What do you know about brewing coffee? As someone who uses the phrase “I need coffee in an IV” more often than not, Coffee is my elixir on all kinds of days. I am Lolerai Gilmore at heart when it comes to coffee. From being a Nescafé-instant coffee- milk coffee kind of consumer to becoming a perfect brew-medium dark roast-less milk consumer, I can tell you with conviction that I never thought this day would come.
Popular Types Of Manual Brewing:
- Channi
- French Press
- Pour Over
- Aero Press
- Syphon
Channi is the easiest with the least amount of equipment commitment and is low maintenance. It is easily accessible and cheap but for a coffee perfectionist, it may not be the first choice since a brewed cup usually has slight grounds in them. A channi is best recommended for beginners who are just beginning to step into the world of manual brewing and appreciate an Indian-style filter coffee that is strong and bold yet easy to make.
A French Press is the fancier Channi without the grounds in a brewed cup. It follows a fairing simple method with an easier filter method, high quality and the use of a replaceable metal mesh. Usually, a French press brewed cup of coffee bubbles because of the carbon dioxide and is brewed in circles. Fun fact is that a French press can be versatile since you can also froth your milk for a creamy cup of coffee. A French press cup of coffee is often recommended to people who have a preference for a heavier, textured cup of coffee since the taste profile is usually rich with more oils and darker flavour.
I’m sure you’ve heard coffee fanatics rave about pour overs and trust me it’s worth the hype. It is a manual drip using a cone-shaped filter (often called a V60). Water is poured in circles over the filter with the coffee grounds, allowing the coffee flavour to slowly drip through the filter paper. The taste profile is rather clean, crisp and nuanced with a larger focus on the aroma and flavour clarity. Hence, it is also ideal for single-origin beans to give you a good brew.
Aero Press, on the other hand, is a pressure-based coffee extraction tool that uses a plunger. The coffee is steeped for about 1 – 2 minutes and then pushed through a paper or metal filter using gentle air pressure. It brews a strong and smooth cup with a clean finish, fitting somewhere between an espresso and a pour over. It’s beneficial, especially for travelers or those who prefer a fast yet versatile brew with minimal equipment. I’ve often seen aero AeroPress being brewed at hike tops and unconventional places like near waterfalls or amongst nature.
The Syphon, also known as the vacuum pot, as the name suggests, uses vacuum pressure and immersion using heat to brew that perfect cup of coffee. Since this is an equipment-heavy method of brewing a cup, it’s not seen as often. Coffee enthusiasts who particularly enjoy a visually engaging and very precise brewing method love a Syphon. Water in its bottom chamber is heating, leading it to rise to the upper chamber to mix with the coffee. After steeping, it’s pulled through a filter to bring a clean. Aromatic, somewhat tea-like brewed cup with a scientific flair since the equipment looks no less than some scientific tool.
So how do you decide what kind of coffee brewing technique you like? The best way is to keep trying different types of coffee and experiment with brewing at home. You could even start small by investing in a brewing tool that isn’t too equipment-heavy—something easy to use but still gives you a great cup like the Channi. Workshops are a fun way to learn, too, like the one we had with HER Campus and Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters at FLAME University. Remember: do not underestimate the power of a good conversation—talk to coffee enthusiasts or even tune into some coffee podcasts to pick up tips and discover what you enjoy most.