From our previous blog post, we mentioned that we heard some of you loud and clear - Sock cleaning is a hassle! So, we went on an adventure to find a solution.
Mission: Convenience without compromising taste a.k.a. Same Taste without Sock.
Methods we tried:
- V60
- Moka Pot
- French Press
- Sachet Bags
- Screaming "WHYYY" at the sock
- Our Solution (read more to find out)
In our experiments, we always made a reference cup of kopi using our sock recipe to taste side by side for better comparison. We compared Kopi O Kosong and Kopi in our taste tests. As for the coffee powder, of course we used our own soot kopi powder for all the tests.
Below are our findings:
V60
The V60 is first thing we tried since everyone is using it for their atas coffee. They can be easily found in local cafes ranging from SGD 7.50 to SGD 30+ (or even more). Being cheapos, we bought a SGD 7.50 one from a nearby cafe. The kind lady was teaching us how to V60 their atas arabica beans and out of politeness, we nodded x1,000 while she spoke.
"Do you need some beans?" She asked.
All of us in unison: "NORLA."
We forgot to buy the filter paper and had to U-turn back.
Test:
- Coffee grounds: 18g
- Water: 180g
- Total drip time: ~2.5 mins
- Technique: "The Ultimate V60 Technique" following James Hoffmann (In case you say we anyhow V60)
Taste:
Kopi O kosong is drinkable, but still lack the body and depth that the sock kopi provides. But it is still a good cup of Kopi O Kosong. However, the Kopi version just did not do it for us. For some reason, the condensed milk accentuates the lack of body and depth in the V60 compared to the sock kopi.
Verdict: Kopi O Kosong pass, Kopi fail.
Moka Pot
Here is the sob story of the Moka Pot. We bought one from a local kopi powder supplier (whom we shall not name). Instant regret when we saw it on Carousell for a much cheaper price. Went back and asked to refund. Instead we got offered credits to buy their coffee powder. T_T All we can say is maybe keeping the over priced Moka pot was still a better option - at least still can use.
Test:
- Coffee grounds: 20g
- Water: 200g
- Technique: Stare and let physics take over.
Taste:
The body and depth is still missing from the Moka Pot Kopi. Probably due to the lack of steeping in this method.
Verdict: Fail
French Press
One of us owns a French Press, so it was pretty easy for us to test it out. No drama, no adventure.
Test:
- Coffee grounds: 20g
- Water: 200g
- Steep: 3 mins
- Technique: Press down but don't force
Taste:
No matter how we press, it seems like there will be some coffee powder particles in the kopi. We call this the Sandy Kopi. A work around will be letting the particles settle and not stir up the cup of kopi while you drink.
Verdict: No. Sandy Kopi. No.
Sachet
We tried many different types of sachets we can find in the market. We heat sealed them into pouches with our own Soot Kopi powder.
Test:
- Coffee grounds: 20g
- Water: 200g
- Steep: 5 mins
- Technique 1: Steep and before removing squeeze the life out of the sachet
- Technique 2: Steep and don't squeeze the sachet at all
Taste:
Technique 1 - Sandy Kopi
Technique 2 - Kopi was so weak, we rather drink plain water.
Verdict: Fail.
Screaming "WHYYY" at the sock
Why does the kopi taste so superior when made using the sock and all other methods pale in comparison?
Snapshot of our daily discussions on this problem:
Of course this didn't help solve the problem. Why didn't anyone have this problem? We are pretty sure other people would have faced the same problem as well. Right?
Our Solution
Finally one fine day, we chanced upon a potential solution... the filter drip bag:
Spider sibo???
At first look, it seems gimmicky. However on further research, we found that this filter material is allegedly the most advanced coffee filter material in the market. It came from a place and time we could not have imagined!
March 1996, Kyoto, Japan. Mr Tsuji and friends [1] seem to have a similar mission as us (Japanese also drink kopi meh!?).
The problem they faced:
- Filter cloth if used over long periods resulted in clogging, contamination, discoloration and smell. They were more concerned about the sanitation of using filter cloths and sought alternatives to replace it (We just lazy to wash).
- Other conventional filter sheets they have tried such as paper were non-satisfactory due to either excessively high filtering or ineffective filtering, resulting in insufficient flavor or sandy coffee (In our case, V60 was lacking in depth, while sachets gave us sandy or weak coffee).
Their solution:
Non-woven coffee filter fabric made from extremely fine fibres of polypropylene.
Three years later, Mr Saitoh and friends from Ohki company [2] attached the paper hooks to this material to finally give us this product we see so often today.
SO DID THIS FILTER DRIP BAG WORK?
We are happy to announce it did! We compared side by side with our sock coffee and couldn't really tell the difference. By the time you see this blog post, our Soot Kopi coffee grounds should be available in these drip coffee sachets and ready to roll into your homes!
We can't wait for you to try it and hope for your continued support to help us continue to bring consistent, good kopi and now, with convenience. The recipe for these drip bag coffee will come in an insert when your make your purchase.
Happy Sooting!
We hope for your continued supported so we can continue to put kopi in your homes and offices.
References:
- [1] H. Tsuji et al, US Patent 5,496,573
- [2] M. Saitoh et al., European Patent EP 1 050 257 A1