Hario's stainless steel water kettle, the V60 Buono, has been spotted popping up in coffee houses and the kitchens of baristas for some time now. A detailed search on the web will reveal, for the moment at least, that the Buono seems to be widely accepted as the most useful pouring kettle available. What makes this kettle so popular amongst pour-over enthusiasts? Several reasons stand out.
First, the thin pouring spout enables greater pouring precision as well as a slower, more consistent and controlled rate of pour, both of which are very helpful in achieving a precise, prolonged extraction.
Second, the stainless steel construction and large 1 liter capacity contribute toward keeping up the brew temperature for the duration of the entire brew cycle.
Third, the ergonomics involved in the design of the kettle help to make using it much easier. This may not seem like much, but if you're brewing large batches of coffee and pouring for three or more minutes per batch, doing several batches of coffee will quickly become a chore if your kettle doesn't cooperate with you.
Combine all of these facets with the fact that the Buono is manufactured by Hario, a very popular name in the coffee-brewing community, and the kettle's popularity is easily understood. For best results, combine the Buono with a
V60 Dripper or
Chemex to get a truly exceptional cup of coffee.
Pre-infusion
In my experiance it can greatly change the way you time a shot and the expected outcome if you are used to no PI manual machines. I tried it for a while as it was a user controlable feature on my LaSpaziale - I went back to not using it and am happy with the results for drink preparation. Good for testing purposes though - IMHO.
lachris
Coffee@SmelltheSmoke.net
Other Methods
Another method commonly used to preinfuse is the use of a preinfusion chamber in the group head. This was an innovation introduced my Faema in their legendary E-61 group head. The mechanics take a little bit to explain but I'll see if I can't talk this out without confusing everyone including myself. ;)
The chamber lies in the group head, between the solenoid (where the water is let into the group) the shower screen (where the water hits the coffee). When the flow of water is allowed into the group and the pump is engaged, it exerts 9 bars of pressure but all of that pressure can't get to the coffee until all the space between the pump and the coffee is filled up. The chamber just provides more room to fill in between the pump and the coffee so that, until the chamber is full, a good portion of those 9 bars is devoted to filling the chamber and not entirely exerted on the coffee. So, if the rate of water flow is 2 ounces per 10 seconds and the preinfusion chamber holds 1 ounce, you will have 5 seconds of softer pressure before the chamber is full and all of the pressure is applied to the coffee.
This method is sometimes referred to as "passive preinfusion" because the barista doesn't have any control over the device in the group head, whereas opening the solenoid to allow line pressure to preinfuse for the length of time determined by the barista (the method Kenny is talking about) is called "active preinfusion" because the barista is in complete control over the time to preinfuse and whether or not to preinfuse at all.
1. Preinfusion is, in
1. Preinfusion is, in espresso preparation, the act of introducing water at low pressure (around 3.5-4bar) prior to the full extraction pressure of 9bar. The way that this is accomplished in many of today's high end espresso machines is by using a lever mechanism instead of a single button to start water flow. This lever has 3 positions, the first being off, the second opens the valve for water flow and allows water to press the espresso puck at the pressure of the water line without activating the pump, the third position activates the pump to increase pressure up to 9bar.
2. I did an experiment today on this very subject. Preinfusion, in my limited experience, can be used to change mouthfeel/taste in a variety of ways when brewing espresso. I have noticed a general "softening" of the bitterness of espresso when adding 5-9 seconds of preinfusion. It also helps to even out any tamp inconsistencies, although it is by no means a replacement for quality dosing/tamping methods of the barista. It is mostly a new variable other than the standard brew temp, extraction pressure, dose, and tamp pressure in the extraction of espresso and can add new levels of control over espresso extraction.
3. Preinfusion is not a new concept, but it is a concept that is coming back in popularity with today's level of traceability and culinary view of coffee. Adding the ability to preinfuse requires R & D from manufacturers who do not currently offer it on their espresso machine, which can get expensive. Also, many machines have some level of preinfusion but it is not user controllable. As of now preinfusion is a sort of high-end add on for espresso machines, like adding a sunroof to your car. I could go into more detail but I don't want to bore everyone.
I'm happy you're so interested :-)
Sounds good! my mouth is
Sounds good! my mouth is watering for a taste of that preinfusinusinatored shot! Thanks for taking the time to explain it. Maybe, hopefully, soon we'll see more cars with sunroofs and more espresso machines with the capability of preinfusion.
Oh, one more question... sorry if this is a dumb one... is it possible to preinfuse with a paddle group machine or does it have to be a lever machine?