3 Essentials for Brewing Better Coffee at Home (A needed reminder)

[@KyleRowsell]

Hey Friends.👋🏼Seems youtube didn't post the Live after streaming and reposted this but deleted all LIKES and comments. I'd appreciate if you hit that like button if possible... and I hope you have a wonderful day 🙂

[@knguros9415]

As a Guatemalan myself watching you talk about coffee with so much passion is very eye opening, I’ve had the chance to watch the whole coffee processing closely in my country, from feeling and smelling the soil where’s grown near volcanic land all the way to roasting and packing, sharing this passion crossing borders definitely is amazing.

[@KyleRowsell]

Ah friend, this warms my heart. All the best!

[@Caffeine.And.Carvings]

Dude I just came back from guatemala. No matter where we went, we had such good coffee everywhere. Never had Guatemalan coffee on my radar but it's now my favorite

[@knguros9415]

@@Caffeine.And.Carvings bro that’s so nice to hear, coffee is basically part of our culture, you can have a nice cup of coffee basically at any restaurant or even at anyone’s house.

[@luiz-seigo]

Water! That is so true about most beverage. It's so important to understand how minerals make the difference.

[@jwanger142]

Dude, your enthusiasm rocks. Always appreciate you sharing your experiences and knowledge of everything coffee. I ended up getting a J-Max Grinder based off your videos. Love it paired with my Picopresso.

[@KyleRowsell]

Ah thanks for that friend. So glad to hear my videos have been a help to you. It’s why I do this. All the best!

[@knguros9415]

Bro I just ordered the same duo plus the Kruve Propel glasses, Kyle definitely is getting in our heads 😅 btw is there any grinding set up preference with Jmax and the Picopresso for you?

[@jwanger142]

@@knguros9415 that’s awesome! So for me it’s been about a month with the J-Max and I feel like I calibrated it right by making sure it went to zero when it was fully closed tight. But for whatever reason with all sorts of bean roasts from medium to dark I can’t do anything under one full rotation then to about 5.5. Anytime I go under 5 the pico gets way to hard to press to the point where it practically locks up and I can hardly get the filter to screw off. I did find if I go with 16 to 17g instead of 18g that I can manage a little better. I think most important part for me is to make sure my beans are fresh from a local roaster that can confirm the roast date also to lean to medium to dark roast. I’ve always used my fellow kettle at 201 deg. The whole grinder setting issue could be because I didn’t calibrate it correctly tho.

[@knguros9415]

@@jwanger142 thanks for taking the time to reply back man, quick question so that means that I should calibrate de Jmax just out of the box?

[@jwanger142]

@@knguros9415 ya I had to. I thought it would be good to go out of the box but found a couple KZbin vids and articles explaining that it’s more than likely not calibrated right away. You should check to make sure when you close it all the way down to the finest setting possible/closed it should line up with one bean on the pyramid and the number should be right at zero. Mine was spinning passed zero all the way to 6.5 so I had to calibrate it in order to use the suggested guidelines for brew types.

[@jesusmedina5886]

Your videos are helping an enormous amount of people and these live streams are top notch, love them!

[@KyleRowsell]

Ah love to hear it! Thanks for the kind comment, means the world!

[@brandon7295]

In Canada I buy from Java Works in Mississauga Ontario! Great coffee

[@lancemoore3867]

Bro! #3 in this video is the thing people need to focus on the most! Super important.

[@KyleRowsell]

YEP. Coffee is king.

[@MegaKiri11]

3 Essentials for Brewing Great Coffee at Home (IMO): 1. Fresh beans (but not too fresh). 2. Good grinder. 3. Scales. I posted this comment before watching the video, so this is just my opinion :D UPDATE: I watched the video now and surprised to see I got 2/3 same with Kyle. Missed the water though, he's right many people overlook this, myself included.

[@KyleRowsell]

Glad to see this resonates! Water is incredibly underrated… good water is essential!

[@user-ey9bt7fs6n]

Distilled water and third wave definitely change the quality of my morning brew.

[@thespiritofcoffee5663]

When I started using good water it absolutely made a huge difference. It has allowed me to make cups of coffee that aren’t hollow, that have all the flavors and body that I desire.

[@KyleRowsell]

So glad this resonates!

[@Alex-su1vl]

What water would you recommend? Bottled water?

[@KyleRowsell]

@@Alex-su1vl I recommend third wave water. Check out other videos including my dial in live from last week for more info.

[@thespiritofcoffee5663]

@@Alex-su1vl yes third wave water would definitely be your best option but personally I’ve just been using crystal geyser bottled water because it is cheaper yet still seems to do a good job

[@nicolasfortin4216]

Structure Coffee Roaster in Montreal. Brûlerie Rousseau in Quebec Cheers! 🙂

[@mrecharleswhyte]

I have been making my own coffee for a short time now at home. I started with a mokka pot. I grew up in Venezuela and Mokka pots are in nearly every house hold. I have improved with the pot but I then found pour over and have been using it all the time. I can really taste the difference between cups, some are better than others, and I have have been watching and researching a lot. As I said I grew up in Venezuela and they have great coffee, unfortunately it was never promoted or "commercialized" like many other countries and is not exported (in any significant numbers that I am aware of) which is sad in my mind. recently I went cheap with a manual grinder and I immediately regretted the decision. I WILL be getting a new one.. I recently subscribed to this channel (first and only coffee channel) and really am learning a lot about the craft.

[@maxinell2393]

I know we need soft water for coffee and we do have Brita filtered water, but on instinct I go straight to the tap when filling up the electric kettle for boiling water. So I recently had to train myself to go to the Brita dispenser instead when brewing coffee. Cheers from Manila, Philippines :)

[@sakabra6352]

New to this hobby (?) and so far I'm mainly using coffee and espresso from a local business 'Baden Coffee Company' which I would highly recommend.

[@andrewowen4751]

Making the change from bottled natural spring water to distilled + 3rd wave classic profile, at the recommendation of my local roaster, made a huge difference in my cups. Brought out lots of brightness and acidity that was previously missing in my brews

[@tomcooper9061]

De Mello in Toronto is my favourite local roaster and has the best coffee I've had. I got into specialty a few years ago through Phil & Sebastian (Calgary coffee is awesome) but other great ones I've had are Nektar and Rogue Wave. Have an order from Monogram on the way, thanks to your glowing reviews - can't wait!!!

[@rdalmasso7326]

One very nice gift that i do not see mentioned anywhere on youtube would be a 1 or 2 days Brewing or cupping course ! Living in Thailand, there are quiet few coffee companies or coffee shops that offer that kind of course, and it can cost a bit, for 1 day it would be about 90 USD, so not hugely expensive and it something i would love to do ! I offered the same in France for a friend but for Wine and he was very happy with it!

[@KyleRowsell]

Great idea!

[@darrenleonhardt8572]

Big fan of some of the roasts from Jackrabbit Java, a local roaster from my tiny home town of Thermopolis, WY. Their Costa Rica Honey and Panama coffees are two of my absolute favorites.

[@ladysaskiadebruijn7153]

I love the video as always. I love my beans from Wakuli here in the Netherlands. They do a subscribsion with every month a deffirent coffe. They go to the farners. And help them with all there needs. They are also very open in what they pay the farmers. But also the shipping costs and even what they earn from the coffee. Is you do tge single origin there is a card with it, that tells you about the farmer, the coffee and the cost. They have won already prices here in the Netherlands. And I just live them. There servic is also great. And every week it is a suprise what coffee you get. Marry Christmass and a happy 2022. Hopefully filt with amazing coffes.

[@KyleRowsell]

Merry Christmas to you too! Much love!

[@TheJamesMReid]

Yep... I totally overlooked it when I got into coffee and just got a cheap burr grinder. Now I'm out to find a much better grinder for my filter coffee. Possibly a Fellow Ode.

[@edwardschneider280]

Thanks Kyle. Taking my coffee to the next level.

[@KyleRowsell]

Ah man… SO excited to hear it

[@TEDXX123]

Living in a country where there's is no real specialty coffee is hard, so i shop online. And on my quest for great coffee, i tasted some really good ones. Onyx Coffee Lab, Square mile Coffee, via The Right Roast white star Coffee and diamond roastery. Looking forward to try some more.

[@KyleRowsell]

Love that. Thanks for sharing Ted!

[@c0mbat15]

Yet another great video so after many years of watching KZbin videos I've finally hit subscribe for the first time! I think #2 is trumped by milk for milk based coffee drinkers. Dairy milk in particular can sometimes taste really off in a milk based coffee. I don't know why but it happens less frequently with the more expensive brands in my opinion. Here in Sydney we have very poor water straight from the tap but it's often solved by running it through a carbon filter, thus saving you from buying bottled stuff. With regards to coffee, I think Australia has the best coffee scene in the world (particularly Melbourne) so we have access to dozens and dozens of the best roasters. And with regards to #1 you've almost convinced me to ditch my Breville Smart Grinder Pro to the Lagom Mini.

[@lancemoore3867]

B Roll 👑

[@KyleRowsell]

Thanks Lance! You’re too kind.

[@ethanvanderlinden5816]

I absolutely love onyx, revel, and pachamama!!!!

[@KyleRowsell]

Thanks for sharing! What do you like about them?

[@kylehazachode]

Can I challenge you to make a outstanding and flavorful cup of robusta or liberica? I found an insane, out of this world, yet simple method to make robusta coffee that actually produces tasty coffee. I’d love to see your journey into your method. I really love your techniques and q&a videos, really wish there were more of them. Scrolling through the comments of those videos, people in the coffee community really engage more and it feels like you bring coffee lovers together. But the product plug/review videos, just seems like Unbox Therapy noise; it’s a plug for someone’s product, mostly positives highlights with a dash of a couple cons. Man I wish I could quadruple like your techniques videos so they can pop up in everyone’s algorithms.

[@KyleRowsell]

Hey George! Thanks for the… compliment? While I agree I wish these sorts of videos were more appreciated by the community I also realize that reviews are needed to help others in their coffee journey. I think both can live in harmony - as long as there is balance. Thanks for watching!

[@JaylaStarr]

New sub… found u when researching the bambino plus and ended up getting the sette 30 ap based on your recommendation… I plan to upgrade the grind dial in the future to the 270 for more grind settings… As far as specialty coffee goes, I am super super new but have been loving methodical out of South Carolina, US. I’ve probably gone through two bags of their lighter roast with my new set up so I decided to buy some cheap lavazza til I learn to dial in properly. I am willing to spend money to support the actual farmers

[@KyleRowsell]

Hey Jayla! Thanks for saying hi! Welcome! 👋🏼

[@JaylaStarr]

@@KyleRowsell I’ve binged a ton of your videos and wow the improvements over a year is wild! Congrats

[@KyleRowsell]

@@JaylaStarr continually improving!

[@freezingsunbreaka]

Damn! My comment didn't go through?! Was so long and heart felt. Lol Thank you, Kyle! You're so friendly, knowledgable, and honest. Truly Canadian :D. I love iDrinkCoffee for my beans :D!

[@KyleRowsell]

Ah man thanks! Youre TOO kind!

[@htrrsprings2103]

Much love Kyle. #2 tore me up a while but 3rd wave been clutch. On 3 thank u so much for emphasizing the key to ethically sourced coffee. Ppl depend on equity and fair pay for the products we treasure. Shout out from Colorado, USA --> Corvus Coffee is my spot I love

[@KyleRowsell]

Yes 🙌 thanks for watching friend!! Corvus is great!

[@mikewoods1018]

Hey Kyle, great video and fantastic reminders. Another incredible roaster is Eada Coffee in Vancouver. Great variety of specialty coffee. Constantly roasted to perfection and shipped often the same day Chris roasts them. Extremely competitive pricing. Also, the best variety I have seen of natural and honey red processing. I will try out some of your suggestions for sure. I’m so pumped to see the specialty coffee world growing in Canada. Thanks for helping me brew better coffee! (Tried to post this earlier, but it didn’t seem to work. If it did, my apologies for the duplicate).

[@hollye142]

Rogue Wave in Edmonton

[@classi-cal]

So glad to have a great water supply in Vancouver! One less variable to worry as much about. It’s interesting that coffee isn’t more of the conversation on KZbin, but I guess it’s mostly gear and b-roll that gets clicks and views 🙃

[@KyleRowsell]

Vancouver 👋🏼 I’d still recommend trying a product like TWW if possible. And unfortunately you are right. Hopefully we can change that with these live streams 👍🏼

[@DrFearCo]

FYI I drink coffee will powder coat any machine for $600. A lot closer than Australia. I’ve seen some nice looking ones on their Instagram.

[@carlesmiquel]

Thanks, mate! WATER, water, water, water! Today, just today, I tried a different kind of water. I don't know if it's going to make my espresso machine into a mineral trap, but it changed everything with my Chiapas high-altitude-single-sourced coffee roasted two weeks ago. Holy cow! It was day and night. Grinder, water and coffee. Sadly, not everywhere in the world you can get the very best coffee without spending hundreds of dollars for a tiny bag. I live in a country that makes absolutely amazing coffee, so I'll stick to that.

[@KyleRowsell]

Hey Carlos! Oh man, so happy to hear the conversation of good water resonates with you. Stay well!

[@carlesmiquel]

@@KyleRowsell Coincidences happen and I love it!

[@awolmartinez]

Chiming in for Algor's rhythm 😉

[@KyleRowsell]

Oh. I appreciate you 😘

[@H4upts4ch3]

Hey @KyleRowsell, do you have a prefered Roaster in Europe or maybe even Germany that you like/prefer and could recommend to check out? Being from Berlin, Germany, i have to admit that i'm quite fortunate to have an amazing specialty coffee scene right here in my city, with countless amazing roasters. But as a friend and I are currently on a journey of exploring the masses of great Café's and Roasters here, I started to wonder what else is out there... unfortunatly ordering coffee from the US or Canada will inevitably result in quite some delivery time and cost, resulting in "not quite so fresh" coffee. Btw: If you ever happen to stumble into Berlin, i'm more than happy to give you a personal tour from a native Berliners perspective! Love your content man, keep it up!

[@fscottqc]

I’ve been home roasting my coffee for a while. There’s no better way to get fresh, ethically sourced, well-roasted, delicious coffee. I’m still a novice, but even my bad batches are better (and cheaper!!) than anything at the grocery store.

[@ovardmelchior20120]

I’ve been enjoying ONYX coffee. Looking forward to trying other specialty roasters! Ordered the jmax off of your recommendation for a grinder- excited to try it!

[@KyleRowsell]

Let me know how you like it!

[@Gherbert1348]

Kind of sad I missed this live. But it is hard to pick a fav roaster, there are so many! Even for a town like Ottawa that is a little behind the trends in coffee, we have some decent roasters like the ones you mention and Blue Barn. And then Canada wide, oh man, so many great roasters! Phil & Seb, Monogram, Luna... I subscribe to Roasters Pack just so I can explore the roasters

[@KyleRowsell]

Sorry you missed it! Totally agree. I think it’s time Ottawa welcomed a new coffee roaster… 👀

[@tippykaffu4047]

Great coffee is the biggest key. Bad coffee beans is just wasting your time. Some people would say that 30% is about the farming, 30% processing, 30% is the roasting and lastly brewing is only 10%(which I feel its a bit too low). I always buy from a small roaster that only roasts per order and they have from CAD$2 to $50 per 100gr specialty coffee. (I know, $2 for specialty is just crazy cheap but hey thats their price and I believe in the roaster)

[@KyleRowsell]

Couldn’t agree more! Thanks for commenting tippy!

[@0BURNT0TOAST0]

Cafe Saint-Henri in Montreal is my go to right now, the Colosseo Espresso FTW!

[@KyleRowsell]

I’m actually brewing saint-Henri this morning. All the best!

[@0BURNT0TOAST0]

@@KyleRowsell what type did you get ? I also want to say thanks for putting out great content, keep up the good work. With the help from you and a couple others in the YT community ive been able to learn a ton and up my coffee game! Thanks again.

[@user-uj2gw1si1q]

Great video dude 👍🏻❤️

[@KyleRowsell]

Thank you!

[@chrisoct1997]

Where do you get the glasses from the thumbnail

[@71msswalsh]

Kyle, thanks for these videos. How about making coffee for a group (10-20 people)? Thanks.

[@KyleRowsell]

Thanks for watching! I’m not sure I understand your question. Want to clarify?

[@irawansantoso3501]

Hi Kyle nice tO see your video, i want tO ask About grind size on niche zero for filter coffe, just for reference What grind size on NZ that similiar into grind size number 25-27 on c40, thanks brooo

[@mikewolf1811]

Looking to move on from my……..keurig. I’m thinking chemex, hand grinder (not sure where to start yet) EKG kettle, scale?? Any advice?

[@cardboardbard]

Recently, I’ve been buying my coffee from Chance Coffee, a roaster in Ontario

[@KyleRowsell]

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

[@PQcoyote67]

I’m good with that trio but I have friends who I got to buy beans vs pre ground, and that’s as good as they’re willing to go. They still have blade grinders, tap water, and the beans are folgers or some such… they don’t think it’s worth it to invest any more than that, and that’s fine for them. Inside I want to “fix” their set ups, but when I visit I just drink what they have and appreciate mine more when I get home.

[@KyleRowsell]

It's true - Pre Ground is still very popular and that is fine. If the coffee they are buying is good then it's better to buy pre ground than buy bad coffee.

[@meirianto615]

Where do you guys buy distilled water in bulk to use with TWW? I usually just use filtered water because buying non tap water usually just seems so cumbersome

[@jamesplowman5277]

Where do you get these sick demitasse glasses???

[@ethanyos4093]

First! Also big thumbs up my guy!

[@KyleRowsell]

Thanks for watching!!

[@harryshaw97]

How long after the roast date do you consider coffee fresh for drip coffee. I’ve watched a lot of videos and read some coffee brewing books and somewhere along the way I got the opinion that fresh coffee is between 7-14 days after the roast date. But I saw an insta post and learned many professional roasters think that coffee will stay fresh for 2 months, especially if it’s a light roast. What is your opinion?

[@ItsNITREX]

Hey Kyle, I usually buy from Relay Coffee Roasters in Hamilton and Columbia is my favourite from them so far. I wanna try Monogram and Detour, do you have any quick recommendations for Light/Medium blends for Espresso from them?

[@sergiogodinho9992]

What kind of proprieties should I use as a guide for getting appropriate water?

[@KyleRowsell]

Test you water. Find out if your local way is hard or soft. How many PPM? What minerals are added to your water? Compare it with bottled water. Try brewing a cup with bottled water. What are the results? This is one reason I’m big on TWW. It’s consistent and produces great results in the cup.

[@sergiogodinho9992]

@@KyleRowsell as a general rule, I've been brewing with bottled water . But I've no idea what should be my criteria when choosing which one to use

[@juangunawan3873]

Hi Kyle! Great video as always. I'm just starting out in my espresso journey and I want to purchase a grinder just for espresso. Do you think Eureka Mignon grinders work well for single dosing? Thank you!

[@KyleRowsell]

Absolutely! Also - check out the lagom mini with 48mm burrs. More on this grinder soon…

[@iHoRiZonTaLz]

Hi, I just bought a eureka mignon facile and its amazing at single dosing, absolutely zero retention and barely any popcorning when you put the little stopper

[@nicolasjcapra]

Hey Kyle! Love your videos but didn't realize you use Third Wave Water too. So until this week, I've been using the 5gal espresso packets from them and mixing into a big jug, which I have been using to fill my Bianca reservoir. So I started having some weird issues with the pressure release valve 'sneezing' or leaking steam. Anyway, brought the machine to the dealer here in NJ and the first question they asked me was 'What water are you using?', and when I said Third Wave they were like 'STOP using it'... So I know the company literally says it will 'protect your machine', and La Marzocco apparently recommends it too, but I'm wondering how on earth I ended up with crazy scale and TWO valves needing replacement... Anyway, long story short, I'm a little turned off of TTW at the moment and have moved back to filtered drinking water from my area + water softener in the tank (I took out the water softener at some point because it got clogged and was definitely at the end of it's life, but was using TTW without a softener for a while.) Do you use TTW in your Bianca WITH a softener or without? It seems that a softener would defeat the purpose... Anyway it seems there's something going on but I know there has to be some truth there with TTW being safe. After my experience it seems like the best thing is to just stick with softening water!

[@KyleRowsell]

Hi Nicolas. Which TWW are you using? I’m hoping the espresso formula?

[@nicolasjcapra]

@@KyleRowsell yep the espresso one!

[@KyleRowsell]

@@nicolasjcapra hm strange! I really don’t know what to say. I’ve never had issues and have been using it for years. I don’t use my softener - it just doesn’t need to be used. Have you reached out to the team at TWW?

[@nicolasjcapra]

@@KyleRowsell So odd, I'll definitely reach out. Appreciate the reply!

[@IMNOTABARISTA]

It is difficult for coffee consumers to know the coffee source, who really produced them, if they are ethical, the information in this chain isn't transparent enough. Even we pay extra for "ethical" coffee, farmers rarely get them, profit goes to somewhere else. Just a tip for people with entry grinders, you can grind your double grind to reach a very good consistency :D

[@KyleRowsell]

Hey friend! Great thoughts. My point is to have a deep CARE for where your coffee is coming from. While there isn’t always 100% transparency I challenge us to continue doing better.

[@wakeawaken430]

I prefer local artisan roasters cause I want to have that relationship I can't understand people that spend 3000€+ for equipment and then they buy stall commercial coffee just like illy or hausbrand (I don't care if I wrote it correctly) Coffee bean still is the most important, from mokka to GS3

[@KyleRowsell]

Say it louder for the ones in the back 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@808vee]

Shout-Out to Monogram

[@KyleRowsell]

Love the team at monogram!

[@808vee]

@@KyleRowsell check out @Brewing Habits on YT also from Ont.

[@WhoDatNinja052]

I’m in Ottawa too! I just purchased a Pro 500 this month. Since Ottawa water is so soft, do you still descale the machine every 6 months or can you extend the time between you descale or do you even have to descale at all?

[@KyleRowsell]

I descale every 1.5-2 years. But I also use TWW

[@ZoCZodiaC]

I am located in Vancouver, what are some roaster that you would recommend?

[@mikewoods1018]

Eada coffee is by far my favourite. Lots of variety and ships basically the same day it is roasted.

[@Rapha248]

thks for the reminder Kyle ;)

[@KyleRowsell]

My pleasure. Such an important reminder, isn’t it?

[@mshohman]

Hey, really love your videos, please keep them coming - just a little feedback, in the most recent vids you seem pretty damn wired, maybe take it easy with the coffee :) and a little less looking at the teleprompter, I love it when your speaking from your heart, and hey, did you just say 1 of the 3 things you need for better coffee is better coffee? Hmmm...

[@rdalmasso7326]

6:01 I am not sure that people watching buy coffee beans at their grocery store ahah I mean where i live there’s no “good” coffee in my grocery stores x)

[@KyleRowsell]

You'd be surprised. I get many viewers from many different experiences with coffee.

[@nicholasnaieem6589]

Hey Kyle! I wanted to ask your opinion on using a Fellow Ode grinder with stock burrs for v60 pour over methods. Do you think it works well? Also do you recommend any roasters in the Washington, DC, Virginia (USA) area?

[@KyleRowsell]

It’s a great grinder. It may have limitations on how fine it can get. What dose sizes do you normally brew?

[@nicholasnaieem6589]

@@KyleRowsell I usually do 20g and 40g doses. I usually do the Tetsu 4:6 recipe but I wouldn’t want to be limited to just that

[@KyleRowsell]

@@nicholasnaieem6589 if using 4:6 you’re more than good. I think it’ll be a great choice

[@sixstringedwithabowl]

It’s imperative to have this conversation and call out the lack of accountability in the coffee industry. I couldn’t have said it better, thanks Kyle!

[@KyleRowsell]

So glad this resonates with you friend. All the best!

[@aemaz7287]

I buy green coffee from sweet Maria’s and roast myself and I use third wave water

[@KyleRowsell]

Love that.

[@teck67josh]

30 ppm 😲 dam that is really low

[@KyleRowsell]

Very low

[@adidoi]

Kyle are you a pastor? You sound like one. 😁

[@KyleRowsell]

Yea I am

[@adidoi]

@@KyleRowsell oh that's amazing! I had a feeling you were. Great content Kyle. Your vids always make me wanna brew a cup!

[@JimboJones99]

God Bless Kyle Rowsell 🙏☕ God Bless President Trump 🙏🇺🇲

[@balmatian]

sort of a rambling video

[@KyleRowsell]

This tends to happen with lives.

[@imaudm]

IMHO his constant repetition makes this difficult to watch

[@KyleRowsell]

Then don’t watch 👍🏼

[@imaudm]

That is your answer to improving your cast

[@KyleRowsell]

@@imaudm yes. It’s a live stream - understand the context of this video friend.