frame
After the old forum software breaking in a way that we were unable to fix, we've migrated the site to a new platform.

Some elements aren't working as we'd hoped - some avatars didn't survive the transition, and we're still having issues with attachments that weren't added as inline images, but we're hoping to have that all sorted out soon.

Plunger coffee

edited January 1970 in Other Brewing Methods
Tips wanted

many times I am not allowed to run the pump early.

I made a decent one this morning like this;

1. grab the water just before boiling, ( read somewhere that boiled water is not the best )
2. Not much water maybe 100ml
3. Let it sit for a few mins. while the boiler heats up on the espresso machine
4. steam milk as usual

does not seem to matter if I grind coarser or just leave it on the espresso setting.

Comments

  • Producing a decent plunger coffee is quite easy. Grind is relatively important and coarse works best. Personally, I prefer a drip filter grind for plunger brewing which is about a fraction coarser than "medium". Reason is that the near boiling water remains in contact with the ground coffee for a much longer time-frame compared to other brew methods. The finer the grind, the higher the risk of scalding the very small particles, or "over-brewing" akin to over-extracting espresso. Not all coffees work as a plunger, so you need to pick the bean (or beans) and roast depth. Certain origins are better than others in terms of overall balance - some Ethiopians, PNG, Colombia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, etc. but it really comes down to the bean, roast and brewing technique. I prefer to stir vigorously for more than 90 seconds upon initial immersion with hot water, let it sit for 60 seconds and then stir again for 20 - 30 secs. a bit slower the second time, let sit for 2 mins and then plunge !. For those of you accustomed to adding milk, my advice is just a very small amount of milk should be required, perhaps somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of what you normally use in a milk-based espresso. This will depend upon your dose ratios of ground coffee to water, brew time, etc. but a dash of milk can be wonderful in a nice African-based plunger. Just like the humble stovetop, with a little focus you can prepare superb coffees.
  • Good points Jeff, thanks, this should improve things a lot. Maybe this way I can finally get the elusive "fruit flavors" I have been chasing? how much water?  your talking more coffee and less milk so i am guessing about the size of the cup you want less a little room for the milk? sort of like an Amerciano or long black with a little milk. not like a 30-60mm espresso extraction and the rest steamed milk.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Coffee Forum

@ 2024 The Coffee Forum, All rights reserved.

Policies

Social