Brew Well & Connect Often

Great coffee is for everyone. Want to brew cafe-quality coffee at home? Let Chapter Coffee guide you.

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We have a deep appreciation for espresso. It is the tell-tale sign of a great roaster, one who understands how to coax out the sweetness and add the right amount of depth without over-roasting and muting the expression of the bean.

A well-pulled espresso shot is an art—even the greatest roast can go awry in the wrong hands. Espresso should alert you to its presence, with flavor notes coming and going and lingering on the tongue long after consumption. It should not be bitter. And an excellent espresso will stand up to a milk-based drink without losing itself.

How to pull an espresso shot using a 1:2 ratio: (Chapter Coffee uses 17 grams of coffee to produce 34 grams of espresso)

  • Warm up your machine

  • Start with The Standard espresso blend (fresh coffee yields better crema)

  • Grind for espresso (fine) and base the amount needed on the portafilter size (7-10g for single/16-18g for double)

  • Utilize a scale to measure out the dose (this ensures consistency)

  • Use a coffee gravity distributor to smooth the grounds and improve water distribution

  • Hold the tamper perpendicular to the portafilter and use light pressure to form a flat surface

  • Flush some water through the group head before inserting your portafilter

  • Directly under the portafilter, place the scale on the espresso machine, rest your cup on the scale, and tare to zero

  • Using a timer, begin your pull and aim to end at 34 grams of espresso within 25-30 seconds

Note: If the shot pours slowly (over 30 seconds), adjust the grind coarser. If it pulls too quickly, adjust your grind finer. Tamping too hard can also affect the rate of flow.

Once you’ve perfected your espresso-pulling skills, you will have bragging rights and a deeper respect for talented baristas.

Coffee has many names—a cup of Joe, java, morning brew, cuppa, bean juice, liquid energy. Our connection with our morning cup runs deep. It begins with artfully roasted beans ground to perfection and then brewed for our daily enjoyment.

So, how does a Javaphile make coffee? Let Chapter Coffee help you cut through the morning haze and brew your best cup yet.

  • Start with fresh, cold, odorless water (approx. 63°F). If you want to dial in the specifics of the water, calcium hardness should be equivalent to 50 to 175 ppm CaCO3, alkalinity equivalent to 40 to 70 ppm CaCO3, and pH of 6 to 8.

  • 1 kg or 4 1/4 cups water to 55 g of coffee or 1/4 cup

  • The water temperature for brewing should be between 194°F to 204°F (90 to 96°C)

*Using a scale is the easiest way to ensure consistency.

Let’s make it easy:

  • Fill your water tank with 8.5 cups of cold water (2 kg)

  • Add 1/2 cup of coffee to your filter (110 g)

  • Press start

*Grind according to your filter choice (i.e., medium to medium-course for a flat-bottom filter and medium-fine for cone filters)

Fun Fact: The shape of the brew basket makes a difference. You can get a different flavor profile by changing the geometry of the brew basket - flat-bottom versus conical. The basket geometry affects how water flows through the bed of coffee grounds and, ultimately, the final flavor in your cup. If you are interested in the science behind it all, read the Speciality Coffee Association’s in-depth article on this topic.

You may be wondering why take the time to brew coffee using the pour-over method. Is it worth the hype? If nothing else, view it as a meditation practice. You read that right. Take the time to immerse yourself in the moment.  Slowly pour the water, watch the bloom with anticipation, and quietly nurture the grounds as though tending a garden in a filter. It takes a little practice, but it is time well-spent, and the end product is a nuanced, delicious cup of coffee.

We use a Hario V60, but you can use any pour-over coffee maker. Grind is important because the size of the ground coffee determines the rate of flow, so you may have to experiment before finding what works.

Let’s get started  (cue relaxing music). You will need to have a scale and a timer for best results. Remember, slow is the name of the game.

  • Start with at least twenty (20) ounces/600 grams of hot water (195-205°)

  • Then grind 30 grams of coffee on a medium-fine setting (Cody’s blend presents well as a pour-over cup)

  • Rest your pour-over coffee maker over your cup and insert a filter

  • Rinse the filter with hot water and discard the water

  • Add ground coffee to the filter and gently shake to distribute the grounds evenly, then place your coffee maker on the scale and tare to zero (0)

  • Start the timer and pour about sixty (60) grams of hot water starting in the center of the grounds and circling outward (This process starts the “bloom”)

  • Between 30-40 seconds on the timer, add water until reaching 150 grams (Don’t let the grounds completely dry before adding water )

  • Just past one minute, add more hot water until reaching 260 grams

  • Once the water has reached a mid-way point in the filter (about 1:40), add water until reaching the final weight of 360 grams

  • Wait for the drip to stop, and ENJOY!