Coffee Talks

Happy Saturday, Steemit! Today's post comes to you from behind the counter at the beloved @caffetto, a place that I've grown to call home over the last few years. I love how something as simple as #coffee can bring so many people together, it's a beautiful thing to watch from behind this counter.

As the title would suggest, today's post is about #coffee, something for which I have a huge passion for! I've been a #barista for around 3 years now, and I've continued to learn as much about #coffee as I can every day! I'm so excited to begin sharing everything that I have learned, as well as, things that I have yet to learn!

Even though I work in a #coffeeshop, I do still enjoy making my own coffee in the mornings, especially on days when I get to sleep in, yet, still wake up at 7am cough (this morning) cough.

I am one of those people who typically start off their day with a cup of #coffee. Not because I need the caffeine kick to function, although those days do happen semi-often, but because I love the taste, the smell, and the versatility that the classic cup of joe has to offer. My favorite #homebrew method is using my #Chemex, so that is what I chose this morning. As for #coffeebeans, I decided on the #espresso roast that we have at @caffetto.

My favorite part about the #chemex brewing method is that the filters extract more of the natural oils from the coffee beans, and you're left with a clean, smooth, and rich cup of #coffee. I used the number 3.5 setting on my coffee grinder, which for this specific roast I found was too fine, and the coffee came out much too strong. I would recommend using a grind around the 4.5 5 setting on your own grinder for the #chemex. Next time I would go with a slightly coarser grind, but it is always good to experiment and try new things!

Another thing that I love about the #chemex is that you can make both #hotcoffee and #icedcoffee with it. This morning was a hot coffee kind of morning.

When you are brewing hot coffee in the #chemex, it is always helpful to pour around 1/2 cup of hot/boiling water through the filter and swirl it around the basin of your #chemex. This will help get rid of the papery taste from the filter and heat up the basin before brewing so that you don't change the flavor of your coffee right away. Pour out the excess water before adding your grounds into the filter, because no one likes watery coffee.

Alright, now we are at the fun part! (At least, I think this part is fun.) #coffeegrounds to #water #ratio.
I typically use 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds to 8oz of water, but you can play around with it! If you're like me, I enjoy hot coffee to be a little bit stronger, so this morning I used about 6oz of water with the same amount of grounds.

Another trick is to pour a small amount of water onto the coffee grounds after you've put them into the filter. I'm talking about 1-2oz of water, this helps to bring out the flavors and you should get an overall better cup of coffee!

This process is called "blooming", you will want to let this set for around 45 seconds before you pour the remainder of your water over the grounds. The entire brewing process should take between 3 and 5 minutes, sometimes a tad longer if you are using a finer grind setting on your coffee grinder.
(almost finished brewing!)

Just like that, we are finished! Pour yourself a delicious cup of coffee that you have successfully brewed all by yourself, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Thanks for reading, friends! Coffee is something I absolutely love to talk about, so please please please comment with any questions that you have! I would be more than happy to answer them. :)
Also, keep an eye out, I'll be talking more about the #chemex, and other brewing methods in the future, as well as my own coffee concoctions and other drinks you can make at home! (And drinks you can order from me at @Caffetto)

Thanks again, much love,
~Jeremiah