Our Favorite Home Brewing Methods
V60 Pourover
Why?
(Z): V60 offers the most balanced cup and retains the most complexity in flavor.
(C): Pour-overs expose how well great coffee has been roasted. I also prefer the volume. I tend to sip slow and savor and forget about my cup in the busyness of the morning. With shallow pours that stay hot in an insulated carafe, pour-overs last through several activities with the children without having to revisit the kitchen.
How?
(Z): 24 grams of coffee, 380 grams of 195-205 degree water, wet the grounds with approximately 50 grams of water. Wait 45 seconds. This is called a “bloom”. Then pour remaining water over the grounds in a circular motion over approximately 45 seconds to a minute.
(C): Start a kettle of water over a flame. Grab a fist full of beans. Manually grind beans through Rok. Wet V60 filter. Add ground beans. Slowly saturate beans in hot water in circular motion until carafe is nearly full.
What goes best with it?
(Z): I enjoy my V60 by itself.
(C): Studying or writing.
French Press
Why?
(Z): It’s kind of romantic. It’s an immersion brew so it tends to be a little more extracted which holds up well to a hearty breakfast on the weekend of pancakes or French toast.
(C): I appreciate the tone it sets. It’s lovely for sharing with Zach at a noisy breakfast table on Saturday morning. Its deep flavor and seemingly bottomless nature announces, “the weekend is here so refill your cup and stay awhile”!
How?
(Z):50 grams of coffee to 800 grams of brew water. Pour the water into the vessel over the grounds. After a couple minutes, gently stir grounds left on the surface of the water so they settle. Wait about ten minutes before serving.
(C): See V60 method but maybe 2-3 fistfuls of coffee and no filter this time.
What do you enjoy it with?
(Z): A big family breakfast.
(C): Buttery croissants with jam.
Chemex
Why?
(Z): It makes enough for two. It also retains more of the brightness and subtly than the French Press.
(C): It’s the best weekender coffee method to share with guests at the kitchen table.
How?
(Z): I essentially double the V60 so 24 grams coffee to 760 grams of water.
(C): At this point, you know I can’t be trusted with method.
What do you enjoy it with?
(Z): It pairs well with a good novel, think Dostoevsky.
(C): Friends and pastries.
Espresso
Why?
(Z):Espresso is too much work in the morning but it works nicely for an afternoon pick-me-up.
(C): My first sip over the rim of a tiny ceramic espresso cup was in Bassano, Italy. Whenever I have an espresso I am reminded of that afternoon with my husband.
How?
(Z): I recently got a Flair 58. It’s a manual espresso maker. I use 18 grams of coffee to about 20 grams of water. I am still working with the shot curve. I’ll get back to you once I have a solid shot down.
(C): * crickets chirping *
What do you enjoy it with?
(Z): By itself or mixed into a latte.
(C): What he said.
Roasting: Ethiopia Daanisa
ORIGIN | Ethiopia
A small groups of farmers in Daanisa, the Guji region in Oddo Shakiso, produce bright and delicate cherries while also retaining the fruit-forward profile so indicative of naturals from this region.
Daanisa farmers group is a group of 44 farmers who deliver their cherry to Dambi Uddo washing station. The name comes from the local name for an umbrella-shaped native tree. The daanisa tree has medicinal properties and is used for a wide range of construction purposes.
Perhaps most importantly, it is used to shade the region’s coffee trees.
Dambi Uddo Agro Industry founded Dambi Uddo washing station in 2019. Located in Sukkee Qutto in Guji, the high altitudes that often reach above 2,000 meters above sea level provide ideal conditions for cultivating high-quality coffees.
Chocolate Syrup
Make It:
Zach’s Chocolate Syrup Recipe for homemade lattes
With autumn in full swing, we start to prefer warm drinks with frothy milks and sweet syrups for an afternoon pick-me-up.
This is Zach’s chocolate syrup.
His recipe can be added to an espresso shot with steamed milk for a delicious mocha latte right in your own kitchen. It also lends itself beautifully to hot chocolates for the children in your life as well.
Ingredients:
1/2C cocoa powder
1/2C granulated sugar
1/2C water
splash of vanilla extract
Equipment:
measuring cup
sifter
small sauce pan
whisk
airtight vessel for syrup
Process:
Sift coco and sugar into small sauce pan to remove clumps
Add water and vanilla to dry ingredients
On medium-high heat stir until syrup comes to a boil
Remove from heat and let cool
Store in airtight container
Syrup should be good in the refrigerator for a week or two
Roasting: Peru Warmikuna
Origin | P E R U
In dedication to the female farmers behind the bean, the name of the SMC coffee on roast comes from the word for "women” in the Incan language of Quechua.
The three women behind these coffee beans are Elvira Guerrero and Eudosia Puelles from Jaen and Oralia Guerrero from San Ignacio. Both regions belong to the department of Cajamarca in North Peru.
These ladies learned about coffee from their parents who were already producing coffee, and grew up very close to this beautiful plant from a young age.
Elvira has been producing coffee since 1997 while Eudosia began in 2013 and Oralia in 2014.
Both Elvira and Eudosia started with their own coffee production after divorces with the drive to start something by themselves. Oralia works the farm alongside her husband where each one participates in the production of coffee.
Elvira, with the help of her oldest son and agronomist, Jose Carlos, has seen her farm improve day by day. As a result, her quality of life is getting better. Eudosia has also seen a change in her quality of life, being able to be independent and working in a field she loves. Eudosia has the help of her daughter, Lesli. Being in specialty coffee has changed Oralia’s way of life too. Being a coffee farmer has improved the education of her kids, and sparked an interest for high-quality coffee.
The varieties found in these three farms range from Catimor, Catuai, Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Pache, with the size of the farms ranging from 2 to 4 hectares.
Elvira, Eudosia, and Oralia all process coffee with a careful cherry picking of the ripest fruit. It is then pulped and fermented in open-air tanks from 30 to 36 hours before undergoing a wash. Elvira prefers to float the cherries before pulping to remove foreign material such as leaves or branches and the less dense beans.
On average, drying takes an average 15 days but is dependent on the climate. Eudosia dries in a solar dryer, Elvira over a tarp with shade and Oralia in a tarp at the patio.
At SMC we are excited about the flavor profile these beans offer but even more moved by the backstory of these incredible women. We are eager to share their product as well as their story with our friends.
Get Started 101 | Grinders
If you’re looking to improve your coffee game, a good coffee grinder will have great impact on your cup. We realize the subject of coffee grinders can be a bit overwhelming, so we’ve put together a quick overview as well as some more resources to help you get started.
There are two primary grinder types:
Blade grinders
Blade grinders are the most affordable option, ranging from $20-$40. The disadvantages of blade grinders are poor grind uniformity and poor control over grind size. Since they use a spinning blade to smash the beans into pieces, there will inevitably be a mix of both large and smaller particles. The particles that are too small will over-extract which makes the coffee taste bitter, while the larger pieces will under-extract which causes a sour taste. In addition, the only way to control grind size is by the amount of time you run the grinder, making it difficult to be consistent. That being said, if this is where you’re starting, that’s completely fine. We have used blade grinders before, and while this is debatable, we feel that this is still better than pre-ground coffee from a more expensive grinder.
Burr grinders
Burr grinders use a set of either flat or conical burrs to cut/crush the beans. These range from the $50’s all the way to thousands of dollars. A large portion of the cost in materials and engineering goes into achieving a uniform grind size. There are both electric and manual burr grinders. You can get more bang for your buck with a manual grinder if you don’t mind the physical work of grinding. There are multiple variations of burr grinders- conical vs flat, ceramic vs steel, step-wise vs step-less. At the beginning stage we wouldn’t get too caught up in these differences. For a deeper dive check out the link below. You can find a decent burr grinder for around $150. It is our opinion that after around the $500 price point, you get diminishing returns for your money.
No matter what you choose, if you are converting from pre-ground coffee beans, we bet that you will notice an improvement in your cup.
For more in-depth information on grinders check out this video by James Hoffman.
Get Started 101 | Preparing the Kitchen
OK, so you want to order a bag of SMC whole bean coffee to your door but you have never prepared whole bean coffee before. What do you need before it arrives?
Equipment List for Drip Coffee:
coffee brewer (watch out for our post on different brew methods in the near future)
coffee grinder
Ingredients:
Roasted whole coffee beans
Water
Home Coffee Bar Considerations:
Electrical Outlets
Proximity to water for filling tanks, kettles, vessels, or reservoirs
Proximity to stove (if using techniques like pour over or mocha pot)
Space for coffee maker and stand alone grinder (if detached)
Mug placement and accessibility
Where to store unused coffee beans and other coffee accessories
Get Started 101 | Do You Ship Pre-Ground Coffee?
The short answer, No.
We believe grinding before we ship negatively impacts the quality of the coffee we aim to offer you. Just like any other fresh product, roasted coffee beans lose freshness with time, and grinding the beans speeds up this process. Without getting too science-y, several things happen upon grinding. First, volatile compounds begin to escape, which is why the smell of ground coffee is intoxicating. However, this is literally flavor evaporating. Secondly, the compounds that you perceive as flavor start to degrade and cause new compounds that don’t necessarily taste good. Thirdly, oxidation eventually causes oils to become rancid, and although this takes a relatively long time, coffee is not exempt from this process.
Thus, for the best drinking experience, grinding your beans at home just before preparing the cup is ideal.
We understand entering the world of whole coffee beans can be overwhelming.
So, if you’re new to whole bean coffee at home and are looking to get started, we’re here to help.
Get Started 101 | Whole Bean Coffee
If you find yourself in the wonderful position of ordering your first bag of roasted whole bean coffee from us we first want to thank you... big time! We also want to help you get your first cup prepared.
Since our inception we’ve had the pleasure of introducing friends and family to whole bean coffee. The most commonly asked questions were:
What kind of grinder should I get?
Can’t you just send me ground coffee?
Fortunately, there’s not much you will need to make a delicious cup of coffee at your kitchen counter with what you already have.
Keep in mind, the following ideas are compiled for those very new to purchasing and preparing whole bean coffee.
The Family Behind SMC
We are a husband and wife team with our children supporting our efforts to stay caffeinated. When we embarked on SMC roasting company, part of our intention was to enter into a project in which our family could enjoy and collaborate.
Zach runs the technical side of SMC. He’s in charge of the roasting, packaging, and delivery of all your coffee.
Courtney is the creative locomotive. She handles branding, aesthetics, and media. With newfound bandwidth, she will be stepping into a bigger role at SMC this coming year.
Our four children (2 boys and 2 girls) not only cheer-lead but also lend helping hands.
Because our children’s ages range from thirteen to three, their help is offered in various ways.
Our younger son has taken an interest in photography and you will see some of his work on display throughout the webpage and social media! Our eldest son helps Zach roast and bag your coffee. The girls also come along to roast and often keep Daddy company in the shipping space.
We appreciate your support and for shopping small and local!
What’s New at SMC!
You’ve probably noticed we have been a little quiet at SMC but we’re still here roasting delicious coffee and shipping it to our partners and online friends.
However, our media presence has been, well, non-existent for a couple of years. Here’s an update:
Since we launched in 2020 we were offered an opportunity to expand our brand. Initially we were thrilled! Our original goal for our business was to have a physical presence in Saint Louis. After much counsel we made the difficult decision to decline the offer to open a brick and mortar location in order to focus on our family and prior commitments.
It was a hard decision but it caused our family to reconsider our mission and focus for SMC.
As we ruminate on this question we discovered the pleasure of excellent coffee in the four walls of home.
Zach and I have come to value a delicious first cup at our kitchen counter over the morning hustle of a coffee bar.
At SMC we are laser focused on remaining a roasting company determined to deliver coffee to your home that offers the same freshness and unique flavor profiles of third wave coffee bars but the accessibility of your corner grocer.
And you don’t have to leave home to get it— we deliver directly to your doorstep!