Flight # 3 Recipe

Gather all equipment: three identical pour-over drippers and carafes, paper filters, burr grinder, gooseneck kettle, scale, timer, tasting cups, and a notebook or score sheet.

Place each dripper on its carafe or server and insert a paper filter. Rinse all filters with hot water (about 200 ml total) to remove paper taste and preheat the carafes. Discard rinse water.

Weigh and grind

Weigh 60 g of beans for each brew (three different roast/origin beans). Grind each dose to a medium-fine grind appropriate for your dripper (roughly between table salt and sand; V60 02 starting point ~18-20 on many grinders). Keep each grind separate and label or place in separate bowls to avoid cross-contamination.

Brew ratio & temperature

Use a coffee:water ratio of 1:17.5 (60 g coffee : 1050 ml water). Heat water to 94°C (200°F) or just off boil. Each brew will use 1,050 ml of water — this allows generous pour volumes for tasting and direct comparison.

Bloom (0:00–0:45)

Place one dripper with its 60 g ground coffee on the scale, tare. Start the timer and pour 120 ml of water evenly over the grounds within 6–8 seconds to saturate them (2:1 water:coffee by weight for bloom). Allow to bloom for 30–45 seconds to let trapped gases escape.

Main pour (0:45–2:00)

After bloom, continue pouring in concentric circles or steady center-to-edge strokes to bring the total water to 350 ml by 1:15. Keep the water level even and avoid pouring directly onto the filter wall. Maintain a steady pour rate so that extraction proceeds without large agitation.

Pulse pour (2:00–3:30)

Continue adding water in pulses to reach 700 ml by about 2:45 and finish pouring to 1,050 ml by 3:30–3:45. Aim for a total brew time of 3:30–4:00 minutes from first pour to final drawdown. Adjust pour speed and grind if extraction finishes too fast (<3:00) or too slow (>4:30).

Drawdown

Allow the brew to fully drain. When flow slows and the bed looks dry, remove dripper and serve the brewed coffee into a warmed server or tasting cup. Swirl gently to homogenize.

Repeat the entire brewing protocol exactly the same way for the light roast and the dark roast using their respective 60 g doses and freshly ground coffee. Use a separate dripper and server to avoid flavor carryover. Keep timing, pour sizes, and water temperature consistent between pours.

Pour equal portions into three identical tasting cups. Label cups or position consistently (e.g., left = light roast, center = medium roast, right = dark roast).

Evaluate each sample while warm and as it cools over the next 6–10 minutes. Note aroma, initial flavor, body (mouthfeel), acidity/brightness, aftertaste, sweetness, and balance. Record observations on your notebook or score sheet.

Compare and contrast: Focus on how roast level/origin affects clarity of origin flavors, acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and body. Note how extraction (brew time, grind) influenced taste—if one sample tastes over- or under-extracted, adjust grind finer or coarser in future flights.

Optional: Repeat one or more pours with a small adjustment (±0.5–1.0 g per 60 g, or small grind change) to demonstrate extraction effects — document differences carefully.

Dispose of used grounds and rinse equipment. Allow equipment to cool and store. Review notes and decide on follow-up experiments (different ratios, bloom times, or kettles) to further isolate variables.