One can find cheaper double wall glasses on independent websites and also Amazon. But the Bodums have a little silicone valve that, for me, make paying the higher price well worth it. Cheaper glasses that have a hole only will eventually pick up dishwasher liquid between the walls. And those without holes at all might shatter in the microwave. So money no object, go for the Bodums. I use the 300 ml ones when I do a pourover of 12 g coffee to 200 ml water. I use 18 g and 300 ml water for the larger Bodum glasses. I still gave these 5 stars for durability because, well, any glass can be broken so that is just something that is what it is. Here are some notes on coffee making I prepared for a friend or two: Baratza Virtuoso Plus. 12 and 20 and 24. 16:1. 200ml. Thus, 12 grams coffee for the test. A1. So here is my method for every new bag of coffee I buy. Even if it is the same coffee that I’ve previously purchased. Example: at a local HEB I/we ound some Cuvée Coffee in the clearance section with a good reduced price of only 5 bucks, so I had to buy and try. When I got home, the first thing I did was call my friend in all things coffee, Jay (or Ubi, depending on which of us is reposting this lol), to bring the bag over to try with his coffee set up. Baratza grinder and various extraction methods. And then, it was to pop a couple of coffee beans in my mouth and chew them to check to see if the coffee was already going into the dead flavor, old stage. Now the bag had said that the expiration date was December 2021. However in tasting the beans I could tell that most of the flavor had already been lost. These were older beans than I/we am/are used to, normally buying/purchasing from our local roasters, whose coffee was probably was roasted within the past 3 to 5 days. Now for this particular set up. With a Baratza Virtuoso Plus grinder, I/we grind 12 g at 10, 16, and 22 grind settings. I/we then extract each with 200 mL of water, allowed them to cool a bit and then taste them to see which of the grind sizesis resulted in the most flavorful, flavor profile of coffee. Alternatively, could have done this without a filter but just cupping them as per SCAA standards. Today we used a Chemex but we also could have done it with other methods as we have quite a few between the two of us. A2. Every coffee bag you buy will be different. Here is what you need to do in my opinion. You are going to make three different coffee samples and taste test each one. Try a grind setting on your Baratza of 16, 20, and 26 and a 16:1 coffee to water ratio at each. Use Crystal Geyser water for each extraction. Taste and decide which you like best. Crystal Geyser is available at the Dollar Store. You can test with 12 grams to 200 ml of water in each cup, or, 18 grams to 300 ml of water in each cup. B. Additional comment to someone else that I saved: Does your coffee grinder have several settings? The reason I am asking is that, whenever I get a new bag of coffee, I grind 18 grams each at my Baratza's 12, 18 and 24 settings. I then use 300 ml of water for each. I reuse the paper filter, just rinse it off and reuse it. I then taste test each grind. For consistency, I use Crystal Geyser water that I pick up at the Dollar Tree. In many case a finer grind tastes better. You are trying to find that perfect point between sour and bitter. You may find that you want to change the standard SCAA 16:1` ratio. Some coffees, I even go up to a 19.4:1 ratio. Others, I determine that a 10:1 ratio is the best. Each coffee will be different. Even coffee from the same estate, harvested in spring versus fall. It's just the way it is. And then, you have to contend with the roast and how the roaster did the roasting. Pop a couple of coffee beans in your mouth and chew them. That should give you an idea of what coffee flavors are dominant. Spit out the coffee, though, don't swallow it. Additional note: Now, Baratza publishes a recommended grind size when the Virtuoso Plus ships. 8 for espresso, 12 for Aeropress, 15 for Hario, 18 for Autobrewers, 20 for Chemex, 28 for French Press. C. Chemex says 1 tablespoon per 5 ounces of water. That isn't precise enough for me. When I bring in a new bag of coffee, I do three grind sizes of 12 grams each. A finer, a medium and a slightly more coarse ( on my Baratza, a 10, 20 and 24). I extract with 200 grams of boiling water, allow them to cool to 125 F and then taste each to decide which grind size or somewhere in between I will use for that bag of coffee." C2. Bitterness shouldn’t be your red flag for grinding too fine, astringency should be. Start out at a grind size you know is far too coarse, and move finer until you get a feeling of dryness in your mouth from the coffee. James Hoffmann says, if sour, go finer. If bitter, go coarser.
