# "To stir or not to stir that is the question"



## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

When making coffee are there any coffee types that should be stirred?


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## carbonkid85 (Jan 19, 2011)

I always push a spoon back and forth through an espresso. When you think how different a shot tastes at 5s compared to 25s, I like to make sure it's all mixed together.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Or is the question one of agitation whilst brewing?


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## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

garydyke1 said:


> Or is the question one of agitation whilst brewing?


Ah! semantics, post now edited!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

I still don't know which you mean tho.

If it's after brewing, no. If it's during brewing - preferably not in my view but it depends on my experience of how it extracts without stirring. Stirring is difficult to control, so if I want to increase the extraction usually I'll grind finer. If that isn't an option, because it would result in overly long brew time, then I will probably resort to stirring - as with the AeroPress.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

I'm still confused, do you mean stirring an espresso shot or stirring a pourover etc during the brew?


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

If you're referring to brewed coffee, then I personally don't ever stir(except for the pre-infusion stage of a aeropress) but I find you can do all the things that stirring would do in a pourover with the pour itself and with pouring alone you can (in a far more controlled way than stirring) adjust the level of agitation and extraction. In the Chemex if I really feel the need to stall a brew that is drawing down too fast, on rare occasion I grab the neck of the Chemex and give it a single swirl round to pull any grinds off the sides of the filter and level the bed. then I adjust the pour next time round so that it doesn't happen again. If i want to slow the overall brew time in the first part of the pour without adjusting the grind, I slowly pour over the water covering more of the 'already bloomed' bed before I begin raising the brew level, if i want to speed up the brew then I cover less of the bed before raising the level, pushing more grinds out to the sides. Then for adjusting the agitation during the brew I just change how fast I pour and how much and how fast i spiral the pour. If I want to slow the brew in the final part of the pour, I just increase the size of the spiral(without going too close to the edge) to bring the grinds off the sides and flatten the bed.

This is a very abbreviated look at some of the things I do when brewing(Chemex) I would be here all week otherwise and of course there are different sets of techniques for each brewer. but back on point, I have yet to find a good reason to stir the brew.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

I will add though of course everybody has a different approach to coffee and it is important to find what works for you.


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## Monkey_Devil (Jul 11, 2011)

I often stir espresso and compare. Sometimes I'll take a small sippy then stir, to see how the flavour changes . Some coffees it really improves, others not.


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## mike 100 (Jul 15, 2010)

carbonkid85 said:


> I always push a spoon back and forth through an espresso. When you think how different a shot tastes at 5s compared to 25s, I like to make sure it's all mixed together.


I do a similar thing! push the bowl of the spoon down through the crema of a good shot and watch it "re-form" before a light stir:act-up:


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## funinacup (Aug 30, 2010)

mike 100 said:


> I do a similar thing! push the bowl of the spoon down through the crema of a good shot and watch it "re-form" before a light stir:act-up:


This is like espresso porn! Dying to have a doppio now but it's too late and im up early tomorrow!

Michael

Fun in a Cup Coffee Training


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## carbonkid85 (Jan 19, 2011)

funinacup said:


> This is like espresso porn! Dying to have a doppio now but it's too late and im up early tomorrow!
> 
> Michael
> 
> Fun in a Cup Coffee Training


Did we just accidentally write the coffee version of Fifty Shades of Grey?


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## SlowRoast (Sep 24, 2010)

Aha. ^

I rarely stir my coffee drinks, I find it interesting as to how the espresso changes through the cup, rather than blend it up. And I don't like stirring away latte art either









I don't do pour overs or Aeropress ... yet!


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## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

Outlaw333 said:


> I'm still confused, do you mean stirring an espresso shot or stirring a pourover etc during the brew?


I never mentioned brewing and thought that from my signature you would have realised that i was talking about espresso machine and hence stirring after a pour.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

I certainly thought you meant brewed coffee, as that's the method more commonly linked to this question. And 'coffee' is often used to mean brewed coffee, as opposed to espresso.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

Sorry, my mistake. I was going on exactly what Mike said.


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