How to get started brewing a better cup of coffee, and three great tools to help you make a perfect cup.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO.
I’m going to be fully honest about something here. It took me a long time to start to appreciate coffee the same way I appreciate wine. Up until a few years ago I treated it like just something I needed to drink in the morning, with no real focus on where it came from or how it’s brewed. How could that be, as someone who has made a career teaching about the quality of wine and the people who make it?!
$20 for a pound of specialty grinds? No thank you. $250 for a fancy espresso machine? What the?!
Gah!
And then I had kids and learned that life is now moving at warp speed, and it was up to me to find moments of calm and clarity and learn to slow down.
I realized those small moments of peace and rare moments of quiet — and now that they’re in school, those much-appreciated moments of solitude — are something I deeply appreciate and don’t take for granted. I notice and pay attention to things more, especially when it comes to the quality of what I put into my body (whether it be a meal, a glass of wine, or a cup of coffee). And then a trip to Kona changed everything.
It was just a few years ago that I had the incredible opportunity to travel to the Big Island of Hawaii to learn about Kona Coffee. And more important than getting to travel the island and taste samples of some of the best coffee I had ever tasted up to that point — a trip that awakened my taste buds the same way as my first trip to a vineyard — I learned about the proper way to grind, brew, and appreciate coffee.
Apparently, I’d been doing it wrong all these years! No wonder I didn’t appreciate it.
I’d learned the importance of different size grinds (coarse vs. fine), and brewing methods (espresso roast, vs. standard drip coffee, vs. pour-over, vs. French press, etc.).
I fell in love with pour-over! I’ve since learned that I’m not alone, and that many of my coffee loving colleagues and friends have known about the magic of pour-over for years!
If you ask the hubby, however, the perfect cup of coffee doesn’t need sugar or cream. I agree partially on that. I’m still a cream fan. Sue me.
THE BARN PROJECT
I’ve also shared with you that we’re working on renovating the barn on our 5-acre hazelnut farm. One of the plans is to use the barn as a creative space to both hold events and dinners, and also as a studio for photography and classes. Since we finally gutted and cleaned it out I’ve been appreciating it as a place to get away in the mornings, after dropping the kids off, and I make myself my morning coffee, while enjoying the quiet of living in the country.
We don’t have running water up in the barn, but that’s okay. I simply fill a kettle with water, and plug it in to warm up inside, and then use that kettle in my small portable pour-over coffee set. It’s the perfect set up!
Now I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in coffee (yet!). No, I’m just getting started on that journey. And the products I’m using are perfect for someone curious about quality coffee, and they could be for you too!
The new line of products by OXO called OXO Brew are great for someone like me or someone just starting to get into coffee, but it’s also great for coffee pros, because of the high quality.
Let’s start with the Fundamentals of Good Coffee
The Importance of the Grind (or Extraction)!
Up until a few years ago we had a pretty basic coffee grinder that had three settings (fine, medium, and coarse). But I was excited to learn about the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder because it has 15 different settings, from fine for espresso to coarse for something like a French Press, and everything in between.
Like I mentioned earlier, one of the things I learned in Kona was the importance of quality beans and how you grind them. The size and consistency of the grinds are important depending on the brewing method you are going to use. The faster your brewing method (espresso machine for example) the smaller and finer you should grind. The slower your brewing method (like French or Cold Press) the larger/coarser you should grind.
Once you grind or cut a coffee bean, you expose the layers of the bean. The outside layer is sweet, and the inside layer is bitter. You want your cup of coffee to have a balance between the two. That’s why consistency is important in your coffee grinding.
If you like a sweeter flavor, then grind it a little more coarsely.
It’s all about playing around with what you like, and adjusting the different settings based on your preferences.
I’ve learned that I’m a fan of the medium grind, especially for a pour-over method.
Next, the Importance of Water Temperature in Brewing Coffee
The temperature of your water is important because it helps to extract the right amount of flavor of the coffee from the beans.
- If your water is too cold you won’t extract the right amount of flavor.
- If your water is too hot it will extract more bitterness. And I don’t like a bitter cup of coffee!
- Boiling water should never be used, as it will burn your coffee! (Believe me, I’ve made that mistake!). Water begins to boil over 212°F so keep that in mind.
- You need the perfect balance. Therefore, temperature is important!
According to the National Coffee Association, 195°F to 205°F is ideal for optimal extraction.
Having an adjustable temperature kettle takes the guess work out of it!
With the Adjustable Temperature Kettle you can simply select any temperature between 170 and 212°F, and then the water heats up in just 4 minutes (for a full tank), and stays that exact temperature for up to 30 additional minutes. It’s pretty rad! It’s also great for your afternoon tea (if you’re into that sort of thing!).
Once you remove the kettle from the base it becomes cordless. So, I can either warm up my kettle inside my house and walk it to my barn and it will stay warm for a half hour, or just bring the base with me in case I need to keep it warmer longer and warm it up there.
Now it’s time to brew the Perfect Cup of Coffee!
In the past I’ve used a standard 12-cup coffee maker that heats up on its own (no temperature control), a pod-based machine, and a French press. I haven’t really loved any of them. They were all okay. The 12-cup was always just fine, and the French Press has always been way too strong for me, and I hate the waste involved in the pods, so I’ve stopped using them. Pour-over is where I’ve found my happy spot.
As someone still getting into the pour-over method, this portable Pour-Over Coffee Maker with Water Tank is awesome, simple to use, and super affordable (at only $15). Just pour your pre-measured grinds (I like a medium grind for this) in a compostable filter and place in the cup. Then place the water tank over and fill with the desired amount of hot water (10-12 oz for a single cup), then place the lid and wait about 2 ½ to 3 minutes. That’s it!
This is perfect for a single serving, and also if you’re on the go. The cup is lightweight and easily transportable for travel. It’s also a great one to try if you’re wanting to get into this style of coffee and not ready to invest a lot of money.
But when it comes to the grinder and water, those are going to be key for good quality coffee no matter what you use to make it. When we have lots of guests and need to use our 12-cup maker, I love the improvement that the simple change in grinder has made.
I’ve made the switch, people! And it’s made a huge difference in how I enjoy my mornings. Those small moments of peace are so crucial to my day and well-being. Twin 7-year olds are no joke! Running a catering company and a full-time blog is no joke! My morning ritual is now just as important as enjoying a nice, and well—deserved, glass of wine with my hubby at the end of the day after the kids have gone to sleep! Taking a moment to slow down from this insanely busy world and enjoying something as simple as a cup of coffee can make a huge difference in our busy and chaotic lives.
Though I’m still a fan of adding a touch of cream to my coffee.
Hey, it’s how I like it!
What about you? What’s your favorite way to brew coffee?
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO.
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
I just recently got the OXO Burr Coffee Grinder and it’s absolutely my new favorite tool! I love how you can adjust how many cups to make, and how it stores the coffee right in there. Now my mornings are so much simpler! I typically use our 9-cup coffee maker because I can program it so that the coffee is ready when we wake up, but I also appreciate the pour over method. It’s very relaxing… Can’t wait to see more of the barn progress!
Sean says
I am now a huge pour over fan. I was skeptical, but this validates it is a little smoother and i like being able to add just the right amount of grounds!!
Adam says
I too have the oxo grind and medium runs from 6-10 which number do you use? I do Chenex and one cup pour-overs.
I also find the oxo doesn’t give a uniform grind towards the end, ie bigger bits of beans.
Sean Martin says
We run a 9 1/2 at the moment, and it does give larger grinds, but generally have been happy We haven’t seen different sizes. We did run into issues at 6 where more moist grinds were getting stuck (being finer) and we had to clean it out almost every grind. Likely would have happened with almost any grinder given the coffee, but that was a bit of a surprise.
Jonuk says
A beautiful guide and article, love the way you lead the reader through to your perfect cup of coffee. I recently found this Vietnamese recipe that I am yet to try out (here if you’re interested: https://coffeforus.com/vietnamese-iced-coffee-brewing-guide/), have you ever tried it? If you haven’t but will – will you let us know?
Sean Martin says
We have not tried that style of iced coffee but it does look fun!
Jonuk says
Hot days are coming to my country, I will try it soon, too 🙂 Good luck with it.
Scott says
We just purchased the OXO just like in your picture. My wife has tried different settings and her coffee is bitter tasting. She has went thru the french press but she cannot get rid of the bitterness. The higher the setting then she says the coffee is weak but still has that bitterness taste almost like a burn. We had a different brand for many many years and never had an issue with the taste but it wore itself out and stopped working. The coffee she used the day it broke is the same she is using now but the taste with the new machine is so different. She likes the pour over, french press, etc… but she is wondering if its the machine not the coffee.
Any advice? Thank you!
Sean Martin says
Scott, I assume you are using both the grinder and the pour over tool? In troubleshooting, I am reviewing our notes, the grinder itself is unlikely causing a change in flavor for bitter, because I am not sure there is enough heat to “burn” the coffee. So I wonder if it is the batch of coffee? Or is this using the same coffee in multiple batches?
Scott says
She uses the 10 second function which pretty much grinds all the coffee as I mentioned she has been using all the different grind levels but just can seem to remove that bitter flavor. The coarser she goes the coffee is so light. I even had her try 15 seconds but the coffee was all ground up by 10 since she is using one scoop. Just not sure what to do. She has only used one bean so far since the grinder is so new. I haven been trying to google about the grinder but not much info is available regarding tips and tricks and that the majority of people like this grinder.
Sean Martin says
Scott, i see you are mentioning the time of the grind, but do you actually mean the grind size? So the position you rotate that holds the grinds? Time of grind (the knob facing you) wouldn’t impact the grind size, only the vertical rotation of the piece that has the numbers, that controls the grind size. We run at a 9 and 1/2 now. I wonder too, if you consider buying a new bag of the same coffee to see if for some reason the roasting of that bag may have been darker than you experienced? Also are you using the french press or the pour over attachment? As we find each has different flavor profiles.
Scott says
She tried different coffee and still had the same bitter taste to it. I’m wondering would the porcelain grind vs steel grinder case it? We read that porcelain could cause this taste but not too sure. Thank you for the assistance! Much appreciated.
Sean Martin says
Let us take a look, not near grinder right now but it may.