"Remarkably Simple"
In our kickstarter campaign in 2014, Daily Coffee News called Obrew "remarkably simple" (click to read).
That's high praise in our book. Obrew is a ring that sits on top of your coffee cup made from FDA silicone and Stainless Steel. After infusing grounds and water, you pour through Obrew into your cup.
Created by Morgan Jones, former Owner/Roaster of Flying Five Coffee, Obrew was inspired by cupping. Used by roasters to evaluate and control their roasts, cupping is a direct infusion of grounds and water, and Obrew makes it easy to manually brew one cup with a flavor profile similar to cupping.
"I bet that'd be great for travel"
During our kickstarter campaign, everyone commented how much they would like to use Obrew for travel. We agree: Obrew is great for travel. Here at Epicycle, we of course use it when we travel. Our travel coffee kit is a hand grinder, some beans and Obrew. Well, truth be told, we also usually bring a small scale and a timer too, that's just how we roll.
Wherever we go, we just grab two cups and steep in one and pour through Obrew into the other. We've gotten some pretty strange looks from people in all kinds of places: hotel lobbies, conference rooms, office kitchenettes, airports.
It's worth it though. A great cup of craft coffee when your on the go is invaluable.
How do I get one?
We're re-tooling currently and are intending to launch Obrew v2. We're making a few design improvements and expect to have an even better Obrew ready soon. Drop us an email if you want to be notified when we're ready.
Brewing With Obrew
- Grind: Medium-coarse grind
- Measurements: 2 scoops of beans to one cup of water
- Steep: 4 minutes
- Pour: Stir or swirl and pour through the OBrew into your cup
- Enjoy!
We grind at a medium-fine grind, close to a French Press, but we typically go a little finer. On our Vario, we're on the coarse end of the 8 setting. We've used hand grinders, whirly blade grinders and various burr grinders. Burrs work the best, but all work well.
Before pouring through the obrew, give the steeping pitcher a swirl, or use a spoon. This knocks much of the grounds to the bottom of the pitcher. Then, Obrew catches the rest.
For a more technical description of the measurements: we use a brew ratio of 15:1 and we're pretty obsessive about weighing both grounds and water. Our go-to measurements are: 14 g of grounds to 210 g of water.
FAQ
What grind should I use? We recommend an “almost-coarse” grind, close to a French Press, but a bit finer.
What kind of grinder should I use? If you have a burr grinder, definitely use that, burrs are the best. Whirly-blades work as well. We also love using our hand-crank grinder, especially when we’re travelling.
What measurements should I use? We recommend two standard coffee scoops for about 1 cup of water. If you want to be precise, we use a brew ratio of 15:1, and measure grounds and water using a scale. Our go-to measurements are: 14 g of grounds to 210 g of water.
Should I worry about the little bit of grounds in the bottom of the cup? Don’t worry, it’s a natural by-product of the obrew method. It’s like drinking a good craft beer with yeast in the bottom: just don’t take the very last sip with the grinds in it.
How should I clean it? We wash our OBrews with dish soap between each use, rinse with hot water and then blot the mesh dry using a dish towel.
I just cleaned my OBrew, and when I brew, the coffee isn’t going through the mesh! There’s some water trapped in the mesh - grab a dish towel, fold it around the OBrew, and blot from both sides. That’ll get that water out, and you’ll be good to go.