Lucia Ng

Hello! My name is Lucia Ng, and I’m a dreamer and a doer from Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá. I have been working as a lead barista and a brewer in a coffee shop for the last four years, and have competed several times in coffee competitions, winning third place at the 2020 Panamá Brewers Cup 2020. I can’t wait to share my recipe with you!

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Description

What does coffee mean to you?

Coffee has literally changed my life. Coming into coffee from dental school, one might think the transition would have been difficult, but it has been as natural as breathing to me. Both disciplines combine science, fine and coarse motor skills and the most important thing: hospitality and the well-being of others. What an amazing journey to embark on sharing through a cup of coffee.

Lucia Ng

What motivates me daily:

There is always space for improvement as a coffee professional, and the most satisfying experience is to share with our guests and invitees every single thing we learn. The light in their eyes when they get the A-ha! moment when they try something you brought them is single-handedly one of the most amazing things.

Tips for this recipe:

This recipe is designed to be as easy as possible while extracting the most delicious attributes of the coffee you have in hand. If you find your final cup too strong, I would suggest lowering the coffee dose, and if it's too thin, up your coffee dose. Try using this recipe with light-medium and medium roasted coffees. It was designed to keep the balance between acidity, sweetness, while having a round body.

Lucia says:

"Thank you for trying this recipe! I have used this for years and I am honored to share it with the world. I'd be happy to get to know more coffee enthusiasts all around the world, so don't be afraid to hit me up on social media"

Brewing tool

Frenchpress, FP Pot

Dose of coffee

20 g

Water

91 °C

Total brewing time

04:00

Coffee water ratio

1:16

Total water

320 ml

Detailed Guidance

Add the coffee in the French Press and start the timer

1

00:00 - 01:00

Pour all the water in and wait
2

01:00 – 01:20

Take a wooden spoon or stick and stir counterclockwise 5 times. Make sure all the coffee has been in contact with the water.
3

01:20 - 03:30

Cover the French Press and let it brew
4

03:30 - 04:00

Plunge down slowly, pour coffee into another preheated carafe and serve

Enjoy

Enjoy your freshly brewed coffee and have a nice day.

What makes this recipe so special?

This recipe is so special because it is easy to execute but still gives an amazing and balanced cup of coffee. It’s all about sharing the cup. Coffee is supposed to be accessible and easy to brew. This makes it more enjoyable for anyone that is preparing the coffee!

How to grind coffee?

Grind setting 1 to 10

1. Extreme fine grinding

<200-200 µ – Extra Fine (I) (confectioners sugar)

it is so fine that is almost impossible to filter/separate, like a powder, usually the finest grading in your grinder. Used for Ibrik/Turkish method because it “dissolves”; in pour-over can clog the filters. The substances extraction is extreme and can lead to a more bitter taste.

2. Finest grinding

300 µ – Fine II (flour)

almost a powder, a little more boulder. Can be used in Ibrik/Turkish coffee, and for some coffee beans in Moka Pot and espresso. The substances extraction is very high but has less surface contact area than the previous one.

3. Fine grinding

400 µ – Fine III Dry (no lumps)
it is fine, but not a powder, you can see little boulder parts. Used mainly for espresso and Moka Pot, but some Aeropress recipes use this grinding in a short time extraction. The substances extraction is high, it has high surface area contact, and it is used in methods with pressure, less time, high temperature.

4. Medium-fine grinding

500-600 µ – Medium – Fine (beach sand)
it is finer than sand, but not as fine than the previous. It is perfect for tuned recipes with pour-over methods, V60, Kalita, et cetera and also for some Aeropress recipes. It can be tricky if you do not master the brewing techniques leading to clogging. The substances extraction is high; it has a high surface contact area, but less than the previous one.

5-6.Medium grinding

700-800 µ – Medium I (Table Salt)
it is the start point for a test with a new coffee, it is a little bit coarse than the medium-fine. Very similar, in consistence and size, to sand. Can be used in various methods like pour-over, siphon, Aeropress, infusion, et cetera. The water-substances interaction is medium here, as the surface contact area is starting to decrease. In this grind size, and beyond, other variables like temperature and time become to influence more and more. It is the grind size that doesn’t extract too much but don’t extract too little.

7. Medium-coarse grinding

900-1000 µ – Medium II Commercial
it has the aspect of sand with boulder particles. Methods like Chemex, Clever and Aeropress benefit a lot from this grinding size, also some pour-overs with a little adjust in the variables. The surface contact area is smaller, so the solubility of the substance in water become to decrease. In this case, extraction is medium and extraction time starting to get more attention.

8. Coarse grinding:

1100-1200 µ – Medium III (Silica Sand)
it is more rough than sand, almost a sea salt, you can see boulder particles. Methods like French Press and some percolators are the best ones applied here. It is also very used to coffee cupping/tasting. In this case, extraction becomes small to medium, there is even less surface contact area with water and extraction time become fundamental.

9. Coarsted grinding

1300-1400 µ – Coarse I (clay particle)
similar to peppercorns. Used mainly for cold brew due to small substances extraction rate because the surface contact area is little, the pores are not available for extraction.

10. Extreme coarse grinding

1500-1600 µ – Coarse II (coarse kosher salt)

also similar to peppercorns, also used for cold brew. The substances are even less extracted than the previous. The surface contact area is small.
1600µ – Extra Coarse (III) – (broken peppercorns)
——-
The grind setting below is from our volunteer Carlos @chaosinrye and @fatima_quest. This is only a draft version.