From French Press to Espresso, These Coffee Recipes Will Diversify Your Taste Palate
Written By: Gaby Garcia
Photographed By: Ed Visions Coffee Techniques
What’s the one thing you can’t live without? For caffeine lovers, that’s an easy answer: it’s coffee. This glorious morning indulgence is gratifying on many levels—encompassing both spiritual and physiological—and when done right, can set the tone for a perfect day ahead.
Enter the specialists at Common Room Roasters. With roots in Melbourne, Australia and a new home based in Newport Beach, California, this wholesale specialty coffee roastery offers both single origin and blended coffees from all around the world. Its Newport Beach roastery and café delights coffee connoisseurs with its seasonal contemporary coffee menu, a dedicated barista training lab and cupping room. So, when we set out to learn how to make the perfect cup, we figured who better than Ed Moffatt, Common Room Roasters’ Director, to show us how. Here’s what we learned!
Please remember that no matter what type of coffee you make at home, the keys to success are the same: it’s about the quality of the water and the beans, which must be ground right before brewing, the ratio of coffee to water (start with 15 grams of water to one gram of coffee) and, of course, the process itself.
1 | French Press Coffee Techniques
For this technique, you need the French Press, coarsely ground coffee and water that’s been brought to boil then allowed to sit for one minute. Pro tip: cover the coffee grinds with some of the hot water and allow them to “bloom” for 30 seconds before pouring the full amount of hot water. This full-immersion brew technique takes all the bean has to offer and yields a rich, oily and full-bodied cup.
Native Knowledge: Common Room Roasters received second place in 2017 for America’s Best Espresso.
2 | Aero Press Coffee Techniques
This second, full-immersion technique is perfect for the traveling barista. A lightweight plastic single serve press, which can be stowed in your carry-on, is used to brew the coffee in a similar way to the French Press. Coffee is placed at the bottom of the Aeropress, hot water is poured in (Remember to let it bloom!) and after one minute, the coffee is gently pressed down, resulting in a complete cup of coffee that’s just as delicious as if made at CRR itself!
Native Knowledge: Common Room Roasters Owner Ed Moffatt’s business partner, Jeremy Creighton, makes the shop’s own ceramic cups in their very own potter’s wheel and kiln in the back!
3 | Moccamaster Coffee Techniques
The Ferrari of drip coffee machines, this foolproof device allows you to play with strength and beans and offers consistency and balance. The machine grinds the beans for you before you brew, allowing you to get a magnificent cup every time with minimal investment in time and effort. Sit back and watch as the magic unfolds!
4 | Pour-Over
This method is for the more experienced home brewer and exactly as the name describes, coffee is placed in a cone-shaped filter system that is placed above a cup and hot water is gently poured over the coffee as it slowly drains to the cup below (again start with 15:1 ratio and let bloom). The result is a smooth, honest cup of coffee that’s as mellow as the process of creation. This method creates a cup that is light and delicate, showcasing the true characteristics of each coffee’s origin. Pro tip: Do not add milk to this method.
Native Knowledge: Common Room Roasters’ very own podcast of music to drink coffee to, Beans and Beats, is recorded live on Saturdays at the roastery. Download it on iTunes.
5 | Espresso
For the more intense among us, and those who require a home espresso machine, espresso offers the ultimate coffee experience with its bold, syrupy and concentrated punch. The beans are finely grounded and hot water is shot into the milled powder, yielding a thick, syrupy manna that is not for the faint of taste buds. Pro tip: a side of “bubbles” (sparkling water) will cleanse the palate and take the edge off!
Native Knowledge: Common Room Roasters received second place in 2017 for America’s Best Espresso.
Looking to try your hand at a new at-home brewing technique? Common Room Roasters sells all the equipment you need. They also offer home brewing classes in the roastery on certain weekends!
Common Room Roasters
882 Production Pl
Newport Beach, CA 92663
949.220.7868
