Coffee Explanations

by Matt Gibson

Pour over coffee has been around for over 70 years. The method didn’t take the coffee world by storm like pod brewing has in recent years. Instead, people came around to enjoy the pour over method slowly but surely. The Chemex pour over device was the first pour over brewing system to be introduced to the western world, and it quietly developed a cult-like following that grew steadily over several decades. Pour over coffee is not the most popular brewing technique in the world, but it has amassed quite a large and loyal following, and those who use the method swear by it emphatically, and are quick to boast of how their favorite brewing technique produces the finest cup of coffee in the world. 

Read more

by Matt Gibson

The very first step in the process of determining how your coffee is going to taste is the way the coffee is ground and the size of the grinds you create. The most perfect beans, the ideal roast, pure filtered water and a high dollar coffee maker, can all combine to make bad coffee if the grind is mishandled. On the other hand, some mediocre beans, tap water, and a standard electric drip coffee maker can combine to make an excellent cup of coffee if the grind is well executed. 

The goal when grinding coffee is to break down the beans so that the flavor, aroma, oils, and caffeine content can be extracted when brewing. Grinding your coffee beans gives them a larger surface area, allowing your hot water to make contact with more coffee particles during extraction. No matter what kind of coffee you are brewing, there are a few general rules to follow when grinding coffee: 

Read more

QUESTION: What do the numbers mean on a Mr. Coffee maker? I’m visiting my inlaws and they have a different machine than I am used to and I want to make coffee with their coffee pot. What are those Mr. Coffee measurements for on the pot? — Erika F

ANSWER: The Mr Coffee machine is an automatic drip coffee maker, this particular model number has a 12 cup coffee pot. You see in the photo above that there are number marks on the glass coffee pot, and also number marks on the Mr. Coffee machine itself where you add water (the water reservoir).

Those numbers represent the “number of cups.” While most bags of coffee describe a cup size as 6 ounces, the Mr. Coffee coffee maker calls a coffee cup just 5 ounces. So you’ll need slightly less ground coffee beans in the machine than they sometimes describe on the back of a bag of coffee. That being said, it really depends on whether you like strong coffee or mild coffee.

Read more

by Matt Gibson

If the coffee you are brewing each morning is giving you reflux or hurting your stomach, it’s time to look into solving your sour coffee woes. The first step to solving the issue is to locate the root cause, and for sour coffee, the root cause is typically either due to using spoiled milk or your coffee is far too acidic. All coffee is acidic, and acidity can be a good feature in a well-balanced coffee. However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and in the case of over acidic coffee, too much acidity in your brew can brutally ruin the taste. 

You shouldn’t be quick to toss out your coffee beans over too much acidity, as there are things you can do to reduce the acidity in the brew. Though it may sound like a chemistry experiment, it is actually quite easy to lower the acidity in your coffee, and there are plenty of ways to do it. In this article, we will discuss what conditions directly affect the acidity in coffee, how the growing conditions, roast method, and brewing technique impact the acidity level of your brew, additives that you can put into your coffee that will lower the acidity level. We also discuss how temperature plays an important role in the pH level of coffee, and lastly, we top it all off with a few pro tips for producing a more balanced cup of coffee. 

Read more

QUESTION: Do coffee makers make a difference in taste? What if I used the same beans with different coffee makers? — David J

ANSWER: Many variables can go into the way your coffee tastes, and the type of coffee maker you choose is one of the most influential of these factors. Coffee brewed from the same beans at the same level of freshness, using the same grind size on the whole beans, can really shift in taste depending on the coffee maker you use to prepare it. The specific coffee making setup you use will also make a huge difference in how long it takes you to brew your coffee and the ease of use.

The various types of coffee makers can also come equipped with options like whether the finished coffee can be kept warm for a while or whether you can set a timer for when the coffee will start brewing. Let’s take a look at the way the coffee maker you choose can impact the taste of your coffee and brew strength as well as some other things to consider when you’re choosing a coffee maker.

Read more

QUESTION: What does Columbian coffee mean? Is it a style of coffee, or what? — Brody F

ANSWER: The main crop grown in the United States is corn. For Columbia, their main crop is coffee. What people mean by Columbian coffee is that it is coffee made with beans that were grown in that country.

Coffee is a $2.2 billion business in Columbia, and there are more than 500,000 families producing coffee within the country, each on small farms with limited acreage. There was a boon in coffee production in the early 20th century because many former migrant workers who had formerly worked for wealthy plantation owners in the past with inhumane working conditions and no form of social security, decided to start coffee farms of their own to improve their position.

The massive growth in farms that resulted has led to Columbia becoming the world’s third largest coffee exporter. Nowadays, twenty-five percent of the country’s rural population, which is over two million Columbians, depend on coffee farming for their livelihood.

Read more

by Matt Gibson

Chemex coffee might seem like a new fancy trend, but the makers have been around for a little over 70 years. They were invented in 1941 by a man named Peter Schlumbohm. The simple device was the first pour over coffee maker to hit the market. Though it wasn’t an overnight success, it has quietly and steadily gained a following of Chemex coffee enthusiasts who are loyal to the brand and the pour over coffee brewing method. Chemex coffee makers seem to immediately hook people in once they try the device. 

Those that use Chemex coffee makers swear by them, and many users have developed complex mathematical techniques for brewing coffee through their Chemex, using scales to measure the perfect amount of coffee grounds and a timer to make sure they pour their water at the appropriate speed (very slowly) to achieve the ideal four minute extraction period. However, you don’t have to approach every cup of coffee with mathematical equations and timers to enjoy coffee with a Chemex. Even when your brewing technique is not an exact science, the Chemex pour over coffee maker will still produce a fine cup of coffee.

Read more