We may all be familiar with brewing coffee in different ways such as espresso machines, french press and Aeropress, but what are the core principles underpinning these brewing methods? Immersion brewing is one of the most common and simple brewing principles which extracts the widest range of flavours from ground coffee.
Immersion brewing is simply where water, hot or cold, is mixed or immersed with ground coffee. For example, the French Press lets coffee be immersed with ground course coffee for at least 5 minutes. Other factors include temperature, grind size and time. These factors will change depending on the brewing principles underpinning the method.
ORIGIN
One of the earliest known brewing methods was pioneered in the 16th century, known as the Ibrik Method, more commonly known as Turkish coffee. The initial boom of coffee trade occurred in the Ottoman Empire, and was brought to Istanbul. Here the first coffee shop in the world was opened, acting as a catalyst for coffee's popularity to continue to grow. Prior to this, coffee was traditionally brewing being seeping coffee grounds in hot water for at least 4 hours. The Ibrik method brought convenience to those looking to try sooner rather than later.
FURTHER IMMERSION BREWING METHODS
Further immersion brewing methods include the Clever Dripper, which is both an immersion and percolation brewer, meaning ground coffee is immersed in hot water to brew, and additional brewing and pouring occurs through percolation when the coffee is poured. Typically pour over drip coffee is solely percolation, so the Clever Dripper remains a beautiful twist.
Cold Brew Coffee is another form of immersion brewing. It takes the same approach as French Press, except with cold water and left to brew in the fridge between 24-48 hours.
Next, we'll be exploring other brewing principles like percolation and espresso!
Recommendations
We recommend brewing with a cafetière below using our French Press method for an optimal immersion brewing experience. Great for all types of coffee, and achieving a whole range of flavours other brewing methods may remove. Our Timemore French Press is a great piece of equipment following our French Press method.