Why is Brewing By the Cup Better Than Bulk Brewing?

Brewing by the cup is an important way to allow the customers to experience a wide variety of coffee from different origins.  This is the preferred method of making coffee for Ugly Mug

Why is. “ By the Cup Brewing Better” than bulk brewing.

1. Saturation of Grounds
   1. Saturation of the grounds is the most important part of brewing consistent coffee.
   2. In all other commercial machine brewing methods, the water is dumped on the coffee grounds randomly, with no guarantee of even saturation of the grounds.
   3. With the Pour Over method, water saturation is controlled by pouring the water of the grounds evenly thus creating a consistent extraction of the coffee
   4. Failure to saturate the grounds evenly will product an aftertaste
2. Temperature
   1. The temperature of the water controls the amount of solids produced vs the time of the brew; therefore it is essential the water temperature be 200 to 202 degrees when brewing- Ugly mug Kettles have been calibrated to produce the proper temperature
   2. Other Brew Systems- have inconsistent water temperatures which affect brew
      1. Percolators boil the water at 212 - which scorch the coffee
      2. Home brewers typically keep water at 190 to 200 which is too low
   3. Time
      1. Time of the extraction is very important since the longer the time the water is on the ground the more extraction the grind will have. With higher extraction you will get more impurities in the brew
      2. Time is controlled in a pourer buy limited the exposure of the coffee ground to hot water
      3. Pour methods are indicated in each type below
   4. Grind
      1. Grind is important because it needs to be specifically tailored to the brew method
      2. Grind size
         1. Large Grind- you should brew slow method
         2. Fine Grind - should use fast method
      3. Grind problems-
         1. If the grind is too fine then you will over extract the coffee and extract too many impurities
         2. Too large a grind and too fast a brew will make for a weak underdeveloped brew
      4. ALL OF THE ABOVE
         1. All of the factors above used together yield extraction
         2. The ideal extraction rate is 18%
            1. This means that the ideal coffee will only extract 18% of the solids in the coffee
            2. At this rate you will get a full flavored brew with a smooth finish
         3. If extraction rate is too high the coffee will have a bitter, ashy , sometimes chalky taste with a bite on the finish
         4. TDS Meter
            1. At ugly Mug we use a TDS meter in conjunction with “Coffee Tools” app to set all of the equipment extraction rates.
         5. Ugly Mug practices standards for a pourer as set by the SCAA. The SCAA Guidelines for Brewing with a Two Cup Pour Over are as follows