The Barrel Aged Coffee Process & Brew Tips
Barrel Aged Coffee, as a process, is a method of enhancing and emphasizing the complex and intrinsic characteristics of a coffee bean, without damaging its structure and with minimal risk in introducing negative characteristics.
There are two principal ingredients in delivering great barrel aged coffee: aged oak bourbon whiskey barrels and green coffee beans. But there is something else that you need to make great barrel aged coffee: time.
Sourcing, Aging & Roasting
We source our green beans from the best sustainable, organic, and fair-trade farming cooperatives in Africa. We only select the best beans using the age-old art of green coffee melding. Then we leave the beans to age in oak whiskey barrels for a period of time. Then, once removed, we manually roast our beans to a light, medium, or dark roast.
The Bourbon Barrel
The porous oak of an aged barrel allows air in and out of the barrel. Green coffee is extremely susceptible to picking up aromas and flavors from its environment. The interaction gently moves the beans as it interacts with the wood and matures in flavor. It’s the time that the green beans spend in an oak barrel that makes all the difference. Why? Because the magic comes from the barrel.
Timing
Timing is everything, leaving the coffee in the barrel too long may result in an overwhelming unpleasant experience. Not long enough, and you may not get those sweet, velvety, woody flavor notes that makes it uniquely special.
The aged barrel gives the beans 100% of its color and 70–80% of its flavor. We age our beans for a minimum of two weeks, then fresh roast them to a light, medium, or dark hue.
Some bourbon fermented coffee may contain natural and artificial flavoring from the bourbon fermentation process. However, our coffee contains no known allergens, artificial flavoring, or alcohol content. Once we roast the coffee, the beans lose the alcohol, but keep the flavors of the bourbon and coffee origin.
Generally speaking, our barrels, after curing and filling are used no more than once.
Our Arabica coffee beans are grown on volcanic soil at an altitude of over 5,000 feet, between Lake Kivu and the Mitumba mountain range, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The oak barrel aging transforms the distinctly Congolese mix of orange flavor and dark chocolate aroma into an alcohol-free coffee with an enduring American bourbon finish. The medium roast makes it suitable for craft coffee and whiskey lovers, alike.
For the Whole Bean variety, we suggest a 1:16 Coffee Brew Ratio, which means for every 1 part of coffee there’s 16 parts water. (e.g., 40 grams to 640 grams or 2 tablespoons to 6 fluid ounces.) Adjust as desired.
Here are the steps:
- Select 25 grams of coffee (~ 2 tablespoons)
- Heat 375 grams (~ 1.5 cups) of water between 195-205° F (Just prior to boil)
- Grind coffee to medium consistency
- Brew using your favorite method
- Relax and Enjoy
More Brew Tips…
WATER
Good water equals good coffee, so be sure to use filtered or bottled water for brewing. Brew with water that’s 30 seconds off boil for light- to medium-roasted coffees, and 1 minute off boil for darker roasted coffees.
STORAGE
Store your coffee at room temperature away from any source of light, and be sure to use your coffee within two weeks of its roast date. Rinse your paper filters before brewing to avoid any papery flavors in your coffee.
WEIGHT VS. VOLUME
Weight is always constant, while volume will change depending on factors such as roast level and the size of your grind. We recommend the use of a digital scale so you can use a weight-based unit of measurement, such as grams, to have a repeatable brewing experience.
GRINDING
Having a grinder that produces a consistent grind size is pivotal for great coffee, so be sure to use a conical or flat set of burrs. Grinding fresh for each batch of coffee will produce the best tasting results.
How To Brew The Perfect Cup
Our roaster recommends a 1:16 Coffee Brew Ratio, which means for every 1 part of barrel aged coffee there’s 16 parts water. (e.g., 40 grams to 640 grams or 2 tablespoons to 6 fluid ounces.)
Good water equals good coffee, so be sure to use filtered or bottled water for brewing. Brew with water that’s 30 seconds off boil for light- to medium-roasted coffees, and 1 minute off boil for darker roasted coffees.
Our green beans are sourced from the best sustainable, organic, and fair-trade farming cooperatives in Africa. Only the best beans are selected using the age-old art of green coffee melding. Beans are left to age in oak whiskey barrels for a period of time. Once the beans are removed, they are manually roasted to a light, medium, or dark roast.
The porous oak of an aged barrel allows air in and out of the barrel. Green coffee is extremely susceptible to picking up aromas and flavors from its environment. The interaction gently moves the beans as it interacts with the wood and matures in flavor. It’s the time that the green beans spend in an oak barrel that makes all the difference. The magic comes from the barrel.
Timing:
Timing is everything, leaving the coffee in the barrel too long may result in an overwhelming unpleasant experience, not long enough and you may not get those sweet, velvety, woody flavor notes that makes it uniquely special.
The aged barrel gives the beans 100% of its color and 70–80% of its flavor. The beans are aged for a minimum of two then fresh roasted to a light, medium, or dark hue.
Store your coffee at room temperature away from any source of light, and be sure to use your coffee within two weeks of its roast date. Rinse your paper filters before brewing to avoid any papery flavors in your coffee.
Weight is always constant, while volume will change depending on factors such as roast level and the size of your grind. We recommend the use of a digital scale so you can use a weight-based unit of measurement, such as grams, to have a repeatable brewing experience.
Having a grinder that produces a consistent grind size is pivotal for great coffee, so be sure to use a conical or flat set of burrs. Grinding fresh for each batch of coffee will produce the best tasting results.
