Answers to frequently asked questions about the Philharmonic pressure brewing coffee

Question 1: Is the Philharmonic filter paper good or is the metal filter easy to use?

A: You probably don't like coffee made with filter paper as much as coffee made with metal. The metal mesh allows a lot of sediment and gum to enter the coffee, making it taste heavy and rough, similar to coffee made in a French press. We tested it with coffee lovers, and most of them liked coffee made from filter paper.

As for Philharmonic filter paper, the fact that white filter paper is produced today avoids the use of dioxin in the bleaching process, a carcinogenic chemical used to bleach paper in the late 1980s. For this reason, I can confidently recommend using white filter paper instead of brown filter paper. Brown filter paper releases a cardboard smell when exposed to hot water and may contain suspect chemicals, including tar.

Problem 2: The coffee made with the Philharmonic press is too slippery to feel weak. Am I wrong?

There are three possible answers to this question:

The coffee is not fine enough. A finer grind produces a richer flavor. If you are using a blade grinder, make sure it runs for 20-30 seconds. If you are using a grinder or grinding beans in the store, adjust the thickness between Drip and Italian.

You're not using enough ground coffee. Use a measuring spoon of Philharmonic Compounding to extract powder to ensure optimal taste.

You're used to bitter coffee, but the smoother coffee made by Philomax with a lower bitterness makes you feel lighter. We know that many users of Ailepress now prefer the strong coffee made with Ailepress, which is not bitter and low in acid. If you want to try a stronger coffee, just increase the amount of coffee or decrease the amount of hot water.

Question 3: I have a rotating blade grinder, do I need to buy a more expensive grinder that grinds finer beans to get the most out of my Philharmonic press?

A: We have tested many of these grinders and found that they work very well. They only need to grind a little more than the instructions suggest. Try two tablespoons for 30 seconds. When reaching the fineness of the espresso portion, the ground coffee may stick to the grinder due to static electricity. You may need to remove the coffee with a spoon. Two spoons of finely ground coffee will take about 20-30 seconds to press. Coarse powders press faster to make coffee that tastes slightly lighter.

Question 4: Making a regular American coffee with the Aile press is basically making an espresso and diluting it with hot water. Why don't you add more water when you make it?

A: We tried it, but in blind tasting everyone thought the Americano tasted smoother the way we recommended it. Filter-pressing coffee with too much water makes it bitter.

Q5: Ailei Pressure recommends using water at 175 degrees Fahrenheit (80 ° C), which doesn't seem hot enough, so why don't you recommend using water close to boiling point?

A: When we developed the Philomax, we tested the effect of different water temperatures on taste more than any other test. Our test subjects ranged from casual coffee drinkers to coffee aficionados to professional coffee tasters and consultants. Each participant preferred coffee made with water at 74 ° C to 80 ° C. They say hotter water is fine, but water at 74 - 80 C makes the best coffee.

Books often recommend brewing water temperatures between 91℃ and 93 ℃. This temperature is more suitable for the traditional way of brewing water through coffee powder. This way the water temperature drops faster, and the coffee at the bottom comes into contact with the lower water temperature. However, all the coffee particles in Philharmonic Press come into contact with the same temperature of water when stirred.

Don't trust your coffee to be cold. The hottest coffee anyone can drink is 63 degrees Celsius.

Question 6: Why does Philharmonic Pressure also have a stirring rod? Any spoon will do.

A: The handle at the top of the Philharmonic pressure mixing rod can prevent the mixing rod from touching the filter paper and will not scratch the pressure cylinder.

Question 7: Where can I buy more filter paper?

A: Each Philharmonic press comes with 350 filter papers, enough for you to use for several months. A refill of 350 filter papers is available from many retailers selling Philomax, including Taobao.

Question 8: How can I make pressing easier?

A: There are two possible answers to this question.

People who find it difficult to press love often press too hard. When you start pressing, press the lever down 1 cm and stop. Let the compressed air in the cylinder help you. After a few seconds, press the lever down a little more and stop. Repeat until you hear the sound of air coming out of the cylinder symbolizing that all the liquid has filtered out. Now press down on the lever and it will be easy to press the coffee powder into a cake.

If gentle pressure doesn't work, your coffee may be too fine or some of it too fine. If you grind with a blade grinder, shorten the grinding time slightly. If you are grinding with a grinder or in a store, you can increase the thickness by one graduation.

Question 9: Why does the mixture of water and coffee powder swell when I add 3-4 tablespoons of water?

A: This can happen when using very freshly roasted ground coffee and water temperatures above the recommended 80 ° C. Try water at 80 ° C or even 85 ° C and the situation disappears. If you prefer warmer water and its bitter taste, use 3 or even 2 tablespoons of water per filter press.

Question 10: Is there any trick to boiling water to the desired temperature, such as the recommended 80 ° C?

A: A few small suggestions.

The easiest way to do this is to boil water in a microwave oven. Measure the required amount of water and put it in a cup or other container (the pressure cylinder has a scale on it and can be used as a measuring cup). Then heat it in the microwave. Use a kitchen thermometer (often used in cooking meat) to measure the number of seconds it takes to heat water to a certain temperature (do not put the thermometer in the microwave oven). Later heating does not need a thermometer, just remember the time it takes to heat a specific amount of water to the desired temperature.

One of the two methods is to measure a certain amount of boiling water, and then add cold water to reduce the temperature to 80℃. Pour boiling water into a measuring cup, then add cold water to increase the total amount by one-third. For example, if you add 1.5 cups of boiling water, add cold water to bring the water level to 2 cups.

Another way is to pour boiling water into a cold glass and let it sit for about a minute. This lowers the temperature of the water and preheats your glass. Then pour the water to be used in the filter press into the pressure rod. In this way, both the cup and the lever help cool the water (you can verify this with the kitchen thermometer). Now pour the water from the lever back into the cylinder. Now you can press the water into a glass of water to make an Americano or into an empty cup to make an espresso.

Many household "superheated" systems provide water at 80 C or can be adjusted to that temperature. If you have a hot water system like this, it's really easy to use the pressure. Some electric kettles boil water quickly and can adjust the water temperature. You can set the desired temperature and boil water.