Craft Coffee: A Manual
Brewing a Better Cup at Home
With Andreas Willhoff
Published by: Agate Publishing
Sales Date: 2017-11-07
Named a top food & drink book of 2017 by Food Network, Wired, Sprudge, and Booklist.
This comprehensive but accessible handbook is for the average coffee lover who wants to make better coffee at home. Unlike other coffee books, this one focuses exclusively on coffee—not espresso—and explores multiple pour-over, immersion, and cold-brew techniques on 10 different devices.
Thanks to a small but growing number of dedicated farmers, importers, roasters, and baristas, coffee quality is at an all-time high. But for nonprofessionals, achieving café quality at home can seem out of reach. With dozens of equipment options, conflicting information on how to use that equipment, and an industry language that, at times, doesn’t seem made for the rest of us, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
Craft Coffee: A Manual, written by a coffee enthusiast for coffee enthusiasts, is a comprehensive guide to improving your brew at home. The book provides all the information readers need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee—and how to replicate the perfect cup day after day. From the science of extraction and brewing techniques to choosing equipment and deciphering coffee bags, Craft Coffee focuses on the issues—cost, time, taste, and accessibility—that home coffee brewers negotiate and shows that no matter where you are in your coffee journey, you can make a great cup at home.
This comprehensive but accessible handbook is for the average coffee lover who wants to make better coffee at home. Unlike other coffee books, this one focuses exclusively on coffee—not espresso—and explores multiple pour-over, immersion, and cold-brew techniques on 10 different devices.
Thanks to a small but growing number of dedicated farmers, importers, roasters, and baristas, coffee quality is at an all-time high. But for nonprofessionals, achieving café quality at home can seem out of reach. With dozens of equipment options, conflicting information on how to use that equipment, and an industry language that, at times, doesn’t seem made for the rest of us, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
Craft Coffee: A Manual, written by a coffee enthusiast for coffee enthusiasts, is a comprehensive guide to improving your brew at home. The book provides all the information readers need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee—and how to replicate the perfect cup day after day. From the science of extraction and brewing techniques to choosing equipment and deciphering coffee bags, Craft Coffee focuses on the issues—cost, time, taste, and accessibility—that home coffee brewers negotiate and shows that no matter where you are in your coffee journey, you can make a great cup at home.
INTRODUCTION
How to Use This Book
The Many Waves of Coffee
Specialty Coffee versus Craft Coffee
CHAPTER 1: Brewing Basics
Extraction
Strength and Yield
Brew Ratio and Dose
Grind Size and Contact Time
Water
Temperature
Pour
Dialing It In
CHAPTER 2: Choosing Hardware
Full-Immersion versus Pour-Over Brewing Devices
How Do Filters Factor In?
Full-Immersion Devices
Pour-Over Devices
Grinders
Scales
Kettles and Thermometers
Brewing Vessels, Servers, and Thermoses
CHAPTER 3: The Coffee
Beans
Varietals and Cultivars
Origin
Process
Roast
Decaffeination
CHAPTER 4: Buying the Coffee
Where to Find Craft Coffee
Seasonality
Deciphering the Coffee Bag Label
Storage
CHAPTER 5: The Flavor
Acids and (Perceived) Acidity
(Perceived) Sweetness
Bitterness
Mouthfeel
Aroma
How to Assess Flavor
CHAPTER 6: Brewing Methods
The French Press (Press Pot, Coffee Press, or Cafetière)
The AeroPress
The Abid Clever
The Siphon (Vacuum Pot)
The Melitta
The BeeHouse
The Walküre
The Kalita Wave
The Chemex
The Hario V60
APPENDIX: Troubleshooting, Tips, and Tricks
RESOURCES
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
How to Use This Book
The Many Waves of Coffee
Specialty Coffee versus Craft Coffee
CHAPTER 1: Brewing Basics
Extraction
Strength and Yield
Brew Ratio and Dose
Grind Size and Contact Time
Water
Temperature
Pour
Dialing It In
CHAPTER 2: Choosing Hardware
Full-Immersion versus Pour-Over Brewing Devices
How Do Filters Factor In?
Full-Immersion Devices
Pour-Over Devices
Grinders
Scales
Kettles and Thermometers
Brewing Vessels, Servers, and Thermoses
CHAPTER 3: The Coffee
Beans
Varietals and Cultivars
Origin
Process
Roast
Decaffeination
CHAPTER 4: Buying the Coffee
Where to Find Craft Coffee
Seasonality
Deciphering the Coffee Bag Label
Storage
CHAPTER 5: The Flavor
Acids and (Perceived) Acidity
(Perceived) Sweetness
Bitterness
Mouthfeel
Aroma
How to Assess Flavor
CHAPTER 6: Brewing Methods
The French Press (Press Pot, Coffee Press, or Cafetière)
The AeroPress
The Abid Clever
The Siphon (Vacuum Pot)
The Melitta
The BeeHouse
The Walküre
The Kalita Wave
The Chemex
The Hario V60
APPENDIX: Troubleshooting, Tips, and Tricks
RESOURCES
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Jessica Easto received a degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee and an MFA in creative writing from Southern Illinois University. She works as a book editor. Her writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Gapers Block, Psyche magazine, Fresh Cup, and more. For more coffee content, follow @craftcoffee_amanual on Instagram.
Andreas Willhoff has been a part of the Chicago coffee industry for more than a decade. He's worked the floor as a barista, managed coffee shops, directed wholesale training for a roaster, and more. He is currently a technical specialist at Rancilio, an espresso machine company.
Praise for Craft Coffee: A Manual:
“Provides all the information budding javaphiles need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee—and how to replicate the perfect cup at home.” —Food Network
“Build a better brew by mastering 10 manual methods, from French Press to Chemex, with this comprehensive guide.” —Imbibe Magazine
“Like the coffee bean, Jessica Easto’s book . . . dives deep and reaches wide as it teaches consumers how to improve their daily cup.“ —Chicago Tribune
“Engaging and fun . . . . I really can’t recommend Craft Coffee: A Manual enough. If you’re even mildly curious about brewing coffee at home, it’s absolutely worth a read.” —BuzzFeed
“Easto’s manual for coffee enthusiasts goes beyond mere brew guide to pull back the curtain on the bean itself, coffee processing and roasting, and industry jargon—we’re on to you, tattooed barista. . . . Easto offers a thorough overview of coffee that is never elitist in tone, emphasizing that individual taste should always be one’s guide. . . . Clearly written and comprehensive, this book belongs in every home barista’s tool kit.” —Booklist, starred review
“Craft Coffee is a beautifully written guide to improving your home coffee no matter what your brew method or current coffee setup. . . . If this book doesn’t make your brew better, then I’m coming over to your house every morning, because your coffee is already top notch.” —Sprudge
“Eliminates the intimidation factor from manual brewing. . . . This guide offers value for new cafés or novice baristas, as well as the casual consumer.” —Fresh Cup Magazine
“If you’re ready to learn more about perfecting your morning cup, this is a great place to start.” —Wired
“There’s nothing quite like home brewing for sheer satisfaction. This book will help brewers to finesse their technique and select the best equipment.” —Perfect Daily Grind
“The small hardcover includes recipes and simply explains how to use equipment and produce tastier coffees.” —Eater Chicago
“A well-rounded presentation of coffee basics in an easily digestible format. From helping readers understand the origins of coffee and how it’s processed, to deciphering the vast array of available brewing methods and how to use them, Jessica and Andreas have put together an engaging resource that holds value for home brewers and professionals alike. Full of wonderful illustrations, convenient tables, and helpful sidebars, this is a coffee book well worth poring over.” —Ellie Bradley, editor, Fresh Cup Magazine
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