Report After a Month of V60 Coffee Brewing

I've been using the Tannors clone of the Hario V60 ceramic drip brewer for the last month or so. Happy to report that I have a decent brewing process which is mostly consistent.

Tannors V60

The Process (As of Today)

I have not changed the amount of coffee, the size of the grind, or the temperature of the water from the process I use for Aeropress. I turn on my hot water kettle to stop at 195 degress fahrenheit.

I use a creased #2 Melitta filter with the bottom folded across for strength and then I fold each side from about 1cm in from the the outside on the bottom toward each top corner. That gives me a good fit for the drip basket.

I heat about my 16 Grande mug in the microwave at 1/3 full of water for 90-sec. Then I run the grinder on two Aeropress scoops on beans, about 4 tbsp I think... I don't do a scale... don't have the room for that. After the microwave is done, I place the paper filter in the ceramic brewer and I run the hot water from the mug through about 3-4 times catching the water with the same mug (and losing a bit each go). This gets the ceramic close to the water temperature.

Add the grains and tap side to level. Pour enough water to cover the top of the grains and then "stir" to ensure even saturation. Wait 10-15 seconds for the coffee to bloom.

This last part I am experimenting with. Options:

1. pour and fill to the top, stirring the grounds each time
2. every 10-15 seconds, add water until it's about 1cm over the grounds. Stop when the mug is about half full (or half empty as you like).
3. suggestions?

AeroPress

Results Compared to Aeropress

Consistency of Process

Main sources of inconsistency come from the shape of the filter after creasing, the amount that I stir, how long the water is able to steep, and the total volume of water used for brewing. These aren't things I am measuring. Just eyeballing them and going on instinct/judgment.

Flavor

The coffee tastes much as I remember the Aeropress as long as I don't water it down too much.

Time

Aeropress felt much faster. Partly because I didn't feel the need to heat up the plastic syringe. And partly because pressing moves the process along at the end.

The Future

I loved using the Aeropress for so long. And I still have fondness for it. But Aerobie is a plastics company through and through and will not likely make a glass or ceramic version.

Unless I try a different brew process at some point, I suspect I will stick with the V60 brewing for a while.

Regardless I think this still gets me enough continuing education credits for maintaining my "coffee hipster" status.

On Cats, Coffee, Threats, and Leadership

The Chatty Cat Might Go And Hide

I'm still doing my volunteering gig with 4Paws Rescue Team. I picked up cats, Peanut and Raphael, from Campbell Animal Hospital to Manassas Petco yesterday. Doctor Olivia Kim always comes out to greet me when I come for a cat transport. Her commitment to the cats is awesome.

Raphael was the more vocal one in the carrier. So when I made the choice for which cat would go on top, I chose Peanut since he was the quieter. Raphael suprised me by hiding under the cat bed and being as quiet as a stone after I put them in place. Good intentions with incomplete information don't necessarily make good decisions.

I'm sure Raph will warm to the space some but I can't fault him for hiding since it's a retail space with a lot of loud noises that are not agreeable to cats.

Not Letting Threats Distract You From the Main Objective

I also got to play some hands of Hearthstone with Elliot for the first time last night and he gave me some good critiques and advice on general strategy. I'm still running a beginner deck build but it seems well-constructed for late-game damage dealing.

There was one hand I almost won but he made some very threatening moves and I lost sight of the objective when I had a lethal winning move within my grasp. I focused on taking out minions rather than attacking his hero.

The Lesson: Threats can shift your focus from something more important to something less important. It's worth checking in with your main objectives to ensure you are making them your primary consideration.

Still Experimenting with Pour-over Coffee Brewing

I don't think I have the pour-over thing down yet. The coffee is a bit lacking in body and a fair bit more earthy than when I use the AeroPress. I should probably read up on how best to use the Tannors/Hario V60 style ceramic brewer. Note also, I am starting with Melitta #2 flat bottom filters which do not properly fit the V60.

Stumptown has a guide for V60 brew: https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/v60

I think I will try the 15 second bloom and slow pour over 3 minutes.

It's a bit of a pain learning a new brew process. Better than drinking coffee with some amount of diluted plastic in it, I suspect. The AeroPress seems to hold up well to heat but I have made a rule not put heated food/drink into plastic because the chance of the plastic losing integrity is higher than I would like.

Thoughts on Leadership and Time Efficiency

One of the last things I did at work yesterday was to submit a travel approval for scenario training the management wants us all to do. Maybe it's something that will change everything for us. And maybe it is a #boondoggle. I am expecting the latter.

Initially, I found myself reacting like a rebellious teenager. "I'm not wasting my fracking time on that! Maybe I'll just conveniently forget to go.". But I'd rather not miss out on a chance to hang with the team face to face. I LOVE my team.

Also, I find myself struggling with internal conflict on this matter. My desire to be a good leader is conflicting with my desire not to waste my time. As a leader, I own that every thing I do is an example I set for others on my team.

This has been an issue in the recent past, where I have set an example that created an issue for my management when others emulate me. Some junior ICs on my team thought they could flex their hours without delivering overwhelmingly good results and that is simply not the case. You need to be able to solve dire problems and ensure there is zero concern about the quality or timeliness of your work. Over-deliver! That is how you earn flexibility of work schedule. But exercising schedule flexibility often comes with a perceptual cost.

I went ahead and submitted the travel approval. Doing so gives me maximum #Optionality. I will commit to giving the training 1-2 hours, in the same way I will give a book a couple of chapters to grab me. If I want to keep reading then I keep reading. Often times I get the punchline well before the book is finished. Too much filler.

I will give this training a fair chance... And if they fail to hold my interest, I will extract and just go do work if it doesn't seem like it's worth the time investment. There are too many other important things to do to waste two full days sticking around just for the sake of making a gesture.

Also, I think I will try to book the flight on an Airline other than United because I've had it with their ridiculously tiny seats. I am not cattle.

#QuickTips: The three most important things most people can do to improve the quality of their coffee.

1. Buy whole bean coffee. Grind just before brewing. Preferably with a burr grinder for consistent grind.

2. Buy fresh locally roasted coffee. If your coffee has a “roasted on” date you can figure out freshness. If it has an expiration date, you can’t. There are no consistent standards for coffee expiration.

3. Take the time to taste test beans from different regions and roasters. I thought I loved oily dark roasts but after trying a lightly roasted, clover-brewed, Yirageffe from Starbucks, I sought out Ethiopian beans from roasters whose product I found in my local Whole Foods. I found that Ceremony Coffee Roasters in Annapolis Maryland will roast small batches of Ethiopian heirlooms for me after my order and ship via USPS for $5. I have found true coffee love.

Bonus tip: also test out different brew processes for yourself. I have been single cup brewing for years but manual processes such as aeropress or pour over (with some stirring) work best for the kind of rich extraction I want. I own a Breville hot water heater with selectable temperature to help make this part automatic.

Photo Credit: Allagash Brewing