You Oughta Know #30

In this episode of You Oughta Know: James Hoffmann explains decaf in a great new video; How to brew coffee with the Origami; China’s thirst for coffee is popping off.

Nau mai, hoki mai - welcome back to You Oughta Know.

Summer is well and truly here. I hope everyone is out and about getting at it and having a great time - coffee in hand, of course.

Grey Roasting Co’s gesha, camp side plunger.

In this episode of You Oughta Know: James Hoffmann explains decaf in a great new video; How to brew coffee with the Origami; China’s thirst for coffee is popping off.

James Hoffmann: Decaf Explained

James Hoffmann must be a subscriber to The Magic Roast, as his video comes hot on the heels of our story from last month: Taking the buzz out of coffee.

First it was The Spinoff, and now it’s Mr Hoffmann. I’m getting used to it…

This is a pretty good video that explains decaf and then goes on getting the best out of decaf at home - skip through to 15 minutes in for the good stuff. But here’s a summary:

• decaf goes stale quick

• decaf freezes great (see above)

• take care dialing it in with the grinder, as it grinds differently

• decaf can be, and should be, amazing.

Perfect Daily Grind: How to brew coffee with the Origami

I stumbled across this article from Perfect Daily Grind, after getting this message from my wife:

So while on the google hunt for a new Origami, this article came up and reminded me why I love it so much.

The article explains what the Origami is:

Inspiration for the name and design of the dripper comes from origami – the Japanese art of paper folding. The Origami dripper was designed by Yasuo Suzuki and Kiyohito Tanaka, the founders of Trunk Coffee in Japan. The brewer is made of Mino porcelain, which is specially hand-crafted at a factory in Toki in the Gifu prefecture of Japan. 

When used with conical paper filters, the 20 evenly-spaced ribs (or grooves) create space between the dripper and the filter. This enables a faster flow rate and thereby encourages a faster extraction time. 

Conversely, when using Kalita Wave paper filters, they fit perfectly into the 20 ribs – making it a flat bottom brewer. 

It’s a great brewer, as The Drumming Barista knows well.

The Drumming Barista's Top 3 Origami Dripper Recipes.

Looking forward to my replacement turning up this week.

Radio NZ: China’s new thirst for coffee spurs cut-throat cafe competition

China is pretty big, obviously. But this stat blew my mind:

“The number of branded coffee shops in China grew a staggering 58 percent in the last 12 months to 49,691 outlets, according to Alegra Group, a company that tracks growth of coffee chains.

Alegra Group estimates China's Luckin Coffee added 5059 stores in the last 12 months, while another Chinese chain, Cotti Coffee, opened 6004 outlets in the period.”

That’s a coffee scene that is popping off. Wow.

Check out the article on RNZ

Coming up on The Magic Roast

• An interview with 2023 World AeroPress Champion, Tay Wipvasutti

• A tour of the Tokyo coffee scene, thanks to TMR writer Matty T

• Roaster of the month: Kū by Coffee Tech

• A review of the AeroPress Flow Control Cap - thanks to The Magic Roast Members

Thanks to members!

Thanks to those who are subscribing to The Magic Roast and being a member.

Your kind contribution helps me to explore the coffee world and share that with everyone who reads The Magic Roast.

Thanks to you, I was able to get the AeroPress Flow Control Cap to try. A review of this is coming up next month. I have to say, my very low expectations have been exceeded.

Thanks to you, The Magic Roast member!

You can become a member - it’s super easy.