Minimum dose for Brazen coffee brewer

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
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cygnusx1
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#1: Post by cygnusx1 »

I'm considering getting a Behmor Brazen for drip brewing and was wondering what is the minimum dosage that can be effectively brewed through it. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

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Spitz.me
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#2: Post by Spitz.me »

My experience as well as MANY others who have chimed in can be found here:

https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffe ... nes/629793

AND HERE:

https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffe ... nes/577567
LMWDP #670

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yakster
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#3: Post by yakster »

The stated minimum dose for the Behmor BraZen coffee brewer is 600 ml which is up to the calibration line. I asked Joe Behm in a tweet last fall if there'd be an issue with brewing 500 ml, to which he answered that there shouldn't be any problem, the only possible issue might be overshoot of the temperature set point.

I ended up basing a successful iced coffee recipe around 500 ml batches with no problem. I haven't tried smaller batches.

I tried this recipe out with Greenway Coffee's Guatemala Bella Carmona. It was very good, nice acidity and sweetness like a caramel green apple. Wife approved.

Brazen iced coffee recipe
70 g coffee
500 ml 202°F water
One minute pre-soak
340 g ice
-Chris

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cygnusx1 (original poster)
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#4: Post by cygnusx1 (original poster) »

I finally got a reply from Behmor on my question that I posed to them 2 days ago. Effectively they said there was no minimum requirement and as small a pot as desired can be brewed. So, if on the odd chance I might want to brew at <500ml, do you think there would be any issue?

Oh, and those 2 threads from coffegeek... lotsa reading material there... but very informative :mrgreen:

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yakster
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#5: Post by yakster »

Honestly speaking, I don't know. I brew 600 ml batches in my Kalita 185 style each morning, using my BraZen when company comes over and I need to brew a larger batch. I would take Behmor's answer at face value then, since they have much more experience and actually stand behind the product.
-Chris

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SpromoSapiens
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#6: Post by SpromoSapiens »

wondering if there's an update in the wings here?

I'm starting to consider automated options for morning coffee, right now I find I'm not quite ready for the day without three consecutive ~14g ristrettos and between the toddler, the dishes and the dog it can be an hour after I get up before I get to make the first one. So, yeah, I get grumpy, and that's no way to start the day. Plus as the little lady grows and we keep adding activities, I'll soon be needing something more grab-n-go style.

As much as I cherish my ever-evolving espresso ritual, I think having a rich hot cup awaiting me might be just as nice. Thing is, I need it strong & fast, which is why I love espresso. I experimented with pourover and found that I needed to transfer it into a sealed, one-hand-operable travel mug in order to hang out with my little one and not worry about spilling, but i don't particularly enjoy drinking from plastic-topped travel mugs, so I was finding diminishing returns of pleasure from my excellent quality coffees.

The pourover process was way too involved anyway, with the youngen a-tuggin' at my shirt from down below. I think if I could have one or two excellent, tight-ratio'ed cups made automatically, ready for me upon waking and kept warm while I drank them, I might also invest in a safe-enough mug that I enjoy drinking from. Maybe one of those ceramics with a silicone lid, or something like that. But I'm the only caffeine-drinker in the house, and I only tend to extract the above amount of coffee per morning....

Would a Brazen realistically work for me? ~45-50g / 500ml max (maybe smaller) batches? I already know it would be nice for when company comes over but that's rare. My priority is watchin' out for #1 here.

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TomC
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#7: Post by TomC »

Your problem and mine are somewhat similar, which also forced me back towards the Brazen by similar necessity these past few months. I needed 2 big cups of coffee before leaving the house, since I stopped brewing coffee at work (Comandante was a bust, Hausgrind just landed a few days ago). So I'd brew a 600ml batch and drink one cup before leaving, enjoying the aroma and the whole coffee experience, while the other half went into the travel mug.

I go back to work Friday with the Hausgrind, I'll probably switch back to my Kalita Wave again permanently (having one at work and one at home). But the Brazen is fully capable, repeatable, and I can brew small batches if I choose. I think the lowest I bothered with was 335ml, a 20g batch of coffee. The brew was fine. I just upped the pre-infusion time to the max so I had enough slurry contact time to extract well.
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yakster
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#8: Post by yakster »

TomC wrote:I just upped the pre-infusion time to the max so I had enough slurry contact time to extract well.
Good tip, I hadn't thought of that. Do you leave the carafe out of the brewer during the pre-infusion as well to keep the water in the basket?
-Chris

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allon
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#9: Post by allon »

yakster wrote:Do you leave the carafe out of the brewer during the pre-infusion as well to keep the water in the basket?
You mean I'm not the only one who does this?
If I forget to pull the carafe out before it starts preinfusion, I'll leave it out a bit to let the coffee fully wet during the brew.

There have been times before this when I'd pull the basket and find a small pocket of dry grounds :-/
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SpromoSapiens
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#10: Post by SpromoSapiens »

Hmm. If you have to remove the carafe in order to maintain pre-infusion for small batches, does that mean you can't just set it the night before and wake up to a beautiful cup? This would slightly diminish the point of this product for me.

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