Get on board with the latest NextGen trends in coffee.
Forget filter coffee machines with mediocre ground coffee and espresso-based drinks in franchised coffee shops. It’s time for the yachting industry to embrace a new wave of coffee culture — one that emphasizes better quality coffee sourced from more sustainable coffee farms. We’re talking pour-over and cold brew coffee, of course. Unlike espresso’s more chocolaty rich taste, pour-over and cold brew are based around lighter roasts that bring out the coffee’s sweeter, fruitier notes. Here’s a breakdown of a few of the most popular new-wave brewing methods.
V60
This is the standard and what started a lot of this movement. The name refers to the shape of the device and the angle. A filter paper is placed into the device, then grounds added. The hot water is slowly poured in and drips through into your cup. It provides a clean, crisp taste with a nice finish. Getting it right takes a bit of patience and practice, but cleanup is very easy.
Kalita Wave
Although it is one of the more difficult methods to get right, the flavors that come out of a Kalita brew are, generally speaking, richer, bolder, and fuller-bodied. It is similar to the V60 in that a filter is placed in the Kalita Wave, grounds are placed on top, over which water is then poured, and the brew drips into your cup. The main difference is that the bottom of the Kalita Wave is flat with multiple holes, requiring a slower, more even pour. This is best accomplished with a gooseneck kettle. Filters are hard to find and will probably need to be ordered online.
Aeropress
An easy and quick device that can almost always guarantee a nice cup of coffee. While aficionados have fine-tuned many different methods with the Aeropress, the preference is usually some variation of the inverted method. This involves flipping the Aeropress upside down, placing the freshly ground beans into the canister, topping up with water, letting it steep for two to three minutes, then placing the filter on top and flipping it back over to press into a mug. There is a World Aeropress Championship involving competitors from more than 50 countries every year that is now going into its 14th season.
Cold Brew
Although there are a number of different ways to make cold brew, it can be a very easy and straightforward process — and can bring out some of the strongest flavors in coffee. There are a number of cold brew coffee canisters on the market with metal mesh inserts. Ground coffee is placed in the filter, water is added, then the canister is refrigerated from 12 to 24 hours. The grounds are then removed and the jug is topped up with cold water. The brew is now good for the next 24 to 48 hours. Using a coffee sock, known as a chorreador in Costa Rica, involves an extra step in the cleaning process but will produce a brew with less residual oil.
Nitro Brew
Even though this is not technically a method in and of itself, it does create a nice enjoyable pick-me-up on a hot day. There are many different pressurized canisters on the market these days that use nitrogen or nitrous oxide to create a sweeter, fresher taste and frothy, cascading micro-bubbles of delicious foam. After brewing a batch of cold brew, simply pour it into the canister and place it in the fridge, ready to be served.
Know Your Beans
Selecting a good roast of bean is important, but knowing what flavors you prefer is equally important. Are you wanting to mix your coffee with milk or a milk substitute for a sweeter and creamier taste? If so, you will probably want a darker roast. A lighter roast will provide a fruitier, more acid flavor with a crisp aftertaste.
There are more than 70 different countries in which coffee beans are grown, the most well-known being: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Sumatra. Trying coffee from different areas gives a chance to fine-tune your palate. It is encouraged to try each type with and without milk to pick out the different flavors present.
Cutting-edge coffee tools
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Gooseneck Kettle
When you want the best, go to the experts. This top-of-the-line electric kettle is designed for the optimal pour-over flow. It has loads of extra features, such as a precise, to-the-degree temperature control and a built-in brew stopwatch to time your extraction.
Fellow Atmos Vacuum Coffee Canister
Fellow, a San Francisco-based design company founded in 2013 to “help people brew ridiculously good coffee at home,” knows that a good cup of coffee starts with the beans — and this air-tight, vacuum-sealed steel canister helps keep them in peak condition.
Kruve Brew Sticks
Use these multipurpose sticks during a pour-over to “agitate” the coffee grounds. This shuffling process, sometimes referred to as “turbulence,” ensures that water passes through the grounds in a more uniform fashion and results in a better-tasting brew.
OXO Good Grips 32-Ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker
There are lots of contraptions on the market today to make low-acid cold-brew coffee. This one has a “rainmaker” feature that evenly distributes the water, a simple switch to activate the filtration system and a carafe with a silicone-sealed stopper to keep the cold-brew concentrate fresh.
Coffee Sock
A coffee sock, known as a chorreador in Costa Rica, is a reusable, eco-friendly alternative to paper filters. Used in both pour-over and cold brewing methods, the untreated, organic cotton filter absorbs undesirable oils from the coffee beans while letting the acids pass through. There are different socks available for specific brewing methods, including Chemex, V60, AeroPress, and various cold-brew devices.
The Royal Brew Nitro Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
This No. 1 nitro cold-brew coffee-maker, modeled after stout dispensing systems, creates a smooth, rich body with a creamy, frothy top. It comes with a 128-ounce keg, features a dual-action pour, includes 24/7 customer support, and is compatible with most 8g nitrous oxide and 2g nitrogen cartridges (sold separately).
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