Believe it or not, brewing coffee at home is an adventure. Well, maybe not one that is perilous where we risk injury or getting lost. But it’s an adventure just the same. By definition, an adventure is an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity. Minus the hazardous part, brewing coffee at home is an exciting experience and activity.
What makes it adventuresome is taking one coffee that may have a particular taste profile. However, when you brew it differently, it actually alters the taste. Not only that, but your grind size, water temperature, water quality, and even the material of the container you drink out of effects the taste. I can have a coffee I absolutely love when brewing with an AeroPress, but switch over to a pourover or French Press, and it’s as if it becomes a different coffee altogether.
Recently I was experimenting with our Guatemala Huehuetenango coffee. This coffee has distinctive and delicate fruity tastes, a fairly light body that can sometimes be slightly buttery, a sweet floral aroma, and a clean aftertaste that lingers pleasantly on the palate. That’s what I mostly get when brewing with a pourover.
Even when we mention “pourover” we know there are a variety of pourover devices … the Hario v60 is one. Even then, the v60 comes in porcelain as well as plastic. Then there’s the Kalita Wave which has an entirely different design and filter. One can argue the Chemex is in the pourover category. Again the filter is different (thicker) than a filter that goes with a v60 which means you’re altering your grind size and how long it takes to pour.
If you think this is all mad science, you’re not far off. It really is a science because we’re geeking out about water temp, grind size, the brew device’s material, the carafe were brewing into, and so much more. So maybe making a pourover is an adventure after all?
If I could recommend anything, it’s this. Experiment. Try new things. Have fun. Not only that, but pay attention to how the same coffee tastes when you switch brew methods and even your grind size, water temp, duration of brewing, etc. Have fun! To learn more about more brew methods, click the button below.
