Brewing coffee in Slowpresso
How to make coffee in Slowpresso – pour-over coffee set
Step-by-step brewing, grinding method and other tips
Slowpresso is a ceramic pour-over coffee set. It consists of three parts: a strainer, a jug and a lid (which also acts as a saucer). The whole is complemented by small paper filters in the shape of discs.
In Slowpresso you can brew very strong, essential and tasty coffee. This is ensured by the shape and proportions of the device, and the method, the first principle of which is no rush .
Read the instructions to learn how to use the kit.
- Pour boiling water over the paper filter
- Pour the ground coffee into the strainer
- Slowly pour hot water over the coffee
- After about 5 minutes the coffee is ready
Brewing step by step
- Prepare the coffee. For one portion of thick slow presso you need 12-18 g of coffee, which is 2-3 heaped teaspoons. If you want to prepare a double portion, pour in 24 g of coffee - this is how much will fit in the narrow part of the sieve.
- Place a paper filter in the strainer and pour boiling water over it.
The filter will stick to the strainer and prevent the grounds from passing through. The boiling water will heat up the jug and wash out the taste of the paper. Don't forget to pour the water out of the jug.
- Grind the coffee finely or medium, or use ready-ground coffee.
Remember: the finer the coffee is ground, the longer the brewing time and the stronger the infusion. For more information, see the section “How to grind coffee for Slowpresso” below.
- Pour ground coffee into a strainer.
It should fit in its narrow part. Do not crush. You can shake the sieve slightly so that the coffee is evenly distributed.
- Prepare the water for brewing.
For finely ground coffee (and ready-made ground coffee), you need about 50 ml of water for every 12 g of coffee. For a coarser grind, use more water. The water should be hot, but not boiling. Boil it and wait for the temperature to drop to 80°C-95°C. You can also cool the water by pouring it into a smaller container.
- Start brewing by moistening the coffee with a small amount of water.
This is an important step because it affects the taste of the coffee. The entire surface of the coffee should be moist.
- Pour hot water over the coffee.
Pour the water slowly, in a gentle stream. You can pour it down the side of the strainer, not directly onto the surface of the coffee.
- Once poured, put the lid on.
Brewing should take from 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the amount of coffee and its grind, as well as the amount of water.
- The coffee is ready when there is no more water in the strainer. Pour the extract into cups. Enjoy a strong, thick slow presso, or add hot milk or water. Drink the coffee you like.
The brewing method shown here is just one of the methods of preparing coffee in Slowpresso. This way you will brew thick, aromatic coffee (with a lot of body / full body).
You can also brew completely differently, experiment and look for your favorite flavor. Do you use Slowpresso completely differently than we do? Share your discovery, write to us .
Want your coffee to be even better?
Follow our tips:
How to grind coffee for Slowpresso
As a starting point, we recommend a medium or medium-fine grind, similar to (or slightly coarser than) the grind used in a coffee maker, the so-called Italian moka pot.
This is a slightly coarser grind than for espresso machines but finer than for typical pour-over methods. The coffee should resemble quite fine sand. For users of the Commandante grinder, we recommend a range of 20-24 clicks to start.
Most store-bought coffees can be brewed in Slowpresso. They are usually ground quite finely, which means that the brewing time is at the upper end of our range, but we get the effect of a very full-bodied, "Italian" essence (a small coffee with a high density).
We recommend using burr grinders, manual or electric. If you use a knife grinder (also called a blade or impact grinder), a large amount of coffee dust can effectively slow down the flow of water and negatively affect the taste of the coffee.
The optimal grind depends on the type of coffee, our taste and the amount of water used, so it is worth experimenting. You can use the entire range of grinding degrees - from fine (for an espresso machine) to coarse, intended for pour-over methods (18-26 clicks). You will get different effects than the " classic slow presso ", but maybe you will like them. Just remember to adjust the amount of water to the grinding method. The general rule is: the coarser the coffee is ground, the more water. And vice versa - for fine grinding, reduce the amount of water.
The only exception to the universality of Slowpresso is for "fine-ground" coffees intended for brewing in a pot (Middle Eastern coffees) and some very finely ground espresso coffees. If you pour in a full sieve of such coffee, it can "clog" the sieve and the brewing will stop or take too long. If you have such coffee, try adding less of it or gently stirring the coffee with a spoon during brewing. These actions do not necessarily solve the problem. In this case, change the coffee.
How many servings of coffee can be made in one Slowpresso?
The short answer is one double or two standard shots of coffee. You could say it's the equivalent of a single or double shot of espresso.
From a full sieve (24 g or 4 heaped teaspoons) you can get 40-80 ml of thick coffee extract during one brewing. You can make up to 500 ml of coffee (2 standard cups) based on it. Whether you make one or two coffees in Slowpresso will depend on your preferences. There are people who brew coffee in Slowpresso just for themselves at one time, but also those who share the prepared infusion between up to 4 people.
If you drink "large coffee", remember that the best way to prepare it in Slowpresso is to make a thick essence and add hot water or milk. If you pour too much water into the strainer, the taste of the coffee will suffer, and you will have to wait for it for up to several minutes.
Water to coffee ratio
Slowpresso is brewed with a very small amount of water in relation to the coffee. This allows for the characteristic density, fattiness of the infusion. In order to prepare a larger amount of tasty coffee, it is better to mix a thick extract with hot water than to pour additional water into the strainer.
Initially, we recommend using four times the amount of water in relation to coffee, i.e. approximately 100 ml of water per 24 g (the lower part of the strainer filled with coffee).
Brewing with 3 times the amount of water will give the effect of the most dense, viscous extract with great sweetness and rich flavor. We recommend this to people looking for the best in coffee.
Brewing 5 times gives coffee with less body, but also the risk of extracting worse flavors from it. In order not to waste beans, and at the same time to taste the sweetness of brewing with a small amount of water, we recommend brewing in two rounds (immediately after each other), first with 3 times the amount and immediately afterwards with 2 times.