Do you put your Switch on the decanter on the scale? Do you pour into the Switch and then move the Switch to the decanter? Do you measure into another container then pour that into your Switch?

After relocating to California into a house less than half the size of our mid-West house, I’ve correspondingly downsized my coffee set-up to just a Hario Switch. I’m struggling with the best process for managing the moving parts.

I decant into an insulated coffee mug. The Switch isn’t light, and with the mug, 440g of water, and 36g of coffee it’s well over a kg on a little scale designed for fine measurements. Plus it all feels a bit precarious balanced on the scale. Consequently, I pour into the Switch while on the scale and then move it to the mug for decanting. This too is precarious, as the glass of the Switch is too hot to handle without mitts, and lifting it by the rubber base is treacherous: I once didn’t lift the Switch high enough and bumped the mug and splashed hot water on my hand. Alternatively, I could measure the hot water into yet another handled glass decanter and then pour that over the grounds in the Switch on the mug.

So what are your tricks? Do you use an oven mitt to handle the water-filled Switch, or do you just balance by the base, or do you do something else?

Postscript: I discovered that if you pick a community and then switch the post type, Piefed resets the community to the first one in your subscription list. Which for me is !3dprinting@lemmy.ml. So that's where I posted this first. Sorry, !3dprinting!

A Hario Switch sits on a stovetop. Next to it is a coffee scale with a mother-of-pearl spoon resting on it; behind is a stainless steel water kettle.
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[–] [S] 1 point 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I did try that once. The weight was better but it feels like a balancing act. I'm probably over-worrying about it.

Do you brew hotter and let it cool, then? Or is your brewing temp lower?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    Depends on what I’m brewing. I’ve been enjoying cooler brews in general lately.

    For Lavazza Oro, I brew at 85°C. For local roaster single origin light roast, I brew at 90-95 depending on my mood, but 91.5 is pretty standard for me right now. Anything else is usually 87-88, but those first two make up 99% of my coffee drinking.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    I was doing proper cold-brew for coffee -- overnight in the fridge -- for a couple of years before our move. But the fridge here is tiny and part of that brew system got put into storage somehow. Otherwise I used the Elektra, which made espresso and over which I had no control of the temperature. So I've never really fussed with temperature. I boil it, or get it near boil, and let it rest a tiny bit so I don't end up with a steam-pressure-hose. Maybe someday I'll get an electric kettle with a thermometer.

    Do you notice much difference in such small brew temperature differences as 6°?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago

    I’d say once you go past 1°C increments it becomes noticeable. 6°C is a huge difference for my tastebuds. 1°C differences are small but still noticeable I’d say. My kettle goes as precise as 0.5°C increments but I don’t really notice a difference that small. It’s fun to be able to do though.

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