Last week we wrapped up another great coffee jamboree in which we focused on all the different Chemex brewing methods we've seen all over the internet. I personally was skeptical that we'd be able to taste any differences, but was very pleasantly surprised when, in fact, there is a great deal of change occuring in different brewing methods for a Chemex.
Testing the goods.
First we took a look at these three videos from Verve Coffee Roasters, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, and Squaremile Coffee Roasters. Would these differing methods produce any different tastes in the cup?
To clarify: we compared the brewing methods in these videos, not the brew recipes. Our recipe:
26g Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
420g water @192 Fahrenheit
Grind fineness was exact throughout
First up, the Verve vid. Dancing had little effect in the final cup except for during the pour... so don't dance while pouring.
Chemex Guide from Trubaca on Vimeo.
Next up: Intelligentsia's Chemex guide:
Intelligentsia Chemex Brewing Guide from Intelligentsia Coffee on Vimeo.
How they make a Chemex across the pond at Squaremile:
Videocast #3 - Chemex/Pourover from James Hoffmann on Vimeo.
So here we have 3 Chemex guides by 3 highly reputable coffee establishments. All are different in one way or another. We tried to replicate the methods used in as controlled of an environment as possible -- essentially Jesse and myself used the exact same recipe (outlined above), using two of the same sized Chemex and same filters, made at the same time but different in the methods used.
To warm up, we compared methods we felt would definitely yield differences in the cup: pre-wet filter vs. dry filter (we're using Chemex natural bonded square filters by the way). The difference was easily recognizable. For one, the dry filtered coffee tasted, well, papery. Moreover, it really muted the vibrant acidity we love in our Yirgacheffe. So as all these guides stress: always pre-wet your filter. As much as you can.
With that easily-comparable test out of the way, it was time to move onto a more difficult comparison: stop-pour vs. continous pour. This is not really on any of the guide videos above (The Hoff makes two pours after the initial pre-infusion but not to keep levels low), so head over the the entertaining coffeed.com thread on the Chemex to see why Scott Rao believes this method to be the "least-worst." The higher the water level, the more coffee collects to the walls of the cone filter -- and isn't extracting -- while coffee at the bottom of the filter is still extracting. This causes uneven extraction so stopping your pour would lead to more even extractions. Makes sense. But would we be able to taste the difference?
Absolutely! We were surprised to find that everyone at the jamboree could taste the difference. The stop-pour method produced a bigger-bodied libation, while the the continuous-pour produced a higher-acidity in the cup. Some might say this was bitterness caused by uneven extraction, but we quite liked the greater vibrance in this Yirgacheffe. So, for coffees which have a higher acidity, continuous-pouring may give the best results.
Next up, We compared the mad-stirring style offered in the Verve video against a non-stirred extraction:
Check out that cone!
Again, we were skeptical this would cause any difference. Again, we were surprised when it did. The simple act of stirring created a nutty, caramel-like nuance in the cup which was not present in any of the other tests. This was a lot like the nutty, caramel like subtleties we get from almost every siphon extraction. The additional agitation of grounds likely releases more flavor compounds which find their way into the cup. Amazing! We preferred our Yirgacheffe's citrus notes however, so stirring for this particular coffee is not recommended.
I was quite giddy by the end of our educational element of this month's jamboree. I did not expect that I would learn so much about the differences in these extraction techniques. I honestly thought the differences in these methods were more aesthetic or conjectured and would create similar cups in the end. However, this was obviously not the case.
To wrap up:
It seems a higher-acidity coffee benefits from a continuous pour of water until reaching the desired amount. Bigger bodied coffees may benefit from stop-pouring and keeping water levels low.
Stirring after reaching the desired amount of water imparts a nuance of toffey, nuts, or caramel in the cup, so stir when you want to emphasize these qualities in your coffee (such as with our Costa Rica Los Lobos).
Always, always, always pre-wet the filter.
We didn't have time to cover the greatest Chemex guide of all time -- as its methods take quite a bit of time to prepare accurately to the guide... so we'll just leave it here:
How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee from Ben Helfen on Vimeo.
Finally it was time to put away the glasses and bring out the milk pitchers. The latte art jam was as competitive as ever, with Robin barely scraping by to earn himself a sweet pair of Coal Creek cycling socks.
Starting the jam off right!
Lulu claims he messed this up, but everyone thought it was pretty awesome.
Robin's "foreshadowing" pour.
Josh from Starry Night in Fort Collins came up for his second jamboree, and for the second time he just barely almost won the latte art title! Sweet 'stache Josh!
Anything-but-rosettas were the central theme of the night... including this "crab" pour from Robin.
Steeped in concentration, roaster vs. roaster.
Nothing to see here, just a 180 degree rotated stop pour macchiato.
Too deep!
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