Alexandru - Bucharest | Home Coffee Brewing with April #11

This week, we’re bringing you the eleventh video from a series that we call Home Coffee Brewing with April.
We believe that innovation in coffee brewing starts at home, and that some of the most special and meaningful interactions with coffee can take place within your own kitchen.
As we are travelling frequently travelling visiting our international partners, we decided to introduce this format as a way to interact with you on a different level whilst maintaining the frequency of our videos.
We’re still on our travels, this time around meeting with Alexandru, a World Champion in coffee roasting, to brew coffee in his own home. Alexandru uses the April Brewer and April Paper Filters, whilst showing us a novel way of rinsing the filter whilst maintaining the optimal shape.
If you're especially curious about the content that we produce, make sure to check out our Patreon as we have several different ways that you can join our community: / patrikrolf
We're always interested in hearing what topics you're most curious to hear us discuss, and Patreon is a great way of reaching out to us if you would like to make a request.
We welcome your thoughts and feelings on the topics raised in this week's video, as well as other ideas you would like to see us discuss in the future. We really appreciate your feedback and support.
You can contact us or our collaborators using any of the channels below:
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Instagram: / aprilcoffeecph
Webshop: aprilcoffeeroasters.com/
KZbin: / @coffeewithapril
Podcast: / coffee-with-april
Email: [e-mail] / [e-mail]
Music by Andrew Blumhagen
[e-mail]
/ andrew-blumhagen
andrewblumhagen.bandcamp.com/...
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Produced by April Media - 2023

[@askroller]

Thank you for the video with The Legend!)

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. What other legend would you like to see in this series?

[@askroller]

@@coffeewithapril Lucia Solis for sure) Samo (haven't checked if you did the video with him already)

[@coffeewithapril]

@@askroller we haven't but let's see what the future will bring. The idea is to alway have an interesting mix with different people and backgrounds. Is there any country you would like to see next?

[@askroller]

@@coffeewithapril well, some say that India is pretty interesting. Saudi Arabia, UAE - also interesting to see their approach. Especially Arabic coffee

[@leandrocgbh]

Very nice to see Bravo It outside Brazil! We call it here something like "braveetough" 😅 - It is a pretty good grinder and very well built and it usually works fine both for espresso and pour over

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. It seems to be a really solid build. It was one of the first times we tried it and it sure produces a good cup profile. What sort of grinder are you using at home?

[@leandrocgbh]

@@coffeewithapril I personally like hand grinders and use Comandante C40 at home but unfortunately good grinders in Brazil are not so accessable yet. Bravo It it's definitely a great choice but still expensive for most people =/

[@onixtheone]

That damn chain of his kept Grinding on the mic 😂 next time…

[@wendstudio_coffee]

17:50 as for the flavors on the bag - origin and processing will tell a lot of what to expect. So doesn't matter that much. But for training - definitely helpful to have

[@coffeewithapril]

That's true. How do you use it in your own coffee brewing?

[@wendstudio_coffee]

@@coffeewithapril it makes it easier to adjust the recipe towards the notes that are present in a coffee. Especially for beginners... You know they should be there, than means something is wrong with the recipe or extraction / balance. Or that the coffee is too fresh

[@wendstudio_coffee]

Lav placement is tricky with the chain :)

[@coffeewithapril]

True that.

[@user-hz9sg5ui9q]

nice collaboration!

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. What do you like the most with the video?

[@NexusS4GIceJelly]

Awesome video! I think the issue with the water chemistry is that even though there is a general guideline of the right concentration of hardness and alkalinity on coffee books, there’s almost no roastery or cafe that abide by it and that’s mostly true even at competition level. Having a water that’s on the softer side generally yields a great cup and sometimes your own water recipe can make a roast profile from a random roastery taste worse than just using a soft bottled water

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. That is valid point. Sometimes, it doesn't make the quality of the final cup better. What kind of water are you using?

[@NexusS4GIceJelly]

@@coffeewithapril Thanks for replying! I’m using Nestle Pure Life water which is similar to Smartwater mentioned in the video (Low TDS, has Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium and Sodium carbonate). I think a lot of coffee shops in my area (Los Angeles) uses a low TDS water mineral blend back after RO system and in my experience, this nestle pure life water generally gives a decent to amazing flavors depending on which roaster I decided to get. If I find a cup that’s lacking in complexity even after adjusting for my typical brew parameters, that’s when I’ll resort to a Third wave water at about 160 ppm TDS and at most cases it significantly improves the nuances that were missing on pure life water. Most natural/anaerobic naturals processes coffee though works well with the pure life water but some washed African coffees on some roasters can be a bit flat so I go for TWW in those cases

[@zulkiflidiono]

O

[@caffec]

really enjoying this series. hope there's a ton more!

[@coffeewithapril]

We are working on it. And an espresso version is coming soon. What would you like to see next?

[@wendstudio_coffee]

34:51 that's why humans invented an AeroPress 😄

[@coffeewithapril]

Haha, true. But does an AeroPress really make tasty coffee?

[@wendstudio_coffee]

@@coffeewithapril Alex said he has an outstanding recipe. I trust his taste) Don't know why he didn't brew it to you. But I like the texture and mouthfeel in a low ratio recipes. More chewy and can control the brewing even with a pretty coarse grind size. Though I don't like the pressing part

[@devenpatel3044]

I like flavor notes on the bag, the caveat maybe should be…either the roaster also puts a water recommendation on the bag. Either mineral recipe or bottle recommendations. But I think would be best would be to give a mineral pack with each bag. So maybe roasters make their own or collab with a company and add a packet with each bag. I think if mineral content and ratio were shared then flavor notes wouldn’t be so elusive. Also I have been setting my filters with a sink rinse for some time now but trying cold water instead of hot water is a great idea. And I didn’t know stabilizers were used in filters, April, please please please talk more about that kind of stuff. Peace and cheers!

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. Will do. Do you make your own water at home?

[@devenpatel3044]

No worries, thanks for the great content. I do make my own water by mixing some Pellegrino and trace mineral drops to get a tds of around 90-120ppm and play around. Sometimes I use third wave, and sometimes i just use my water remineralized from my RO system.

[@coffeewithapril]

@@devenpatel3044 what's your main recommendation to anyone starting out mixing their own water at home?

[@devenpatel3044]

@@coffeewithapril hmmm, I would recommend to start simple either mineral packets or bottled water. For people mixing, I would say start with /citrate and /carbonate and then make sure you pH balance to around +/- 0.5ph from neutral. And anytime you mix minerals into water, wait about 3 days and then shake before use or shake before mixing into you deionized water. Personally, not really a rec but I like the idea of adding trace minerals back to RO, the way agriculture is today and now “making” our own water, these trace minerals could help just from a personal health perspective and not taste necessarily.

[@sh710]

i was wondering what is the glass that you guys were using

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. The glass comes from The Espresso Lab in UAE. What do you normally use to drink your coffee in?

[@sh710]

for filter coffee i usually use the Origami ceramic cup

[@clammyclaude]

I don’t care about flavor notes but I need to know process for brewing purposes

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. So, brewing instructions holds more value than flavour notes. What way do you prefer brewing recipes to be communicated?

[@PradyumnVij]

No flavour descriptors are interesting and preferable however sometimes if the roaster writes "milk chocolate" on the bag, I'm likely not to buy it (and maybe that is a good thing or a bad thing). However we buy a 1kg bag at a time which lasts less than a fortnight in our house. Some roasters are terrible with their flavour notes whereas others are spot on or just slightly off. Like if the roaster writes "mango" and I taste papaya. I'm not disappointed. If they write grape and I taste grape bubble gum soda it is just more interesting. I prefer florals, acidity and fruits but not so much the nutty, cereal, earthy notes. I would not like to end up with 1kg of coffee which I could not enjoy. 🤔 Difficult.

[@askroller]

Milk chocolate could be different;) But if it's the only flavor that is mentioned - yeah, boring. Alex had outstanding Honduras with chocolate, but there was a lot of tropical juice as well

[@coffeewithapril]

That's a valid point. Flavour notes - if they are accurate - works as the main guide for what coffee to purchase. Especially, if you are new to coffee. When you are get more experience you can use variables as varietal, processing and origin as a great guide. That usually, tells you a lot more about the coffee quality. One of the most important factors is to purchase "coffee that is in season."

[@Kiba_Fox]

With all due respect. I really appreciate April and love their coffee based on experience, but all of this show's episodes people are using April brewer without telling what kind of other brewer they REALLY are using the most outside the show. I don't think it's very honest of their daily brew ritual. But hey it's a great show never the less the only one on youtube who does this home brew interviews with high quality production. Keep it up.

[@coffeewithapril]

Thank you for watching. This series is all about creating a community of home brewers using the April Brewers. The home brewers that join our videos are enthusiastic about the April Brewer and the idea of being a part of the community we are building.

[@dabougi8063]

​@@coffeewithaprilI especially like the fact, that they all use the april brewer. So you get a great overview of different approaches, brew recipes etc. It would still be a nice series if everyone would brew with whatever he/she likes, because patrick is a kind person and I guess a nice guest to have- but as there are so many brewers out there, it is ideal to focus on one.

[@coffeewithapril]

@@dabougi8063 Thank you for that. It's exactly what we are going for. We learn a lot from seeing a wide range of approaches as well.

[@AbsolutMakkie]

hello! May i check the grind size for this brew recipe? thanks!

[@coffeewithapril]

He is looking for a Medium/Coarse grind size. What grinder are you using?

[@AbsolutMakkie]

@@coffeewithapril i see! I have a commandante C40 and a fellow ode gen 2

[@coffeewithapril]

@@AbsolutMakkie when we use the Ode Gen 2 we usually have a setting between 4-5.

[@zziiqqiiaann6545]

The sound of the chain is WILD i cant stand it😵‍💫

[@coffeewithapril]

We live and we learn and will watch out for chain's in the future.

[@danielurban83]

what water used?

[@MagicLover822]

Bucovina, some romanian water

[@lukesp5721]

When you rinse paper filters with hot water it causes the fibers within the paper to swell thus sometimes creating a slower drawdown.

[@coffeewithapril]

@@lukesp5721 interesting insight. Why do you think it only creates a slower drawdown sometimes?

[@coffeewithapril]

It's a local Romanian bottle water. We picked it up at the local supermarket before we filmed.

[@lukesp5721]

@@coffeewithapril The variances in fiber swelling within the paper weave from brand to brand and paper to paper can differ, coupled with the particulate fines present in the specific coffee brewed, collectively contribute to subtle differentiations. Conversely, a paper with a fast drawdown paired with a coffee characterized by a naturally accelerated drawdown and you may notice no differences.