We coffee nerds are all about going green – go to most local coffee shops and they can explain to you in depth how they have further improved the energy efficiency of their roasting operations, how they’re involved in solid recycling programs, and most will offer used coffee grounds for compost to anyone who wants to pick it up. If you didn’t already know it, used coffee grounds make for excellent compost.
But what about coffee brewing methods? What can you do to make energy efficient coffee? And does it taste good?
A great question. Environmentally friendly brew methods are pretty important to a lot of us – so as you can imagine, it’s on our minds all the time, and since most of us java aficionados aren’t too big on clunky automatic drip coffee makers anyway we love showing people how they can make a tastier cup of coffee AND save electricity.
Pour Over Coffee Apparatuses
My personal favorite pour over device is my trust Hario v60. It’s made from ceramic, will run you about $20, and doesn’t even need to be cleaned in a dishwasher. You just rinse it out after you have used it and set it out to dry. Very simple, very energy efficient.
To actually make the coffee requires simply heating water, grinding coffee, and, well, the ‘pour over’ part kind of speaks for itself. Personally I use a Hario Skerton hand grinder to grind my coffee – which not only provides an excellent grind because of its ceramic conical burrs but is entirely powered by hand. I like that I can use it when camping or on the road – and that it doesn’t require any electricity. You can get a hand grinder like the Skerton for about $40 – but there are even some ceramic conical burr grinders for less money, I just happen to really like my Hario Skerton.
If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m fond of the company Hario. They’re a Japanese firm that makes a lot of kitchen appliances, and their zero energy coffee devices are renowned within the specialty coffee community because they are durable, inexpensive, and extremely effective. Even my former boss and owner of a very respectable coffee shop uses a Hario Skerton on occasion to show guests how incredible a small manual grinder can be.
With a hand grinder like the Skerton, and a pour over device like the Hario v60 (or the Chemex or any other pour over device that meets your needs and interests) you are all geared up to make green coffee – and coffee that tastes utterly phenomenal.
Drip coffee makers are not designed to produce a very good extraction, because the drip process of brewing is too slow and not distributed properly so that while some grounds will get thoroughly extracted other ones will barely donate any of their flavorful oils to the final resulting cup. This is why most coffee from drip pots has a bitter taste and can’t be enjoyed properly. Pour over devices resolve that issue.
Coffee made in a Hario v60 takes about four minutes from start to finish – heat water on the stove while grinding whole beans in your manual grinder, pour the beans into the Hario v60 (after putting a non-bleached filter in) and then you are ready to make the brew.
Just pour the water over the grounds in a circular motion, trying to get all of the grounds wet and not pour in any one part more than the others. I won’t deny that an even distribution can take a little practice, but even when you are brand new to it you’ll find that the coffee tastes phenomenal. I make pour over coffee in my Hario every single day – and people always ask me how I make the coffee taste so good.
I really don’t do anything special, I just use the right (environmentally friendly) tools, and stick to the method that works. Try it out, you’ll be amazed at how incredible the coffee tastes.
My name is Peter, I blog about making incredible tasting coffee at home at www.vvlgar.com. Happy brewing.
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