PREPARATION WITH THE HAND FILTER

How is coffee made with a hand filter? And what equipment do you need?

The preparation with the hand filter, also called filter coffee or pour over, has been a real trend in the Specialty Coffee scene in recent years and there has been a lot of discussion about the best techniques and tools. But the filter method is not only interesting for Brewers Cup Championships and Specialty Coffee shops. Basically, it's a straightforward way to brew a delicious cup of coffee without spending a lot of money.

You don't need much for the filter method - you can even start with a limited set and add to it as you go.

THE INGREDIENTS

COFFEE

Light to medium-dark roasted coffee is particularly suitable for preparation with the filter. The coffee should be as fresh as possible, i.e. the roasting date should not be more than 3 months ago, but it should have already rested a little (approx. 5 days after the roasting date)

We recommend using 6g of freshly ground coffee per 100ml of water, which can be adjusted to the desired amount. So if you want to brew a total of 300ml of coffee, you need 18g of coffee.

WATER

THE EQUIPMENT

GRIND

Whether you use an electric grinder or a hand grinder is irrelevant, but the grinder should be as high quality as possible to ensure that the coffee particles are all ground to the same size. Lower quality grinders can produce unevenly ground coffee and many particles that are too fine. These tiny coffee fragments are extracted very quickly and can upset your cup.

Grind: A medium coarse grind should be selected. If you already know how to make coffee with a portafilter, the grind should be much coarser. When you rub the coffee grounds in your fingers, they should feel like medium sea salt (e.g. Kosher Salt).

FILTER HOLDER

The filter holder is ideally made of porcelain or glass, as these materials are tasteless and heat up quickly.

FILTER PAPER

Hario V60 filter paper is good for bringing out the acidity and floral notes while allowing a fair amount of coffee oils to pass through the thin filter, allowing some body to emerge. Chemex, with its slightly thicker filter paper, retains more of the oils from the beans, resulting in a coffee with more complexity. Both filter papers are very good. It is also important that the size of the filter paper matches the filter holder.

WATER KETTLE

The water kettle, which is used to pour the water into the filter, should have a thin gooseneck. This shape makes it much easier for the water to flow evenly. In kettles with shorter spouts, the water tends to shoot out unevenly.

FEINWAAGE

There are various fine scales on the market. A scale of a certain size is particularly suitable here, so that you can place the jug with filter holder well on it. Ideally, the precision scale also has a timer so that the amount of water and the time can be kept track of exactly.

THE STANDARD BREW RECIPE

A short guide on how to make coffee with the hand filter.

INGREDIENTS

• 18g filter roasted coffee beans
• 300 ml water
• + approx. 200 ml water, which is poured away before brewing

EQUIPMENT

• Hario V60 filter holder
• Hario V60 filter paper
• Hario V60 jug
• Hario V60 watering can
• Grinder (electric grinder or hand grinder)
• Fine balance, preferably with integrated time measurement
• Temperature gauge

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE RECIPE

• Water temperature: 93ºC
• Total extraction time 2min 30s to 3min 00s

MISE EN PLACE

Place the hand filter on the jug and the paper filter in the hand filter. It is best to use a precision scale with integrated timing for coffee preparation so that you can accurately determine the ratio of coffee to water. If you have one, place the jug and filter on the scale.

PREPARATION FOR THE BREWING PROCESS

The first step is to boil water in a kettle and run it through the paper filter on your Hario V60 to remove the flavour of the paper and to warm up the jug and filter holder. You then pour this filtered water away and the actual process can begin.

BLOOMING AND BREWING PROCESS

Set the weight on your precision scale to zero and put 18g of medium freshly ground coffee into the V60 filter. Then set the weight to zero again and start your timing. For the blooming and brewing process, your water temperature should be around 93ºC.

1. Bloomingphase: For blooming, pour 50g of water into the filter. Try to wet all the ground coffee with water so that it can soak up. You will see how the coffee begins to swell (blooming). Blooming releases the carbon dioxide that has built up during the roasting process from the coffee. Light roasts and fresh coffee usually produce more blooming, as they usually contain more gases. After this phase, put a short stop until the coffee stops swelling so that you can start a controlled brew afterwards. If you have a precision scale with a timer, you can read off the amount of water in g and time. In total, you should have poured 50g of water in the blooming phase and the phase should last about 30 seconds.

2.Brewing phase: Then slowly pour 250g of water in circular movements, either clockwise or counterclockwise, starting from the centre and working outwards, evenly for 2 minutes. At the end, wait until the water has completely run through.

There is no real brewing recipe. The dosage of coffee is and always will be a matter of taste.