Extreme Dark Roast
Japan has the best coffee culture I’ve experienced. Having lived there for six months, I tasted the best light roast, co-ferment coffees—but also the darkest roasts imaginable.
It took time to appreciate dark roasts; it wasn't until I had a Nel drip dark roast that I was truly sold on their potential. The Nel drip is a very slow and low-temperature brewing method that yields a thick cup with little bitterness.
Now, back in the US, I’m looking for a recipe that produces a cup similar to my beloved Nel drip. So I proceed, low and slow.
I say “extreme” because this isn’t dark brown, nor very dark—this is pitch black, coated in oil. It’s a very porous bean, so extraction is easy. I go with a coarse grind, but the porosity results in fine particles, so I use two filters.
Recipe Notes:
- Grind size: I used Timemore C3 set to 22 clicks counterclockwise
- Filters: 2 paper filters
Recipe details:
Coffee:
Grind Settings:
Water:
Equipment:
- Prep - Coarsely grind 18g of coffee and preheat water to 75C. I grind with a Timemore C3 set to 22 clicks counterclockwise.
- Prep - Preheat inverted Aeropress, add ground beans, and zero the scale. Pre-rinse double filter paper.
- Add 50ml water over 30 seconds. Swirl three times.
- Add 100ml (total 150ml) and stir three times clockwise and three times counterclockwise. Try to complete by 1 minute.
- Place cap and prepare to press.
- Start pressing at 1:20 for 30 seconds.
- Complete press by 1:50, don’t squeeze the grounds, just press until it stops going down with gentle pressure.
- Serve directly, or bypass with up to 20% water. I find a bypass of 30% would pair well with a dessert course.
