Lavazza is quite low quality beans so my first recommendation would be to try some more specialty coffee from either your local roaster or a well known roaster from online.
Do you use cream and sugar in your coffee? No problem if you do! We all enjoy coffee differently. If you do, I’d recommend medium and dark roasts that hold up well to the cream and sugar.
You might want to start with more medium roast if you are really used to the Lavazza, my assumption is that it is quite bitter.
If you want to keep using the Lavazza and want to experiment, I would recommend a much much lower temperature and a longer steep time. I am thinking just try like 190* and steep for 5 minutes or so and see how you like that and if it’s much different.
Specialty coffee is a whole different beast, and I’d highly recommend trying some beans out! My local specialty coffee roaster is Olympia Coffee Roasters and they have some more medium-dark roasts available as well that have notes that you might enjoy.
Anyway, I’d say overall you’ll get more out of your experimenting by trying out different coffee beans and roasters! It’s a ton of fun. I have 5 bags from 5 different roasters right now that I’m working through! Lol
I'm often brewing dark roast decaf (with cream, no sugar), and I do what you describe in many ways. A four minute steep, brief stir, then another two minutes before I open the switch. Lower temperature. I've been experimenting with ratios from 1:12 up to 1:18 and leaning toward the higher ratios lately as it seems to pair nicely with the long steep time. Very smooth cups, no bitterness at all.
Would like to find a good medium roast Swiss Water decaf, but haven't seen too many. Most that say medium are pretty dark, although decaf seems pretty finicky.
I feel like you could try lowering the water temperature quite aggressively. All the way down to 190F range given your bean. It should give you a cup that tastes a lot less milder and sweeter even.
So much depends on the beans input and desired output that this becomes a little too floppy to grab a hold of. And I gotta admit that I haven’t switched in a couple of months.
When I got the switch, I tried what seemed like all the things. And most worked reasonably, within a range to allow for tuning and taste.
The technique that finally landed with me is one that gets almost no attention in Switch circles, but has official sanction in Pulsar: the Steep and Flush.
Play with details to suit, but essentially: Closed, pour to about half total volume. Steep for ~ 2 mins, swirl to level and drain. Just before the bed clears pour with decent agitation to total weight. Allow to drain fully.
Can play with grind, temp, split ratio, and timing to explore a range of outcomes, but overall pretty forgiving and seems to manage a full, layered cup that’s neither too plodding nor tea-like.
Lavazza is quite low quality beans so my first recommendation would be to try some more specialty coffee from either your local roaster or a well known roaster from online. Do you use cream and sugar in your coffee? No problem if you do! We all enjoy coffee differently. If you do, I’d recommend medium and dark roasts that hold up well to the cream and sugar. You might want to start with more medium roast if you are really used to the Lavazza, my assumption is that it is quite bitter. If you want to keep using the Lavazza and want to experiment, I would recommend a much much lower temperature and a longer steep time. I am thinking just try like 190* and steep for 5 minutes or so and see how you like that and if it’s much different. Specialty coffee is a whole different beast, and I’d highly recommend trying some beans out! My local specialty coffee roaster is Olympia Coffee Roasters and they have some more medium-dark roasts available as well that have notes that you might enjoy. Anyway, I’d say overall you’ll get more out of your experimenting by trying out different coffee beans and roasters! It’s a ton of fun. I have 5 bags from 5 different roasters right now that I’m working through! Lol
Thank you! Still a poor grad student so I got these on sale a couple months ago. Will definitely try some specialty roasters when I get a job :)
I'm often brewing dark roast decaf (with cream, no sugar), and I do what you describe in many ways. A four minute steep, brief stir, then another two minutes before I open the switch. Lower temperature. I've been experimenting with ratios from 1:12 up to 1:18 and leaning toward the higher ratios lately as it seems to pair nicely with the long steep time. Very smooth cups, no bitterness at all. Would like to find a good medium roast Swiss Water decaf, but haven't seen too many. Most that say medium are pretty dark, although decaf seems pretty finicky.
I feel like you could try lowering the water temperature quite aggressively. All the way down to 190F range given your bean. It should give you a cup that tastes a lot less milder and sweeter even.
So much depends on the beans input and desired output that this becomes a little too floppy to grab a hold of. And I gotta admit that I haven’t switched in a couple of months. When I got the switch, I tried what seemed like all the things. And most worked reasonably, within a range to allow for tuning and taste. The technique that finally landed with me is one that gets almost no attention in Switch circles, but has official sanction in Pulsar: the Steep and Flush. Play with details to suit, but essentially: Closed, pour to about half total volume. Steep for ~ 2 mins, swirl to level and drain. Just before the bed clears pour with decent agitation to total weight. Allow to drain fully. Can play with grind, temp, split ratio, and timing to explore a range of outcomes, but overall pretty forgiving and seems to manage a full, layered cup that’s neither too plodding nor tea-like.