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Tuesday, March 06, 2007
AeroPress Revisited
Long time readers of the blog (if such things exist) might recalled that we've reviewed the famed AeroPress way back then.
Using it in the stock configuration and mimicking brewing parameters of a clover (time, temperature, grind dosage and coarseness), the aeropress produces a cup that is cleaner, yet inferior to a french press cup.
The problem has to do with uneven extraction due to seep thru that occurred as soon as you pour water thru the grinds. Using it in the inverted manner, the cup improves a bit as it allowed the coffee to extract more evenly at desirable temperature.
Despite improvements with the inverted method, the resulting cup is still inferior to a regular french press cup in both aroma and flavor; the stock paper filter, while capable of producing a very clean up, simply absorbed too much of the oil and aromatics.
Photo Courtesy of Gabe Rodriguez
Several weeks passed and the buzz with AeroPress continued on CG. I noticed a new development with the inverted method. The stock paper filter is replaced with a polyester felt round that allows much of the aromatics and the oils to pass thru. A couple of email exchanges with Scott yielded a generous offer of samples of these poly-felt rounds for me to play with.
Following Scott's instructions, I was able to produce cups that retained the flavor and aroma, while being much cleaner than the french press. Using brewing parameters similar to a clover brew, the cup comes surprisingly close according to Jaime, and is sweeter than the french press cups. We concluded that, while being a bit clumsy and messy, this configuration (inverted + poly-felt) produces a satisfying cup that is good enough of a reason to keep this device in our array of coffee brewing apparatus.
However, after my recent visit to Taiwan, things changed a bit.
A vac pot is what I use, almost exclusively, for "brew coffee" now. The vac pot has all the advantages of my coffee brewing devices: near constant brewing temperatures, adjustable brew temperature and time, as well as a cake filtration that produces a very clean cup.
Upon learning the proper method and brewing parameters of the vac pot, I was able to produce cups that are the cleanest, most complex, and most aromatic among the three brewing methods. It also produces cups that have a long and lingering tail that stays in your mouth well after consumption. The brewing/clean-up is not much worse than the inverted poly-felt aeropress and it takes less than 5 min from grind to clean-up. The total cost of the setup is also comparable to the AeroPress.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of any US retailer selling the 2 cup version of the Hario Vac Pot. The larger vac pot units are not very desirable as you need to brew it at capacity in order to have a proper extraction. In fact, I had a 5 cup unit that I ended up gifting away due to that (there is no way in hell I can drink that much coffee without getting caffeine sickness).
Long time readers of the blog (if such things exist) might recalled that we've reviewed the famed AeroPress way back then.
Using it in the stock configuration and mimicking brewing parameters of a clover (time, temperature, grind dosage and coarseness), the aeropress produces a cup that is cleaner, yet inferior to a french press cup.
The problem has to do with uneven extraction due to seep thru that occurred as soon as you pour water thru the grinds. Using it in the inverted manner, the cup improves a bit as it allowed the coffee to extract more evenly at desirable temperature.
Despite improvements with the inverted method, the resulting cup is still inferior to a regular french press cup in both aroma and flavor; the stock paper filter, while capable of producing a very clean up, simply absorbed too much of the oil and aromatics.
Photo Courtesy of Gabe Rodriguez
Several weeks passed and the buzz with AeroPress continued on CG. I noticed a new development with the inverted method. The stock paper filter is replaced with a polyester felt round that allows much of the aromatics and the oils to pass thru. A couple of email exchanges with Scott yielded a generous offer of samples of these poly-felt rounds for me to play with.
Following Scott's instructions, I was able to produce cups that retained the flavor and aroma, while being much cleaner than the french press. Using brewing parameters similar to a clover brew, the cup comes surprisingly close according to Jaime, and is sweeter than the french press cups. We concluded that, while being a bit clumsy and messy, this configuration (inverted + poly-felt) produces a satisfying cup that is good enough of a reason to keep this device in our array of coffee brewing apparatus.
However, after my recent visit to Taiwan, things changed a bit.
A vac pot is what I use, almost exclusively, for "brew coffee" now. The vac pot has all the advantages of my coffee brewing devices: near constant brewing temperatures, adjustable brew temperature and time, as well as a cake filtration that produces a very clean cup.
Upon learning the proper method and brewing parameters of the vac pot, I was able to produce cups that are the cleanest, most complex, and most aromatic among the three brewing methods. It also produces cups that have a long and lingering tail that stays in your mouth well after consumption. The brewing/clean-up is not much worse than the inverted poly-felt aeropress and it takes less than 5 min from grind to clean-up. The total cost of the setup is also comparable to the AeroPress.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of any US retailer selling the 2 cup version of the Hario Vac Pot. The larger vac pot units are not very desirable as you need to brew it at capacity in order to have a proper extraction. In fact, I had a 5 cup unit that I ended up gifting away due to that (there is no way in hell I can drink that much coffee without getting caffeine sickness).
Labels: aeropress, clover, drip methods, gear, vac pot
¶ Ben Chen 11:20 AM
Comments:
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total cost similar to aeropress? is there an importer bringing these into the u.s. that you know of?
http://www.avenue18.ca/TEAPOT/Hario/coffee_series/paypal_pages/tech_3.htm
this one looks like yours in the video, ben. it lists for $80 canadian.
this one looks like yours in the video, ben. it lists for $80 canadian.
Yeah, unfortunately that is the best you can do. We can only get our hands on the three cup. Here's where you can get the gas burner for cheaps. http://www.musicmedic.com/catalog/products/tool-st300.html
The TCA-2 (retailed the same as TCA-3) cost me $38. The gas lamp, a nice but not essential addition, can be had between $20 to $30. Cloth filters are 5 for $5 and depends on usage, can last a while. There are other brands that cost about 1/2 to 1/3 depends on the quality of the glass.
Btw, those are the prices I pay in Taiwan. There were no US importer that I am aware of. Hario used to have a USA branch located in CA, but they seemed to have gone out of business. Shame...
OK
Finca Vista Hermosa 06 via Miguel at Paradise via Simon's in the 2-cup vac pot. Specific Lot???
89C 32g brewed to perfection.
Was like maple syrup and clean sweet dried figs and dates... lot's of clean balanced fruit. Heavy dark sugar aroma and the cup was just so amazingly clean!
That lingering sweetness the vac pot has is just so nice. I really get the fascination with this brewing method.
Finca Vista Hermosa 06 via Miguel at Paradise via Simon's in the 2-cup vac pot. Specific Lot???
89C 32g brewed to perfection.
Was like maple syrup and clean sweet dried figs and dates... lot's of clean balanced fruit. Heavy dark sugar aroma and the cup was just so amazingly clean!
That lingering sweetness the vac pot has is just so nice. I really get the fascination with this brewing method.
Next trip to Taiwan, why not talk to someone about importing? Seems there's a built up demand for these within the community.
Thought about Avenue 18 to order one, but it seems extremely fragile to be going through customs... $110CAD (~$85 US plus another $20 shipping)
Thought about Avenue 18 to order one, but it seems extremely fragile to be going through customs... $110CAD (~$85 US plus another $20 shipping)
Hario is a Japanese company, so improting from a secondary importer seemed a bit silly. Hopefully there will be enough interest in the future for them (Hario) to consider selling direct.
The glass is way stronger than it looked, btw...
The glass is way stronger than it looked, btw...
i bought a hario pourover (cloth filter) from ave 18 and it was well packed and arrived in one piece. the glass seems really fragile, but it holds up fine. clean cup and tons of theatre.
If someone finds these, let us know. I want a few for a project later on and I do have a Mazzer Major at home...
Thanks to Simon for sharing his notes on vac pots and helping us to get more from it.
Somone hit the forums and ask around for a 2 cup hario vac pot... They must be out there somewhere...
Thanks to Simon for sharing his notes on vac pots and helping us to get more from it.
Somone hit the forums and ask around for a 2 cup hario vac pot... They must be out there somewhere...
i've been going back and forth between vac pot and inverted poly aero lately also. one advantage the aero has is that it retains all the oils, but these get trapped in the cake in my vacuum pot.
Hrm... interesting vac pot technique. The thing is, I'm not sure it's good advice.
I've been using vacuum brewers since 1999, and have about 60 in my collection now, including a very cool pre-pyrex glass version from Silex, circa 1916.
I've broken a few along the way too, including one particular dangerage breakage using a technique shown in this video.
In my experience, the best way to brew with a vacuum brewer is to leave the top off (and in its stand, which most vac pots come with) and let the water heat up to about 170F - or when the first gentle wiffs of steam come out. Use your butane burner, cloth burner, stovetop whatever to control the heat if you can. Fast at first to heat up the water then turn it down later on when the kick up occurs. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.
When the water in the bottom vessel is around 170F or so, then grind your coffee, add the filter and coffee to the top portion (which is sitting in a stand), then add it all, sealed to the vacpot. By this point, the water in the bottom should be around around 180F. The rise should happen slow by steadily within a few seconds. By the time all the water has risen to the top, you have about a 195F brewing environment that will climb, depending on the model and size, to about 200F or more. Controlling the flame (or heating element) is crucial here - you want it hot enough to keep the water all up north, but not so hot as to superheat the brew.
Here's my brewing times (all water up top) depending on sizes
1cup (I have a Hario 1 cup brewer that does 5oz): 50 seconds
2cup: 60 seconds
3cup: 75-90 seconds
5cup: 90-120 seconds
8cup: 3 minutes
This presumes there's some lead in time where initial saturation is taking place, but not counted in the "brew time".
Also, I definitely don't recommend the shown technique of using a cool cloth to quicken the draw down. This comes from the desire in Japanese cafes to quickly finish the brew and serve coffee, and also because it makes the process look cool, and frothy. It's also dangerous. I have firsthand experience and burns to speak of this.
Also, I think the slower draw down sans using a cloth leads to better coffee - the brew has some time to cool (temperature profiling) as it slowly draws down. This is one reason why my brewing times above are short - it doesn't include the drawing up time (can be as much as 30-50 seconds) or the draw down time (again, 30-60 seconds).
Mark, enjoying some Anjilannaka Organic Bolivian right now from a Hario Nouveau 3 cupper.
I've been using vacuum brewers since 1999, and have about 60 in my collection now, including a very cool pre-pyrex glass version from Silex, circa 1916.
I've broken a few along the way too, including one particular dangerage breakage using a technique shown in this video.
In my experience, the best way to brew with a vacuum brewer is to leave the top off (and in its stand, which most vac pots come with) and let the water heat up to about 170F - or when the first gentle wiffs of steam come out. Use your butane burner, cloth burner, stovetop whatever to control the heat if you can. Fast at first to heat up the water then turn it down later on when the kick up occurs. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.
When the water in the bottom vessel is around 170F or so, then grind your coffee, add the filter and coffee to the top portion (which is sitting in a stand), then add it all, sealed to the vacpot. By this point, the water in the bottom should be around around 180F. The rise should happen slow by steadily within a few seconds. By the time all the water has risen to the top, you have about a 195F brewing environment that will climb, depending on the model and size, to about 200F or more. Controlling the flame (or heating element) is crucial here - you want it hot enough to keep the water all up north, but not so hot as to superheat the brew.
Here's my brewing times (all water up top) depending on sizes
1cup (I have a Hario 1 cup brewer that does 5oz): 50 seconds
2cup: 60 seconds
3cup: 75-90 seconds
5cup: 90-120 seconds
8cup: 3 minutes
This presumes there's some lead in time where initial saturation is taking place, but not counted in the "brew time".
Also, I definitely don't recommend the shown technique of using a cool cloth to quicken the draw down. This comes from the desire in Japanese cafes to quickly finish the brew and serve coffee, and also because it makes the process look cool, and frothy. It's also dangerous. I have firsthand experience and burns to speak of this.
Also, I think the slower draw down sans using a cloth leads to better coffee - the brew has some time to cool (temperature profiling) as it slowly draws down. This is one reason why my brewing times above are short - it doesn't include the drawing up time (can be as much as 30-50 seconds) or the draw down time (again, 30-60 seconds).
Mark, enjoying some Anjilannaka Organic Bolivian right now from a Hario Nouveau 3 cupper.
Mark,
Thanks for the comment. However, I would like to offer some reasons behind the said method:
As stated in the video, the wet towel method should be ONLY used with this particular brand of the vac pot (or similar ones with same glass quality). The towel should be applied only on the upper portion of the bowl, where the flame did not touched directly. From the ppl (in Taiwan) that I've had conversation with, there was no record of breakage due to this method (with this particular brand of vac pot). The breakage usually occured due to improper heating (make sure there is ALWAYS water above the flame so the glass is not dry-heated), damage in the unit (surface crack due to impact or imperfections in the glass), or brands with lesser quality glass.
The point for the wet-towel method is to draw the coffee down as quickly as possible, but not because it looks cool and frothy. It is to have precise control of extraction time and prevent the coffee from over-extraction. In my experience, 5 to 10 sec of extra time can change the cup profile and usually brings out excessive bitters.
The presented method extracts the coffee at a near flat line temp profile. Temperature is stabilized (and measured) before coffee was added. Again, this is to limit the brewing parameters to have more precision coffee extraction. While your declining temp profile might work for some coffee, I am not just not sure how repeatable it is since you have no control over the temp curve.
Re: add coffee to top and let water slowly saturate. This is a undesirable as explained to me because the super-heated steam will steam the coffee prior to brew. Again, you also have no control over the rising temp profile.
Stirring has a significant impact to the overall flavor and aroma of the cup. How much and how long you stir both have impact on the final cup. There are various methodologies that are under constant debate on forums dedicated to Syphon brewing (in Taiwan).
Again, this is just one variation of the vac pot method. It is not meant to be the DEFINITIVE vacpot method, just a method that I prefer and wish to share with ppl since it has not been presented (in the US coffee community) previously. As with everything Barismo has presented thus far, ppl should try it out to see what works the best for their coffee and their taste.
P.s. Food for thought... In Japanese vac pot brewing competition, the extraction time is limited to 1 minute.
Thanks for the comment. However, I would like to offer some reasons behind the said method:
As stated in the video, the wet towel method should be ONLY used with this particular brand of the vac pot (or similar ones with same glass quality). The towel should be applied only on the upper portion of the bowl, where the flame did not touched directly. From the ppl (in Taiwan) that I've had conversation with, there was no record of breakage due to this method (with this particular brand of vac pot). The breakage usually occured due to improper heating (make sure there is ALWAYS water above the flame so the glass is not dry-heated), damage in the unit (surface crack due to impact or imperfections in the glass), or brands with lesser quality glass.
The point for the wet-towel method is to draw the coffee down as quickly as possible, but not because it looks cool and frothy. It is to have precise control of extraction time and prevent the coffee from over-extraction. In my experience, 5 to 10 sec of extra time can change the cup profile and usually brings out excessive bitters.
The presented method extracts the coffee at a near flat line temp profile. Temperature is stabilized (and measured) before coffee was added. Again, this is to limit the brewing parameters to have more precision coffee extraction. While your declining temp profile might work for some coffee, I am not just not sure how repeatable it is since you have no control over the temp curve.
Re: add coffee to top and let water slowly saturate. This is a undesirable as explained to me because the super-heated steam will steam the coffee prior to brew. Again, you also have no control over the rising temp profile.
Stirring has a significant impact to the overall flavor and aroma of the cup. How much and how long you stir both have impact on the final cup. There are various methodologies that are under constant debate on forums dedicated to Syphon brewing (in Taiwan).
Again, this is just one variation of the vac pot method. It is not meant to be the DEFINITIVE vacpot method, just a method that I prefer and wish to share with ppl since it has not been presented (in the US coffee community) previously. As with everything Barismo has presented thus far, ppl should try it out to see what works the best for their coffee and their taste.
P.s. Food for thought... In Japanese vac pot brewing competition, the extraction time is limited to 1 minute.
It kinda sounds like dual boiler vs HX debate. Flat line temp vs a curve.
This taiwan method appears to be achieving a clover like control but I would like to hear Mr. Hsieh's commentary on the topic.
This taiwan method appears to be achieving a clover like control but I would like to hear Mr. Hsieh's commentary on the topic.
Hey, all I know is what tastes good to me. I've tried just about every possible way to brew with a vac pot, including methods not dissimilar to this video. The way I wrote is what has consistently worked best for me, over a variety of coffees used over the years.
Mark,
That is exactly why I posted my method. It's to provide a alternative way to what I've see floating online (in English). Each method (of the vac pot brew) has it s merits and uses (depends on the coffee). We need more ppl to use this wonderful thing and play with different methods to gain a better understanding of it.
Btw, do you have any knowledge of US vendors that carries the Hario TCA-2 and TCA-3 line?
That is exactly why I posted my method. It's to provide a alternative way to what I've see floating online (in English). Each method (of the vac pot brew) has it s merits and uses (depends on the coffee). We need more ppl to use this wonderful thing and play with different methods to gain a better understanding of it.
Btw, do you have any knowledge of US vendors that carries the Hario TCA-2 and TCA-3 line?
Ben,
Maybe Ben K already knows this, but I've confirmed that UCC is importing Hario TCA3s and TCA5, expecting shipment in early July through their LA office. Minimum order is a dozen. I'm asking about the TCA2s as it would seem there's a big enough pent up demand for those that UCC should be able to sell out. Don't know the landed prices at this time, only that there will be Harios for sale in the US. Again, maybe this is old news to you guys, but thought I'd share it.
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Maybe Ben K already knows this, but I've confirmed that UCC is importing Hario TCA3s and TCA5, expecting shipment in early July through their LA office. Minimum order is a dozen. I'm asking about the TCA2s as it would seem there's a big enough pent up demand for those that UCC should be able to sell out. Don't know the landed prices at this time, only that there will be Harios for sale in the US. Again, maybe this is old news to you guys, but thought I'd share it.
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