Zarak Yusufzai

My name is Zarak Yusufzai. I am an aspiring coffee professional and home brewer from Karachi, Pakistan! Although my primary career is in the automotive industry, I have also co-founded Bean Scene PK, a one-stop-shop for all things specialty coffee in Pakistan.

In my spare time, I use Youtube and Instagram as a creative outlet for my desire to share my experiments with speciality coffee and everything I have been learning about the world of coffee!

SKU: BGC_3798858521726 Categories: ,

Description

What does coffee mean to you?

"Coffee has meant different things to me at different times of my life. When in high-school, it was simply a stimulant that gave me a caffeine fix when I had to study. In college, my fascination grew as I worked as a barista on-campus and began exploring specialty coffee to experience a quality beverage. Now, after having met so many interesting people in the specialty coffee industry and learned from them, coffee has come mean community and relationships for me."

Zarak Yusufzai

What motivates me daily:

The lack of monotony of coffee and experiencing something different each day has kept me motivated and given me something new to look forward to everyday. Whether I'm trying a new coffee for my morning brew, or going to meet someone new who is also passionate and working in coffee; these small moments bring me joy and give me motivation

Coffee Tips:

Take it easy and don't worry about being extremely specific. It's fine if you missed the brew time or measurements by a few seconds or grams, just make sure you enjoy the process, the coffee will take care of itself.

Greatest satisfaction:

The ultimate fulfillment for me is in gaining knowledge and sharing experiences with like-minded individuals within this fantastic global community of coffee!

What makes my recipe so special?

Using two filters rather than one really allows the coffee to sit with the water, so it has a similar effect to an immersion brew without having to flip the AeroPress upside down. The double filters also help give you a cleaner and clearer tasting brew. I’ve found this recipe to further bring out the acidity in washed coffees and give a brighter cup that has a lighter body.

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)
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The grind setting below is from our volunteer Carlos @chaosinrye and @fatima_quest. This is only a draft version.

Brewing tool

Aeropress

Dose of coffee

13 g

Water

92 °C

Total brewing time

02:00

Coffee water ratio

1:15.4

Total water

200 ml

Detailed Guidance

1

00:00 - 00:10

Place AeroPress on top of the cup, add coffee, and shake brewer to level out the bed
2

00:10 – 00:30

Add 50 ml water at a fast speed, stir 3 times
3

00:30 – 01:00

Bloom
4

01:00 – 01:15

Add remaining 150 ml water at fast speed, and stir 5 times
5

01:15 – 01:30

Attach the plunger
6

01:30 – 02:00

Start pressing at a slow controlled speed until a hissing sound is heard

Enjoy

Enjoy your freshly brewed coffee and have a nice day.