Mexico La Tribu – superautomática

MEXICO LA TRIBU

Whole bean coffee for super-automatic coffee makers

Super-automatic coffee makers seem to be all the rage; more and more households have one. And the ads and manufacturers sell them on the premise that “all you need to do is add water, coffee beans, and press a button”. Sounds easy, right?

They are indeed very convenient, compact, and make little or no mess on your countertop. But if you bought a super-automatic coffee maker and you’re someone who drinks specialty coffee, you’ve probably been a little frustrated. Getting a good extraction with certain coffees can be a challenge. Why is that? Most specialty coffees have a much lighter roast than commercial coffees, and are therefore harder to extract. These machines are not necessarily designed and built to extract specialty coffee.

You may even have tried adjusting the grind or dose, and that probably frustrated you even more. The super-automatic coffee maker is supposed to make everything easier, but you’re finding just the opposite.

ROAST OPTIMIZED FOR SUPER-AUTOMATIC COFFEE MAKERS

Super-automatic coffee makers don’t form a proper coffee puck. As a result, you’ll generally get uneven extractions and end up fighting with the machine. Their built-in grinders also have limitations, and adjusting the grind sometimes doesn’t solve the problem or isn’t enough. If you try to make the grind as fine as you would for an espresso machine, the water will find a way out because the puck isn’t properly prepared. This means your coffee will end up under-extracted.

Choosing the best whole bean coffee for a super-automatic coffee maker isn’t easy, especially when it comes to specialty coffee, which is usually roasted much lighter. A roast that’s too light will make extraction considerably more difficult.

Commercial coffee is at the opposite extreme: it’s generally roasted quite dark. These roasts not only detract from the flavor, but can also damage your machine. If you use commercial coffee and notice that the beans are too shiny, be careful. These oils can build up in the grinder, and over time you may notice stale flavors in your coffee.

A suitable roast is essential. That’s why at Animal Coffee, we’ve developed a specialty coffee with a roast that’s ideal for super-automatic coffee makers, so you can easily get a balanced, sweet, and pleasant cup.

Without a doubt, the best whole bean coffee for a super-automatic coffee maker you’ve ever tried.

Animal’s visit to the La Tribu collection center—the source of our coffee for super-automatic machines (you’ll also see Neri Ortíz on the right)

TRACEABILITY OF THIS SPECIALTY COFFEE

Café La Tribu A.C. is responsible for the traceability of this specialty coffee. La Tribu is a nongovernmental organization established to support, advise, and train a group of cooperatives in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas. This NGO works across a wide range of areas, from production and organizational processes to commercial and financial matters. The cooperatives responsible for this lot are:

These four cooperatives bring together 827 producers from six municipalities, 45% of whom are women. Their estimated production volume is around 32,969 Qq of parchment coffee. This specialty coffee indirectly benefits about 2,695 families in Mexico.

Members of these cooperatives are known for cultivating in harmony with nature and following organic production practices. Most of the coffee farms are shaded by a variety of crops. The average elevation of the affiliated farms is between 1,500 and 1,800 masl.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SUPER-AUTOMATIC COFFEE MAKERS

What is the best specialty coffee for a super-automatic coffee maker?

The best specialty coffee for a super-automatic coffee maker is one with a more developed medium roast, without visible oils on the surface.

What types of coffee should I avoid in a super-automatic coffee maker?

If you’ve bought a super-automatic coffee maker, avoid coffees that are too lightly or darkly roasted, or torrefacto-roasted. Very light roasts will make coffee with little body and high acidity. Dark and torrefacto roasts will taste bitter. In addition, oils and sticky substances can cling to the machine’s hopper and burrs, potentially damaging it.

What are the limitations of super-automatic coffee makers?

Super-automatic coffee makers generally don’t properly prepare the coffee puck. This involves dosing, leveling, and tamping correctly. These machines don’t truly prepare the puck, so extractions can be unstable. Changes in grind size, distribution, tamping, cracks in the puck, etc., can cause “channeling” (*) and affect extraction.

(*) With channeling, pressurized water finds the path of least resistance through the puck of ground coffee instead of flowing through it evenly. This causes over-extraction where most of the water passes through, while the rest of the puck isn’t extracted properly.

What number should I set the grinder to?

There’s no universal number; every grinder and super-automatic coffee maker is different. If the coffee comes out watery, set the grind finer, and vice versa. We recommend making small adjustments and testing as you go. At the end of this article, we’ve included a video by expert James Hoffman that may be helpful.

What should I do if my coffee tastes acidic or has little crema?

Check your grind and the roast of the coffee you’re using. This is generally caused by a grind that’s too coarse, which shortens your extraction time. Another possibility is that you’re using coffee that’s roasted too lightly.

Do I need to adjust the grinder on my super-automatic coffee maker while it’s running?

On most super-automatic coffee makers, you should only turn the grinder adjustment while the burrs are spinning to avoid straining the mechanism. However, always check the machine’s user manual.

Tip: We really liked this video by James Hoffman. He talks about how to get the most out of automatic machines using specialty coffee. We think you’ll find it useful whether you’re just getting started with specialty coffee or recently bought a super-automatic machine. –> WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE