la cabra

Brewing

We strive to avoid a prescriptive approach to coffee brewing. The myriad of variables makes giving concrete recommendations for brewing parameters almost impossible. This framework aims to have you brew excellent coffees at home, every time.

Resting coffee

For us, the raw material is the most important factor. In the case of coffee brewing, these raw ingredients are well roasted high quality coffee, rested after roasting, and water with a carefully controlled mineral content. The degassing period that our coffees require is particularly long; it is very difficult for the gasses generated during roasting to move through the tightly packed cell structure of lightly roasted and dense high-grown coffees. We recommend waiting at least 10 days from roasting to brew our coffees, and have often had coffees peak in flavour beyond 6 weeks, with harsh flavour remnants from the roasting process giving way to clean and transparent cup profiles.

Water

Using filtered water, especially in hard water regions like much of Denmark, is also paramount to brewing success. The main variable to look out for is the Carbonate hardness, also known as alkalinity, buffer or KH. This controls the acidity of the brew, too high and the coffee tastes flat and dull, too low and the acidity is out of control, tasting sour no matter what brewing variables are changed. We recommend the Peak water system for home use, an adjustable filter designed specifically to tailor mineral content for coffee brewing.

Controlling Balance

If these two concepts are followed carefully, a wide variety of brewing variables can result in excellent cups. The most important brewing concept is extraction. This is a measurement of how much of the dry coffee dose we have extracted into our cup, and has an influence on the taste balance of the final brew. When coffee and water meet, natural acids extract most easily, followed by sugars, and then heavier bitter compounds towards the end of the brew. This means that if we extract too little, we have a sour coffee, too much acid from the beginning of the brew, and not enough sweetness to create balance. Extract too much, and we extract too much bitterness from later in the brew, resulting in an overall bitter and drying cup.

There are two main ways we can control extraction, in any method of brewing coffee. Grind Size, and Contact Time.

Coffee Tastes	Grind Size	Contact Time
Too Bitter	Coarse	Reduce
Too Sour	Fine	Increase

By tweaking these variables, and tasting every cup you brew with a critical pallet, you’re sure to be brewing transparent and delicious brews.

Hand-brew

Different V60 techniques

After some time spent tasting coffee critically and adjusting brewing variables, it can be interesting to use different combinations of the two main variables in order to shape the character of the coffees. We find that the pulse pouring recipe creates a more acidity forward and transparent cup, while the single pour leads to an enhanced body and flavour intensity.

V60 Techniques

Pulse Pour

This recipe uses 4 separated pours after the bloom. The goal here is to grind coarsely in order to enhance acidity, but use the pulse pouring structure to extend the contact time and increase extraction.

DATA:

15,5 grams of coffee (coarser grind)
260 grams of water 40ppm 96C
CAFEC Abaca or Light Roast filters

METHOD:

Dose the coffee into the V60 and tap to create an even bed.

0:00 add 60g of water

Pour straight in the centre for 30g, before spiralling outwards to wet all of the grounds. Don’t swirl or stir the bloom.

0:40 add 50g (scale says 110g)

Poured in slow spirals

1:20 add 50g (scale says 160g)

Poured in slow spirals

2:00 add 50g (scale says 210g)

Poured in slow spirals

2:40 add 50g (scale says 260g)

Poured in slow spirals

3:30-4:00 Brew done

All the water should have drained through the coffee bed between 3:30 and 4:00.

V60 Techniques

Single Pour

A recipe with one long, slow pour after the bloom. The goal here is to keep the water level as low as possible above the coffee bed, minimising the amount of water that can bypass the coffee and run out of the sides of the paper filter. Here you will be left with a concave coffee bed, rather than the traditional flat bed.

DATA:

15,5 grams of coffee (finer grind)
260 grams of water 40ppm 92C
CAFEC Abaca or Light Roast filters

METHOD:

Dose the coffee into the V60 and tap to create an even bed.

0:00 add 60g of water

Pour straight in the centre for 30g, before spiralling outwards to wet all of the grounds. Don’t swirl or stir the bloom.

0:45 add 200g of water

Pour 40g in spirals (until the scale shows 100g) then pour straight in the centre until the scale shows 260g, pouring very slowly.

2:00 stop pour

I aim to finish my pour at around 2:00. If you are finished pouring earlier, try to pour even slower on your next brew.

3:00-3:00 brew done

All the water should have drained through the coffee bed between 3:00 and 3:30.