# How to get close to Starbucks pike place roast filter.



## tcr4x4 (Jan 2, 2013)

Having a bad day at work earlier in the week, I stopped off at Gordano services on the M5 and fancied a drink, but didnt really want something milky or with espresso. I noticed Starbucks had a filter coffee on the go so had a cup of that, and boy was it good! Brought back so many memories and reminded me of why I love coffee so much.

I grew up on filter coffee, and that's what I always associated with good strong coffee, but haven't used or had a filter for a long time apart from my Aeropress.

I can't seem to get a brew as tasty as the Starbucks from my Aeropress, nothing wrong with them, they just don't have "that" taste I love and remember.

So is there anything else without costing a fortune that will get me close to that strong filter taste I really enjoy?


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Tom, I have just bought a Syphon from Amazon for £25 and a Siemens Porsche coffee system that seems to be a fancy Cona arrangement. Neither are here yet but the ain is to get a crisp clean long drink, and from the research I have done, these 2 ought to go some way towards that (when they turn up!)


----------



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Not sure what to suggest really, did you ask what beans they were & what method was used to produce.

Conversely I visited two specialty coffee shops recently which both had horrendously overextracted filter brews. Nice to have my home efforts validated as far superior


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Can't you buy the Starbucks beans? I'd think you can get close with an Aeropress...if you can establish what kind of brew ratios Starbucks use. Any reason to think it's far off 56g/l?


----------



## tcr4x4 (Jan 2, 2013)

They use a blend called pike place roast

http://starbucks.co.uk/coffee/medium/pike-place-roast

You can buy them, but it was more the process I was wondering about. They had two big commercial filter drip machines with glass carafes. I might buy a cheap filter machine and see if I can get near.

Would be perfect to fill up my thermal cup and take to work in the morning as I don't have time to make any espresso based drinks first thing.

No idea what ratio they use, be suprised if the barrista does too!


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

tcr4x4 said:


> I might buy a cheap filter machine and see if I can get near.
> 
> Would be perfect to fill up my thermal cup and take to work in the morning as I don't have time to make any espresso based drinks first thing.
> 
> No idea what ratio they use, be suprised if the barrista does too!


Whoa there!  First, repeat after me, "I am the machine, I am the machine, I am the machine..." until you believe it. Common consensus is that cheap filter machines don't hit high enough temperatures for good extraction...you have a kettle that will boil water, that'll certainly do.

Even with a filter machine you have to fill it with water, grind, dose...longer brew time - is it really going to be much quicker than pulling an Americano?

I still think you are most likely to get ball park with the Aeropress (inverted, grind fine-ish, 60g/l, swirl/stir at fill then leave to steep...a couple of test brews of different steep times should give you a guide towards the ball-park) if a


----------



## tcr4x4 (Jan 2, 2013)

I was thinking a programable filter, so I'd grind the evening before and it would be brewed ready to go by the time I was up and about.. Yes I know the coffee won't be its best, but to be honest I doubt I'd tell much difference over freshly ground.

i could make an Americano, but I'd have to get up half an hour earlier for the machine to warm up!

Just made an Aeropress brew with 20g fresh ground coffee and filled up to number 1 when inverted, timer started at first pour, 10 secs stir, steep until 1 minute.

Nice, but no cigar.

Dont focus on the blend so much, its more the filter taste as a whole, just brings back many memories from when that's all used to drink, especially on holiday with my parents at various cafes around the Country.. I'd just like to get somewhere near that taste.


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

OK, so inverted the Aeropress will hold ~230g (you seemed to use less than this from your description). 20g dose, 87g/l. Your coffee was underextracted, but strong (very popular in some parts of the world, but not typical for US/Starbucks. I'd probably start at around 13.5g of coffee, longer steep.

http://www.starbucksfs.com/Support/Equipment/Equipment

...takes you to brewers they use & instructions, no specific recipes but in the region of 40-50g/l of water poured into the machine, assuming the machine is not designed to run dry, 50-55g/l doesn't seem impossible, even if 50g/l will be on the weak side (not necessarily a fail). In an instructional video they state they adhere to 56g/l for brewed, drip & French press.


----------



## tcr4x4 (Jan 2, 2013)

I followed this video to the letter pretty much






Coffee didn't taste that strong to me, but I did add a little extra water and milk after the brew.

Ill try a smaller dose and longer steep to tomorrow, cheers.


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

tcr4x4 said:


> I followed this video to the letter pretty much


Sure, that's more like a concentrate recipe...by "strong" I really meant a high grounds to water ratio, because this holds back the extraction yield, strength in the cup (TDS) may not be overwhelmingly strong. It's like a see-saw situation: Two strong cups of coffee might both be 1.4% TDS (1.4% of the final drink is dissolved coffee solids) but one could be 87g/l @ 13.5% yield (13.5% of the dry coffee dose that has dissolved), the other 56g/l at 22% extraction yield. Starbucks is likely to be nearer the latter ratio, but a little weaker/less extracted.


----------



## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

Sounds like a Technivorm brewer, either domestic or commercial, might suit your needs. You could set it on a timer with a tank of water and a filter in place to warm up everything and saturate the filter ready for your proper brew when you get up. The brew time is only a few minutes. The only intervention I make is to let the first couple of under-temperature slugs of water go into a waste bowl before slotting in the filter basket and carafe. A 1.8 L thermal carafe each morning sees me through the morning and lunch at work.


----------



## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

painty said:


> Sounds like a Technivorm brewer,


Thats a great brewer. Auto temp control & flow through the filter is fully adjustable from closed to fully open.

Lovely clear brew. About a year ago they were going new on ebay at around £60-£70. I got £65 when I resold it after a month or so. Nowadays you don't see them. Coffeehit are talking circa £200


----------



## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

I love espresso, but if I want a longer drink I'd use a filter over an Americano every time. I don't think the aeropress can be compared to filter either, they produce quite different results.

I love my chemex, I don't have a fancy kettle (yet) but just stop it shortly before it boils and get great results. Highly recommended.


----------



## tcr4x4 (Jan 2, 2013)

Technivorm looks great, but too expensive.. There is one on eBay but collection only and its miles away.

Agree Americano isn't the same as filter. Until recently i used to only drink Americano, and whilst I love them, they don't have the same flavour as a good filter.

Tried another Aeropress again this morning, and again, very nice, but just not hitting that spot.


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

aaronb said:


> I love espresso, but if I want a longer drink I'd use a filter over an Americano every time. I don't think the aeropress can be compared to filter either, they produce quite different results.
> 
> I love my chemex, I don't have a fancy kettle (yet) but just stop it shortly before it boils and get great results. Highly recommended.


I'd actually struggle to pin down what kind of result an Aeropress gives, it can be used so many ways, with many differing profiles. You can just simply use it, uninverted, as a pourover too. That's not to say the Chemex isn't a good idea too, though.

tcr4x4 how did today's Aeropress differ from yesterday's (recipe-wise)? Ultimately different processes will alter the flavour profile some, but whichever you go for you'll still be aiming for the same target...every time you switch to a different brewer you start a new learning curve.


----------



## autopilot (Apr 4, 2013)

Interesting thread. Starbucks filter is a 'guilty pleasure' of mine too. I know what everyone thinks of their business practice and people turn their noses up at their espresso, but there is something just so drinkable and somehow comforting about SB's filter, it delicious IMO (but I think a lot of people will disagree on principle around here).


----------

