Be Your Own Barista With Giada's Favorite Coffee Brewing Method

15 March 2019

by Giadzy

Be Your Own Barista With Giada's Favorite Coffee Brewing Method

You must be signed in to print this content

This is Giada's favorite way to make coffee at home, and it rivals even the best coffee-shop brew!

What's in a good cup of coffee? It's not just about buying great beans - it's about every step of the process. Is the water at the right temperature? Are the beans ground just right? With machines, it's hard to control every aspect - but with this under-$50 dollar gadget, you'll be making perfectly controlled cups of coffee in no time.

The Chemex (#NOTsponsored!) is one of many pour-over coffee makers, but it's one of our favorites! It brews coffee without bitterness, it turns out reliably consistent every time, and you're not at the mercy of any malfunctioning coffee makers.
Though we were daunted by using a pour-over coffee maker at the beginning, and while it's more time consuming than a machine, we've found that it's become a seriously therapeutic morning ritual that we don't want to skip. It's an act of mindfulness, and every step of making the coffee is intentional - so even though the coffee really does taste better than what most machines will produce, that little labor of love involved makes it taste even better.

Here's your pour over cheat sheet!

What You'll Need:
Glass Pour-Over Coffee Maker
Unbleached Filters
Kettle (we love the Hario kettle for its perfectly thin spout for a slow pour!)
Coffee Grinder
Coffee Beans
What To Do:
1. Prepare your pour-over coffee maker with the appropriate coffee filters (we prefer this unbleached variety!). When you open up the filter, there will be a side with three folds. Place the side with the 3 folds against the spout of the coffee maker. If you are using a dyed filter, it's recommended to pre-wet the filter a bit before placing it in the glass.
2. Start heating up your water in a kettle. You'll want to get the water to 195 degrees F.
3. While the water is heating, freshly grind enough coffee for the single brew (or grind enough for a few day's worth!) You want the grind to be in between medium and medium-coarse. For every 300 grams of water, you'll need about 23 grams of coffee beans! Place the ground beans into the filter.
4. Once the water is heated, it's time to start brewing the coffee! The first step is to "bloom" the beans. Pour just enough of the hot water over the ground beans to fully saturate them, and then let it sit for about 30 seconds. You'll notice bubbles emerging from the beans - this is the CO2 being released, and this process makes the coffee less acidic!
5. Once the coffee has bloomed, continue slowly pouring water over the beans. Pour in a steady spiral from the outer edges of the coffee to the center and back.
6. Once the dripping of the coffee has slowed to almost a stop, you're ready to drink!