Brewing Methods

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  William Shakespeare

I was sent a post about alternative brewing methods by my daughter and that got me thinking….  I have seen a few alternative methods and have even seen videos on making your own.

So what methods are there?  What characteristics does each present?

Here is an informing layout I found on Pop Chart Lab’s site:

Confused much?  Let me start demystifying by briefly describing the method categories and how they relate to well-known methods.  In posts following this one, we will focus on the lesser known or alternative methods in more detail.  I am leaving out one category from the top since it is a combination of others.


For this method, you will have a coarse ground coffee which will be steeped or soaked if you like in cold or hot water.  For cold water it could be for up to twelve hours.  No quick fix here.  Afterwards it is filtered and enjoyed in a number of ways.  Note: Cold brewed coffee will be sweeter due to its lower acidity but has higher levels of caffeine compared to some other brewing methods.  Most common example is the French press, but the Aeropress is gaining popularity.French press

Drip or pour over

Pour over coffee also starts with coarse ground coffee wich is placed in a filter, and a filter holder or ‘pour over dripper.’  Hot water is poured over the grounds and coffee filters through.  Best known example would be the filter machine.  Other manual examples are Chemex and V60.  For the Chemex and V60, the use of a gooseneck kettle is a must in order to have control over your pour.Filter machine

Pressure or vacuum

These are the same since vacuum is just reverse pressure.  For this method, hot water, is pushed through finely ground coffee under pressure.  The result will be a smaller volume, full-bodied coffee with firm acidity.  Best known example are the Espresso machine and the trusty Mokka pot, but vacume coffee makers are becoming more accessible. Espresso machine

In the coming weeks, we will go deeper down the rabbit hole.

Happy brewing

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