So now that you have everything you need (see Home Brewing Guide Part 1 if you have equipment questions), let’s get started actually making the coffee.
Step 1 – Water Prep:
Fill up the kettle with filtered water. Filtered water is so important. More than 98% of coffee is water, so tap water just won’t cut it. The kettle takes about 10 minutes to get the water to the desired temperature of 205 ℉. (If you are boiling water on the stove, bring the water to a boil and let it set until it’s just “off” boil and the surface of the water is calm.)
Step 2 – Coffee Prep:
Weigh the coffee and GRIND! I recommend weighing out 30 grams of coffee and then prepare for a mild arm work out. For most pour over methods I recommend a grind size that is the consistency of coarse sand.
Step 3 – Final Prep:
Now, place your brewing device (the Kalita) on top of your mug (I use a larger mason jar) and place a new filter in the brewing device, then pour some water from the kettle into the brewing device. This will pre-wet the filter, warm the brewing device and the vessel into which you are brewing.
NOTE: Make sure you dump out the water from the vessel you are brewing into.
Step 4 – Let’s Brew:
Now, place the brewing device and mason jar on the scale and pour in the ground coffee. Tare the scale, so it reads ‘0.’ First add a small amount of water (< 60 g) to “wake up” the coffee. This is called the bloom. Let this sit for ~ 45 seconds and then slowly begin pouring water in the center in quarter-sized circles. Pour slowly and continuously until you have poured in a total of 500 g of water. If using a timer, you should finish pouring around the 2:30 mark. Now just let the coffee drip until all the water has passed through. It should take about 3:00 minutes.
Step 5 – Enjoy:
Grab your favorite mug and enjoy your tasty success. From start to finish you’re done in less than 10 minutes!
I know this is a lot of info to take in at once and I don’t want to scare you from trying. There are literal textbooks on brewing, but this is a great start. If you have any questions, the baristas at Chattahoochee Coffee love talking about coffee and home brewing. Stop by and chat! Don’t be shy!