Last week, we wrote up a post on Coffee Resolutions for 2014 to help you enjoy your coffee more. At one post per resolution, this is Part 2 of 5, in helping you accomplish your goals. See Part 1 here.
Our second coffee resolution for 2014 is to try a new brewing method each month. This is a pretty straight-forward resolution and can be accomplished in many different ways, even if you have cost restrictions.
1) Explore coffee shops
If you live in a city that has a lively coffee scene, chances are that you'll be able to find a shop with a few brew methods to offer.
The most common methods in specialty cafes at the moment is the pourover method. However, this method is more like a category, comprised of many different brewers. In our
pourover buy guide, we detail the four that we sell on Coffee Kind:
V60 (glass & metal),
Bee House, and
Chemex. In addition to these four, there are the Kalita Wave, Clever, Yama Silvertons and
new ones being created daily.
2) Start a coffee collection
Look at your current coffee setup and find the equipment that is the direct opposite of it. For example, if you have an immersion brewer like the French press, which tends to skew more "dark, rich and bold," try the Chemex, which often produces cleaner, brighter cups. Once you have two distinctly different brew methods at home, you'll be able to do a side-by-side comparison of the same coffee, brewed two different ways. This is one of the easiest ways to further your coffee & taste bud education!
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3) Look for coffee classes near you
Roasters and cafes are now starting to host classes for the home enthusiast. They range from espresso to pourover to cupping (coffee industry's way of taste testing). Having structured tasting sessions will not only help you further your coffee education, but it'll expose you to different brew methods.
4) Make friends with other coffee lovers
The
Home Barista forum is a good place to start. Many cities host local meet ups. Home Barista is comprised mainly of home espresso enthusiasts and home brewer who enjoy talking and learning as much as possible about coffee.
5) Experiment on your current brew method
If you're unable to do any of the above, why not try variations on your current brew method? You can make iced coffee in a Chemex by putting ice cubes in the bottom portion. The
Aeropress is one of the most versatile methods out there. Instead of setting up in a normal way, invert the Aeropress, press over ice, or drink the concentrate as is.
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