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Writer's pictureCaffe' Amici

Brew Guide

Updated: Jan 28, 2022

Check out our favourite brewing method below

...Buon Caffe'!

While Italy doesn’t have the climate to grow its coffee beans, #Italianroastcoffee has become one of the most popular coffee beans in the world! Coffee fans love the deep and slightly charred flavour of Italian roast coffee and it is easy to see why.

Italian coffee is a roasting method that produces dark and extremely oily beans. A coffee bean’s oily outer layer is what makes it taste so good. Without that oil, coffee wouldn’t taste like coffee.

Most #Italiancoffee is dark roast or darker. This means that the coffee beans are roasted until two loud cracks are heard. Blonde roast coffee beans are removed from the fire after the first crack. By roasting the coffee longer, more of their oils are exposed. This allows us to brew delicious coffee.

A dark roast tends to have a very deep and bold flavour. They often have notes of chocolate and caramel or nutty flavours. Italian roast is usually quite a bit darker than a regular dark roast. Italian roasts’ intense darkness brings with it a slightly charred flavour.






Aeropress




#Aeropress is the perfect brewing method to get fresh coffee quickly. Aeropress use a piston to force pressurized water to extract the flavours from coarsely ground coffee beans. Due to the highly pressurized environment, the coffee brews very fast.


The near-instant coffee filters through a paper and ends up directly in your cup. AeroPress coffee has a distinctly clean taste, similar to coffee made from a French press. Italian roasts' sweetly charred flavour is accentuated with an AeroPress.

AeroPress coffee is beloved because of its bright taste and the ease at which you can use it. AeroPress require no electricity, are compact, and is easy to carry. This makes them the perfect travel companion, especially for camping.


How to use an Aeropress to brew Italian roast coffee

Aero presses are some of the simplest brewers around. Not only do they have a simplistic and lightweight design, but they are incredibly fast, too! The clean taste of AeroPress coffee compliments Italian coffee’s dark roast. There are two ways to use an AeroPress to brew coffee: the standard method and the inverted method.


The Standard Method

The standard method is the original way to brew AeroPress coffee. To brew using the standard method, begin by running your paper filter through running water to get rid of its chalky flavour. Add the filter to the bottom of your AeroPress and hold the AeroPress over a large cup to catch the brewed coffee.

Add 18 g of medium-coarsely ground coffee to the AeroPress. A medium-coarse grind is better for the AeroPress because the coffee grounds are freely floating in the water. This amount of surface area allows the perfect extraction to occur.

If the coffee is too fine, the pressure from the AeroPress will over-extract the oils from the coffee, leaving your brew tasting bitter. It is best to use filtered water at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour 200 grams of water into the AeroPress and insert the piston.

Allow your coffee to brew for about two minutes before using the plunger to extract the coffee into your cup.


The Inverted Method

The inverted method is very similar to the standard method. The only difference is that the ingredients are added and brewed upside down the entire time. Once the brewing has been finished, the AeroPress is turned right side up so the coffee can be poured.

Many baristas prefer the inverted method because it allows more extraction to occur and gives the coffee a long time to brew.






French Press Coffee


French press coffee is well known for its rounded flavour. Unlike most brewing methods, French press coffee doesn’t use a paper filter. Many people believe that paper filters absorb many of the oils and flavours from the coffee, preventing them from being tasted.


French presses use a thin, stainless steel mesh filter to prevent larger chunks of the ground coffee from entering the final brew. The mesh filter will allow minuscule coffee chunks to enter the brewed coffee. These chunks are too small to ruin the texture, but the extra oils they add enhance French press coffee’s flavour.

One of the best traits of French press coffee is the complete saturation of coffee grounds. Unlike a drip brewer that only soaks the coffee grounds in the middle of the filter, French press coffee allows the grounds to float freely in the water. This allows French press coffee to achieve a more even extraction of flavours.


Can I use Italian roast to brew French press coffee?

It may sound odd to use Italian roast coffee in a French press, but mixing and matching coffee roasts and brewing methods is half the fun of coffee. #Italianroast has a distinctly dark and slightly charred flavour that presents beautifully in a French press.

To use your French press to brew Italian roast coffee, begin by heating a cup of water until it is boiling. Let the water sit for approximately one minute before adding it to your French press. This will allow the coffee to cool to the perfect brewing temperature.

Add 3 tablespoons of medium-coarse ground coffee to the French press and give it a quick stir. Add the brewer’s lid but do not use the plunger just yet. The brew time depends on what flavours you want from your coffee.

For a brighter flavour, brew for 2-3 minutes. If you prefer a darker and slightly bitter coffee, brew for 3-6 minutes. I do not recommend brewing for longer than 6 minutes because the coffee becomes over-extracted and tends to taste too bitter.

Once the coffee has been brewed for the appropriate amount of time, press on the plunger to filter out the larger coffee particles and enjoy!




Hario V60 Pour-Over Coffee


Pour-over coffee has been a longstanding favourite brewing method. Pour-overs allow a barista to experiment with many flavour profiles and grinds. They are the perfect brewing method for showcasing distinct coffee flavours and unique notes.

The #V60 coffee maker is a type of pour-over that has been engineered to promote better-tasting coffee. It has a cone-shaped design with ridges along the inside and uses a paper filter.


The cone shape allows a more even extraction of flavours. All parts of the coffee grounds have equal access to the water they are brewed with. The ridges along the inside of the V60 coffee maker allow the carbon dioxide to more easily escape the coffee beans as they are being brewed.

The V60 pour-over has all the advantages of pour-over coffee but is easier to brew.


How to use a V60 pour-over coffee brewer

V60 pour-overs are easier to use than many other pour-over brewers. This is because the cone shape allows an even extraction of coffee grounds while the ridged edges allow carbon dioxide to escape from the sides. These are two of the biggest concerns when brewing pour-over coffee.

To brew coffee using your V60 pour-over, hold the paper filter under running water for a few minutes. This will get rid of the chalky and woody taste that often accompanies filtered coffee. Place the filter inside the V60 brewer.

Make sure your V60 pour-over is directly above your serving cup and that your cup is big enough to catch all the coffee. Pour-overs can be a messy business! Add 8 g of medium-fine ground coffee to the V60 brewer.

Heat 100 g of filtered water to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a gooseneck kettle to pour the water over the coffee grounds in circular motions. Stop every 30 seconds or so to better allow the carbon dioxide to leave the grounds. This will appear as large bubbles forming among the wet grounds.

Once the coffee grounds have been able to release their carbon dioxide, you can begin pouring the water in circular motions again. Continue this pattern for 3-4 minutes. Then let the rest of the extraction drain into your cup and enjoy!




Espresso Machine


Espresso is the #Italianway of brewing coffee, so it just makes sense to use Italian roast! After all, espresso is what the Italian roast was made for. #Espresso is often referred to as a highly concentrated and intense-tasting drip coffee, but there is more to it than that.

Espresso is the perfect combination of aromas and oils. Pressurized water is used to force finely ground coffee beans through an extraction process. The result is a small glass of rich and flavorful coffee with a crema head containing all of the brew’s signature notes.




How to use an espresso machine to brew Italian roast coffee


Espresso machines have a bad reputation for being hard to use, but they are no harder to master than any other speciality brewing method. A majority of the technique comes from how you are packing the coffee grounds and how fast or slow the brew time is.

To begin brewing espresso, grind your #Italian roast coffee on the fine setting using a conical burr grinder. For a doppio, add 18 g of finely ground coffee to the portafilter basket.

Lightly tap the portafilter on the counter to settle the coffee grounds before using a tamping rod to pack them. Secure the portafilter on your espresso machine.

Every espresso machine uses a different brewing method, so it is beneficial to read the instructions for your machine before brewing espresso. For a doppio, it is best to use 3 oz of near-boiling water. The shot should take somewhere between 20-30 seconds to brew.

The exact brew time depends on your coffee beans and the espresso machine itself. A good espresso shot should have a smooth and thick body.

While espresso is bitter, it shouldn't taste overly bitter or sour. Good espresso has a sweet aftertaste. Overly bitter espresso often means that the grounds were over-extracted. Try using a shorter brew time to fix this.


Domestic Coffee MAchine

Bean to cup , Pods and more





Check out our favourite Italian coffee machines selection available on the market.

Check them out and try them with your favourite Amici Coffee



Moka Pot

The Moka pot is a beautiful brewer that can make espresso-like coffee without the need for a large and expensive espresso machine. There are three chambers in a Moka pot: the bottom chamber which holds water, the middle chamber which holds the coffee grounds, and the top chamber that holds the brewed coffee.


If you don’t have access to a traditional espresso machine, Moka pots are a great substitute. Moka pot coffee has an intense and robust flavour, similar to that of espresso. This makes them the perfect brewing method for #Italiancoffee.


How to use a Moka pot to brew Italian roast coffee

Brewing with a #Mokapot seems complicated, but the concept behind it is incredibly simple. The water in the bottom chamber is heated into a gaseous state.

The rising steam pushes on the coffee grounds above it, forcing the water to extract the flavours of the coffee grounds. The steam will then rise into the top chamber where it condenses as coffee.

To begin brewing Moka pot coffee, grind your choice of Italian roast coffee using the fine setting of your grinder. It should be a similar grind to espresso. Unlike espresso, however, do not pack the grinds. If the coffee is too compact then the rising steam won’t be able to extract its flavour.

Use 20 g of coffee grounds for every 350 g of water. Pour the water into the bottom chamber and assemble the Moka pot. Place your Moka pot on a stove and set the temperature for medium-high heat. If you hear a hissing sound as a kettle makes, lower the heat.

Moka pot coffee is done when a loud gurgling sound can be heard. When this happens, remove it from the heat and let the rest of the steam finish brewing. This will take a few minutes. The pot will be extremely hot, so be careful when pouring. Also, check out our guide on how to make use of a Moka pot like an italian






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Aeropress
French Press
V60
Espresso Machine
Moka Pot
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