Just started using the CCD and even though I tried a bunch of different recipes I can't seem to find one that gives me results I want. Most of them mention brew times of 3+ mins with a 30-60 sec drain along a coarse French Press grind setting but for some reason my drains are taking like more than a minute and 30 seconds to come down. I'm using a Hario Mini Mill and I've tried many different settings even going 15 clicks back from close (which is EXTREMELY coarse) and I still end up with a long long long drain time. The grounds also look like they are mud when the water is done draining.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong but I have been brewing single origin beans from La Colombe and I been trying to pull out fruity notes but it just isn't happening. I read someone said they don't brew for more than a minute as it will over extract everything and they don't do any stirring. They also stated that 40 secs then drain was their best brew, but they never said what type of grind they use so I'm really confused at to what would work with that.

I have been using all types of ratios as well and I just can't seem to find a sweet spot. If anyone has really great recipes or tips please help me out I'll try anything at this point. Just remember I'm using a Hario Mini Mill so if anyone knows good settings for that please let me know as I can't seem to figure out one for that either.

A 1:30 drawdown does not seem ridiculously long to me for a maximum capacity brew, although mine tend to be shorter using a finer grind

My recipe is as follows:

Makes 400g of coffee.

Boil water in electric kettle.
Weigh out 28g of beans.
Place Melitta white paper filter in CCD.

When water boils, fill CCD most of the way and cover.
Grind beans (medium filter drip grind).
Pour water out of the top of the CCD into mug.
Dump ground coffee into CCD.
Start clock and pour water in slowly to near top of filter. If coffee is very fresh, I'll wet the ground and allow 30 seconds for bloom before pouring in the rest.
Cover and wait until 1:30.
Stir briefly and recover.
At about 3:00, dump water from mug.
At about 3:20 place CCD on mug.
Drawdown is usually just about right on 1 minutes, plus a few seconds.
Top up mug with hot water to make 400g total (I know the level this fills my mug to, so I usually don't bother to weigh; it's close to 400g without topping off, but usually a little short).
Enjoy delicious coffee.

Note: Pouring the preheating water out of the top of the CCD is something I read about on CoffeeGeek and is supposed to wash out any loose paper particles the might clog the pores of the the filter and slow the drawdown. I have no idea if it actually makes a difference; it's just something I do.

I do the bypass thing with topping off just because I want a full mug of coffee, and I'd rather not worry about filling the CCD all the way up to very tip top. I've done successful bypass brews in the CCD with 40-42g of coffee in a full cone, with the result diluted to fill a 600ml thermos.

i've personally found that different grinders will have different drawdown times.

At work, with a ditting, i can easily achieve 1:30 drawdowns and combine that with a 1:30 brew time. At home, on a mahlkonig kenia, i cant get the drawdowns to go that long. I have found that a longer brew time and shorter drawdown works well at home.

personally i try to complete the entire brew in 3-3:30 mins.

Also, make sure your water is hot enough. Too cool and you're likely not going to get much acidity and fruitiness.

Brandon58DT wrote:I'm using a Hario Mini Mill and I've tried many different settings even going 15 clicks back from close (which is EXTREMELY coarse) and I still end up with a long long long drain time. The grounds also look like they are mud when the water is done draining.

Bear with me for a second, as this is going to sound crazy. Tighten up on your grind setting. I think 18 clicks is a bit too loose and what is happening is that you're generating more fines from the uneven grind (while the mini mill is better than the Hario Skerton/Kyocera CM-45, it still suffers from some burr destabilization as you go coarser) . It's possible your filter is clogging slightly during your draw down phase as a result of fine generation.

If you tighten up on your grind setting (say 8-9 clicks and work from there) you may find that the evenness of your grind improves, and as a result, your extraction becomes more even. If you're still getting 1.5 minute draw downs, consider accounting for that time in your steep, or you can try reducing your water charge, brewing stronger and then bypass brewing with hot water. Bypass brewing may accentuate different flavors than a typical extraction, so as always, YMMV.

Jaxx2112 wrote:It's possible your filter is clogging slightly during your draw down phase as a result of fine generation.

+1

Fines will have an effect as well as the particular filter you're using.

You can't really screw up the drawdown on a clever with technique, its all about the grind. You might find your grind is actually more even (less dust) with a finer overall setting. Few grinders perform well at very coarse settings.

I suggest you find the coarsest grind you can get that is still somewhat even looking (which may be quite a bit finer than you are now). Once you do that, your drawdown is what it is, and if you need to you can reduce steep time to compensate. If you're not happy at that point, you're probably going to need a better grinder. Lido 2 sounds like a good choice.

I'm using a Bunzilla with a very fine grind and the draw down is under a minute. As others have said, it's most likely a uneven grind(fines) clogging the filter. Also, have you tried a different brand of filter to see if that's a contributing factor.