How To Be A Barista: Manual Coffee Brewing

As a part of your online barista training, you want to learn how to brew a delicious cup of coffee with a commercial espresso machine. However, besides the espresso machine, there are many ways to brew coffee. Almost all alternative coffee brewing methods are done manually. Many coffee lovers prefer the manual coffee brewing method over espresso because it reveals a different coffee beans character.

The main difference between manual brewing and espresso machine brewing is how water is delivered to brew the coffee. In manual brewing, you don’t use hot pressurized water to extract your coffee.

Also, for manual coffee brewing, you use a bulk coffee grinder. It doesn’t have a storage hopper, and you can grind as much coffee as you need right into the paper filter. Before brewing, you want to pour some hot water on the paper filter to wash away the paper taste.

The ideal coffee to water ratio is 60 g of coffee per 1 liter of water. The longer you brew your coffee, the coarser the grind should be. The best coffee brew time is around 4-6 minutes. After you brew your coffee, you can store it for 45 min to 1 hour. The optimum temperature of the water is 195 to 205 F.

When you brew your coffee manually, always keep in mind other variables:

• the amount of water going in the pot
• how much coffee you need to grind,
• coffee grind size
• coffee extraction time.

While you are learning how to be a barista, you should know the basic manual brewing methods: a pour-over method, French press, and batch brewing.

Pour-over brewing method

Pour-over coffee is any coffee brewed by pouring hot water on top of the coffee grounds (Chemex, Hario, Kalita Vawe, etc.).

First, rinse your paper filter with hot water to prevent any paper taste in the cup. Swirl hot water in your brewing device a couple of times to slightly heat the glass. Weigh the amount of coffee you need, grind it, and put it in the filter.

Start “blooming” your coffee by pouring a small amount of hot water onto the coffee grounds. Stop when the coffee is saturated. Wait for roughly 30 seconds to allow the carbon dioxide to escape. Continue pouring hot water evenly until you reach the desired coffee to water ratio. Leave the filter until the water fully drips through the coffee. Remove the filter, and your coffee is ready to be served.

Moka Pot Brewing

A Moka pot was invented in Italy at the beginning of the 19th century. And it's still a trendy device to brew coffee at home. For a Moka pot brewing, use a coarser grind than you would use for a pour-over. Fill the filter basket with coffee grounds and level the surface. Fill the pot's bottom chamber with hot water, insert the filter basket with coffee on top. Assemble two chambers of the pot and place it on the heat. Heat forces the water from the bottom to the top chamber. When the gurgling sound stops, turn off the heat and serve your coffee.

 French Press

For the French press, you use the coarsest grind. You chose the coarsest grind because, with this method, the coffee stays in contact with water the longest. In the French press method, coffee grounds and water are mixed all the time.

You want to start by weighing and grinding your coffee. Fill the French press with the grounds and start pouring hot water, leaving an inch of room from the top.

After 1 minute, you can use a spoon to stir and sink in the crust on the surface of the water. Put the lid on and leave your coffee to saturate for 4-6 minutes. Pour coffee into a cup and enjoy.

Batch Brewing

In your barista career, you will have to brew big amounts of coffee. Batch brewing is a brewing method where you want to brew multiple drinks at once. The coffee is brewed by big-batch brewers. As a good barista, you want to add the correct coffee dose at the correct grind and set the correct filter for perfect brewing.

Remember that the best coffee to water ratio is 60 g of coffee per 1 liter of water.

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