The Magic Of Bypass Brewing

Some of the topics we hear most often from people is that they don’t know if they are making coffee the right way, or hearing that they are getting inconsistent brews with the coffee they brew at home, and in some cases they feel like they just don’t know where to start when making coffee. In this blog article we will introduce a brewing technique that should help get a more consistent cup of coffee every time!

In this day and age when people are on the go, in a hurry, and looking for a quick solution, we would like to try and simplify things. Here are a few basic principles to keep in mind when it comes to brewing coffee:

Every coffee is different

No two coffees will brew the same or taste the same. Each coffee may require its own recipe including dose, water temperature, grind size, etc. to get the very best taste. Expecting a light roast coffee and dark roast coffee to taste the same using the same recipe

Consistency is key

If your recipe is not consistent, your brewed coffee won’t be consistent either. Think of it like baking, if your ingredients are not measured each time, your baked goods won’t be consistent. One of the best ways to be consistent in coffee brewing is to measure and time your brews. Don’t have the time? The bypass technique we’re going to explain should help!

Coffee changes

As a coffee off-gasses (the period of time after roasting where the coffee is releasing stored up Carbon Dioxide CO2 and hits its peak flavor) the amount of energy or time needed to get a good extraction of flavor may change. The coffee also changes as it ages so sometimes you will need to adjust things like grind size, water temperature, time to brew, etc. to get the flavors you’re looking for.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about a coffee brewing technique that has been an absolute game changer for us in our brewing at home, as well as our testing at the roastery! This technique works especially well with manual brewing methods (pour over, Aeropress, Clever Brewer, French Press, etc.), but it also works with any drip coffee machine as well.

In a nutshell the bypass technique allows a person to dial in the strength and flavor of their brew to their exact taste while also taking some of the guesswork out of brewing coffee. The basic principle of the bypass brewing technique is to brew your coffee at a slight concentrate, then add hot water to your brewed cup of coffee. The results are more surprising than you think, as this technique will actually open up to coffee to reveal more subtle tasting notes, brightness to the cup, and will allow you to adjust the strength of the coffee to your exact taste!

On a related note note, be sure to enter our Water Filter & Electric Gooseneck kettle giveaway:

What does bypass mean? It simply means that the water you are adding, is bypassing the brewing process and going straight into your already brewed coffee. 

We always recommend measuring your coffee by weight if possible, especially if you’re trying a new coffee for the first time. We also recommend weighing or measuring your water when trying a new coffee. To use this bypass technique we recommend starting with a 1:15 ratio (one part coffee, 15 parts water) to start. So for example you would weigh out:

20 grams of coffee to 300 grams (or milliliters) of water

The above example is 20 x 15 (a 1:15 ratio) = 300

This coffee should be just a little strong, and may taste flat, or harsh after brewing. Now, have some hot water ready (we recommend a water kettle) below the boiling point to add to your cup of already brewed coffee. Add just a bit of water at a time. You can also let the coffee cool a bit before tasting. What you will find is that the coffee opens up with new flavors and you may also notice a change in the brightness or vibrancy of the coffee. The changes can be quite surprising! This has been especially true with our Happy Medium coffee (people from our Aeropress brewing class had a great reaction to the bypass method), our direct trade Ecuador Ingapamba light roast, and our latest release Guatemala Huehuetenango medium roast.

We now use the bypass method almost exclusively because of the flexibility and results it provides. The results, in our opinion, are most noticeable with light and medium roasts as compared to dark roasts. The good news is that once you are used to a certain coffee and have a good and consistent coffee maker (we highly recommend the Aeropress and Clever Brewer for their easy of use and amazing results) you don’t necessarily need to continue weighing out your coffee, you can just eyeball your amount of coffee and water.

We encourage you to give the bypass method a try, and experiment with it. Try starting with a 1:15 ratio then try a 1:14 ratio, try adding different temperature water, etc. The bypass method is especially great when brewing coffee for two (Aeropress XL, French Press, etc.) where two people differ on their preferred strength of coffee. Enjoy! ☕

For a deeper dive (water pun intended) on the importance of water, see our two blog articles:

Brewing At Home - Water Part 1 of 2

Brewing At Home - Water Part 2 of 2