A Good Batch.

Just as human culture advances with the assistance of some handy scientific endeavors, so too does coffee culture! Last time we talked about that space-age device, the AeroPress. But today we will talk about another scientific method for coffee; batch brewing! 

But what exactly is batch brewing you ask? Batch brewing is often understood as mechanization, an improvement upon, development, and/or evolution of the filter pour-over method of making coffee. While pour-over coffee requires a barista and their keen kettle to brew some amazing coffee by hand, the batch brewing method takes out the human element (and thus the margin for human error as well as minimizing brewing time) to make consistent, superb, and delectable coffee with the help of brewing machines. 

Batch brewing machines can vary widely, many of them based on design style and volume of brewing available. For example, some machines are very modern and automated, allowing one to pretty much just set in the specifics and let the machine do the work. Others have some more retro charms and may require a little bit more hands-on activity. The machines will also differ in terms of their brewing volume. 

For example, some machines can brew a ton of coffee at a time for larger crowds of coffee lovers, while other machines keep it to a minimum. Both of these varieties and everything in between has their pros and cons. 

Larger brewing volumes can serve more coffee lovers, but may also lead to more wasted coffee in the chance business is slow that day. Smaller brewers allow a bit more leeway but may require a barista or cafe to invest in multiple machines to capture as many different beans and styles as possible. But regardless of the brewing device and its size and volume, it is in essence a machine that disperses water in pre-set or programmed bursts. This way it emulates the intermittent pouring that a barista would administer themself while preparing a pour-over coffee. 

What you will need:

• Your chosen brewing device
• Filtered or purified water
• Your chosen decaf coffee beans (or regular beans if you'd prefer)
• Grinder 
• Coffee filters

A quick note on recipes and dialing it in.

A cool thing about batch brewing is that there are scores of recipes out there. The most fun way is of course to develop your own by dialing in your machine to get the variables just right. What do we mean? We mean experimenting with timing, water to decaf coffee ratios, grind sizes, and any other variants that could influence the brewing time, process, or final taste of your decaf coffee.

Step 1
Rinse your paper filter and place it in your coffee bed. 

Step 2
Grind your decaf coffee beans. As a general rule of thumb, a grind size appropriate for pour-over will be fine for batch brewing as well.

Step 3
Add your water to your machine and start your brewing! Check up on your brew and give the coffee and water mix a stir if you’d like. The stirring can help to make sure all your grinds are being completely infused. Also, be sure to check if your filter and basket are level. An unlevel basket will lead to an uneven and thus over or under-extracted brew!

Step 4
Give your batch brew a try, adjust your machine accordingly if your final brew leaves anything to be desired!

No match for a good batch

Batch brewing is a great way to maximize time and minimizing your margin for error while also getting the most out of your standard pour-over style coffee. Give this method of decaf coffee preparation a try if you are seeking an expedient and novel means of pour-over coffee.