Gift suggestions: Go low tech!


Dany Marquis

I'm becoming a technophobe. Being connected has its advantages, especially for the work I do and the nature of Brulerie du Quai. In November, in Gaspésie, it's rather quiet, and I consider myself lucky to be connected to you via the Internet. But this state of connection requires balance in the rest of my life, and outside of work, I find that I am increasingly seeking “low tech” experiences. For example, the book is a worthy representative. And this concern for balance also applies to my coffee consumption. I am a fan of manual preparation methods. And coffee preparation is part of my approach to balance. It almost becomes a meditative state, a ritual which basically takes around ten minutes. And if I can understand those who are in a frenzy tornado and prepare their coffee with the press of a button, I would like to invite them to slow down a little, even if only on the weekend, and prepare their coffee manually. No technology, no complicated and expensive machine, but a return to basics, to a connection with the product, its preparation and its consumption. Take your time. And to do this, I offer you a series of “low tech” coffee accessories selected by our team. Nothing really complicated, simple, authentic methods to make your coffee at home. We are also always happy to help you work on your preparation techniques and find the ideal settings.

Let me introduce you to these preparation tools:

The mill: Essential element! I repeat it often and despite everything, still too few Moulin Skerton Brulerie du Quai people have a mill at home. We have therefore decided to offer you a manual model, with conical ceramic grinding wheels from the Hario company. Adjustable, you can make a good espresso grind, better than many more expensive electric grinders, and a coarser grind for your filter or full immersion methods. Additionally, the mill can also screw onto a mason jar if you want a larger container. And as I use it at home, I can warn you that it is long enough to grind 40g of coffee for a filter but it gets moving in the morning :-)

The balance: To have an optimal experience, you want to control your settings Balance Brulerie du Quai preparation, and to do this you need a scale. By weighing your ground coffee and water, you will ensure you have the perfect ratio and you can quickly correct yourself until you find the ideal relationship between the type of coffee used, the preparation method, the grind level, the weight of coffee, water and contact time. Without a balance, we remain arbitrary, and it is impossible to repeat a perfect recipe.

For your filter preparations and full immersions:

The kettle: To prepare your coffee, you need a hot water source. And what's better than a good "low tech" kettle to be consistent with your Kettle Brulerie du Quai simplification approach. While there are many possibilities at this level, we offer you a classic in the coffee industry with the kettle from the Japanese company Hario. It remains a kettle, which can be placed directly on the stove, but its main advantage is its swan neck spout which allows the water flow to be controlled very precisely, which is very useful with filter methods. gravity.

So far, we can talk about the common denominator (grinder, scales, kettle) which should be part of the coffee lover's arsenal. Next, we determine the preparation method itself.

Gravity filter: So here we are in the maximum “low tech”, a paper filter, in a glass or plastic cone, in which we will place the coffee, and subsequently the water. You can place the filter infuser directly on your cup or on a serving carafe, and in some cases, the carafe is part of the infuser (Chemex). Amount of coffee used? You can start with a ratio of 1/16 (desired quantity of coffee / 16 = Quantity of coffee) and adjust as needed.

V60: designed by the Hario company, this model is very popular among baristas V60 Brulerie du Quai professionals. It is easy to use and produces good results. We stock a very affordable plastic and glass version. You can pair it with the serving carafe or opt for the starter kit which contains the infuser, a serving carafe and a pack of filters.

Chemex: This very aesthetic coffee maker requires a little more skill to Chemex Brulerie du Quai preparation, but remains our favorite. It exudes a chic je ne sais quoi that makes the preparation and service unique. It's an infuser and carafe in one. We keep two models, with the bamboo wood collar and with the glass handle. We also recommend Chemex filters which are thicker and allow optimal infusion.

For the gravity filter methods, you put the cup or your carafe on the scale, you put the right quantity of coffee in your pre-rinsed filter, and you pour the hot water gradually with your precision kettle in a circular motion until 'to reach the desired quantity of water. V60 and Chemex require a slightly different technique. The V60, thanks to its stripes, allows the creation of a kind of gentle vortex in the filter, accentuated by the pouring of water in a circular movement. So you don't need to create more turbulence and you can concentrate on constantly adding water by controlling the flow rate to achieve a preparation time between 3-4 minutes. In the case of Chemex, its smooth surface can play tricks on you. You will then need to add water in approximately 2-3 stages fairly quickly (including the pre-infusion) and use a spoon to agitate the water inside the filter in order to create turbulence and avoid creating a channel. You will recognize successful brewing by the flat surface of the grounds inside the filter when finished. If the grounds are hollow in the center or all around the filter, a channel has formed and the water will have drained too quickly and/or some of the grounds are under-infused.

Full immersion filtered: With this method we are talking about an infusion similar to tea, with the ground coffee completely immersed in water. The Clever is a type infuser Clever Brulerie du Quai gravity filter which however has a very simple mechanism allowing all the water to be retained. So, you put your ground coffee in the rinsed filter, you add the water in full or in two stages with a pre-infusion, you mix everything and let it steep for 4 minutes. Then you place the Clever on your cup or on a serving carafe, which will open the small valve to let the coffee flow through the filter. For the filters, these are classic #4 filters that are found everywhere in grocery stores.

Full immersion: The piston is the best representative and is closest to the method used by professionals to analyze coffees (cupping). You will not find a piston in our current offer, because this type of accessory is available at very low prices almost everywhere in supermarkets. So if you opt for a plunger, our common denominator rule applies (mill, scale, kettle).

The Aeropress: I place the Aeropress in a category of its own, because it is possible to use it in different ways. You can use it like the Clever (full immersion filtered) using the reverse method or with the method proposed by the manufacturer which is a type of gravity filter operated by the pressure of the piston.

There is a lot to say about each method, but I wanted to offer you simple, manual accessories that will give you an authentic coffee experience. Roughly speaking, starting with the common denominator (grinder, scale, kettle) and a method among those suggested, you get away with a budget of around $250 for a coffee preparation set that will give you a result worthy of n any professional barista (with a little practice). All that remains is to choose coffees to explore the full potential of this extraordinary beverage. Also note that these are preparation methods that are good for the environment.

You will also allow, thanks to your new preparation method, to balance your karmas by going with a traditional and manual preparation method. Because we all know that when our karmas are balanced, nothing can stop us.

Drink good coffee and may the force be with you in this crazy world!


6 comments


  • Hélène Thibeault

    Merci Dany de partager ces infos. J’apprends et j’apprécie beaucoup.


  • ken Gasseau

    Quel est la difference dans la saveur du café fait avec machine keurig ou même Bosch (petite capsule ) et celui fait de facon manuelle.(Chemex).

    J’utilise un moulin electrique , celui a la main donne t il de meilleures resultats ? quelle est l’importance du temps de contact de l’eau sur les grains? Avec Keurig, le temps de contact est vraiment limité? Merci de vos commentaires et comme je suis Gaspésien de Carleton vivant sur MTL , J’apprécie et vous enverrez des clients…Saluer ma cousine Tania Lefebvre …une adepte de votre Lieu.


  • Francine Gosselin

    Bonjour,
    Merci beaucoup de ces littératures et expériences. Superbes descriptions.
    Je n’ai jamais oublié ce que vous m’avez appris lors de ma courte expérience dans votre entreprise.
    Et j’adore en apprendre plus, et plus.
    Félicitations !
    Je passe mes commandes sous peu.

    Et merci encore


  • Simon Prévost

    Dany tu t’es encore surpassé dans le lyrisme slow food version café. Vite il me faut un chemex ou une bouilloire de précision! Et surtout le café qui va avec. Pour le reste je suis déjà low tech dès que j’ai une occasion mais et je dois dire que tes propos me confortent dans mon inclinaison naturelle. Merci de nous donner le goût de boire “vrai” !


  • Daniel Sigouin

    Je suis arrêter deux fois pour te rencontrer le 19 et 20 Septembre mais tu n’étais pas présent malheureusement. Je te trouve très créatif et innovateur.

    Je passe une commande de filtre très bientôt.

    Bon week-end


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