GoodShave's Coffee Journal

That is a shockingly short brew time, I wish you had a refractometer. Unless that excludes the bloom time...

That is a shockingly short brew time, I wish you had a refractometer. Unless that excludes the bloom time...

That Kurasu basic recipe does not have a separate bloom. You just start your timer and pour. When the time stamp arrives for the next pour, you pour again.

I have other fast pour recipes for other brewers as well (Stagg XF and Timermore B75  come to mind) that hit around the 2:00 minute mark or less (depending on recipe) and make tasty cups. The brewer/filter designs make make the faster recipes work.

I thought about refractometers but I can't justify the purchase price (for a nice one). I don't think my wife would be happy with yet another coffee gadget in the house.  
I looked at this page for three good options for refractometers and how to use them.

After reading this article, I am not sure what TDS I would really shoot for. It includes the original the 'Brew Control Chart' was based off of research in 1957 and one based off of 2023 research. It is a good article worth reading.

I bookmarked the article, as it was a great read and I only skimmed it. But it really helped me understand how all these parts work together to give the cup its identity. That being said, I think this is a rabbit hole that may contain the Killer Bunny of Caerbannog!

I bookmarked the article, as it was a great read and I only skimmed it. But it really helped me understand how all these parts work together to give the cup its identity. That being said, I think this is a rabbit hole that may contain the Killer Bunny of Caerbannog!

I love the Monty Python reference! Nice job!

Today's brew was with Blacksmith Coffee Roastery (Lindsborg, Kansas) - Swedish Mellanrost using the Varia FLO dipper with a Kalita 185 filter and the 4:6 method targeting balanced acidity and sweetness with a medium body. I used the 'Medium 1' FLO screen.

I was down to the last two doses for this bag of beans so I thought I would circle back to the 4:6 method and see how different the brew would be with the 'Medium 1' screen vs. the Kurasu logo screen. I inadvertently added a second bloom. The cup was very tasty. I am not sure if it was the second bloom, the different screen or both. Something in the back of my mind thinks that older coffee benefits from longer blooms but I could be mis-remembering something I read.

I didn't have a good result trying to tweak the 4:6 brew parameters today. Two cups of coffee made from the same beans, different results. The first one was made with my usual middle ground parameters, the second was made with three pours on the 60% half. The first one came out at 19.6% extraction; really nice, but I wanted to see if I could bump it up without changing the grind. It didn't move the needle much; I think it actually went backwards, but I lost the measurement. It tasted like it though, sour. I am not sure what to make of this as I am pretty consistent with my pouring technique. I guess I will try again, in theory this should up the extraction due to the extra agitation. I use the DiFluid R2, it works well if you calibrate it before every reading. Not too much trouble, but I wish I could store my calibration so it doesn't go back to the default. The app was nice too when I got it, they have since made it unusable so I have to calculate my result based on the reading which is annoying. I could go into this more, but it's really only relevant to those that are buying a refractometer.

I didn't have a good result trying to tweak the 4:6 brew parameters today. Two cups of coffee made from the same beans, different results. The first one was made with my usual middle ground parameters, the second was made with three pours on the 60% half. The first one came out at 19.6% extraction; really nice, but I wanted to see if I could bump it up without changing the grind. It didn't move the needle much; I think it actually went backwards, but I lost the measurement. It tasted like it though, sour. I am not sure what to make of this as I am pretty consistent with my pouring technique. I guess I will try again, in theory this should up the extraction due to the extra agitation. I use the DiFluid R2, it works well if you calibrate it before every reading. Not too much trouble, but I wish I could store my calibration so it doesn't go back to the default. The app was nice too when I got it, they have since made it unusable so I have to calculate my result based on the reading which is annoying. I could go into this more, but it's really only relevant to those that are buying a refractometer.

Good to know about your experience with the DiFluid R2. I usually store away information like this in case I ever decided to buy a refactometer (or someone asks me a question about them in general).

What brewer and size are you using?
You could pour extra slow to increase the extraction if you didn't want to change the grind size. Or you could stir the slurry to increase the extraction.

Today's brew was with Blacksmith Coffee Roastery (Lindsborg, Kansas) - Swedish Mellanrost beans using the Varia FLO dipper with a Kalita 185 filter and the 4:6 method targeting balanced acidity and sweetness with a medium body. I used the 'Medium 1' FLO screen.

In my previous brew, I inadvertently added a second bloom. Today, for the final dose from this bag of beans, I repeated the previous brew minus the second bloom.
I think I liked the brew with the second bloom better. With the second bloom, the primary flavor notes became more pronounced as the brew cooled.

So for the first two pours, I waited 30 seconds after each pour before starting the next pour. That is what I mean by having a second bloom, in case you want to try it as well.

I had placed an order with Happy Mug Coffee back in May for their Rwanda anaerobic process beans (as I was curious to try out an anaerobic process coffee that was not very expensive) and due to a packing error, they also sent me a bag of Comforting Rwanda beans. I also had been gifted a bag of Blacksmith Coffee Roastery Swedish Mellanrost beans on top of working through two other open bags of coffee that I actually purchased for myself, so it took me until today to get the the Comforting Rwanda beans.

The website listed these tasting notes: dark chocolate, smooth, slight fruit and nut
The bag listed these tasting notes: chocolate, creamy, almond

So for the initial brew of these beans, I went with the Varia FLO dripper using the 'Medium 1' screen with a Kalita 155 filter using the Kurasu basic recipe.

I would say at the different cooling stages that I hit notes that were creamy, nutty, and chocolaty. At one point it had a fruity finish (maybe stone fruit?). I am still forming an opinion on these beans. I might increase extraction to move some of the flavor notes earlier in the tasting process (when the coffee is hotter). The coffee was fine. It was different than my usual coffee preferences. This was only the first brew with these beans, so I have some 'dialing in' to do.

I am learning that when I read your Journal, I can expect to have "homework!"    I need to learn about anaerobic processing now! And taking some inspiration from an earlier post of yours, I am now keeping a dedicated medium-sized spiral notebook with my coffee stuff to record what I did. 

The flavor notes on the Rwanda coffee sound very good. May you be successful with dialing it in!