The Two Major Methods of Coffee Brewing
IWhat is “Coffee Brewing”?
Coffee brewing can get pretty complex when you get down to it. There are a million things to consider from what coffee you’re using, to the grind size, and even what filters you want to use. In time, we will cover a lot of this stuff. But lets start with basics.
Extraction
When we brew coffee we are trying to extract the soluble material (that which can be dissolved into water) from the ground coffee and into our final cup of liquid coffee. Basically, we are “doing the work” to take the delicious flavors, oils, and of course caffeine out of the coffee grounds. Here are the basic elements to coffee brewing.
Water Temperature: Hot water is essential because it helps dissolve the soluble compounds in the coffee. Typically, a temperature between 195°F and 205°F (90°C to 96°C) is ideal.
Contact Time: The length of time the water interacts with the coffee grounds affects extraction. Short contact times (like in espresso) extract different flavors compared to longer methods (like French press), which allow for a more complex taste.
Grind Size: The size of the coffee grounds matters! Finer grinds extract flavors faster, while coarser grinds take longer. It’s all about finding the right balance for your brewing method.
Tip: When brewing coffee by hand, do your best to wet all of the coffee grounds evenly. This results in a fuller extraction and better flavor!
Water-to-Coffee Ratio: The amount of coffee to water also plays a role. Too much coffee can lead to over-extraction (bitter), while too little can result in under-extraction (sour). Most common brewing methods are somewhere around 1 part coffee to 16 parts water.
Solubles: As water flows through the grounds, it pulls out various compounds: acids for brightness, sugars for sweetness, and oils for richness. The goal is to extract the right balance for a well-rounded flavor.
The Two Families:
No this isn’t a Romeo + Juliet thing. It’s coffee. Much more important. We’ve already talked about the basic brewing elements. Most brewing methods fall in to one of two categories, Immersion and Percolation.
Think of immersion coffee brewing as a coffee bath and percolation brewing as a coffee shower.
Immersion Brewing: This is like letting your coffee soak in a hot tub. You throw coffee grounds and water together and let them hang out until the flavors mingle. A popular example is a French press—just steep, press, and sip. It's all about cozy time together! French Press coffee usually has a thicker mouth feel due to the lack of paper filter.
Percolation Brewing: Now, this is more like a coffee shower—water gets heated and flows through the coffee grounds, extracting flavors on the way. Think drip coffee makers or pour-over methods. The water rushes through, kinda like a speedy shower in the morning: quick and efficient, but you might miss the relaxing vibe. Many of these brews come out very clean tasting due to less contact time and paper filtration.
So, whether you want to lounge in a coffee hot tub or dash through a caffeinated shower, both will perk you up in their own unique way!
Want to learn more?
We are looking to fill a few of our upcoming coffee classes!
Email me vincent@tophat-espresso.com if you are interested and you’ll get $5 off per person. This is a great way to get some hands-on experience brewing and tasting coffee. We have 4 spots left for the following dates…
THIS SATURDAY 9/28 - 10:00am
Saturday 10/12 - 12:30pm
Check out our coffee classes here!
Thanks for reading! See you soon,
Vince
