# Tricolate Brewer?



## the_partisan (Feb 29, 2016)

Anyone played with this? I'm a little bit intrigued, though I haven't found ultra-low agitation filter type brews very interesting before.


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

Same. Hi intrigued


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Seems very expensive compared to the other plastic brewers. So that's putting me off.

Maybe curiosity will get the better of me in the new year.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

MWJB said:


> Seems very expensive compared to the other plastic brewers. So that's putting me off.
> 
> Maybe curiosity will get the better of me in the new year.


 Oops, spoke to soon...just bought one from https://www.velasquezandvanwezel.co.uk/equipment


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

MWJB said:


> Oops, spoke to soon...just bought one from https://www.velasquezandvanwezel.co.uk/equipment


 Wow that was a good spot. There are very few stockists and most are out of stock. These guys are only a few miles from where I live. Anyway order placed so thanks for the heads up


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

OK, first Tricolate brew. Rather than jump off in the deep end, with an atypical regime I thought I'd do a back to back against all the other drip brewers I have with the known grind setting, same coffee, same pour regime except for the fact I used the Tricolate shower screen and a regular kettle.

I was keen to experience the much mooted "no bypass" brew...Oh dear, back to the drawing board...


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

No good?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Not the way I did it, the coffee could have been anything, no discernable notes/character. Looks like I'll have to try one of the fine grind, longer brew ratio regimes.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Tried another brew, different coffee this time, followed this method:






Clearly not fine enough (though coarse espresso) as brew took 4:00 & read 1.2%TDS & 24%EY (it isn't, reading is a bit over egged as not filtered). In a couple of days will try a very fine brew.

Other than being weaker than the 1st cup, it wasn't much different.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Tried the April method, but 13:220g, so 90g poured direct, up to 220g on 2nd pour via screen. dry bed 4:36. Marginally better cup than previous 2 attempts. 5-6/9? (I don't know if I'm tempted to bump up the score to 6 because the result now actually tastes somewhat like "coffee" as I know it.) Previous French press & V60 brews with this coffee were easily 8/9.

Dark tasting & a little silty, but at least some acidity, last sip was pretty bad. Unfiltered TDS indicates 23.8%EY. Normally, faced with this situation, I'd be looking to extract less & go coarser

Clean up is a faff.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

OK, today I made a cup of, what is actually recognisable to me as, coffee with the Tricolate.

13.8g of coffee, ground at 26 (1.85 turns) on a Feldgrind with a 14 point scale.

220g of water poured in about 10s from a regular kettle. I did swirl, but I think that was a mistake, I saw some floating stuff so around a minute I stirred just at the very surface with a chopstick. Dry bed at 2:18. 19.9%EY.

7/9.

I'll go a tad coarser, skip the swirl & tickle the surface with a chopstick to sink any floaters.

Every time I tip the grounds out of the brewer into the bin, I seem to get a puddle of coffee that must be pouring back out of the base. It's not a brewer I'd want to use more than once a day.


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## Caffienator (Dec 1, 2021)

MWJB said:


> OK, first Tricolate brew. Rather than jump off in the deep end, with an atypical regime I thought I'd do a back to back against all the other drip brewers I have with the known grind setting, same coffee, same pour regime except for the fact I used the Tricolate shower screen and a regular kettle.
> 
> I was keen to experience the much mooted "no bypass" brew...Oh dear, back to the drawing board...
> 
> View attachment 62069


 What do you mean by "can strainer" on this diagram  Also which is your personal favourite?

Secondly watching 2 videos on this and see the workflow and price of the device it would have to be mind-blowingly good from alternative pour overs to be worthwhile outside of coffee enthusiasts.

Its £60 then you are paying £15 per 100 filters?!?

I will be sticking with my Hario V60s


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Caffienator said:


> What do you mean by "can strainer" on this diagram  Also which is your personal favourite?


 The can strainer is this: https://www.kitchencraft.co.uk/categories/baking/baking-accessories/sieves-sifters-1/stainless-steel-food-can-strainer-sieve-kcstraincanss.htm

You can just drop it in a V60 02, Kalita 185, Melitta 102, or Bartleet drip brewer. Then, after an initial pour or two, use it as a shower screen over the bed, like the Tricolate's screen (which sits in a V60 01 nicely). I don't think I can differentiate a favourite. V60 seems to be able to extract slightly more, in brews with like for like grind, dose & pouring regime.

It would have to be mind blowingly good even within coffee enthusiasts. I'm close to a simple, no gooseneck result, but still a bit faffy in terms of clean up.

I have had some grind suggestions for a larger, long ratio, high extraction brew, will try one of those this week.

Mine cost £45 inc. filters.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Another week, another Tricolate brew, Lance Hedrick recipe today, 1:22, 1.28%TDS (unfiltered reading), 8:14 total brew time.

Another flat generic cup. 4/9

I don't know where all this talk of sweetness comes from (this coffee had a Golden Syrup like sweetness in the Kalita Wave, though I confess I did use the Tricolate screen with that brew, after the bloom).


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

MWJB said:


> Another week, another Tricolate brew, Lance Hedrick recipe today, 1:22, 1.28%TDS (unfiltered reading), 8:14 total brew time.
> 
> Another flat generic cup. 4/9
> 
> I don't know where all this talk of sweetness comes from (this coffee had a Golden Syrup like sweetness in the Kalita Wave, though I confess I did use the Tricolate screen with that brew, after the bloom).


 Have you seen Scott Rao's post on insta? I'm getting mixed results but mainly good ones. Pretty much following Lance's recipe


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

GrahamSPhillips said:


> Have you seen Scott Rao's post on insta? I'm getting mixed results but mainly good ones. Pretty much following Lance's recipe


 Which one, the Pull & Pour guide? If so, yes.

OK, so at a glance, what is different about my brew parameters to your good brews?

When you say "mainly good" you mean nothing below neutral liking? I ask because V60 & Kalita give mainly good brews without dropping to neutral liking (unless I buy a howler of coffee).

What is your grind size? (Ideally, some kind of measurement on the grinds).


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

Its a bit complicated 'cos I bought a GEVI 4in1 so I'm essentially using Lance's methodology as follows

1:20 or 1:22 ratio

208c

Bloom is x3 the quantity of coffee; bloom for 100sec; then split the remaining water into two equal parts. Total time is 5-6 mins

Grind in the aeropress range..

Total

Does that help?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

GrahamSPhillips said:


> Does that help?


 Cheers, I'll try going coarser.


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

Tricolate! Any update?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

GrahamSPhillips said:


> Tricolate! Any update?


 Sorry, only saw this yesterday.

Tricolate has been sidelined lately, in favour of easier to use brewers, including Hario Drip Assist 02... also because I was showing Tricolate to a friend & we popped out the lower filter plate and after half a dozen goes couldn't get it lined up again...it's a bit like a Christmas cracker puzzle.

But today I ground coarser than last attempt (12 on Wilfa flat, as opposed to 6), 14g dose 40g bloom, swirl, leave for 2 min, poured up to 170g at 2:00 small swirl, poured up to 301g at 3:00, dry bed at 6:04.

Extraction very similar to before, unfiltered TDS puts it at 26% (undoubtedly it is really less than this), another generic, flat slightly bitter cup, the coffee is unrecognisable, which is a bit gutting as it cost £20 for 150g. I'd score it as 5/9, it's not foul, but it's no better than a supermarket Nespresso (not nearly as good as Roastworks or Illy).

Still feel like I'm playing, 'pin the tail on the donkey'.


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

If finally Sussed the Trick of the Tricolate. I pretty much follow Lance Hedrick /Scott Rao recipe. 20g in. 100c water. 2mins bloom. Swirl to flatten the bed. Two more pours of equal volume. Side ways shake not swirl to avoid a central coffee mound. Grind Aeropress fine. Absolutely consistent and excellent


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Cheers, do you have any objective advice as to what "Aeropress fine" is, or a measurement?

Consistency hasn't been an issue with tricolate for me, just the excellent part


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