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Coffee

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Does an immersion brewing machine exist? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 month ago by psilotop@lemmy.world to c/coffee@lemmy.world
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My family and I drink pretty much every style of coffee regularly, but the favorite by far is iced coffee brewed hot into ice using a Hario switch. (James Hoffman's recipe that includes the ice in the recipe). It tastes the best to everyone and it can be made cold in less than 10 minutes (unlike cold brew, which has to be made ahead of time).

The problem I have now is that everyone enjoys it so much that I make a minimum of 6x 500ml batches per week and it's just labor intensive. All I really need is a machine that does immersion brewing and lets me set a "steep time" after pre infusion. I love my regular coffee machine but it has no mechanism to hold the water in.

Does such a thing exist? I can't find anything that is not manual. I've tried a larger French press with a paper filter but that gets messy quickly. Any suggestions?

Thanks ☕

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[–] beeng@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I do cold coffee a few different ways per week.

Cold brew the night before. 50g in 900ml soaked over night, then through a V60 filter into a glass in the morning. If it doesn't filter well at the end, I stack 2 filter, a metal mesh filter cone on top of the v60.

Aeropress into a cocktail shaker (Boston small side, metal) then float it and spin it in cold water inside the bigger side. Metal Conducts the heat real well and pulls down the heat fast. But this is small batch.

If you're making so my much per week, not sure why you couldn't pre batch some cold brew.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I appreciate the suggestion, but we all just prefer the flavor of coffee that is brewed hot and immediately chilled (measured amount of ice is part of the recipe). Also, sometimes I don't realize how fast it's running out and I want to make a batch to drink on the same day.

[–] beeng@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've just ordered copper pipe that I'm going to coil and put through my cocktail shaker with cold running water.

Ok I get it. But if you're already doing ice why not just filter machine with ice after?

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Haha that would be cool!

The answer is that it tastes different. Cooling it after brewing takes time and doesn't taste the same. The recipe includes the ice as part of the water so it's immediately cold without watering it down.

https://youtu.be/8uGGeV8A-BM?is=Q1qnrF0l0y4AChos

Here is the recipe if you're interested.

[–] beeng@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I've tried it, I don't mind it. Didn't taste the difference too much, but my favourite is aeropress and cooled in the cocktail shaker with running water over the walls, strong, then over ice.

But I'm only making 1 or 2, big batch I can see would be annoying. Big batch I cold brew pre batch with ice pour over and a touch of salt.

Maybe my copper coil will be revolutionary :D

[–] CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I would consider a simple french press. Brew hot, add ice and voila. Alternative is brew cold, and when steep time is met pour into serving or storage containers.

Bonus points for BIFL of the Stanley stainless insulated model.

Kudos to you for realizing many beans taste better cold than hot.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Unfortunately, I think you're right. My main issue is that I like the taste/texture with a paper filter but filtering a French press can be annoying. I wish I could have a machine hold the immersion chamber and dispense, but I think I just have to deal with standing there and slowly pouring the French press through paper.

Now that I think about it, last time I filtered the French press through paper without pressing it. Maybe I'll try pressing and then using paper 🤔. It's still not automated but it could at least cut my batches in half.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I just use a standard basket filter in my french press and just press down slowly so the paper doesn’t tear. Got a 100 pack at the dollar store. It’s not as good as pour over but for a “lazy” coffee it’s pretty great still. Weirdly enough, doing a french press normally and then pouring through a paper filter into a cup or decanter makes it taste way worse than putting the paper filter against the mesh filter. No idea why, but it’s a huge difference. James Hoffmann said in a video it made it a lot more bitter, and my wife thought he was just being pretentious so we tried it. It was actually undrinkably bad. But with the paper filter pressed up against the mesh, it turned out beautifully.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I thought it was in my head but I agree that it tastes worse.

So you wrap the paper around the mesh? That's interesting, I never thought of that

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah, pretty much. Like this:

I’m not sure where I originally found the idea, but it works well. Give it a try and see what you think. I think Coffee Chronicler on YouTube mentioned it before, maybe that’s where I found out about it. But he used a cone filter which I found doesn’t work well at all. Grab yourself some basket filters like what’s in the above picture, it makes a big difference.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Nice! I'll give it a try. I have basket filters already 😁

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Let me know what you think! I’m a big fan personally. I hope you also enjoy it.

[–] wibble@reddthat.com 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Aeropress? Have something like a Fellow Prisma and slip a paper filter on the metal mesh. The Prisma holds the bean juice in without having to mess around with putting the plunger in to stop leakage

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I have an aeropress, I didn't think about the XL. The issue is the size. Aeropress holds about as much volume as a Hario switch (2 cups or 500ml-ish per batch). I make 6 batches per week so 3 liters LOL.

I look at my giant 2.5 liter Breville coffee maker and I just wish it could hold the water in 😭😭😭.

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

TIL that aeropress has an XL model 🥵🏃💸

[–] DougPiranha42@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Would you mind linking or describing the recipe?

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

https://youtu.be/8uGGeV8A-BM?is=4EII4-uNzV2Knspo

Enjoy! I love this recipe. Brewing hot tastes better than cold brew in my opinion, plus the ice means that the batch is cold right away.

[–] godot@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

What does your ideal workflow look like? Is this something you want do six times a week, 500ml at a time, or batch out into two 1.5l batches?

I don’t have one, but this definitely strikes me as a simple setting for a smart coffee machine. I have to think an Aiden or the like would have this functionality, a sort of extremely long infusion up to the volume of its brewing basket and then a standard release. If you’re asking for specific advice on smart brewers, fair enough. I’d be surprised if there isn’t something with an extra large brewing basket.

I definitely think any decent smart brewer could mirror the immersion flavor profile and intensity even if it can’t go full immersion.

Frankly, my first impulse was to just run a Mr. Coffee (or your current machine) with a manual release valve without the carafe inserted and see if you like what you get when you pop the carafe in at 10 minutes. Temperature control would be weird. Probably too small for your purposes?

I would just buy two Clever Drippers and brew them at the same time. The Switch is more versatile, but the Dripper is exactly the right device for this and cleanup is a cinch. If I wanted a big batch, I’d brew all three simultaneously and plop them one at a time on a two liter vessel.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's a good question. I enjoy the coffee that I currently, so my ideal would be to just be able to make the same coffee with less effort. Right now, the max I can make at a time is 500 ml and we drink roughly 3000 ml per week. If I could do a single 3 liter batch I would probably take that as my ideal lol. That's probably unrealistic, so I'm thinking either 1,000 ml or 1500 ml manual device or any size automatic machine (so it's overall just less work).

Google search is such garbage that I've searched for immersion machines or coffee machines that steep and got nothing useful. I have a nice Breville drip coffee maker and it just has an open hole under the basket so it just won't brew without a carafe. All I need is a 5-minute infusion time to make my current recipe. I'll check out Aiden, I don't know them

[–] godot@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

That makes a lot of sense. I think you’re already going to want to get creative so I don’t think you should give up on your ideal workflow.

There are large brewers intended for coffee shops that might be able to do this. I don’t think that’s your ideal route.

A smart brewer could produce a similar profile. But even then that’s a large quantity and pricey brewer for what is essentially a simple process.

You could go even more manual. In a way I think wanting that volume helps. Something like the Clever Dripper, or as it’s used in this recipe the Switch, is mostly being used to hold the filter. You could just go bigger on that and brew with large format filters intended for commercial machines and one or two kitchen strainers. Because it’s immersion you don’t need to worry about channeling or brewer temperature, even pass through isn’t important; the coffee’s already made. Heat 3l water in a pot, add coffee per usual, stir, and then strain at the five minute mark into a large vessel, as one would stock.

Culinarily, coffee is soup.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Lmao I love the soup comparison. It's like the joke that a vanilla soy latte is a three bean soup.

You make a good point. I could just get a large vessel like a pot and a large filter basket or funnel? Omg you just made me think I could use my Breville coffee maker just to hold the filter and pour the ready-made coffee through the top into the carafe without actually turning the machine on.

Another thought is just getting two more Hario Switches and doing them all at once. I have the process down to such an exact routine that I do it pretty quickly. 5 min steep time x6 with a few extra minutes prep ends up being like 45 minutes total. If I got three I could do the whole thing in 15 minutes hah.

Thanks for the discussion! I'm going to experiment with all these ideas and see which one I like the best.

[–] godot@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Our chat got me curious, I had some time, and no coffee yet today, so I tried it.

https://i.imgur.com/FcJx6lf.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/0roegdm.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/sxu3ZcR.jpeg

I don’t know Lemmy markdown, so I hope those are visible.

I brewed 90g coffee (some forgettable Ethiopian stuff I didn’t like) and 800g water at 95c in that pot. Poured through that filter over 500g ice. Drawdown was 2:05, so pretty fast. This will easily scale to two or three times this size. Even larger would be doable.

The result is excellent. Cleanup is extremely easy. Far, far better than these beans were hot. I’m kind of surprised how good it is considering this is just slapped together and not adjusted at all for the scale.

It makes me wonder what the point of an actual coffee machine is.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Lmao your last line hits so hard. I'm starting to realize that the machines are just vessels, most of the variables are controlled by us.

That's so cool! I love the idea. I guess my main motivation for doing all of this is to minimize the time and the cleanup - your experiment hits both goals nicely. Thanks for trying!

The recipe I use is 38g coffee for 330g water over 170g ice. Not too different from what you did.

[–] godot@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I realized I had a typo/brain fart; I used 90g coffee. I was targeting a standard 60g/l ratio with the water cut back per Papa Hoff’s tutorial.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Ah gotcha. For the cold recipe he increases it since iced coffee tastes weaker. I tried 60g/l and 76g/l and I definitely prefer the higher dose with cold coffee. It's worth a try.

[–] sqw@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

i poked around and found something under tiger brand hybrid brew. cant vouch for it myself cause i never heard of it before. if drip is permissible then your options become much more diverse.

[–] psilotop@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Whoa! This might be what I'm looking for. It looks like it does immersion. I'm going to look into it further, thanks!