Volcano Coffee - Coffee at home

Coffeeathome

Get a Grinder

This is the biggest single quality breakthrough you can make. You can buy ground coffee but by the time you get around to brewing it, most of the subtle qualities that make coffee wonderful will be long gone.

Buy Locally Roasted Beans

You can look for the roast date to see how fresh they are. Buy regularly, in small quantities and grind them just before brewing. Grind to a degree of fineness that suits your brewing method - fine for an espresso machine, a little less fine for stovetop and French press - trial and error is the best way to figure out exactly the right grind and for espresso it changes depending on the seasons.

You can see the coffee's we're currently roasting and selling here.

Perfect a Brewing Method

The humble French Press is easy and if done right produces a rich, aromatic brew. The one cup Ceramic Filter is quick, produces one of the purest brews and is a nice way to get a clean clear taste. The Stovetop is a bit trickier to perfect but makes a more intense stronger brew. And then there is Espresso, hardest of all to make well consistently, but the most satisfying when you get it right. Pick one of these methods and master it.

Brewing Methods

French Press

1. Preheat the French Press with hot water, pour out when hot.

2. Place course ground (like sand) coffee into the beaker. 60 to 70 grams per litre, adjust to taste.*

3. Bring freshly drawn water to 96°C.

3. Gently pour just enough water to wet the grounds. Allow the coffee to 'bubble' and release the coffee gases.

4. Agitate with a wooden stirrer untill all grounds are saturated. Then add the rest of the water. Steep coffee for four minutes.

5. After Four minutes break the ‘crust’ and allow grounds to sink. Use two deep spoons to remove beige froth from surface.

6. Place lid and press filter gently not to let grinds through the sides. Decant all brewed coffee from french press to a warm heat friendly serving vessel.

* Only brew as much as you expect to consume at the time.

ONE CUP CERAMIC FILTER

1. Place the filter paper in the ceramic cup. Add one heaped tablespoon of medium/filter ground coffee.

2. Bring freshly drawn water to just before boiling point (95 degrees).

3. Gently pour enough water to fill your cup over the grounds (225-285ml).

STOVETOP

1. Fill the lower chamber with freshly drawn water to the safety valve.

2. Fill the filter basket with fine/espresso ground coffee. Gently tap the filter basket to ensure there are no air pockets or gaps. Ensure the basket is full to the rim. Do not compress the grounds.

3. Remove any loose grounds from the outside rim of the basket and tightly screw on the top chamber keeping the pot upright.

4. Place the pot on a medium heat. Do not allow the water to heat too rapidly, or the coffee will be watery and will not have had time to extract the flavours out of the grounds.

5. Reduce the heat to very low if the water starts to boil. When most of the water has left the lower chamber, remove from the heat. Wait for the bubbling to ease before serving.

ESPRESSO

There are so many variables with making a good espresso. The key factors to getting good espresso from a quality espresso machine include: Using high quality fresh coffee; Correctly grinding the coffee with a high grade burr grinder; Correctly packing the accurate amount of coffee into the basket - dosing and tamping; Extracting correctly and keeping the equipment clean, which is a crucial part of insuring consistency in process and product.

To learn more about what equipment to buy and then how to make a great espresso from it, ring or email us here at the roastery and we will happily help you out.