Brewing Coffee Manually

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Category: General Coffee (Page 22 of 29)

The Clever Coffee Dripper- A Review and Brew Guide

May 26, 2015 / / 4 Comments

The Clever Coffee Dripper was my first manual brewer and for a long time it was my only manual brewer. When I first started getting into specialty coffee, it was my go-to for a hand made cup of coffee.

Over the last few years, I have added quite a few brewers and brewing methods to my arsenal and the Clever has gotten pushed to the side.

A month or so ago, I was wandering around a store with my wife and saw the newer model on clearance. A wave of coffee nostalgia rushed over me and I decided to bring this brewing method back into my manual brew bar rotation.

What is the Clever Coffee Dripper

The Clever Coffee Dripper is a BPA-free plastic immersion brewer that can also double as a manual drip brewer. It has an interesting and, pardon the obvious, very clever design that gives simple but exceptional control over coffee steep time.

The Clever is basically a filter cone with a stopper built into the bottom. There are little feet on brewer to keep the stopper from being engaged unless it is set on a mug. This means you can release the coffee out of the brewer and into a mug whenever you are ready. Lifting the brewer off of the mug will instantly stop the flow of coffee.

Included with the brewer is a lid and plastic coaster for setting the brewer on.

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What’s the Deal with Decaf?- For the Curious, the Haters and the Over-Caffeinated

May 6, 2015 / / 5 Comments

There is an amusing credo circulating the internet the goes something like “There is a time and a place for decaf, never and in the trash.” (I’ve seen iterations using synonyms for trash or that simply stop the saying after a resounding NEVER.)

While this brash outlook on decaffeinated coffee makes me pause and smile, it is also a good example of the widespread prejudice held against decaf.

When people think of decaf, they think of poor quality and compromising.

Decaf processes

There is a lot of mystery surrounding decaffeinated coffee, which may explain some of the prejudices against it.

The decaffeinated process is always done when coffee is in it’s raw, green form. I am by no means a scientist and there are intricacies at play here that I don’t truly understand. Looking at the various processes, I wonder why decaf coffee can taste like anything at all.

There are two mainstream decaffeination methods that are used today:

Decaffeination with the use of solvents– This is the traditional method of decaffeinating coffee. It is the “easiest” to do. The process involves soaking the beans in a water and solvent mixture. The solvent binds to the caffeine and removes it from the beans. The solvent with the caffeine are removed and the fats and oils are reabsorbed by the beans.

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Coffee Journaling, drinking and tasting coffee

Coffee Journaling- Challenging Yourself with Deliberate Practice

April 28, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Something I learned from my recent abstention from my automatic coffee maker that I didn’t mention in my previous post is that I am capable of making some pretty outstanding cups of coffee.

Unfortunately, I also realized I am capable of making a very unremarkable cup of coffee as well. In fact, I found out that my coffee can be a little inconsistent. It runs the gamut from “outstanding” to “mediocre at best” making stops at “something is a little off” and “not my best work” along the way.

I may have mentioned once or twice that I am a huge fan of consistency…

Diagnosing the problem

What’s the problem? Taking a peek into my every day manual brewing habits would reveal several prime suspects.

I have a lot of brewing methods at my disposal- I sat down and made a list of possible brewing methods and brewer combinations I have to choose from. The number is ten. There are ten different ways that I could reasonably brew a cup of coffee manually every time I start up my electric kettle. Each one has different nuances, subtleties and things to learn and remember. Thats a lot to keep track off.

I have a lot of different coffees to choose from- I like to have a variety of origins, roast levels and processing available at the same time and I like to switch it up. I rarely drink the same coffee with much consistency and each coffee brews differently.

I brew a lot of coffee while distracted- My household can get a little chaotic at times. Hence, at times I make ‘mistakes’ when I am brewing. (The other day I almost poured water from my kettle into my grinder hopper, true story.) Manual brewing has become almost a product of automatic reflexes for me. Sometimes I don’t pay attention. No wonder I get the occasional surprise in cup quality.

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