Coffee

Very nice! You will have to shoot more deer just to use all of those knives to field dress.
 
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Ok, so I have always used a drip type coffee pot. During last year's Secret Santa I got a cold brew coffee maker and have been liking it. Now I am looking at a pour over as an option to try something new. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Do you pour over cold water? Boiling water? Ready right away? Let it sit? Is it even worth while? Thanks in advance!
 
How much are you wanting to brew at once? Generally, for pour over or other hot brewing methods the sweet spot for water temp is between 195 and 205F. I use an electric kettle to heat the water. There are a ton of different styles available depending on whether you want one that is just big enough for a cup at a time or if you want the type that come with a carafe. There is also the choice of using paper filters or the reusable mesh. I personally prefer the paper. Melitta, Chemex, and Hario are some of the more common brands along with plenty of knock offs.

I recently got a Clever Dripper and really like it. It looks like a regular #4 filter cone, but it has a valve in the bottom that stays closed until you set it on a cup. That way you can let it steep as long as you want, similar to a french press. The downside is you're limited to how much the cone can hold.

When I want a large carafe or thermos full I use a #6 filter cone that has a spout on the bottom to fit in the small opening. I posted a picture of it a couple pages back. I think it only cost me about $10.

Other options to consider would be a french press, an Aeropress, or a moka pot.
 
The coffee successfully pulled off being both velvety and adventurous! :cool: The Indonesian was super smooth as they tend to be but they roasted the Ethiopian a little darker so it gave the coffee some backbone, nice blend!

As far as pour over vs drip I prefer pour over since the equipment is easy to keep clean (keeps the coffee tasting much cleaner, I've noticed brewing the same coffee with both methods that drip machines impart their own flavor probably due to mineral buildup and a lot of them are made of plastics which leech) and you can choose the materials glass, metal, etc.

For being new to pour overs I'd recommend either Hario v60 or the Kalita Wave. Chemex and Aeropress are probably the most difficult (I like coffee through an Aeropress best but it only makes 8-10oz at a time, I make about 4 cups a day in a 10 cup Chemex, but with any of the pour over systems once you get it it's easy to get it right (not over or under extraction, in a coffee bean you have soluble and insoluble fiber so the brew extracts the soluble I also use a metal chopstick to stir it a bit and helps to break it up but you don't want it to go through too fast or sit too long in the water) almost every time, you can review them on Youtube.

French press also makes really good coffee and is super easy but they filter less of the fine particulates which I like sometimes but don't usually reach for it, you might be able to find a coffee shop in your area that serves pour overs so you can have them make you a few cups and they probably would carry a few drippers for sale, I wouldn't worry too much about a scale for weighing or a special goose neck kettle as those additions are imo unnecessary - good if you are running a shop and need your baristas to make cups extremely consistent but it's easy enough imo to dial your preference in (amount of water and/to bean) without the extra expense.
 
Thanks for all the info! One other question: does it require beans to be ground any differently? Finer? Coarser? Or similar to the drip maker?
 
I usually grind medium-coarse, I use paper filters and have a pretty cheap grinder so I almost always end up with some fine stuff but I've found if I grind it too fine it will clog the filter and restrict the flow, it's also much easier to over extract and wind up bitter, If I go too coarse the flow is too fast and then it comes out under extracted. I've tried a friends metal filter and I noticed it was similar to a french press with more particulates ending up in the cup but could be due to mesh size, don't have much experience with the metal cones.
 
GotSteel said:
I usually grind medium-coarse, I use paper filters and have a pretty cheap grinder so I almost always end up with some fine stuff but I've found if I grind it too fine it will clog the filter and restrict the flow, it's also much easier to over extract and wind up bitter, If I go too coarse the flow is too fast and then it comes out under extracted. I've tried a friends metal filter and I noticed it was similar to a french press with more particulates ending up in the cup but could be due to mesh size, don't have much experience with the metal cones.
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Have you considered a burr grinder? Gives you very uniform grindings, works similar to a pepper grinder using two ceramic wheels that the beans pass through. I use it for my French press and have it set to a medium to large grind and I find it perfect for the press. No small particles to pass through the screen. Got mine from amazon for about $25. Just a suggestion.
 
I grind everything fine and adjust from there.
I just got my coffee box in the mail! More to follow!!
 
WOW!!! Jared is the man! This peaberry smells sooo good. I will be drinking some later this evening! 3 coffee sample pack!! Yay!!
The Swamp Rat Warden is a cool little knife!
Thank you, Jared....and thanks to everyone that joined our little exchange!!
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Ryan Thompson said:
Ok, so I have always used a drip type coffee pot. During last year's Secret Santa I got a cold brew coffee maker and have been liking it. Now I am looking at a pour over as an option to try something new. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Do you pour over cold water? Boiling water? Ready right away? Let it sit? Is it even worth while? Thanks in advance!
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I would suggest a Aeropress instead of a pour over. Lot less hassle/chance of messing up and very similar results. Also a burr grinder is a must.

Definitely want to see pics of your box grinder Monofletch Monofletch ! Been wanting one for a while!

Daniel.
 
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I have a friend with one of those hand operated burr grinders and he is always cranking away on that thing lol I've looked into upgrading my grinder though, probably my next coffee equipment purchase
 
I think Jared more than made up for being late with his package!:thumbsup:

Ryan Thompson Ryan Thompson , I usually use a medium/medium-fine grind for my smaller cone. If I use the larger #6 I go coarser because like GotSteel mentioned, having it fine will cause it to take too long to drip and over extract with the higher volume of water. You kind of have to play around with it a little at first to find your preference, but once you get it figured out it's fairly easy to repeat the process.

With the Clever Dripper, I grind it medium-coarse and the extraction is adjusted by the immersion time just like a french press.
 
It seems nothing but good people hang out here!!!

This peaberry is amazing coffee!! Thank you Jared!
 
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