Brewing the perfect cup of coffee isn’t easy. It’s also not as hard as some people make out.
Here’s your quick Grumpy guide.
Grumpy Mule coffees are suitable for use in a wide range of brewing equipment. For espresso machines, finely grind your beans for best results.
Use 2 heaped dessertspoonfuls (those big ones your mum only had out for special occasions) of fresh, ground coffee per cup. If you want to be a nerd about it that’s 15g per 250ml of coffee.
Espresso-heads, a good extraction time for our coffee is about 27 seconds per shot.
Just don’t count mississipily.
Allow heated water to come off the boil (about 93-95º) before pouring. It’s just enough time to tweet a pic of the pack at a jaunty angle.
Serve the coffee immediately once brewed.
An iconic piece of coffee design and a great way to make coffee for more than one cup. Different size Chemex brewers are available, but we really like the 6 cup which is best suited to brews of between 400ml to 1litre.
What you need
Step by step guide:
The Moka Pot is seeing a comeback! An Italian invention from Bialetti. It was quickly adopted by the domestic market of Italy as a way of producing a coffee similar in style to an espresso at home, but… this type of coffee is not the same as espresso and should be enjoyed as a short and potent brewed coffee.
What you need
Step by step guide:
Home Filter Machine
Each of these are subtly different, but work on the same principle. Start with 60g of coffee per litre of water. Use freshly ground coffee – like Demerara sugar. Use fresh water to fill to the required level (remember…. 60g/litre). You can even pre-warm the brewing funnel and flask if you want, but definitely don’t leave the coffee sitting on the hot plate – that will ruin it quickly…
V60 is the name for a single cup brewer designed by Hario – the 60 stands for the angle in degrees that forms the shape of the cone. Cool, hey.
What you need
Step by step guide:
We like the AeroPress for a lot of reasons – its durable, portable and flexible – ideal for brewing your Grumpy Mule coffee, anytime, anywhere. The following guide will prepare one cup using 17g of coffee and 250ml of water:
What you need:
Step by step guide:
More commonly known as the Cafetiere! An easy and reliable home brew method that when used correctly produces a cup with a fuller mouth feel than a pour over.
What you need:
Step by step guide:
Home espresso is one of life’s major challenges. Everyone knows it’s not easy. In these scenarios, your Nan’s words really do ring true – if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Think about your choice of equipment – think harder about your choice of coffee. Making a home espresso is like hosting a house party. Get the conditions and the ingredients right, and it’s great. Don’t, and you could be left with a real bad taste in your mouth. And don’t get downhearted if you don’t nail it first time; the ultimate espresso takes time, practice, great coffee and proper utensils. It’s an art form. In fact, we reckon there is no such thing as a perfect shot – only a never-ending chase toward espresso magnificence.
What you need:
Step by step guide:
Trust your taste buds! The numbers say to brew 1.2-1.5% total dissolved solids for an extraction of 18-22% as a guide. Lost? Fear not, the Mule knows what that means and these recipes should get you in right area and with a spot-on brew in hand.
Use good water. Fresh from the tap is ok if you have nice soft water, and filtered water (around 75-250ppm) works even better. Just don’t re-boil the kettle, trust us, fresh water is worth it.
Weight matters… Weigh your coffee and your water. You only have two ingredients, make sure you know how much you are using of each.
Feeling hot, hot, hot! Make sure everything that touches the coffee and water is up to temperature – especially if using an espresso machine. Cold kit makes sour coffee. Yuck.
Grind fresh or if you can’t get your hands on a grinder, make sure you seal your bag right up. Fresh is best – obvs.
Every second counts Time your brew – don’t guess, even if counting Mississipily.