Coffee

At first glance, extraction may sound like some fancy piece of professional jargon that only baristas truly comprehend. FALSE. If coffee is your jam, whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been in the caffeination game for years, understanding the ins and outs of extraction is invaluable in achieving the ideal cup of coffee.

When we say extraction, we’re talking about the process of dissolving ground coffee in hot water. All that dissolved stuff creates the flavors that constitute the profile of your finished brew, and there are a whole bunch of contributing factors that can affect that profile. To learn how to harness the powers of extraction to produce a well-extracted cup, read on.

REQUISITE EQUIPMENT

• Chemex
• Chemex Paper Filters 
• Scale 
• Timer 
• Goose-Neck Kettle
• Spoon (optional)
• Coffee (Recommended Single-Origin Peru)

Little known fact: the clever dripper is one of the most magical of all brewing apparatuses, plus it's quick and makes a great cup of coffee. Our resident caffeine magi, Courtney, is going to show us how harness the powers of the Clever for this next installment (peep the full IGTV episode via @moderntimescoffee).

Courtney returns to enlighten us on the French Press. Watch the full video via IGTV (@moderntimescoffee).

Our resident master of caffeination is back at it again, and for the next episode in this series of at-home deliciousness, she's giving us the rundown on brewing with a v60. You can scope the step-by-step recipe below, and keep your eyes peeled for the IGTV via @moderntimescoffee (no, your eyes do not deceive you; we finally got our handle back).

ATTN: COMRADES IN CAFFEINATION!

We are supremely stoked to be rolling out the virtual red carpet for our rad new series of brew-at-home features. For those of you who have been sorely missing the cafe, we totally get it, which is why we decided to present this quarantine-friendly alternative to getting your daily dose of really, really tasty coffee.

To kick things off, Courtney (one of our resident coffee ninjas, former barista, current roaster, and all-around badass) will be breaking it down, Aeropress-style.

...and totally worth the wait.

Despite the utter insanity of 2020, it’s been a banner year for our coffee program, which has smashed existing records for previous years while simultaneously producing some of the most exceptionally tasty coffee we’ve ever roasted. One of the primary drivers of this wildly successful, caffeinated party-train has been Tessie Warnecke, who we’re thrilled to introduce as the new Program Manager for Modern Times Coffee. Tessie’s wealth of industry experience is matched by her passion for creating great coffees that are not only world class, but ethically sourced from seed to cup. She brings a tremendous skillset, a refreshing lack of pretense, and a focus on fostering both internal and external relationships to MT Coffee.

Here’s a cool thing: as far as I can tell, we’ll be the second brewery in the country to roast our own coffee (the first appears to be Two Brothers in Chicago).

That little fire engine red machine is an Ambex YM-2, an introductory-level roaster than can handle a beastly 5 lbs of green coffee at a time. It’s far from the fanciest roaster you can buy, but I found it on Craigslist and the price was right.