Issue 7
Dosing, Puzzle, Iced pour over for the hot summer
Make perfect espresso part 1 : Dosing
Dosing in coffee terms is all about ensuring that you have the correct amount of ground coffee for a perfect cup of coffee. This step is crucial because getting the wrong amount of coffee can result in a weak, bitter, and poor-tasting coffee and we don’t that. Therefore, it is essential to get the dosing right to achieve a great cup of coffee.
Under-dosing can lead to the coffee not staying compressed enough, resulting in the water flowing through too fast to extract all the flavors from the coffee. This will cause your coffee to taste weak and bland. On the other hand, over-dosing your coffee means the water won't be able to flow through properly at all, leading to a burnt and bitter liquid.
To ensure you get the right amount of coffee, you need to use a scale to weigh the coffee accurately. Not all grinders are perfect, and the amount of coffee produced by the grinder can vary. Therefore, using a scale to weigh the coffee will give you the most accurate amount of grams each time you make coffee.
Choosing the right amount of coffee for your dose is also essential. You can visit the coffee roaster's website to get a recipe recommendation for all their single-origin and coffee blends. This will give you an idea of how much coffee to use for each type of coffee. Additionally, you should also check the size of your portafilter and adjust the recipe depending on that.
For example, if your coffee roaster recommends using 22 grams of coffee with a yield of 38 grams, but your basket only takes 19 grams of coffee, you will need to adjust the recipe. Divide 38 by 22, which gives you a ratio of 1.72. To get your recipe, multiply 19 by 1.72, giving you a yield of 32-33 grams.
🔎 Cafe in the spotlight
Puzzle
📍133 Swanston st, Melbourne VIC 3000
🕑 Mon- Fri: 7:30am -6:00pm Sat-Sun 8:00am - 7:00pm
The kid on the block quickly making waves in the coffee scene. Puzzle Coffee is a fast-growing coffee company that has become a hot destination place among coffee enthusiasts in Melbourne. With only one OG store located in Swanston Street in Melbourne's CBD just over a year ago, Puzzle Coffee has expanded to five locations, including a new one in Singapore. That's impressive growth in such a short amount of time!
Puzzle Coffee's Swanston Street store is a sight to behold, with its modern minimalist design and the latest coffee equipment that any coffee connoisseur could ask for. However, Puzzle Coffee is not just about aesthetics. They take their coffee seriously, and it shows in the quality of their coffee. The Puzzle Coffee team is dedicated to making great tasting coffee, and they've developed a unique selling point that sets them apart from the competition. They offer edible coffee cups, a great idea to reduce waste while giving you a little treat.
When I visited Puzzle Coffee a few months ago, they had a rare and impressive selection of 90+ coffees. These coffees can often cost you $20-$30 for a cup, which is quite steep, but for the coffee lover who enjoys a black filter brewed coffee, it's worth a try at least once for the experience.
Overall, Puzzle Coffee is a cool spot that is definitely worth checking out. Their growth in such a short amount of time speaks volumes about the quality of their coffee, and their edible coffee cups are an excellent way to reduce waste in the coffee industry. With Puzzle Coffee's continued success, it would be exciting to see them become a significant part of Melbourne's coffee culture. If you're looking for a great cup of coffee in a chic and modern environment, look no further than Puzzle Coffee
Image Credit: Puzzle coffee
👨🍳 Recipe of the week
Iced Pour over
What you'll need
– V60 cone
– Pour over filter papers
– Ice
– Kettle, scales and timer
– A jug to brew into
Recipe
– 30g coffee (roasted for filter)
– 200g ice cubes, and extra for serving
– 300g water
– Total brew time: 4 minutes
– Grind size: A little finer than your usual pour over setting
Steps
Start with at least 500g of fresh water and bring to the boil. While waiting for the water to boil, weigh and grind your coffee.
Fold the filter paper along each seam, open and place in the cone. Pour some boiled water through to rinse the paper and warm the cone, and let it drain in the sink.
Place the ice in your serving jug. Put the paper-lined filter cone on the jug, and put your ground coffee into the cone. Then pop the entire set-up on the scales and tare to zero.
Start your timer and pour just enough water to cover all the coffee, then leave the fresh coffee to ‘bloom’ for about 30 seconds. You can bloom with about twice the weight of the coffee, so in this case, about 60-80g of water. This bloom period helps the coffee to de-gas and rearrange itself into an even bed, allowing for an even extraction.
Continue to slowly add the rest of the boiled water to the coffee, topping up frequently. It should take about 3 minutes to add the entire 300g of boiling water, and about 4 minutes to draw down completely.
Once the water has filtered through the coffee, remove the filter cone and give the coffee brew a good stir. The ice should be almost completely dissolved and the coffee should be cool in temperature.
Serve in a glass filled with ice, and enjoy!
This coffee will taste great from the fridge for 1–2 hours after brewing.
Brew the iced pour over a little stronger than regular pour over because the ice melts and dilutes the brew.