I’ve just reached the point where’d id say I have full control of the process (just bought a grinder, kettle has temp, I’ve got an accurate scale)
I’ve got a basic understanding of how for example water temp affects the taste, but not how to combine the right grind size with the right temp with the right beans at the right ratio
I do pourover
thank you all
James Hoffman has been helpful to me. Lots of well explained videos. I don’t do pour over but he does appear to go into detail on that. Start here and then cruise his channel:
I concur with @Broken_Monitor’s and @mipadaitu’s recommendations, but I might add, don’t overthink it, or wait to overthink it, anyway. I have been doing pourovers since before there was a YouTube circus about it; longer than Hoffmann has been publishing videos about it, anyway. In my early days I didn’t have a scale (I did have a gooseneck kettle and a terrible, cheap grinder). I brewed everything pretty much the same, in a way that is now generally understood to be wrong by the way. It was always good coffee.
Go get some pointers from Hoffmann and Hedrick by all means, but the main thing is, score some good coffee and don’t be overwhelmed.
100% this.
Coffee is very person dependent. Some people like the taste of coffee while others like the taste of milk and sugar.
Some people love it burnt while others like it bold.
I’ve been refining my way of making coffee for years, making small adjustments for what makes sense for me.
Learn the basics, iterate from there. Don’t be afraid of a bad cup of coffee because you’ve just learned how to make the next one better.
The only thing that really matters here is to find a bean you like the taste of. When you have that, you can’t really make a bad cup from it.
I think most of the techniques we read about in forums are for when you have a bean that is either OK or bad for you. At that point, you’ll appreciate the techniques to help elevate the coffee to something you find palatable
YouTube for the win. I’d also take a look at Aramse videos. I think they are very thoughtful and well done.
Lance Hedrick is also a good source for info.
Nothing beats experimenting and keeping a journal!
Use brew timer app if you want some ideas and a digital journal. It’s great
Seconding this. The difference between science and fooling around is just keeping a journal, writing things down.
When I’m trying to hone in on my optimal experience with a particular bag of coffee, I’ll keep journal entries in this fashion: coffee name, date/time, grind setting on my burr grinder, coffee:water weight ratio in grams, starting water temperature, and time of pour; I’ll jot down a quick sentence after my first sip of how I feel about the taste, if I have time after finishing the cup I’ll jot down how I felt about the cup.
I keep the journal (A6 size, spiral bound) and pen with my coffee making materials so it’s just part of the process, I think it may be adds 2 minutes tops, and being able to accurately repeat what I’ve done on a previous day without having to try to remember is totally worth it to me.
In addition to what everyone else has already mentioned, I would like to point out that tasting is a skill you can develop. It’s possible to taste the difference between two methods or recipes, but if you haven’t developed that skill, it’s very hard to tell if a particular change or consistency even matters. Without this skill, you won’t really appreciate the time and effort you put into making coffee in a particular way.
Don’t forget to check the stumptown clips on youtube. These are good starting points as well and pretty easy to follow and expand on.
