Make Coffee You Love!

Welcome to another video roundup! This week we've got a Coffee Collab, tasting, and more. Let's dive in!

First up, we did a tasting of this month's Roast of the Month!

Next up, John gave us a Crew Review of the commercial Eureka KRE Espresso Grinder!

And finally, Clementine tried mixing coffee with orange juice. Don't knock it til' you've tried it!

That's all for now, join us next week for more!

Eureka has long been a producer of exceptional espresso grinders. For years we've enjoyed consistent, simple grinding for home and commercial espresso. One thing we always say is that drip and espresso grinders are two different animals. While many espresso grinders are capable of grinding for drip, they're not ideal. Separating these processes is convenient, but it can also be hard to to get your espresso setting back after swapping to drip. For more information on why we think budgeting for a separate drip grinder is a good call, check out this article! Without further adieu, let's dive into these two new grinders.

Filtro

The Filtro is a simple grinder with a lot of quality and consistency. It uses the stepless grind adjust, found on Eurekas espresso grinders. While stepless adjust isn't necessarily needed for drip brewing, and it is a little tricky to get the hang of at first, it also offers rock solid consistency. Powerful 50 mm flat steel burrs deliver the fluffy grounds you'd expect from Eureka grinders, but for drip instead of espresso. This grinder also grinds at consistencies perfect for pourover as well.

The Filtro uses a simple push-button system for operation. While this isn't as convenient as timer based systems, it does mean that its easy to control. Simply hold the button down until you get the volume you want. What's nice here is that the Filtro does grind quickly, so you won't be holding that button for long. What really seals the deal on why we like this grinder so much is its price point. This is a truly affordable grinder from one of the biggest, most reliable names in the business. If you want something with a little extra under the hood, check out the Brew Pro!

Brew Pro

The first thing you'll notice about the Brew Pro is its touch screen, shared with its Mignon cousins. While this is still a drip grinder, its one with enhanced controls. Using the Brew Pro's screen you can set timed grinding to push and forget while you prepare your brew method. Speaking of controls, this grinder also uses a single rotation dial for its stepless adjust. This means that you won't have to spin it multiple times to find the fully closed and open positions. The Brew Pro also features upgraded 55mm burrs for more power, speed, and consistency. A truly premium brew grinder that offers just about the best you can get for non espresso brewing.

This is a more expensive brew grinder than what you might be used to seeing. This may be the case, but between the Brew Pro's upgraded burrs, powerful motor, easy to use interface, and single rotation stepless adjust, we think it justifies its price point.

Both of these grinders offer great options for anyone looking for a highly reliable, efficient grinder. We hope you love them as much as we do!

We talk a lot about sour vs. bitter shots in terms of espresso, but extraction matters for other brew methods too! Drip, pourover, press, espresso, cold brew, and more are all just different ways to get molecules to bond. We thought we'd talk a bit about extraction in pourover and drip coffee too!

Sour Vs. Bitter

You may already know that espresso shots can turn out bitter our sour. This is usually because your grind is too course or fine. A bitter shot is due to under-extraction and a sour shot is the opposite. What's happening here is that the bitter shot is being run through grounds that are too course. This means the water comes through the coffee grounds without getting a chance to properly bond with the coffee molecules. Sour shots are the opposite. In this case, the grind is too fine, making it harder for water to pass through and over extracting the coffee. Both of these things can happen in other brew methods as well!

While its true that drip and pourover coffee are less demanding in terms of grounds, they still matter. What you're looking for here is consistency as much as fine-ness, because these brewing methods just work differently than espresso. In the case of espresso, water is being pumped through the puck of grounds. This means that finer grounds are needed to "stop" the water. In the case of drip and pourover, gravity is the thing pulling the water through. That means that much coarser grounds will work. That said, consistent grounds are important to ensure even extracation. So how do you correct for sour and bitter shots?

Grind and Flow Rate

The first thing to do is check your grind. Much like with espresso, if you're getting sour pourovers, consider making your grind a bit coarser. Do the opposite for bitter pots. Another thing you can seek to modify is your pour rate, and your amounts per pour. While the difference here should be minuscule, using a Gooseneck kettle will keep you from pouring too fast. In terms of amount, more water in your filter can lead to a faster flow rate through the coffee. Using less water per pour if your coffee is bitter and a bit more if its sour may not fix the problem, but it's a thing to try.

Again though, grind courseness and consistency is almost always the most important thing!

Counter Culture’s Kabeywa Natural is a stunning study in processes and flavor profile and one you should not miss.

A Study In Process

Kabeywa Natural is one of two Kabeywa coffees offered by Counter Culture this month. The other option is a washed coffee with less powerful tasting notes. We liked the natural because of its juicy flavors. Speaking of flavors, this is a coffee that blends a distinct grape flavor with more vague, but present, nutty and floral notes. The result is a sweet profile that doesn't overwhelm, but also presents itself strongly. This coffee's body is well balanced and isn't too rich or too thin. We really love this one as a pourover, but as with any great coffee, experimentation is always a good thing.

One of the more interesting elements of this roast is its origin combined with its process. While we don't see that much Ugandan coffee in the first place, it comes in now and then. What is exciting is how delicious this roast is from a natural process. Ugandan coffee has long had quality issues in its natural processing, resulting in unpopular harvests for specialty roasters. This means that most high quality Ugandan coffee is washed. With Kabeywa natural, Counter Culture has found a truly delicious sun-dried natural process crop. Grown at high elevations, this harvest emphasizes quality through meticulous processing and harvesting. Hand picked and carefully prepared for processing, this is a roast that speaks to what experienced, engaged producers are capable of. Counter Culture went so far as to suggest that this could be the best harvest in this producer's four year relationship with them. We think you'll love it too, and it's a great introduction to a region that is only going to get more prevalent over time.

Order a bag here, and don't wait, because this roast is only available for a limited time.

We get a lot of questions about what makes a good drip grinder Vs. espresso. We often get questions about the best grinder for both applications as well. There are a lot of things that go into a grinder, so we wanted to provide some tips for what makes each type tick.

Drip Grinders

What makes a great drip grinder is consistency. It's fairly well understood that larger burrs can lead to finer grind. In the case of a great drip brewer we're more interested in control settings and consistency than getting as fine as possible. Because drip brews require less fine adjustments, stepless controls are additional nice-to-haves, but not a necessity. What is important is consistency. A grinder with a decent sized (40mm or so) burrset and conical shape will provide quality, consistent grounds.

Ultimately the point we're getting to here is that drip brewing is simply less demanding than espresso. This means that buying a drip grinder should be a much smaller dent in your budget than an espresso grinder.

Espresso Grinders

For espresso, consistency and control are important, but power is required as well. Espresso brewing requires a highly precise grind due to the pressure at play. This is especially true when using unpressurized portafilter baskets, because your grounds are helping to create that pressure. This means that you need very fine grounds that are also very consistent. The best way to get this is with larger (50mm or larger) burrs. Finding a compromise between burr size, shape, and price is key here. This need for more fine grounds is also why some grinders just can't to drip and espresso. Such a wide range of positions isn't possible for every burrset to do well.

Another important facet here is control. Unlike other brew methods, desired fineness will shift from roast to roast. Some coffees will want a slightly coarser or finer grind depending on origin, roast level, and more. This all means that super fine adjustments are very important. You'll also need to carefully dial in your grinder for the best results for espresso whenever you refill it with a new bean. Which leads us to our conclusion...

Why Not Both?

Instead of hunting for a grinder to do both drip and espresso, consider budgeting for a separate one for each method. This may seem like overkill, but switching from your carefully dialed in espresso grind to drip and then re-dialing it is a large frustration. Even if you carefully mark where your espresso grind is set, it can be quite difficult to find the spot precisely. On the other hand, drip grinders are so comparatively affordable that by sacrificing a bit of budget for a separate one you can really make your coffee setup more usable.

It's for this reason that we hesitate to recommend grinders that can handle both types of brewing, even if they technically do exist. Just make your life easier by adding a small drip grinder to your kitchen! We're sure it'll save you some headaches.

Hey coffee fans!

It's time once again for another SCG video roundup!

First up, we've got a double-shot of crew reviews, first from Allie...

Then from John!

Next up, Clementine tried an activated charcoal latte in Coffee Collaboration!

That's all for this week! Check back soon for loads more coffee content!

Acaia scales have been some of our favorites for a while now. The Acaia Lunar offers perfect shot weighing, and the Pearl is one of the best pourover scaled you can get. One of the reasons Acaia's products are so easy to recommend is their connectivity. By using smart apps that help you measure things like flow rate and temperatures, these scales are almost magical. Enter the Pearl Model S.

The Model S is an update to the Pearl style scale. While the existing Pearl is still a powerful scale, the Model S steps things up a notch. On the surface, this scale looks quite similar to its predecessor. The most notable difference comes in the form of its new programming options. This is where the aforementioned app connectivity comes into play.

Previous Pearl models featured connectivity with Acaia's Brewbar app, which allowed you to monitor all kinds of real time metrics while brewing pourover. While this was a fun, useful tool for home baristas, the Model S takes this concept further with the Brewguide app.

Instead of simply allowing you to monitor brew elements, the Brewguide app actually connects you with other users. Roasters can upload the perfect pourover recipes for their roasts, and pro baristas can share their favorite techniques. When you find a recipe that you like you can send it to the scale. From there, the Model S will walk you through each pour, ensuring that you hit the proper flow rates and saturation levels. This kind of walkthrough integration is perfect for newcomers to pourover. Even for veteran home baristas, the ability to experiment with and share recipes should be a boon.

Beyond all of these fancy app features, this is still the same powerful, durable scale that Acaia is known for. Water resistance will protect the Model S from splashes during brewing, and it is accurate to a tenth of a gram. For those looking for the smartest scale you can buy, check out the Acaia Pearl Model S here!

Several years ago we offered a description of thermoblock espresso machine heating elements. You can find that post here!

Thermoblocks

A thermoblock is a type of heating element commonly found in home espresso machines. Unlike commercial machines, which feature a boiler, many home machines simply pull water through a heating element for brewing and steaming. Thermoblocks are heating elements of this type that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In these machines, water travels through a heated block of metal. The water heats up as it passes through the block, preparing it for steaming or brewing. By altering the temperature and flow rate through the block, temperatures for each application can be met. The result is a relatively inexpensive method for heating water for espresso brewing and steaming.

The downside to thermoblocks is that they can lake consistency and longevity. While a high quality thermoblock espresso machine can be nearly commercial grade, cheaper versions exist as well. Ultimately, thermoblocks are a good option for home espresso heating, but newer thermocoils continue to see more use.

Thermocoils

Thermocoil heating elements function similarly to thermoblocks. These elements still pull water through the heating element. The difference is that instead of pulling the water through a multiple piece chamber, they use a tube. These tubes are usually made out of copper or another metal. Because the water circulates in the chamber more thoroughly, these heating elements are generally more consistent. While you still have to allow time for temp changes from steaming to brewing, overall they are usually faster too.

On top of this, thermocoils tend to last longer. Because the water circulates in a closed tube, they tend to be less prone to leaks and failures. The best part is that as thermocoil technology evolves, the price is coming down. The result is even better home espresso than you could get several years ago!

It's that time again for another video roundup! Let's see what's in store this week!

First up, our crew tasted SCG's June Roast of the Month!

Next up, Allie gave us some awesome Chemex tips and tricks.

And to round out the week, another Coffee Collaboration with Clementine!

And that's all for this week! Check back next week for more coffee content!

This month we're celebrating the delicious Colombia Rigo Belarcazar from Bluebeard Coffee!

A Unique Colombian Profile

When we think Colombia we naturally think coffee. So much of the current wave of coffee roasting owes itself to Colombian beans. It's for this reason that most enthusiasts have a clear picture of what a Colombian tastes like. We look for rich, deep chocolate flavors, a full body, and a "classic" feel. These notes with that profile are foundational to many coffee drinker's picture of what coffee "should" taste like. With all that in mind, Rigo Belarcazar breaks this mold in some pretty exciting ways.

This is a roast that maintains that huge, satisfying body found in most Colombians and puts a twist on it. Instead of coffee, you instantly get an almost natural process blast of raspberry. This note doesn't overpower, but it is clear and above any typical Colombian notes. We love that, because it also maintains the profile of a washed coffee. It's clean, concise, and separable from the other notes involved.

There is also a satisfying citrus twinge on the back end that offers a nice twist. It's represented in the notes as mandarin, which feels accurate. The real thing that sealed the deal for us was the sugary notes. While Bluebeard has separated cinnamon and brown sugar as two separate notes in their cupping, we'd say it's more like an overall cinnamon and sugar taste. This note lingers after the sip, leaving a delightful sugary flavor across your palate.

We love this roast in a variety of brew methods. In fact, this is the perfect coffee to try in different methods to see how it stacks up and how those methods affect it. If you are going this route, give it a try as a pourover first. This will give you a great baseline of what to expect. Grab a bag of this exceptional coffee right here!