The Good, the Bad and the Aeropress

The Aeropress has been gaining traction in the high-end coffee world since its introduction in 2005, with good reason.  But it isn't all good news.

The method brews a quite unique cup, that melds the brightness and mouthfeel of an espresso with the texture and simplicity of a traditional drip.  The system definitely has some brilliant elements, but I don't find myself using it, and instead returning to my typical prefered method, the chemex.  The traits of the Aeropress make it the ultimate brew method for the road warrior; but for those of us with a more sedentary life style, it leaves an unquantifiable something missing.

The Good:

Light -  The Aeropress weights almost nothing.  Not important in most situations, but for travel: essential.

Quick -  While not quite as fast as espresso, the Aeropress brews very quickly, somewhere in the 30-60 second range, roughly paralleling its hybridity between drip and espresso.

Unbreakable - Not quite.  But close.  Being made out of plastic certainly helps, but you can carelessly throw this in a bag for travel and arrive with a still functioning brewer, unlike a pour-over, chemex or French press.

Compact -  The space required for a aerpress is about that of a 16oz beer can.

Makes Good Coffee -  Getting good at brewing on an Aeropress is definetly easier than learning an espresso machine, and it makes a darn fine cup of coffee.  They aren't used in cafes because of durability, after all.

Inexpensive -  At $30, an Aeropress is an affordable brew method.  Because it doesn't break, that $30 can last years, unlike the poor chemexes who keep dying in our offices (boiling water into a 40 degree chemex will break it,  who knew?)

Neat -  The "puck" system actually makes the Aeropress one of the neatest and cleanest brewing systems I've experienced.  There is little mess, and at the end, the brewer just requires a quick rinse.

The Bad:

V1 -  Despite working quite well, the Aeropress still feels like a brew method in its infancy.  There are too many arguments about inversions for oils v. typical brewing, and the device doesn't quite answer the question of what it is supposed to do.  The result is a brewer that hasn't quite worked out all of its kinks just yet.  Some would call it versatility, but I am a believer that design should make its use obvious to the user and the Aeropress feesl a  bit like it is trying to do everything for everybody.

Filters -  Just about the only thing  that prevents the Aerporess from being a perfect travel system is the need for specially designed, non-reusable filters.  While the need for these is intrinsic to the system itself, their rather small distribution, and the relatively unkown nature of the press, means that you can either order them online, or get them at a specialty store.

SingleCup -  The Aeropress, like many popular brewers, makes only a single cup.  A big part of coffee for me is the conversation, and the chance to socialize that comes with it.  The Aerorpess is and feels like the private possesion of a coffee nerd, it isn't something you could break out at lunch with your grandma, the way a frenchpress or chemex can span the gap between nerd and the creamer-crowd.

NotEspresso -  It is a little obnoxious to compare a $30 brewer to a $3000 machine that requires an electrician and a plumber to install.  But that is what the aeropress is aiming for.  It is a bold effort, and while they capture much of the essence of espresso, the lack of pressure leads to a cup that brings espresso to mind, but which does not fill the same hole in your soul.  Sometimes espresso is sublime, and maybe it is my brewing, but I just don't think the Aeropress is up to the challenge.  I think I would like it better if it were trying to do its own thing, but espresso, but it's not.

Tough to Learn -  While the Aeropress doesn't require the same amount of experience to use properly as say an Espresso machine, the element of pressure requires a steady and skilled hand to use properly.   While elements like water weight and grind can be quantified and squared away, manually applied pressure is much more difficult to gauge, and is difficult to deliver consistently from brew to brew.

Obviously, my complaints are nit-picky, and generally speaking the Aeropress is a significant addition to a barista's arsenal.  In its own way, as a specialized tool used by a experienced user, it can deliver an amazing cup of coffee.  But it isn't for me.  I love espresso, and I love drip, but for different reasons.  Aeropress fills the gap between the two, but it doesn't really do either quite the way I would like.

Coffee Hack: How to Filter with a French Press

Sometimes you have coffee ground for the wrong setting.  How do you fix it?

Last night at our family's Thanksgiving Dinner, we came across a problem.  My sister has a French press, but we brought coffee ground for drip.  How do you deal???  Like this:

The Coffee Hack:  Brewing Drip Ground Coffee on a French Press

The filter we used is for a chemex, but any filter would really do.  Remeber to pre-wet the filter, though to get any taste out of it prior to pressing.  The mechanism used to hold the fine screen in the Bodum french press is perfectly designed to hold a filter in a similar situation.

In terms of brewing with the finner grind, the single biggest difference is that you need to stir more often.  Coffee ground for french-press has more carbon dioxide caught in the larger granuals, while coffee ground for drip allows most of the carbon-dioxide to escape.  As a result, coarsely ground coffee floats, while more finely ground coffee sinks.  To avoid a problem where there is simply sedement sitting at the bottom of the press, over extracting into a small amount of water while under extracting into the rest, you need to stir the coffee every minute during the four minute brew cycle.

One thing worth keeping in mind is that pressing the pot at the end of the brew requires more force and patience than normal.  You are pushing the water through a finer filter, that is clogged with finner particulate. Additionally, unless you are preternaturally skilled at trimming filters, you end up with some in-between the the coil and the glass.  Just keep patiently pressing.  If the going gets stuck, pull up a bit before continuing on the downard trajectory. The cup itself comes out splendidly.  It certainly has the finer sediment you expect from a french press, but it doesn't have the larger sediment that the screen allows, and therefore lacks some of the body of a normal french press.  If you do it correctly, however, the cup should be amazing and should reflect the beans well.  In terms of taste, I would say the cup lies somewhere between french-press and a chemex, leaning more toward the french press.

If you have other coffee hacks, let me know!  We'd be happy to share them with the world.

-Adam

Coffee Porter - A Killer Combo

While doing some Thanksgiving shopping at Fairway, I came across this coffee-beer and couldn't resist giving it a try.

It's called "Alta Gracia Coffee Porter" and is brewed by Wolaver's using coffee originating in the Dominican Republic and roasted by Vermont Coffee Company.

While I'm usually a purist in both my beer and coffee tastes, I have to admit this hybrid was quite delightful.  The presence of coffee is immediately apparent in the aroma.  On the palate, its contribution comes through the chocolatey undertone it imparts to this Vermont porter.

Surprising tasty, Wolaver's Coffee Porter leads me to wonder what other successful coffee-beer combinations could be possible; perhaps an African coffee used to enhance a wheat beer.  Imagine a Blue Moon, where the citrus is not from an orange peel, but rather a dry processed Yirgacheffe.

Finally, in gather the links for this post, I learned that Wolaver's is brewed in Middlebury, Vermot, home to my (David) Alma mater, Middlebury College.  I'm liking this beer and this brewery even more now.  And even more after learning that Middlebury Spanish Professor, Julia Alvarez is the founder of this community supporting coffee farm.  According to the Vermont Coffee Company, which has been importing from this farm for nine years, "All the proceeds of the Alta Gracia coffee sales are returned to the community through the fair trade prices we pay, the support we [The Vermont Coffee Company] provide for a community literacy program and teacher, and our donations that fund a sustainable agriculture volunteer."

See below for more info on the brewery and the beer or click here for a page dedicated this Vermont Coffee Company/Wolaver's collaboration, which according to the former's website "is the result of a fantastic collaboration of farmer, roaster, and brewer – all with strong Vermont ties."

Wolaver's Fine Organic Ales: About: 100% Organic Hops and Malts Mission: Our brewery is dedicated to brewing great tasting beers, supporting sustainable agriculture, and minimizing our impact on the environment. Company Overview: Brewers of the nation's first certified organic beers.

Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter: Alta Gracia Coffee Porter 5% Wolaver’s Alta Gracia™  Coffee Porter is made in cooperation with the Vermont Coffee Company using 100% certified fair trade, organic coffee from the Alta Gracia farm in the Dominican Republic. Alta Gracia™ Coffee Porter is an exceptionally smooth and flavorfully complex beer that is surprisingly true to the porter style. hint of vanilla brings out the sweetness of the dark-roasted Dominican coffee.

Holiday Coffee Done Right in 7 Steps

Ho Ho Ho and a cup of Joe. Now I'm not sure how many people come to Thanksgiving Dinner with your family, but at mine, they are numerous.  Everybody from my 93 year old grandfather to my one year old nephew will be there with a good two dozen people in between.  Finding a good coffee solution for a big group can be daunting.  Here are some tips on how to intelligently integrate your caffeine addiction into the festivities while keeping everybody happy.

1.  Drink Coffee the Morning Of: If you are a regular coffee drinker, neglecting your morning cup is going to give you a headache on an already stressful day.  I like to use an artisinal brew method such as a pour-over or (if you have a partner) a chemex.  The ritual of brewing coffee is calming and helps to collect your thoughts, all while giving you your daily dose of caffeine.

2.  Don't drink coffee all day: I know that if I am very busy, I will just keep drinking coffee all day.  This is a mistake.  Over caffeinating is easy to do when your mind is on other things, like stuffing a turkey.  Keep in mind that caffeine has a halflife in the human body of about 8 hrs, so as a rule of thumb, I try to stop drinking coffee by about 8hrs before I plan to go to bed.   There is nothing worse than laying in bed, ridiculously full and unable to sleep because you drank twelve cups of coffee while basting your bird.

3. Have decaf available: For me, decaf is a bit of a joke.  But everybody has a caffeine sensitive Aunt Gertie who will just get a massive sour-puss if you don't give her the cup she wants.  Having a bit of decaf on hand is a great idea.  Furthemore, most people who drink decaf, usually aren't connoisseurs so (this is a bit mean) you can hold onto decaf beans a bit longer and they probably won't notice. That one bag can probably last you from Thanksgiving through Christmas, Haunkaha, Kwanza, Festivus or whatever solstice-time festivities you celebrate.

4.  Use Coffee in dessert recipes: Coffee has a subtle and amazing flavor that pairs well with citrus, apples, and chocolate to name just a few.  Folded into a chocolate cake, it can balance out sweetness, and add layers of flavor to a desert.   When mixed into brownies, it can add a layer of flavor, that is sublime when served ala mode.

5. Brewing for the After Dinner rush with French Press: For me, the best way to deal with the after dinner rush is with one (or two!) Frenchpresses.  In the cold times of the year a thickly-bodied cup offers a great, comforting appeal.  Furthermore, it takes about 4 minutes to make a darn good cup of coffee!  They are available in all sizes, so it is possible to do coffee for 20 in 4 minutes using two 12-cup Frenchpresses.  Additionally, as a brew method, the French Press is more forgiving than the often finiky pour-over methods, so if you get distracted talking to your slightly tipsy brother-in-law about the Giants, less harm done.  With fresh beans, grinding before brewing and decanting after you press, the french-press can make an amazing cup of coffee, while forgiving the almost inevitable distraction.

6. Pairing Bourbon with coffee: Irish coffee is a bit obvious.  But bourbon too makes a great accompaniment to a cup of coffee.  Buying a single bottle can turn dessert into something the sweet-adverse drool over.

7. Coffee beans make good gifts: Amazing quality coffee beans are an affordable way to give people something special, without burdening them with a Brookstone scalp massager/martini shaker.  Nobody likes those.  Coffee, on the other hand, is enjoyed and then it's gone, freeing their tiny NYC closets for the terrible gifts other people give them.  If you want to give a more significant gift, a nice coffee, paired with say, a Chemex, ilters, a Breville Hot water heater and a Hario kettle, gives people an amazing setup with amazing design to boot.

Have a happy (and well caffeinated) holiday season!

-Adam

Dallis Office Coffee: Fall 2012 Cupping

Dallis brought in a new batch of coffees and we got a chance to cup them at the roastery.

Dallis Bros Coffee

Even since we began working with Dallis a year ago, they have been continually upping their game.  They carry a pretty wide variety of single origin and single varietal coffees as well as a number of blends.  This tasting consisted of ten single origin coffees with six Latins, three Africans and an Indonesian.  Overall the quality was good, and the Sidama Ardi in particular stood out as exceptional.  The Honduras La Fortuna had an extremely balanced and floral cup.  Picking the coffees for our menu, however, is always a balancing act of keeping an approachable menu (i.e. 20ish coffees), having an attractive price and offering just straight-up good coffee.  So to find out what we chose, keep an eye on our coffees page.

This was a proper cupping and we moved from the simplest to the most complex.    Here are tasting notes and a few photos.

Brazil Bahia Pe Da Serra Micro-lot:  Sweet floral notes drive the taste, while a juicy round sweet body rides out the finish.

Brazil Carmo de Minas: This is our Yellow Bourbon Single Varietal.  It is smooth, chocoalte laden and has key lime acidity.

Dominican Republic Aroryo Bonito, Jarabacoa Finca Rufino: Notes of red grapes and blackberries with a great clarity.

Honduras Intibuca Finca Las Cascadas: Sweet notes of peach sparkle with citirc accidty and a nutty-sweet cream body.

Colombia San Augustin, Huila, Rodrigo Romero: Nectarine, red grape and sweet lemon over a savory undertone and a bright acidity.

Sumatra Aceh Fair Trade Organic Certified: Earthy notes and fruity depth.

Ethiopian Sidama Ardi:   Juicy mouthfeel of Red Berry, slightly bright and tart with hints of jasmine and orange.  The bouquet is redolent of concord grape.  It was reminiscent of  a Blue Bottle Tanzanian we had a chance to try a while back.

Tanzania Nitin Peaberry: Subtle notes of strawberry and guava accent a chocolate cup with a dynamic body and a lasting finish.

Kenya Kiambu: Jasmine, raspberry notes with grilled pineapple aciidty and a sweet round body.

Honduras La Fortuna Enrique Nunez: Chocolate brownie, red berries with a kumquat-citric acidity and a smooth mouth feel.

Dallis Bros Coffee

Stumptown Office Coffee Tasting: Fall 2012 at Summer NYC

Today we attended a tasting of the new Stumptown Offerings at Sweatleaf Cafe in Willimasburg. Stumptown has unveiled a new line of offerings.  As has been expected for some time, this round was incredibly heavy with Grand Cru.  Grand Cru are determined by exceeding a certain score on the Cup of Excellence scoring system.  These offerings are balanced, nuanced and largely free of flaws.  They are the culmination of the Direct Trade philosophy.  Direct trade pays for performance year after year while simultaneously offering the expertise necessary to make those improvements.  These farms of the result of years of expertise and experimentation and the yield great beans.  The beans are, unfortunately, also quite expensive.  The coffees themselves were delicious (even if some have confusing names.)

This tasting was really educational.  We taste coffee, but with so many elements affecting taste (Terroir, roast, flaws, washing process, varietal etc, etc, etc) it can be hard to identify how and to what degree a single element effects taste.  Today we tasted

1. Different varietals from the same farm

2. A peaberry and normal beans from the same farm, same varietal (Gesha!)

3. Same beans by two different washing process.

4. Different varietals from the same farms.

Only through numerous tasting like this is it really possible to understand the nuances of what go into changing the taste of coffee.  Unfortunately, for us, this is only the first step on what is a multi-multi-multi variable calculus of cause and effect in taste.

Stumptown Guatemala Finca El Injerto Gesha Varietal: Tasting and Photos

Yesterday we recieved our Guatemala Finca El Injerto Gesha and we just had a chance to brew it up. Front of the Card:

Location: 15D31'9.59'N x 91D51'13.03"W

Elevation: 1783 Meters

Varietal: Gesha

Flavors: Wild raw honey, concrod grape, orange, cream soda and chocolate pudding interwtie in a cup with a delicate citrus acidity which integrates perfectly with a long, juicy finish

Back of Card:

"After a much anticipated wait, we finally have an opportunity to savor Gesha from Injerto.  Our own Duane sorenson brought Gesha seeds to the Aguirre family years ago.  Later that year, Arturo Sr. traveled to Hacienda Le Esmeralda and brought some more seeds directly from the Petersons.  This exquisite lot not only features the flavors that we associate with Gesha, but also the terroir of Huehuetenango which proveds a sharply focused, exotic profile." -Stumptown Coffee

The coffee tasted balanced and smooth.  An amazing cup by any standards, but a little timid for my personal taste.  I guess I'm not much of a sucker for a perfectly balanced cup.

The coffee tasted balanced and smooth.  It managed to be nuanced, without being muddy while simultaneously holding up a juicy, thick mouthfeel.  Weighing in at a hefty $125/12oz (that's more than $10/oz, for you all keeping track) this coffee has a tall order to reach up to.  When you think about it in terms of a chemex, however, it only comes to about $19 per chemex, or something like $8 per cup.  While that certainly isn't cheap, it costs lest than a mediocre glass of wine at a wine-bar so for some of the best coffee in the world?  I'd say it's worth it.