review

Aeropress Review

20130312-205158.jpg Count me impressed! This is one of the more surprising coffee gadgets I’ve tried In a long time. The Aeropress is a unique coffee maker that uses a tight seal plunger to push the water through fine ground coffee (after a short steep) under pressure into the cup. A fine paper filter at the bottom ensures none of the grit reaches the cup (There are also metal filter disk options). The pressure used also provides another level of extraction you don’t get with a french press, which is needed due to the shorter brew time. The method is unique in that you don’t need the water to be 200+ degrees for proper extraction, as a matter of fact most people prefer using it with water closer to 190 degrees (my preference as well). The result is like a rich Americano (espresso and water) with the bold taste of a French press.

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As you see from the picture, the device consists of two pieces of plastic. The first chamber holds the water with the grounds along with a paper filter and screw on cap at the bottom. The other piece is a plunger fits tightly into the water chamber and pushes the water through the grounds into the cup. Think of a needle and syringe and you get the idea!

There is a lot of discussion about the different ways to use the device. The instructions probably don’t represent the best practice due to the very short extraction time and “leaking” during extraction. I think the best practice after trying it is to turn it upside down while making it (called inversion method) and to let the brew steep for about a minute, then flip over on cup and plunge (which takes another 20-30 seconds). If that doesn’t make any sense just YouTube it!

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Leftover puck

After brewing you typically get about 4 ounces of coffee which can be used like a double shot in an iced coffee drink or simply add water to make an awesome Americano.  A few tips I’ve learned:

  • Use a grind between espresso and drip. If you don’t have to push a bit, tighten the grind.
  • If you use a blade grinder you’ll really need to pulverize it to get it fine enough.
  • Let it steep for a minute, don’t plunge it super fast.
  • If you don’t like decaf, try a decaf espresso roast in this; I think you may find it yummy!

 

Toddy Coffee Review

20120901-224518.jpgSeveral years ago a co-worker mentioned a shop in Louisiana that served coffee made from “cold-brew” and how great it was. I remember thinking how odd that seemed since I’ve always read the optimal temp for extracting coffee’s flavor was 200-205 degrees. Years later after hearing many stories, and amazon dropping the price on the Toddy Cold Brewer to $28 delivered, I decided it was time to try it. :)

20120901-224530.jpgAs you can see there isn’t much to the system, it’s a big plastic bucket with a filter and stopper at the bottom. A glass decanter is included to drain the brew into after brewing. The Instructions have you add coffee (12 ounces) and water (6 cups) in a particular order to avoid clogging the filter. The brew, which has the consistency of jello, steeps for 12 hours. After the allotted time you unplug the stopper and let it drain the concentrate into the glass carafe.

I used trader joes $5 “joes dark” blend since this was an experiment and it’s dirt cheap. I ground it quite coarse like I would for a French press. The result after ten minutes of draining barely filled half way. This concentrate can be used for up to two weeks.

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Despite following the instructions to the letter, my coffee got plugged draining out. I followed the instructions to loosen the grounds with a butter knife, but I couldn’t get all the liquid out no matter what I did.

The concentrate the Toddy brewer produces is to be used 1 part concentrate, 3 parts water/milk. I tried an americano and my own “frap” iced drink with it. The iced drink was better than using a double shot of espresso – much smoother. The americano drink was very similar to the taste of one made with espresso but a bit more of a french press flavor to it. It’s very good but quite different than regular brewed coffee or an espresso-based Americano.

I kinda wonder if you put a piece of cheesecloth in a tupperware container, added coffee and water and then after 12 hours just wrapped up the cheesecloth and grounds if that would work just as well. Or what if you brewed it in a pitcher and then just poured it through a large filtered pourover? So, while I think the result was great I wonder if there are other ways to brew it more easily. I’ll try it again soon, next time with a quality coffee :)