee.
If your coffee brewed too quickly, make your grind a bit finer. If your coffee brewed too long, make the grind a bit more course. Remove the hot water warming your mug and replace it with your hard work. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: If your coffee tastes sour, it needed more time brewing. If it tastes bitter, it needed less time.
In the specialty coffee atmosphere, the French Press gets a bad wrap. Most everyone who has made an entrance into specialty coffee found their love by creating cups through a French Press at first. We don’t offer this method in-store, due to the cloudy and oily nature masking some of the more delicate tasting notes in our coffees; however, this makes a fantastic addition at home. It’s extremely user-friendly and consistent to brew with. Plus it doubles as a way to make tea as well. This brew method typically offers a more bold and balanced cup; however, subtle tasting notes are usually lost. It is a full immersion brew method as well, which means that buying filters is not necessary.
Here’s what you’ll need:
French Press
Kettle
Grinder
Digital Scale
Timer
Mug
Patience
Brew Time: 4-5 Minutes
Step 1 - Dose and Grind
As for any brew method the amount of coffee will depend on your preferred strength of flavor and the bean density itself. We recommend for a 12oz cup, dose between 24-28g of coffee. The size of the grounds should look about like breadcrumbs.
For a better experience make sure to grind right before preparing your coffee. After grinding, your coffee loses it’s specialness rather quickly; so you want to keep your unused coffee in whole bean form and out of the sun.
Step 2 - Bloom
Add your pre-dosed coffee to the French Press and give it a gentle shake to level out the bed of coffee. Make sure your hot water is about 30 seconds off boil or around 204-208ºF. Start your timer and with as little water as possible (generally around 30-40g), wet the bed of coffee making sure that everything is fully saturated. Depending on how many cups you are creating in one batch, agitate lightly with a stirrer to ensure all grounds are completely soaked.
Watch as the fresh coffee will rise and release the gases created in the roasting process, known as blooming. This allows for many of the not-so-tasty aromatics to purge. Begin on the next step between 30-60 seconds after starting your bloom.
Step 3 - Pour
Now is time for the main event! The French Press needs a little less gentleness than other brewing methods; however, try not to dump all of your water too aggressively on the grounds. This could cause over-extraction. Pour until you hit a total of 375g on your scale (including bloom). Try to give it all an even distribution.
After the pour, level out the plunger of the french press to set on top of the grounds floating towards the top to encourage them to stay submerged. This will allow for a more even distribution of grounds being extracted. Make sure to fill your mug with hot water to warm it up, while you wait.
Step 4 - Clean up and Enjoy!
Once your timer reads about 4:30, start plunging the French Press to the bottom of the brew method. Take your time! You want to plunge for around 10-15 seconds, otherwise it’s as if you are shaking a tea bag. That could lead to a more bitter cup.
If your coffee brewed too quickly, make your grind a bit finer. If your coffee brewed too long, make the grind a bit more course. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: If your coffee tastes sour, it needed more time brewing. If it tastes bitter, it needed less time.
Home drip coffee makers are one of the most used brewing methods out there, period. Since most people either use these, have used these or will use them in the future; we thought it best to give a few guidelines on how to give yourself the best chance of creating a great cup at home without really needing to do much work. For most home drip coffee makers you really need to have a good understanding of coffee ratios, much like following a recipe for cooking. Drip coffee makers tend to brew a more medium-bodied cup with muted tasting notes.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Drip Coffee Maker
Grinder
Digital Scale
Mug
Brew Time: This depends on your coffee maker.
Step 1 - Dose, Grind and Filter
As for any brew method the amount of coffee will depend on your preferred strength of flavor and the bean density itself. We recommend starting with a 1:17 ratio of coffee to water. We’re brewing 30 oz (850g) water with 1.75 oz (50g) of coffee. That will create essentially two 12 oz cups of drip coffee. The size of the grounds should look about like sea salt.
For a better experience make sure to grind right before preparing your coffee. After grinding, your coffee loses it’s specialness rather quickly; so you want to keep your unused coffee in whole bean form and out of the sun.
With coffee makers one of the biggest things to know is the difference in conical filters and flat-bottom filters. Neither one is necessarily better than the other, but conical filters tend to brew a bit quicker. That will affect your grind size between the two.
When looking for coffee makers, try to find one that brews at an appropriate temperature setting and has an option to bloom (often called pre-wetting). Ideally 204º-208ºF is what you will want.
Step 2 - Clean up and Enjoy!
Toss out the filter and grab your pot of tasty drip coffee! If your coffee brewed too quickly, make your grind a bit finer. If your coffee brewed too long, make the grind a bit more course. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: If your coffee tastes sour, it needed more time brewing. If it tastes bitter, it needed less time.
Having a Chemex at your disposal is one of the best investments into your home brewing experience. Almost all of us here at the Well use one of these bad boys at home and at work. When working with specialty coffee it’s a perfect companion in finding those pesky tasting notes everyone is after. This brew method typically offers a more tea-like cup with extreme clarity in flavor. The Chemex is a bit unique in its ability to scale up and down how many cups you’ll be able to make in a single pour. Many other speciality brew methods stick between 8-12 oz pours only, sometimes even less. With a 6-Cup Chemex you’ll be able to scale up to even 30 oz, although we recommend sticking with a lower and more quality tested dose. This guide will be for a 12 oz cup; but if you need to scale up, simply grind a more course dose to balance out the cup.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Chemex
Chemex Filters
Kettle
Grinder
Digital Scale
Timer
Mug
Patience
Brew Time: 3-4 Minutes
Step 1 - Dose and Grind
As for any brew method the amount of coffee will depend on your preferred strength of flavor and the bean density itself. We recommend for a 12oz cup, dose between 24-28g of coffee. The size of the grounds should look about like Kosher salt.
For a better experience make sure to grind right before preparing your coffee. After grinding, your coffee loses it’s specialness rather quickly; so you want to keep your unused coffee in whole bean form and out of the sun.
Step 2 - Wetting the Filter
As any water aficionado can tell you, not all water tastes the same. We definitely agree with that. In fact, your paper filter changes your water taste dramatically. It mostly tastes reminiscent of a sweet glue. We definitely don’t like that taste in our cup, so we recommend fully saturating the filter getting all of those nasty glue tastes out. This also helps warm up your brew method.
Fold the filter with 3 ends resting on the spout of the Chemex leaving a single end in the opposite direction. Keep pressure on the filter as your pour to seal it into its proper place. Discard the filter water without removing the filter by simply pouring. This is also a good time to add hot water to whatever mug you will be using later.
Step 3 - Bloom
Add your pre-dosed coffee to the Chemex and give it a gentle shake to level out the bed of coffee. Make sure your hot water is about 30 seconds off boil or around 204-208ºF. Next is one of the trickier parts. Start your timer and with as little water as possible (generally around 30-40g), wet the bed of coffee making sure that everything is fully saturated.
Most of us start in the middle and spiral out. Watch as the fresh coffee will rise and release the gases created in the roasting process, known as blooming. This allows for many of the not-so-tasty aromatics to purge. Begin on the next step between 30-60 seconds after starting your bloom.
Step 4 - Pour
Now is time for the main event! Start your pour like the bloom by spiraling in and out of the coffee bed. Pour clockwise until you hit a total of 375g on your scale (including bloom), which you will want to hit at about 1:30. Your pour should be as gentle as possible without breaking the stream.
Avoid pouring on the filter as well as pouring too heavily in lightly colored areas of the slurry. Try to give it all an even distribution.
Step 5 - Clean up and Enjoy!
Once the stream of coffee from the filter starts to stutter and the bed is no longer covered with water, remove the filter and discard.
Your timer should read anywhere from 3.5-4.5 minutes depending on the coffee. If your coffee brewed too quickly, make your grind a bit finer. If your coffee brewed too long, make the grind a bit more course. Remove the hot water warming your mug and replace it with your hard work. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: If your coffee tastes sour, it needed more time brewing. If it tastes bitter, it needed less time.