The Recipe:
Put three Paragon chilling rocks in Pyrex beaker
RDT, then add 18g coffee to Comandante
Grind at 27 clicks (810 micron)
Add coffee to Aeropress (inverted method)
Rinse 2 Sibarist FAST filters in filter cap, sitting in cupping bowl
Quickly pour 110ml of water at 198°F in the Aeropress
Stir for 15 seconds (with glass stirring stick)
Add cap to Aeropress, set to side
Put beaker with chilling rocks on scale and tare
Pour water in service bowl to preheat
Press excess air out of Aeropress
Take beaker off of the scale
At 1:30 minutes, flip and press over chilling rocks for 20 seconds
Place beaker back on scale, concentrate should be about 85ml
Remove chilling rocks
Tare scale and add 90ml of water at 198°F
Swirl solution in beaker, dump water from service bowl
Pour solution in cupping bowl, taste, bypass further (if needed)
TDS should be 1.35
Serve at 125-130°F
The Coffee:
The competition coffee used in this recipe was the Brazil Rancho Grande Anaerobic Natural, roasted by Onyx Coffee Lab. Onyx transparency report indicated the varietal as yellow bourbon, the cupping score as 86.75, and the agtron value as 76. Cupping notes were cherry, 70% dark chocolate, citrus, and juicy. Personal notes during evaluation of the practice coffee indicated a large percentage of broken beans and shards, inconsistency in color, uniformity in varietal, an agtron value of 71, and cupping notes of dark chocolate, black cherry, citrus, and green apple. The full dose of coffee used in this recipe was 18g, added all at once to the Aeropress.
The Water:
Water used in this recipe was one gallon of deionized and ozonated water, paired with a 50% dose of Third Wave Water's medium roast profile. The coffee's funky acidity was by far the hardest characteristic to tame, while still maintaining clarity and sweetness. Understanding the medium roast profile as having a slightly larger buffer than the light roast profile, it was determined that a half dose of the medium profile would reduce acidity and increase sweetness. This water solution appeared to interact with the coffee best, at a temperature of 198°F. The coffee expressed heavier, more acidic characteristics, when water at temperatures higher than 200°F were used.
The Grind:
Using sensory skills and quantitative measures, 27 clicks on the Comandante C40 Nitro Blade MK4 produced the cleanest, sweetest, and most balanced cup, highlighting dark chocolate, cherry, citrus, and what I perceived to be green apple (which was debated to be a malic acid identifier or simply another cupping note). While coarse grind choices are often used in WAC recipes, the 90ml bypass used in conjunction with the 85ml concentrate worked consistently, often requiring no further bypass after pouring. On a few occasions, another 5ml-10ml was added to further dilute the solution. The TDS found to work best in this recipe was 1.3-1.35.
The Chilling Rocks:
Nucleus Paragon chilling rocks were used during the extraction of the concentrate, which was created using 18g of Brazil Rancho Grande Anaerobic Natural and 110ml of a water solution heated to 198°F. The concentrate was pressed over three chilling rocks, for a total of 20 seconds. The chilling rocks were used for two reasons: smoother mouthfeel and retention of volatile compounds. Understanding the later bypass may mute the characteristics of this cup, capturing volatile compounds during the development of a concentrate was crucial. When this concentrate was bypassed with 90ml of water at 198°F, the serving temperature was around 130°F.
The Filters:
Two Sibarist FAST filters were used in order to enhance extraction, while also producing a clean and silky cup. Use of these filters lead to a reduction in resistance when plunging, leading to a smooth and even press. These filters were pre-rinsed in the filter cap, prior to securing the cap to the Aeropress. This was primarily done so that the filters would stick together and to the cap, not so much for removing any flavors from the filters that would impact the cup.
The Scale:
The decision to use the Acaia Pearl S was made a week prior to competing, due to Acaia rejecting my sponsorship application, but giving me a competitor discount. Their reputation for reliability and consistency was the driving factor in my decision to reach out to them. While other scales were used in recipe development, accurate time and weight readings were too important a concern to overlook.