How To Brew Plunger
There’s got to be a plunger hiding in the cupboard of every NZ household! And for good reason, this classic is super easy, you can brew several cups at once and it delivers a banging coffee.
WHAT DO YOU NEED
- We recommend using our Jed's Coffee Plunger Grind blends.
- Plunger
- Spoon
METHOD
- Boil water in a kettle.
- Portion out the coffee. We recommend 6g coffee (1 tbsp.) per 100mL water
- If using beans, grind them before brewing (maximises flavour)
- Put the coffee in the plunger and set a timer 4 mins
- Start the timer and pour the water over the ground coffee.
- After a minute, take a spoon and stir the grinds into the brew.
- Give it another stir once every minute until you have one minute left in your brew time.
- Let all the grinds settle to the bottom of the plunger in the last minute of brewing.
- Place the plunger top on and gently press down
- Serve immediately.
MORE TIPS
- Use the coffee ratio above. If its too weak, add 5g coffee next time. If it’s to strong use 5g less – or one of our different coffee strength numbers!
- If you’re using beans, grind them immediately before brewing (maximises flavour). Ideally grinds should be coarse (like raw sugar).
- If you’re using our ground coffee then note that it’s a fine grind. This is perfectly ok but we suggest you knock 1 min off the brew time as the coffee will extract quicker with finer ground coffee.
- A shorter brew time, like 3 minutes, will result in a brighter coffee, and a longer brew time, like 5 minutes will result in a richer, bigger bodied coffee.
- The best coffee is that brewed at around 96° C (boil the kettle, then portion out the coffee, and pour the water over the ground coffee).
- The ideal temperature to serve it at is around 85° C .
How To Brew Espresso
Espresso. We all love what the barista does at your local café. It’s a skill for sure but with some handy tips and a little practice you’ll be pulling a shot with the best of them. It’s the base of any espresso drink i.e. flat white, cappuccino, piccolo etc. etc.
WHAT DO YOU NEED
- Espresso machine
- We recommend using our Jed’s Coffee Espresso Blends.
METHOD
- Run an empty basket through the machine to heat up and clean the porter filter.
- Wipe the portafilter with a clean dry cloth (dirty machine = dirty tasting coffee).
- Fill it to the brim with coffee and level off with your finger.
- Tamp the grind bed firmly and evenly, using enough pressure to compact the ground coffee.
- Insert the portafilter into the group-head and make sure it’s locked in place.
- Start your timer and pull the espresso shot. For a balanced coffee try to get a 30mL shot in 30 secs.
- Once you’ve finished pulling your shot, remove the portafilter from the group-head and knock out the spent grinds into a knock-box or bin.
MORE TIPS
- One full basket makes two shots of coffee. Most porter filters have a double spout so put a cup under each spout for a single shot in each or one cup under both spouts for a double shot.
- The amount of coffee you’ll use depends on the portafilter basket size of your machine. Check-out the machine instructions for the details but generally it’ll be somewhere between 14g and 18g.
- Knowing the time of your extraction will help you dial in on flavours. If your shot is fast, it will likely taste watery and thin; if your shot is long it will likely taste syrupy and thick with high bitters. Generally speak a 30mL shot in 30 secs makes for a balanced coffee.
- If you find your coffee is pouring too fast, either make your grind size finer or add more coffee to the basket.
- If you find your coffee is pouring too slow, either make your grind size coarse or reduce the coffee in the basket.
- Used coffee grounds are great for home composting so divert some waste and chuck them in your home compost or worm bin.
How To Brew Bean Bags
100% Fresh NZ Roasted Coffee in easy-to-use single serve Bean Bags. The clever pyramid shape tricks your cup into thinking it is a plunger. It then brews the perfect cup of coffee! And because we know you’ll want to take this everywhere – each bag is individually sealed to go where you do.
WHAT DO YOU NEED
- Your favourite cup
- Jed’s Bean Bag
- Hot water
METHOD
- Add boiling water to the Jed’s Bean Bag.
- Give it a gentle squeeze to unlock the full flavour.
- Let it brew for 3-4 minutes, giving it a jiggle.
- Given the Bean Bag another squeeze and take it out.
MORE TIPS
- The path to perfection starts with the clever shape of the Bean Bag, which lets the fresh coffee brew like it does in a plunger.
- The secret is the two squeezes with a good brew in between.
- Leave it in for 3-4 minutes - seriously.
- The best coffee is that brewed at around 96° C. The ideal temperature to serve it at is around 85° C .
Now you also support SOAT local initiative!
Check our hacks and recipes options for bean Bags!
How To Brew Pour over: Chemex
It looks like a vintage science experiment and also one of the best ways to make and serve several cups of coffee at once.
WHAT DO YOU NEED
- Chemex
- We recommend using our Jed's Coffee Plunger Grind or medium to coarsely ground whole beans coffee.
METHOD
- Fill your kettle and boil the water.
- Open a paper filter and place it into your brewing device, and rinse it with hot water (gets rid of the papery taste)
- Portion out the coffee you are going to use to brew. Our reco is 6g (1 tbsp) of coffee for every 100mL water.
- If using beans, grind them before brewing (maximises flavour)
- Place your brewing vessel with filter and coffee onto a scale and press tare.
- Saturate the grounds and wait for it to bloom (fancy term for gases in the coffee grounds bubbling to the surface)
- After a min, add the remaining water in stages (reco is 100g at a time) until you reach the final brew weight.
- Let all the coffee drain from the filter.
- Remove the filter and put it into your compost bin.
MORE TIPS
- Using scales might seem a bit wanky but it’s not. It is the simplest and easiest way to get a consistent coffee.
- Hot tip - boiling the water before brewing ensures that the water is hot enough to make delicious coffee without being boiling (which burns coffee).
- Rinsing the paper filter takes 5 secs, it helps remove the papery taste and ensures that the coffee extracts evenly through.
- If you are using a Chemex put the side of the filter with three folds is against the spout.
- Grinds for Pour Over brewing should be medium-coarse, like granulated sugar. Finer grinds will extract more slowly resulting in a richer, more robust brew; coarser grinds will be brighter and lighter. Neither is right or wrong, just different.
- While pouring, pour the water slowly in a spiral pattern that goes from the centre of the coffee out to the edge of the coffee and back in again. Try not to pour onto the paper above the filter.
- The best coffee is that brewed at around 96° C (boil the kettle, then portion out the coffee, and pour the water over the ground coffee).
- The ideal temperature to serve it at is around 85° C.
