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There is something to be said about simplicity and tradition, and the new Sowden brewer returns to the basics of coffee preparation with its beautifully simplistic design. I spoke with the folks at Sowden at the SCAA conference this past week, and I was impressed by the ease of use of the process that they have termed “soft brew.” At it’s heart, the Sowden is a full immersion brewer, and the basic process for brewing is quite similar to that of the french press. What makes this particular brewer unique, however, is its finely etched metal filter. The resulting cup is much cleaner than that of a french press, yet you retain more of the delicate oils for added depth. When you are done extracting, the filter is removed from the porcelain server, which saves you from the worry of over-extraction.

The Sowden can also double as a tea infuser or a cold brewer – a definite bonus.

HOW TO BREW ON THE SOWDEN:

The basic process for the Sowden is quite similar to that of the French Press.

1. Put your kettle on to boil.
2. Pour about 8 ounces of hot water through the filter and carafe to preheat
3. For a 12 oz cup, grind about .75-1.25 oz of coffee beans to a medium-coarse setting.
4. Once your water is boiling, let is rest for a bit so the temperature can go back down to 200 degrees.
5. Infuse your coffee grounds with 12 oz of hot water. The grounds will start to “bloom.” Let the blooming grounds sit for about 1 minute.
6. Stir to break down the bloom and re-wet the top layer of coffee.
7. Remove the filter after four minutes and place it into a separate container to finish draining. Once you’ve made a pot or two you can adjust for your own palate.

The classic French press is renowned for its simplicity and rich, full flavor. Follow the steps shown in this video for delicious french pressed coffee! 

The press shown here is the Frieling French press.

Our beautiful porcelain cappuccino mugs by Pigeon Toe Ceramics are now available in two new glazes. We kept the classic design: the “C” stamped in the bottom, the pleasant shape, the comfortable handle and updated with a natural glossy glaze and accents of dove grey and spruce green colors on the rims.  They’re perfect for your morning cuppa and coordinate well with contemporary and classic serve ware.

Check out the Kone in action at Clive Coffee :: Demo Saturday 9/3 at 1pm

The newly redesigned Kone by Coava has hit the ground at a running pace.  By addressing issues brought forth by customers, the Kone is making steps in bridging the gap between a religious coffeehouse experience and your everyday homebrew.

Easy clean up, and better-suited steel really allow for an incredibly practical home brewing setup.  While still being reusable, their new steel choice results in a different formation of holes that can help in compensating for variation in particle size of less than commercial grinders.

All in all, Kone: Gen Two gives way for a cleaner, more approachable cup of coffee everyday.

See the Kone in action at Clive Coffee on Saturday 9/3 at 1pm.

Our method of addressing Temperature fluctuation (or “temperature surfing”.)

If you’ve done any research about the Rancilio Silvia on online discussion forums, chances are you’ve come across talk of something called  “temperature surfing.” Temperature surfing refers to a very involved method of regulating the temperature of the brew water. It requires determining the precise water temperature relative to the machine’s position in the boiler heating cycle and timing the preparation of your shots accordingly. Some people recommend timing the shot while the boiler is heating (how many seconds since the boiler power indicator light switches on.) Other methods recommend timing the shot as the boiler is cooling (how many seconds after the light switches off.) There are a number of different methods described on various websites; some are quite simple while others require specialized measurement devices and repeated scientific experimentation. How deeply involved you care to get is entirely up to you.

However, for most people this process will be too tedious for their daily routine, and might even dissuade them from getting into espresso at all, or to choose more automated espresso machines over the Rancilio Silvia. Over the years we’ve tested many of different ways to regulate temperature on the Silvia, and we believe there’s a simpler way. It may not be as precise as some of the 19 step processes you’ll find discussed online, but for most people it will suffice to pull a sweet, rich shot that is neither under- nor over-extracted.

In short, we recommend that you steam the milk first, then bleed off the excess pressure and steam out of the grouphead. If you leave the brew switch on for about 15-25 seconds, or until the steam dissipates and only water is coming out of the grouphead, there should be enough of a temperature drop in the boiler that the thermostat will force the boiler to start heating up again. Once the boiler has turned off, if you wait about 30 seconds, you’ll be pretty close to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and ready to pull a good shot. This process should take 2-3 minutes, which is just about the time you’ll need to grind and tamp in preparation for pulling a shot. Be sure to swirl and gently knock your pitcher of steamed milk to maintain consistent texture and “keep it alive.”

We’re excited to present our new Lovejoy Espresso Blend. We set out to create a blend with complexity, rich crema and sweetness to spare. Lovejoy Espresso has sweet raspberry and dark chocolate flavors, hints of butterscotch and a bit of citrus. With its impressive body and superb balance, the Lovejoy Espresso is delicious as a straight shot and shines powerfully through milk in a latte or cappuccino. Although Lovejoy was designed with espresso in mind, we also love it in a French Press or Technivorm.

Lovejoy is named after one of the founding fathers of our fair city. Asa Lovejoy wanted to name Portland after his beloved hometown of Boston, while his friend, Francis Pettygrove, wanted to name the city after his hometown of Portland, ME. At odds, the two tossed a coin, Lovejoy lost, and the city was christened Portland, Oregon.

Asa Lovejoy may have lost the coin toss, but as far as we know nobody’s named an espresso blend after Pettygrove!

Our friends at New Deal Distillery have taken our Ethiopian Harrar Longberry and turned it into a delicious coffee liqueur. We’re celebrating the launch on Friday, March 4th, 5-7pm. Taste the liqueur straight, with espresso, or as a custom White Russian, on us. RSVP at the Facebook event page.

The long-awaited Baratza Virtuoso Preciso has finally arrived! Baratza took the sturdy and elegant design of the Virtuoso and added microadjustment for fine tuning your grind for espresso. The Preciso offers the fine tuning capabilities of a stepless grinder with the easy adjustment of the Virtuoso. It has the same timer switch and on-demand grind button with the addition of a portafilter holder for hands-free dosing.

A small quantity of Precisos will be available for pre-order at the end of September, with more coming in at the end of October. Check out the Preciso and place your pre-order here.

Espresso

Espresso grinds should be fine, but not powdery. When you pinch the grounds between your fingers they should clump together, but disperse when you drop them on the counter.

Paper Cone

For both Technivorm and manual pour over, your coffee grounds should be about the consistency of a fine corn meal.

Gold Filter

Since the Gold Filter will allow more sediment to pass through, you should grind your coffee a little coarser than you would for paper filters.

French Press

When grinding for the French Press, your coffee should be about the consistency of sea salt. If your press is hard to plunge it’s a good indication that your coffee is ground too fine.