Why automate pourover coffee?
Normally the "why?" question for projects like this are more of a "because it seemed like it would be fun" type answer. I of all people completely accept this answer, however for this project I feel like there are lots of more logical reasons.
The act of pourover brewing is pretty basic in itself. You are just pouring hot water through a cone shaped filter holding grounds directly into a carafe or drinking vessel. Done. Why automate that?
Time
The automatic drip and pod coffee makers so commonly found these days exist for a reason. They are so damn convenient, especially if you are just making a single cup. These machines work well for most people and I am not going to go into the common pit falls of them. If you are reading this you most likely know the taste benefits of a pourover.
But expanding on the process of making a pourover coffee, let's list the steps. I am going to do my best to not make this read like the black and white scene of an infomercial just to prove my point.
- Weigh and grind your beans
- Heat your water
- Rinse your filter and warm brewer
- Calculate water amount needed
- Bloom your grounds and wait (possibly swirl during your wait, up to you)
- Pour some water, wait, repeat (your process depends on you)
Is this process painful? No.
Is this process difficult? No.
Is it as quick and mindless as popping a pod it and jamming a button a few times until it makes some god awful noises and poops out something that tastes 'meh' at best? Nope.
I think you get the point. I should say, I am not aiming to make something as quick and mindless as a pod brewer, I just want to make it a bit more hands off. More on that to come.
Precision and repeatably
Look at that picture above. It is an idyllic artsy environment that lacks any scientific precision at all. I mean there is already a steaming cup of coffee there, why are they still brewing!? There are no thermometers, scales, or digital calipers (for measuring each individual ground, duh). You may have the instincts to make a great cup of coffee this way, but I am not that good.
I rely on factors like temperature, grind size, coffee to water ratios, and not being hungover to make really consistent repeatably great cups. These are the details I want to tweak and then make the machine execute. I don't want to trust that to a shaky pouring hand and pour* judgement.
Because I want to
Hey man, it is going to be cool ok? I want play around with my 3d printer and have an excuse to order some new sensors. Alright, that is all for now. I've got people asking when I am going to release the site. If you are still reading this, I doubt you need anymore reasons anyways.
*see what I did there?