What We Are Brewing: Portrait Coffee
Not surprisingly, the office at Prima is always stocked with coffee. Always. Since we sell coffee equipment, and only that with which we have been able to make consistently tasty cups, we find it necessary to sample coffees from all over the country, at times the world, and, although we prefer lighter roasts, from all over the color spectrum. Until now, this has remained our little secret. We grind and brew coffees. We measure extraction percentages. We taste and talk among ourselves. Then we refine recipes and brew some more. It is part of our job and, dare we say, it is fun. This year we have been sharing some of that fun and the recipes that result. This episode features Portrait.
Founded about two years ago in Atlanta’s historic west end, Portrait Coffee has, by all accounts, immediately proven to be an important roaster to have on the specialty coffee scene. The company’s name refers to the faces of the people responsible for coffee; and the company’s mission is to change the picture of specialty coffee here in the US to more accurately reflect that reality and to generally bring awareness and unique content to stateside consumers.
This is a washed process Kenyan coffee grown in Muranga county just northeast of Nairobi. It brews up nice and syrupy and with a pleasant citrus snap. The roast level (medium) makes it an ideal candidate for the Chemex, a brewer whose thick filter causes a slow drawdown and thus a low slurry temperature. In this recipe, we use 40g of coffee to 600 grams of water—that is a 1:15 ratio. However, this coffee is highly malleable, capable of releasing more or less of what you like, so experiment with the ratio to find your ideal flavor combination.
| Roaster: | Portrait |
|---|---|
| Coffee: | Kenya Chania Bridge AA |
| Roast: | Medium |
| Variety: | SL28 |
| Process: | Washed |
| Brewing Device: | Chemex |
| Grind: | Coarse |
| Dose: | 40 grams |
| Water: | 600 grams at 212°F |
| Time: | 6:00ish |
Before the brewing begins, all the prep work must be done. Heat the water to a boil. Grind the coffee. Pre-wet the filter. Add the ground coffee to the Chemex. Tare the scale. Start the timer.
- Pour 100g of water. Stir gently with a tiny spoon to incorporate all the water and break up any clumps.
- After roughly 45 seconds, add 166g of water, pouring fast and bringing the total to 266g; then give it a little swirl and put the kettle back on the base (or stove).
- When the water has drawn down to the coffee bed, add the next 166g of water. Swirl. Put the kettle back on the base (or stove).
- When the water is almost down to the coffee bed, add the final 166g and then swirl.
The brew should finish around six minutes, but, as always, depending on the grinder (and how many fines it produces), it may take longer. Time is less important than taste. If you like it, you have won the day. If the cup lacks either a lemon zing or a pleasant syrupy quality, adjust the recipe or invest in coffee water like Third Wave Water or Peak. The greatest thing about this recipe, though, a feature of most Chemex recipes, is that it makes a large batch for sharing with friends.
