One cup from a small shop in Philly fixed my pour-over habit

Tbh, I've been doing pour-overs at home for like 5 years, but last month I stopped at this tiny place called Brew & Bun on 9th Street. The barista, an older guy named Carlos, watched me order a black single-origin and just said, 'You're grinding too fine, huh?' He showed me his catch: he uses a coarser grind and pours in three slow circles instead of my two fast ones. My first sip had this sweetness I never got before, no bitterness at all. Since then I switched my grind setting from 12 to 16 on my cheap grinder and cut my pour time down by 40 seconds. Has anyone else had a stranger nail your exact problem just by watching you order?

2 comments

2 Comments

val94917d ago

Trust Carlos, he knows what he's doing. That coarser grind trick fixed my morning routine too, and it took some random dude at a farmer's market to show me. I was so stuck on my way that I never thought to change anything. Now I've got a little notebook with my pour times and grind numbers, like some kind of coffee nerd. Best mistake I ever made was ordering a cup instead of just walking past.

ryan36916d ago

That "coarse grind trick fixed my morning routine" line hit me hard. I had the exact opposite thing happen at a coffee stand in a hardware store parking lot. Lady running it took one look at my coffee and said my water was too hot, which I never even considered because I always just boiled it on the stove. She had me wait a full two minutes after the boil before pouring, and man, that changed everything. Now I keep a thermometer in my kettle and check it like a weirdo, but honestly, the smoother taste is worth the extra step. It is funny how a total stranger can see a habit you have been stuck in for years with just one glance.