# Bonavita immersion cone as drip brewer



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

I've been very much enjoying drip brews made in the Bonavita immersion cone of late. It strikes me that hand pouring can bring with it some inherent inconsistency, even if you're very regimented, so the Bonavita can maybe help there (especially if you don't want to be bothered with being very regimented), by using the shut off valve feature?

The hand pouring, in pulses/spirals, can then be replaced by dumping all the brew water, in one quick pour, into the brewer then open the valve. No gooseneck pouring kettle is required.

If you're enjoying super consistent hand poured drip brews, then there's probably little point in reading further.

Boil preheat water, grind your dose. Add preheat water to Bonavita & filter paper.

Make sure the kettle is empty, shake out any drips, then weigh your brew water into the kettle. If you are making smaller brews, then a compact/travel kettle might be best for brew water (I have been using 244g of brew water in the Sage compact, just about the "Min" line on the kettle). Don't destroy your kitchen kettle by trying to boil less than the minimum water volume. I have been using the main kitchen kettle for preheating, then the smaller compact for brew water (got a smaller one on the way, to try smaller brews).

Drain the preheat water from the Bonavita (a couple of taps the shake out any residual water), start the brew water boiling & weigh out the ground coffee dose.

Shut the Bonavita valve, add dose (13.5g in my case), start timer & bloom with 1.5 times dose in boiling brew water weight. Stir to make sure dose is well wetted (carefully not to tear the paper filter). Put the kettle back on the hob/power supply.

At ~1:15 (with my kettle, tune timings for 1:30 fill), reboil the brew water, at 1:30 dump the remainder of boiling brew water into the Bonavita (taking care not to splash it around if making larger brews), quickly & shaking out any drips, 1 quick stir of the surface & open valve at 1:45.

Note the time at which you see the water drain from the bed, then give the brewer a couple of taps & leave another 30s or so for drips to drain. I have been seeing a dry bed around 3:05 +/-15sec for quantities above.

Adding the brew water like this seems a bit counter-intuitive, but it was previously used by the CBI back in the 60's, the long pre-wet seems to help even things out.

So far, my brews are landing +/-1%EY, 5 different coffees, light to medium dark, from 3 different roasters, no change in grind setting (1+10 on a Feldgrind).

I wouldn't suggest buying a Bonavita immersion cone, just for this purpose, but might be worth a try, if you already have one.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Great write-up. Any photos to go with it?

Thanks.


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

I was thinking about that today. Something along those lines, but with Aeropress-like device. Nice write up, Mark.

I also have tried to put an Aeropress with a metal filter on top of a brewer (use chopsticks if the Aeropress is too narrow) and dump some water. The filter works as a shower screen and allows some sort of continuous pour (I still pulsed). Ditched that idea after couple of attempts, though.

I suppose you were brewing with a V60 and Japanese papers? It would be damn fine for any other pour over I can think of.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

I haven't tried the fill n'drain technique on the Bonavita for ages. Thanks for the reminder Mark!

IIRC i got some pretty decent brews with a 2min bloom. I was using a finer grind than 1.10. I'll give it a whirl. What sort of TDS/EY numbers were you getting?

Would this work for the Clever dripperers?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

PPapa said:


> I was thinking about that today. Something along those lines, but with Aeropress-like device. Nice write up, Mark.
> 
> I also have tried to put an Aeropress with a metal filter on top of a brewer (use chopsticks if the Aeropress is too narrow) and dump some water. The filter works as a shower screen and allows some sort of continuous pour (I still pulsed). Ditched that idea after couple of attempts, though.
> 
> I suppose you were brewing with a V60 and Japanese papers? It would be damn fine for any other pour over I can think of.


Aha, I think we might be at crossed purposes, I was doing the whole brew in the Bonavita (with 4 cup Filtropa papers). I have though attempted to use the Bonavita (& Clever) as a water dispenser for another drip brewer...might revisit that, but was trying to keep appliances to a minimum...erm, beyond 2 kettles etc.









I had also tried using the shower insert from a Swissgold KF300 one cup drip brewer for a dispenser for drip brews too, but I don't think it agitated the bed enough & there was too much temp loss, this way gets the boiling water in quick & the brew is done 90seconds later.


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

MWJB said:


> Aha, I think we might be at crossed purposes, I was doing the whole brew in the Bonavita (with 4 cup Filtropa papers). I have though attempted to use the Bonavita (& Clever) as a water dispenser for another drip brewer...might revisit that, but was trying to keep appliances to a minimum...erm, beyond 2 kettles etc.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ah, my bad!

I got 4 exams this week, so my brain is obviously overheated.

While I'm here, do you use something as fine for the CCD, too? I got it today (the large one) and tried a 21:350g 96C 10' steep + 2' drain with 2.4 on the Feldgrind. Seemed like I'll need to drop the ratio a little bit and I'm not used to the bean I was using either.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Step21 said:


> I haven't tried the fill n'drain technique on the Bonavita for ages. Thanks for the reminder Mark!
> 
> IIRC i got some pretty decent brews with a 2min bloom. I was using a finer grind than 1.10. I'll give it a whirl. What sort of TDS/EY numbers were you getting?
> 
> Would this work for the Clever dripperers?


I was aiming 21%EY (drip mode), 1.34%TDS, once the grind was dialled in & I kept the water within a couple of g of my target, the last 10 brews were 1.28% to 1.39%TDS (20-21.9%EY).

At this grind setting the lowest I saw was 1.26% 20.8%EY, but this was one of a couple where I seemed to have torn the filter & had grounds pass through to the cup.

Trying it with the Clever is on the agenda, maybe it'll negate the need for the preheating, I just have concerns about bed depth evenness on the new Clever, but maybe being paranoid? In previous brews with truncated cone brewers (Melitta style), whilst all could produce a good brew, the ones with more holes/area to drain through seemed harder to be consistent & even with, so the single hole Bonavita was first port of call. also want to try something similar with the Aeropress. The long bloom & dump boiling water might give reasonable results with V60 too, but I've run out of V60 papers decided to use up the other paper filters before I buy some more...which makes little logical sense, given I'm buying additional kettles:confused:


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

PPapa said:


> Ah, my bad!
> 
> I got 4 exams this week, so my brain is obviously overheated.
> 
> While I'm here, do you use something as fine for the CCD, too? I got it today (the large one) and tried a 21:350g 96C 10' steep + 2' drain with 2.4 on the Feldgrind. Seemed like I'll need to drop the ratio a little bit and I'm not used to the bean I was using either.


Maybe a little finer for a CCD steep, 1+6 to 1+8? Tend to brew a tad higher ratio ~66g/l, but rarely bother disturbing the until ~35'.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

DoubleShot said:


> Great write-up. Any photos to go with it?
> 
> Thanks.










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You don't need the U-brew stand, but I had it anyway & stops the Bonavita sliding about when opening & shutting the valve. (U-brew works with Bonvita, Brewt & old style clear Clever, but not the newer smoked Clever).


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

I gave it a try this morning with good results. A nice sweet cup with all the flavours i've been getting from pourover.

Using 13.24g coffee/240g brew water 55.2g/l - TDS 1.17% EY 21.53% (Immersion mode). I used the Bonavita kettle set to 98C for bloom and pour. When i finished the pour i didn't stir - just put the brewer on top of my mini french press and opened the valve. Bed drained at 3min13sec. My grind setting was 1.9 on the Hausgrind (simply because that was what i'd been using for chemex). Filtropa size 4 bleached filter. It's quite hard to do much with the bloom - i just dabbed it around gently with a mini whisk. It's a bit disconcerting watching the grinds swell and then leaving them to sit!

The pourover technique i've been using with Chemex/V60 lately is essentially very similar to this but with a 40sec bloom and then one pour.

I've got another bean to try it out on later. Thanks again Mark!


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Cool, just a note, I'm using drip mode for the EY's stated.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

MWJB said:


> Cool, just a note, I'm using drip mode for the EY's stated.


I can see why you are using drip mode over immersion but there is no flow until you open the valve so it's a bit of a hybrid.

I tried another bean using this technique and it worked well after tightening the grind. This is pretty much the only variable you have if everything else is kept the same. Also it's quite easy to tell how to adjust the grind using the 3min 15sec drain time as a target. Quicker and you need to go finer, slower then coarsen.

My brew just now was at 1.7 on the Hausgrind. 1.9 yesterday had got me a drain time of 3min 5sec and TDS of 1.12, EY 18.55 (drip mode) so slightly underextracted (didn't taste "weak" at all but there was a bitterness on the finish). Adjusting the grind gave drain of 3min 20sec TDS 1.23, EY 20.01% (drip) and tasted great.

Is there a theory behind the extended bloom?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

I guess all brews have a hybrid element to them, my determination (not "the" determination) is more based on how the concentration of the beverage changes during the brew - if it starts stronger than the final average TDS, then drops then it's a drip brew, if the concentration rises during the brew then it's an immersion.

The extended bloom is aimed at waterlogging the grounds so that they sink as quickly as possible, rather than floating about whilst degassing. Back in the 60's Wilbur Curtis made a "Gold Cup" manual drip brewer, well a range of them. They compartmentalised the grounds so that the water was kept reasonably separate in the cone & flowed through the grounds compartment, the long bloom will hopefully create similar environment without the grounds compartment?

I'm now experimenting with a similar technique but with a plastic Melitta style Westmark cone, skipping the preheat step, so far looks promising, but need to do a lot more brews.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

I tried a similar experiment using the Brazen Plus (switched off). Why? Why not!

Kalita wave 185 filter in filter holder and fill with hot tap water from kettle to spread out the filter. Insert as normal into machine and place carafe underneath to run water through then discard.

Take out filter holder and place it on top of an appropriate stand to hold it level & steady (i sat it on top of the Bonavita brewer) so that the central valve is shut

Fill with ground coffee (i used 13.33g/240g brew water 55.5g/l at one notch finer than for the Bonavita).

Prepare brew water at 98C in kettle and bloom with 45g (you need a bit more as the grounds are spread out in a larger surface area) mix gently with teaspoon to make sure all grounds are wet

At 1min30s pour in rest of 98C water

Insert into machine and put the carafe underneath for brew to drain into. Take it out when no more drips can be heard. Drained at 3min20 in this case.

Enjoy!

Made a tasty brew TDS 1.23%, EY 20.23%

Obviously you can do something like this with the machine on and programmed to a 90sec pre-soak, but you can't be sure how much brew water is in the pre-soak and the rest of the brew is pulsed.

Any other Brazen Plus owners willing to give it a shot? I'll certainly be trying it with different beans. Should be consistent.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

A little update.

10 brews, each with a different coffee, first brew for that coffee & no dialling in (grinder setting has not changed since 1st post) saw all brews land within a 2% EY range. 25 brews, including dialling in brews still saw all brews fall 18-22%.

Converting the technique to a Westmark plastic, regular, Melitta style cone (no preheat, no rinse of filter) saw 11 brews fall between 19.3 & 22%EY. Again, a new coffee & first brew of that coffee for each brew, no grind adjustments.

All light to medium roasts.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

I've been using this method extensively and would concur with your findings. I've been using 4 or 5 different home roasted beans from an ultra soluble Kenyan to a much less soluble Nicaraguan and find EY in the 18 to 22% range. Not had to change grind. If I need a bigger extraction I'll use V60 or chemex in much the same way but increase the pours. I've done a lot of brews this way and it is super consistent. Some of the brews have been absolutely stunning, some merely good, but all of them decent


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Thanks for a great post! I'm thinking of using a similar technique with my new kalita when I get home. As in, just pouring all the water in relatively quickly and allowing it to drain, not as hybrid as this but still I'll hopefully get the elements of both a little


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Cheers, I am currently doing this with the steel Kalita Wave 185 too (& V60, but with Chemex papers as I'm out of Harios), same weights, same grind setting, so far over 8 coffees a spread of 2.3%EY (19.4-21.7) for the Wave but I'd like at least 10 brews done as a minimum sample.

After the 90sec bloom, remaining brew water is in within about 5 seconds, total brew times of 2:35-3:09 so far.


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Thanks again for the help. Conventional advice for the kalita seems to be a fairly coarse grind somewhere around the finer side of French press. But I'm thinking of starting out somewhere more like an aeropress fine grind to see where that takes me to begin with as I seem to remember you saying you go quite fine as opposed to coarse is that correct? And is 3 minutes the brew time to shoot for?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

James811 said:


> Thanks again for the help. Conventional advice for the kalita seems to be a fairly coarse grind somewhere around the finer side of French press. But I'm thinking of starting out somewhere more like an aeropress fine grind to see where that takes me to begin with as I seem to remember you saying you go quite fine as opposed to coarse is that correct? And is 3 minutes the brew time to shoot for?


For a typical method (slower pours with a gooseneck kettle), yes the Kalita Wave would use a slightly coarser grind than say V60 for the same pour regime. Mean brew time so far for the quick fill Wave brews is 2:47 +/-12sec, inc. 90sec bloom (which is about the same total brew time as I'd also shoot for with a 13.5:230g brew with a more commonly used method & 30sec bloom)...and that answers your question, but if you want a slightly deeper response permit me a little ramble...

There is no such thing as "French press grind" & if there was, it wouldn't be coarse. 

I don't know when this bizarre myth (coarse FP grind) was introduced, but boy has it caught on with a vengeance. Immersion brewers have traditionally taken a finer grind than drip, but like many brewers they work over a wide range of grinds - larger pots with longer steeps can take coarser grinds. But if I were doing a 13.5g dose French press I would grind the same as I am in this thread (around 1+10 Feldgrind, maybe even finer & probably similar to what I'd use in an Aeropress).

French press has no flow, extracts less aggressively & would normally take a finer grind than a pulse poured Kalita Wave for the same dose. You could easily over-extract a Kalita Wave with a fine grind, but it will be very hard to that with the same coffee in a French press. The finer limit that you can grind on a French press is when the grind is so fine it prevents proper wetting at the start of the brew, or when tiny suspended solids in the brew begin to flatten off sweetness & introduce pruney, paracetamol-like, bittering flavours (this should only ever normally happen with the very last sip in the cup).


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Thanks, again, again haha. I love how passionate you are about brewed and I hope one day to have the kind of knowledge you have.

I understand what you mean about FP grind. I use (as you recommended) a fine grind with 10-20 minute steep coffee dependant and if I'm playing with a new coffee. But I was just using that as a reference, as, not owning a Feldgrind I can't compare directly


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

MWJB said:


> A little update.
> 
> 10 brews, each with a different coffee, first brew for that coffee & no dialling in (grinder setting has not changed since 1st post) saw all brews land within a 2% EY range. 25 brews, including dialling in brews still saw all brews fall 18-22%.
> 
> ...


10x Kalita Wave 185 brews, all parameters the same (13.5g dose, 1+10 on Feldgrind, ~197g in the cup) all fell 19.3% to 21.7%EY.


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Thanks @MWJB I've been loving my kalita so far. Made about 10 cups in it since Wednesday. I made my father in law one on Friday and he was absolutely blown away by it. My 185 brews (300g) are coming out between 3:00 and 3:30 coffee dependant and I'm loving them all. It's producing a really really bold cup with very prominent flavours but while strong, not overwhelming body


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Further update...this method doesn't seem so consistent with brewers that have a large drainage hole (Chemex, V60, Clever), I'd perhaps only recommend it for those with 1 to 3 small drainage holes, such as Bonavita, Melitta (& Melitta style), Kalita Wave, Bartlett ceramic drip cones. For the brewers with larger drainage holes it's probably best to always use a goose neck kettle for more precise placement of brew water.


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