How To Dial In A Pour Over Coffee
I hope you’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a dialled-in cup of coffee. It’s that one that explodes with flavours of blueberry, strawberry, and chocolate, taking you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It’s euphoric for sure, but getting into that sweet spot isn't always easy.
What if we told you that it's not as hard as you think it is?
In this blog post, I’m going to let you in on my personal method that can help you efficiently find your way to the sweet spot and take your coffee from tasting good to great.
Before we dive into the method, let's first understand what it means to dial-in coffee. Dialing in coffee means finding the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. When you brew coffee, you're extracting compounds from the beans that contribute to its flavor. Dialing in coffee means finding the right combination of brewing time, water temperature, and grind size (amongst other things) to bring out balance and ultimately great flavour.
Ok, let’s get to it.
Step 1: Set it and Forget It
By “it”, I’m talking about temperature. Find a temperature that works for you and stick to it. I brew almost exclusively light roast coffee and brew at 99°C or 210°F accordingly. If you prefer darker coffee, try bumping it down a few degrees. Don’t mess around with your temperature too much or too often. Locking in the water temperature isolates that variable, making it easier to dial-in your coffee.
Step 2: Don't Time It, Taste It
Frankly, I think total brew time is a red herring. There is no ideal brew time, only ideal taste. It doesn’t matter how quick or slow a brew is, as long as it tastes great. Sure, time can be an indicator of an adjustment you might need to make, but you can’t truly tell until you prove it with your tongue. So trust your taste, not your time!
Step 3: Grind it Fine
Last and definitely not least, grind as fine as you can until you taste astringency (or unpleasant bitterness - think sharp, drying sensation) and then dial your grinder back a notch or two. Grind size affects the surface area of the coffee particles and how quickly the water can extract flavor from the beans. Grinding your coffee too fine can lead to over-extraction, resulting in astringency or unpleasant bitterness. Grinding your coffee too coarse can lead to under-extraction, resulting in weak and sour coffee. In my experience, dialling the grinder back a notch or two from the point of astringency is the sweet spot for that specific coffee.
Remember, when dialing in your coffee, make sure to change only one variable at a time so that you can measure the impact of your change. Start changing multiple things at once, and you might get lost!
Dialling in your coffee may seem daunting, but it's not as hard as you think it is. By setting your water temperature, trusting your taste, and grinding it fine, you can efficiently find your way to the sweet spot of euphoria. Give this method a try and let me know how it works for you!
