I’m not what I would call a full coffee snob, but I blame Geoffrey entirely for the fact that I can no longer tolerate “bad” coffee. I’m hyper-aware of low quality coffee since we spoil ourselves so much at home. Over the past decade, we’ve dialed-in our routine so that every part of it is as perfected as possible for getting a delicious, smooth cup. Every time I offer a glimpse into our routine on Instagram, as I did last week, you all have so many questions I figured I’d write it all out clearly here. Below is the highly specific, updated method we use for brewing coffee each morning—and the products we use:
Our technique for making coffee is way more specific and detail-oriented than I ever thought would be possible and I initially was very resistant to it because I didn’t think it’d be worth the effort, but I’m what you’d call a true convert.
1. The first thing I do is open the beans and set our gooseneck water heater (our newest coffee addition) to 201° F. These days, we have a subscription from Go Get Em Tiger, which arrives once a month with two bags of whole beans. I keep them in a stainless steel coffee vault canister to keep them fresh.
2. I bring out my scale and coffee station, which a pour-over fits over. We do a ratio of 15:1 water to beans, so I measure out 40 grams of beans, which I then grind in a Virtuoso grinder (medium grind, should be the consistency of beach sand). G suggests experimenting with different proportions of water to beans for different varietals.
3. Once ground, I rinse a coffee filter with some heated water, add it to the pour-over funnel, and tare the scale, then add the beans to it. I place my cup or pot under the dripper, then tare to zero again before adding about 30 grams of water for the initial bloom.
4. After 30 to 45 seconds, I slowly pour in the remaining water until hitting the desired weight (I use 600 grams of water total for 40 grams of beans). And that’s it! I usually add a dairy-free creamer like this one or a splash of whole milk.
Our gear is top-of-the-line at this point, but the cost feels justified by the fact we’re able to enjoy it every morning and that, even before COVID, we rarely got coffee out. We bought most of it slowly, over years, but I also have a friend who bought most of these items at the start of quarantine since she anticipated not wanting to leave her house for her daily cup!
1. Friis Coffee Vault ($19.28)
2. Hario V60 Station ($44) and scale ($50)
3. Virtuoso Grinder ($229)
4. Fellows Stagg EKG Electric Kettle ($159, we have it in matte black)
5. notNeutral Coffee Mug ($18)
What time do you drink your coffee? For the most part, around 6:30 AM.
How many cups a day do you drink? One! Two, if I want to feel very jittery and anxious…
Go-to coffee order from a shop? Iced latte with regular whole milk
What do you do while you drink it? We usually will take our coffee into the living room since it’s cool and dark, especially in the summer, and chat with Sloan!
Favorite beans to use? Ethiopian beans from Go Get Em Tiger
Do you prepare your coffee differently for special occasions or Sunday mornings? The only change-up we’ll do occasionally is Geoffrey will make me an iced latte at home and we’ll do two shots of espresso over ice with a big splash of whole milk or almond milk. Occasionally, if it’s really hot out, we’ll do iced coffee (and when we’re being really fancy, we’ll freeze coffee from the day before into ice so when it melts it doesn’t get watered down).
Favorite coffee “gear”? I love that our mugs are ergonomically designed and have a place for your thumb to rest at the top of the handle. We’ve had them for years, and they’re still my favorite.
