The Ultimate Hybrid Coffee

Image From: https://www.dankoff.com.my/blogs/articles/hario-switch-immersion-dripper

Below are the materials and the recipe I used to get the juiciest and tastiest cup I could after endless experimenting. You will need the same tools I used to get as close as possible to what I was able to create, but even if you approximate with this recipe, you will get an amazing cup. This recipe focuses on retaining volatile compounds, cooling to ideal tasting temperature, high acidity with a balance of sweetness, a juicy body and mouthfeel, and decent extraction. It is complicated, but worth it. I explain exactly what I did step by step in case anyone wants to try and re-create the cup. But the goal is for you to use it to explore and find your best cup. This recipe is for a 20g dose, but I followed a 1:16 ratio if you want to up or down dose. BONUS: I include an alternate recipe at the end if you want to brew a larger 450-500ml batch to share.

What You'll Need:

Hario Switch

• You want a hybrid brewer so you can introduce immersion to round out the cup and

increase body

• Any hybrid brewer can work. Hario will provide more acidity than a Pulsar, but the impact will be lessened due to the immersion time

  
  

Chilling ball

• This helps retain some of the more volatile compounds that can increase the flavor in the first few sips

• We can only taste specific flavors (other than sweet, bitter, sour, salty, umami) if we

include the olfactory senses. This can mean the difference between tasting “fruity” or something like “green apple”

• This also helps to cool the coffee to an ideal tasting temperature where the tongue can clearly perceive the acidity and sweetness

• We can not perceive many flavors until the temperature is closer to body temperature. This is why coffee flavor changes as it cools

Drip assist

• You can use MeloDrip, Timmore, Hario Drip Assist, or any other. This reduces agitation which helps to decrease migration of fines to filter and allows you to grind finer

• If you do not have one, use a spoon and hold it on top of the bed and pour onto the spoon

  
  

Sifter

• This will separate out many of the fines, which you will still use but later in the brew

• This again helps reduce the likelihood of your filter clogging and allows you to grind finer

• If you do not have a sifter, just make sure to use as minimal of agitation as possible and you may want to try grinding slightly coarser than I recommend in this recipe

Usual basics

• Scale – I recommend a 1:16 ratio in my recipe, any scale will do

• Grinder – I use a ZP6 for clarity, your grinder may require you to change your grind size and other variables

• Kettle – Regular or gooseneck is fine if using drip assist

• Carafe – Any vessel works

• Filter – I use Origami because it flows relatively fast. A Sibarist would allow you to try

grinding even finer to push extraction higher

• Coffee – I dialed this in with an Anaerobic Natural Ethiopian originally

• Coffee Water – I use 85-100PPM water just using distilled with some Third Wave Water packets

Preparation:

Fold and add filter to Hario Switch

• Rinse filter with hot water to remove any paper fines/taste, stick to brewer, and heat brewer

  
  

Set up chilling ball to use for initial pours

• Helps retain volatile compounds and chill coffee to ideal drinking temperature

20g ground on my ZP6 at a 3.7 (about 700-750 microns)

• 325g minimum water heated to 80 Celsius for bloom

• Heat to 95 Celsius for remaining pours after bloom

Sift 20g with a 300-400 micron sifter 

• Save fines for later in recipe

Recipe:

1. Pour remaining ~20g of sifted grounds into the Hario

   • Save fines from sifting for later in the recipe

     
     

2. Close switch and pour 80g water, start in center then spiral out

   • Swirl/stir to excel saturation for bloom

     
     

3. Heat water to 95 Celsius while waiting

   
   

4. Open switch and let drain at 1:30

   
   

5. Pour using MeloDrip (or gently) to 140g and let drain

   
   

6. Pour using MeloDrip (or gently) to 200g and let drain

   • These two pours help to increase extraction and acidity

   
   

7. Remove chilling ball

   
   

8. Distribute sifted fines onto top of bed

   • Adding fines back in now helps prevent clogging the filter and fines help to increase complexity in the cup

9. Close switch and pour using drip assist to 300g

10. Let steep for another 1:30 after done pouring

11. Then stir 3x one way then the other to break crust and settle grounds

12. Open switch, Rao spin, let drain

13. Add 20g bypass to open up and bring to 1:16 ratio

Now enjoy. This is a very detailed recipe, but the reward is worth every detail. BONUS: Larger Batch Version Use 30g of coffee Change 2-3 clicks up in grind size to coarsen grind slightly due to increased dose Follow above instructions, but use the following pour structure:

• Pour 100g to bloom for initial immersion pour

• Pour up to 160g and let drain

• Pour up to 200g and let drain

• Close switch, add sifted fines, pour up to 320 grams

• After drain, add bypass of 140-180g