Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

Competition, Cold, and More from the 2024 U.S. Coffee Competition Qualifiers in Houston

The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions featured the U.S. Barista, Cup Tasters, and Roasters qualifying competitions. BY KATE VAN PETTENSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of U.S. CoffeeChamps The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions took place January […]


Bypass coffee brewing: How can it improve extraction?

There is a lot of science to brewing coffee. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, we trigger – and try to control – an almost endless number of chemical reactions to achieve the perfect extraction. To do so, we have to tweak different variables – such as grind size, temperature, and coffee-to-water ratio – to get the […]


The coffee industry’s biggest competition: The story of the World Barista Championship

Every year, the global coffee industry gears up for one of its most exciting and groundbreaking competitions: the World Barista Championship. For more than two decades, the WBC has been one of the biggest catalysts for change and innovation in specialty coffee, and continues to set even higher standards for baristas around the world to […]


Breaking New Ground: A Sicilian Coffee Plantation, Part One

The impacts of climate change are starting to be felt in Sicily, but while they’re causing problems, the rising temperatures are also bringing new opportunities. BY JOSEPH PHELANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured image courtesy of Henrique Ferreira on Unsplash The Sicilian love affair with coffee is known the world over. Sicily, the largest of […]

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

Lvl Up Coffee Hits High Scores In Normal, Illinois

Specialty coffee in the central Illinois town of Normal has reached a new stage of quality with the opening of Lvl Up Coffee Bar. Brought to life by coffee roaster…


The Barista League Releases New Competition Calendar

Presenter of sustainable, accessible events, The Barista League plans to hold 12 competitions in 10 countries in the months ahead. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of The Barista League The Barista League has officially announced its event roster for the next year. Last year saw 10 Barista League events worldwide, and the […]


Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

In this series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to drink their coffee while at home and when traveling. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Justin Pierce Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar for their customers. Roasters brew it to […]


The Potential of Augmented Reality Technology for the Coffee Industry

Join us as we explore the applications and trends of “augmented reality“ in the world of coffee. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Pixabay In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative force, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds. As we step into […]

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

4 Cool Cafés to Try Out in Kuala Lumpur

The Malaysian capital is often visited in a hurry, but visitors who take the time to explore will discover a welcoming city, thanks in part to its friendly specialty cafés. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is often a stopover on vacations, quickly left behind […]


Breaking New Ground: A Sicilian Coffee Plantation, Part One

The impacts of climate change are starting to be felt in Sicily, but while they’re causing problems, the rising temperatures are also bringing new opportunities. BY JOSEPH PHELANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured image courtesy of Henrique Ferreira on Unsplash The Sicilian love affair with coffee is known the world over. Sicily, the largest of […]


The Origin Story of Turtle Island Coffee in Vancouver, B.C.

A new Indigenous-owned coffee company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, called Turtle Island Coffee has launched with the goal of exposing more people to high quality specialty coffee and Indigenous…


Know Your Sweeteners: Agave: Part One — Indigenous Use

Known today primarily as a sweetener, agave can be traced back thousands of years. BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by Bruno Cervera via Unsplash Recently, we launched our brand new article series “Know Your Sweeteners,” where we’re discussing a variety of sweeteners and syrups, and analyzing the unique characteristics of each one. […]

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

One of the first posts on this blog was “Batch Brew Basics, Part 1”.   I’ve wanted to write Part 2 for a long time, but have been deterred by what I see in cafes:  almost no one has the basics down.  What’s the point of an advanced post if almost no one has mastered the basics?   Am I in the minority in thinking cafes should treat their batch-brew setup with respect?  

I’d like to restate a few things that should be obvious to coffee professionals, but even well-known cafes seem to not get these points.  To the 99.9% of readers who aren’t coffee consultants, you’d be shocked at how many excuses cafe owners and baristas give me for why they can’t be bothered to implement these simple practices that would greatly improve the quality of their batch brews.   

 

1. Brew batches no larger than 2 liters.  The only cafe I’ve been to in the last five years that was too busy to get by on 2-liter batches was in Grand Central Station.  I can’t even fathom how many cups of filter coffee they sell per day– it’s well over 1000.  For almost everyone else, if you’re serving fewer than 500 cups of filter coffee per day, two liters per batch is sufficient.  If you’re really busy, ie you serve more than 50 cups (12oz or 350ml) of batch brew per hour, it may be best to brew into a rotation of three tw0-liter carafes during those busy hours.  That system will keep the coffee fresher and tasting better than will brewing fewer, but larger, batches. 

There is no reasonable excuse for brewing 4-liter batches, or brewing into 4-liter urns, as I see so many cafes do.  If you want your customers to respect batch-brew coffee, it will help to show it more respect from behind the counter first.  Small batches, brewed into full carafes, turned over at least once per half hour is the way to go.  Please. 

2. Your bed depth should be 3cm–5cm... I applaud the many cafes, especially in Australia, trying to promote batch brew to a disinterested population, and brewing tiny batches (often 1–1.5 liters) to limit coffee waste.  But if you want to brew one-liter batches, you either need a wire basket insert to narrow the diameter of your coffee bed (hence increasing its depth) or you need to find a machine designed properly to brew such small batches (and, honestly, the home-version of the Moccamaster is not a cafe-quality  machine.)

3. This will shock many readers:

 If your batch-brew grind setting is not in the 15% coarsest section of your grinder dial, there is a problem somewhere in your system. 

That’s not a misprint.  You know that “auto drip” icon in the middle of the spectrum of grind settings on the old Bunn and Grindmaster machines?  It’s in the wrong spot*— those settings were chosen years ago when 99% of those grinders were used in American restaurants where they skimped on grounds.  Back then restauranteurs were using 30-40g/L (seriously– in the 90s, when I tried to get my restaurant accounts to use 60g/L they thought I was mad) and grinding too fine in order to reach a palatable brew strength.   A professional using a reasonable ratio ( i.e. 16:1–18:1) should grind very coarse.  If you find the coffee is too weak in that coarse range of grind settings, at least one of these things is a problem: 

  • The grinder burrs are too dull.

  • The bed depth is too shallow.

  • The brew time is too short.

  • The sprayhead may not be making use of the whole coffee bed.

  • There is no prewet phase at the beginning of brewing.

There are other potential problems, but these are the most common culprits.

*While we’re at it, you may as well swap the “auto drip” and “French press’ positions on the grinder.

4. Total Contact Time should be 6:00–6:30

This advice is more flexible than the other recommendations in this post, but 6:00–6:30 seems to be the sweet spot for batch brews.  Try to get there without extending the programmed brew time past 4:30. 

Thanks for reading. 

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Batch-Brew Basics, Continued…

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