There are many different ways to brew coffee, each with its own unique flavor. At Mighty Good we enjoy brewing a variety of ways, from the classic Hario V60 pour over to Chemex, French press, Aeropress, and even Siphon.
We’ll focus here on three basic and popular methods that range from the cleanest to the most full bodied. As long as you have a kettle, a kitchen scale, and some of our delicious coffee, you're ready to brew.
At Mighty Good, we use 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. Weighing your coffee, and then weighing the water as you pour, is the most accurate way to brew a consistent cup. As a rough estimate, that's about 2 tbsp. of coffee for 6 oz. of water.
Using freshly ground beans, filtered water just off the boil, and any of the below methods, will give you the best possible cup of coffee.
Japanese Iced Coffee
For a refreshing summer treat, here’s a favorite recipe for the Japanese style iced coffee. Lighter roasts, like the Guatemala or Brazil mentioned above work well for this method. In short, you are brewing over ice, replacing cubes for part of the water you would normally use. This method is for a single 20 oz. cup using a Hario style dripper, but you can modify for a full pot too:
Start with 32 grams of freshly coffee, ground on a normal “drip” setting is fine.
Place 210 grams of ice in your large glass, or ~7-9 large ice cubes.
Place the coffee in your filter and slowly pour ~75 grams of water over the grounds making sure they’re fully saturated. Slowly add another 175 grams of water and let it fully filter through.
Remove the filter and add 4-5 more ice cubes to the glass and enjoy!
If you want to add sugar, it’s easiest to do so during the brewing so it will fully dissolve and blend more easily.
Cold Brew Concentrate Recipes
Our cold brew concentrate can be used for many different kinds of coffee drinks. The first is a straight up iced coffee
Basic: In a 16 oz. glass, pour 1/3 Mighty Good Cold Brew Concentrate. Fill the glass with ice, mostly to the top. Add cold water, stir and enjoy.
Creamy: In a 16 oz. glass, pour 1/3 Mighty Good Cold Brew Concentrate. Add 1/3 cup of ice and add cold milk.
Decadent:: In a 16 oz. glass, pour 1/3 Mighty Good Cold Brew Concentrate. Add 1/3 cup of ice and add Calder Dairy chocolate milk.
Hario V-60
This is one of the most simple ways to brew an individual cup of coffee at home; its simplicity allows the coffee's nuances and flavors to shine through.
DOSAGE (COFFEE : WATER) 22 grams : 350 grams, or 28 grams : 450 grams
Start with fresh cold water. Bring to a boil in your kettle of stove top.
Grind your coffee on the drip setting, or medium/fine. If you don’t have a scale, start with 2 tablespoons for each 6 oz. of water.
Place the filter in the filter holder, place over your cup and rinse the filter with hot water. Discard the water from your cup.
Put the ground coffee in the filter,making sure the coffee is even and flat in the cone. Start your timer and pour a small amount of hot water (30-50g) over the grounds to fully saturate them.
After 30 seconds, add water in 50-75g increments to fill the filter in a circular motion to ensure that all the grounds are fully saturated. We use a total of 350 grams of water for 12 oz. and 450 grams for a 16 oz.
Once the timer reaches two minutes (three for a 16 oz) and the desired total water weight has been reached, let the water drain. This should take about 30-45 seconds.
Your perfectly brewed coffee is now ready to drink. Enjoy!
Chemex
The Chemex brewing system is a simple, versatile, and time-tested way to make exceptional coffee at home. The very fine paper filter results in a pure and clean cup of coffee, making the Chemex an ideal way to brew our Black Label line of limited offerings. The best result is achieved by brewing on top of a small kitchen scale, allowing for increased accuracy and consistency.
DOSAGE (COFFEE : WATER) – 44 grams : 700 grams
Use fresh cold water and bring to a boil in your kettle or stove top.
Weigh the coffee beans and grind them.
Hold filter so that the four open edges face upwards; separate the layers so that the filter opens with three layers to one side and one layer to the other side; place opened filter in the top of the Chemex cone so that the three-layered side of the filter is along the pouring spout.
Rinse the filter with hot water to remove any paper taste from the filter as well as to heat the Chemex; pour out rinse water.
Place ground coffee in filter and shake to settle so that the grounds lie flat; set Chemex on scale; turn on and zero scale.
With a spoon, create a small divot in the center of the grounds.
Start timer and begin pouring water (50g) into the divot and then outwards to wet the rest of the grounds to start the bloom; allow to bloom for 30 seconds.
At 30 seconds, begin slowly adding water, in intervals, with a circular pour, making sure to avoid pouring onto the sides of the filter, until the scale reads 700 grams [dosing should be completed around 3.5 minutes].
Once the desired weight is reached, allow coffee to drain into the bottom of the Chemex until the drip has slowed considerably and there is no standing water on the grounds [final brew time should be about 4.5 minutes].
Carefully lift out filter and throw away; place lid on Chemex to retain heat; serve with preheated cup(s).
AEROPRESS
The AeroPress has become ever more popular in recent years–its durability and lightness makes it ideal for traveling or camping, and its simplicity means it can be mastered quickly. On the other hand, there are almost infinite variables and therefore almost infinite recipes.
Below is Mighty Good's standard Inverted method.
DOSAGE (COFFEE : WATER) – 20 grams : full AeroPress (adjust to your taste)
Use fresh cold water and bring to a boil in your kettle or stove top.
Weigh the coffee beans and grind them medium-fine.
Set up AeroPress for inverted method by placing plunger into the bottom of the brew chamber; align the edge of the rubber plunger with the bottom of the number 4 circle on the brew tube; flip the AeroPress and set on the counter with the open, so that the flared end of the brew tube facing upwards.
Using the supplied AeroPress funnel, pour ground coffee into the brew chamber; shake lightly to settle grounds evenly at the bottom of the chamber; remove funnel.
Start timer; begin slowly pouring a small amount of water into the brew chamber to evenly wet the grounds; water level should not exceed the number 3 circle on the brew tube.
At 15 seconds, stir down the bloom using the supplied AeroPress paddle.
Slowly but continually add water to the brew chamber, wetting as much of the grounds as possible, to bring the water level to the top of the brew chamber.
While the coffee steeps, place a paper filter in the cap and carefully rinse with hot water.
When the timer reaches 1 minute, carefully stir the coffee grounds at the top of the brew chamber; screw cap with filter onto the top of the brew tube; carefully and quickly invert AeroPress onto a preheated mug.
Apply steady pressure to the top of the plunger, slowly pressing the coffee out of the brew chamber; continue pressing until all of the coffee has been expelled and you can press no further; the complete pressing should take between 15 – 20 seconds.
Lift AeroPress from the cup and serve. (Before cleaning, unscrew cap and fully depress plunger to eject spent grounds from the brew chamber.)
French Press
French Press coffee is a unique brewing method that yields a very full and rich cup of coffee. The intent of a French press is to brew only what you and your guests will drink immediately. Coffee that is left in the press for longer periods of time will not only cool down, but continue to extract coffee into the liquid and that just might not taste too good.
A timer of some sort is really helpful in brewing a French press.
DOSAGE (COFFEE : WATER) – 60 grams : 1000 grams
Start with fresh, filtered, cold water and bring it to boil in a kettle or stove top.
Grind your coffee just before brewing on the coarsest setting.
Use 60 grams of coffee for a 32 oz. press. (Or measure 1 tablespoon of ground coffee into the press for each oz. of water.)
Let the water cool down from a boil approximately 30 seconds.
Set the timer for 4 minutes, then pour water over the grounds evenly so the are fully saturated. Leave enough room for the lid.
Start the timer. After 1 minute, gently stir the coffee. You may need to add a bit more water at this time.
Place the top of the press on top of the carafe to retain heat.
After a total of 4 minutes, gently press the coffee to the bottom of the pot. You don’t need to force it.
Pour your coffee and enjoy.