Our Favorite Coffee Brewing Methods

Our Favorite Coffee Brewing Methods

A great cup of coffee depends on two factors: the beans and the brewing. In our coffee bar, we start with the freshest whole beans, roasted just steps away in our roastery. We then grind those beans and brew them to order, based on your preference. Here’s a rundown of our brew methods:

French press: Elegant, versatile, and simple, French press has been a favorite brew method for coffee lovers since the late 19th century, when it was invented in France. French press is a “full immersion” brew method, meaning the grounds come in direct contact with the water. This allows fuller extraction of the coffee’s oils compared to traditional drip coffee machines, where the paper filter traps many of those oils. A plunger pushes the grounds to the bottom of the caraffe, and the coffee is then poured out. The result is extremely flavorful, full-bodied coffee, often with a few grounds at the bottom of the cup.

Café solo: This is another simple, beautifully designed brew method. Much like French press, café solo is a full immersion brew method: the grounds are steeped directly in the hot water. The difference is that instead of a plunger, café solo uses a very fine mesh filter spout to separate the grounds from the coffee. The result is extremely flavorful, full-bodied coffee, with very few (if any) grounds at the bottom of the cup.

Chemex: The brainchild of German inventor Dr. Peter Schlumbohm, this simple hourglass-shaped brewing vessel was named by the New York Times to be one of the “100 best modern devices” and is in the permanent collection of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Chemex is a drip method, but it differs from other drip methods because the grounds are fully immersed in the water before the water passes through. Chemex uses a special paper filter that catches oils and coffee grounds. The result is a smooth, flavorful cup with no grounds and very little oil. Making for a low acidity coffee, perfect for those with sensitive stomaches.

Cold brew: Perfect to make that iced coffee on a nice warm day! We use the Filtron cold brew kit (similar to the traditional Toddy method), which slowly steeps the grounds in cold water before passing them through a thick felt filter. This produces a rich coffee concentrate that is then mixed with ice, cold water and milk to produce incredibly delicious, oil-free coffee and lattes. Perfect for individuals whose stomachs can’t handle the acid of coffee!

Please talk to our baristas in our Coffee Bar if you’re curious to know more about these brew methods, purchase one for your home or would like to learn the proper techniques to use them at home! We also sell them on-line at highergroundstrading.com