Sowden SoftBrew Oskar User manual
SoftBrew is a trademark registered by GJS srl. Copyright © 2013 GJS S.r.l. All Rights Reserved.
Sowden SoftBrew™ Coffee – Method
Sowden SoftBrew™ Coffee. When studying the design and during the
development of the SoftBrew™ – which uses infusion as the brewing
method – the aim was to find the simplest and best way to brew good
coffee. We decided that just like brewing tea, infusion is the natural way,
easy and flexible, where everything is decided by the user. Starting with the
choice of coffee, followed by the darkness of the roast and the coarseness of
the grind, the user has the opportunity to ‘play around’ and discover the
fascinating world of coffee.
Sowden SoftBrew™ method allows the coffee to be ground (unlike other
brewing systems) anywhere from coarse to fine. This means that the user
has greater control of the brewing process and has complete choice of
variety, roast and grind. One detail to remember when using the SoftBrew
filter – the finer the grind the quicker the extraction time. For some varieties
of coffee and particular levels of roasting, for example ‘light roast’ which is
popular in USA and northern European countries, the user may adjust the
grind to get just the flavor preferred by ‘experimenting’. The SoftBrew™
system freely allows you to try different ways –no instructions for use!
The purpose of the Sowden SoftBrew™ filter is to keep the ground bean
waste separated from the final beverage; thousands of microscopic holes
sized between 0.15 and 0.18 mm allow the water to flow and take up the
taste without any of the inconveniences of the other coffee making systems,
whilst some “fines” (very small particles) filter through into the coffee giving
the typical “body” of an excellent brew.
The method is simple: place the filter into the pot, put coffee into the filter
and pour over hot water at the desired temperature, SoftBrew™ allows
natural brewing giving the final beverage a soft taste with all the flavour that
your choice of coffee can give – no squeezing, forcing, pressing or over-
filtering.
The filter is permanent, can be washed under the tap or in the dish
washer. The holes are ‘cut’ in a way that means the fine powder of
the ground coffee does not block the holes.
Simple tips from George Sowden for making a great cup of coffee
So how do we get to that perfect cup?
1. Remember that a good cup of coffee starts with good fresh coffee beans.
It can be confusing as there are so many types of bean from different parts of the
world.
And all beans will have the characteristics of the place of origin, or differ because
they have been treated and finally roasted in different ways.
Try as many as you can, find the ones that you prefer from Brazil, Jamaica,
Colombia, Ethiopia, or wherever. The only problem, if it is a problem and not a
blessing, is that the choice is infinite and you will never stop discovering! There are
two types of coffee plant, Robusta and Arabica.
I find Arabica the ‘sweetest’ and the tastiest. Robusta gives more caffeine.
There are a lot of blends, so find something you particularly like.
2. You should always be prepared to try different roasts with different coffee beans.
Go to your local coffee supply shop and check all the different beans that
are on offer.
If you have your own friendly roaster try your choice of beans ‘light’ ‘medium’ or
‘dark’ You can customise and experiment. Shop around in local roasters. See what
they are doing.
3. The next consideration is the choice of grind. With my design of SoftBrew™
filters, there is no recommended size for the grind. I would suggest you start with
‘medium,’ but, as you get confident with the system, discover the differences
between ‘fine’ and ‘coarse’. Personally, I use quite a fine grind: not as fine as
espresso grind, but quite close – the brewing time is quicker than coarse and I
prefer the full body taste.
4. Next is the amount of coffee you put into the pot.
The more you put in, of course, the stronger the brew will be. Sounds a very
simple formula, but, whereas other brewing methods give precise formulas, we say
– find out for yourself. With SoftBrew™ you really can experiment. If the beans
are good, then the coffee will be good – just lighter, or darker results depending on
the quantity you use. But the taste will come through, delicate and ‘soft.’
5. When you make coffee you use quite a lot of water, so make sure the
water is good!
When water comes into contact with the coffee beans, the extraction begins and
the hotter the water the quicker the extraction.
I normally use almost boiling water and it takes about four minutes to get a good,
well extracted, flavour.
6. In the summer I might make ‘cold brew’ – a nice refreshing ice-cold coffee. I
just put the ground coffee into the pot, add cold water, stir and leave the Sowden
brewer in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I have a perfect cold coffee.
Extraction time is about eight hours.
7. Never re-heat coffee: it will not be nice. And never boil coffee: it will taste
bad.
8. Buy small quantities of coffee at a time. The fresher, the better, so don’t let
it sit in the cupboard for weeks.
9. Coffee made by infusion, as in the Sowden SoftBrew™ system, is the simplest,
the perfect way, to get a great cup of good tasting coffee…and so flexible, you
really can make it just the way you prefer!
SoftBrew is a trademark registered by GJS srl. Copyright © 2013 GJS S.r.l. All Rights Reserved.
Sowden SoftBrew™ Coffee F.A.Q.
1. What is the Sowden SoftBrew™
SoftBrew™ is an infusion coffee making system invented by Milanese design pioneer
George Sowden and based on the simple ‘cupping’ method used by all professional coffee
tasters. It was invented to cut through the fussiness of specialty coffee, from capsules
whose contents remain an obscure mystery to fragile glass siphons and plastic tubes, and
instead bring you into as direct contact as possible with the incredible flavours
and aromas of quality freshly roasted coffee.
The SoftBrew™ uses cutting edge technology, in the form of its stainless steel micro etched
filter of up to 150 000 holes, not to make coffee making more complicated but instead to
facilitate an extremely simple and direct method of preparing and drinking coffee. The pots
themselves are made from the pure porcelain and new bone china of Chaozhou, the
Imperial Chinese porcelain capital, and their forms communicate the ‘no-nonsense poetics’
which have characterized the work of George Sowden throughout his 40 year career.
2. How fine are the perforations on the SoftBrew™ filter
The Sowden SoftBrew™ stainless steel filter only allows through particles smaller than
150microns. To put this in perspective just think that the finest coffee is ever ground, for
espresso, is to 200micron particles and that metal filters currently on the market for pour-
over coffee and infusion methods never have perforations smaller than 300microns.
The perforations of the SoftBrew™ filter are thus twice as fine as that of any other
existing coffee filter and represent a technical evolution in filter manufacturing for the
entire kitchenware industry. Our proprietary laser assisted chemical etching process was
developed by George Sowden together with a factory specialized in micro-engineering and is
the mature fruit of George Sowden’s unique work process, developed over the last 40 years
and which has always prioritized direct exchange of knowledge between designer and
manufacturer and hands on experience in factories.
In terms of your coffee drinking experience this means that your cup of coffee will still
contain the natural flavor carrying oils of coffee (absorbed by paper filters) as well
as a small amount of fines (though less than French Press or any other metal filter
coffee making system) which give the coffee body and fullness of flavour AND that you
can grind your coffee as fine or coarse as you like (and enjoy their relative different
flavours).
3. What kind of coffee grind should I use with the Sowden SoftBrew™
Unlike almost any other coffee making method on the market the SoftBrew™ allows for
the use of any grind size you like, from Espresso, to the medium grind used for the
French Press, all the way to hobo style mortar and pestle smashed beans. Each grind size
will produce a different tasting cup of coffee.
Please note that changing the fineness of your grind will not alter the amount of grounds
which pass through the filter. The grounds which pass through the SoftBrew™ filter are all
smaller than 150 microns thus smaller than almost any ground coffee particle. These
particles, technically known as colloids or fines are the suspended particles of coffee solids
that are too large to dissolve fully and are what gives coffee its depth and body. They are
crucial part of the flavor of a sophisticated cup of coffee.
4. How much coffee should I use
The Sowden scoop included with the pot contains roughly 7g of ground coffee (the same
amount used in a shot of espresso).
We recommend starting by using:
- 2 to 3 scoops for the 2 cup MAX 0.4L – 13.5 oz
- 3 to 5 scoops for the 4 cup MAX 0.8L – 27 oz
- 6 to 8 scoops for the 8 cup MAX 1.3L – 44 oz
- 10 to 12 scoops for the 12 cup MAX 1.8L – 61 oz
and adjusting accordingly to suit your own preferences.
5. How hot should the water be
It is generally agreed by industry experts that coffee should be brewed at somewhere
between 93-95°C. If you do not have a variable temperature kettle we simply recommend
waiting a small amount of time before pouring the boiled water over the coffee grounds.
Using water very slightly cooler than 100°C will help avoid preparing an overly bitter cup of
coffee.
Please note that SoftBrew™ is conceived as an extremely direct and also gentle way of
treating coffee so do pour your water in slowly if you can spare the time, watch it bloom…
We believe that slow pouring benefits the overall flavor of the brew.
6. Do I have to stir the coffee after pouring the water
It is not necessary to stir the coffee but if you see clumps forming it will improve the
extraction process to gently stir the grounds into the water, guaranteeing even saturation.
7. How long do I have to wait to drink my coffee
We have conducted considerable amounts of taste testing and found that almost all types of
coffee roasts and all grind size taste best after having infused for somewhere between 4-8
mins. If you use a finely ground coffee the reduced surface area of the particles will allow
for a faster extraction while a more coarsely ground coffee, with its larger surface area, will
take longer.
8. When do I need to take my filter out
There is generally no need to remove the filter from your Sowden pot when preparing
coffee. Unlike tea leaves, which continue extracting even at low water temperatures, coffee
extraction, which is what can cause unwanted bitterness and less varied range of flavours,
slows to an almost negligible rate once the water temperature drops below 85°C. If you are
using an extremely finely ground coffee and do not intend to drink it all immediately you
might want to consider removing your filter once the coffee is ready to drink but otherwise
we do not believe it to be necessary.
9. How long will my coffee remain hot
All Sowden SoftBrew™ pots are made from ceramic (pure Chaozhou porcelain or new bone
china). These materials have been used since time immemorial for preparing hot
drinks and with good reason! No other material insulates as well and as consistently.
Below is a graph which shows how coffee maintains its temperature inside the SoftBrew™
Oskar porcelain pot. Keep in mind that the hottest temperature you’ll drink your coffee at is
about 80°C.
If you want to keep your coffee hot over a longer period of time we recommend using a
candle warmer which gently keeps the coffee warm without ever reaching a temperature
that would create notable amounts of extraction and make the coffee excessively bitter.
10. What is the best way to clean the SoftBrew™
The SoftBrew™ is incredibly easy to clean. Its perforations have a completely different
structure to those of mesh filters and have been designed in such a way that coffee particles
will never block them up but will instead rest on their surface.
All you need to do is turn the filter upside down and run water through it before
giving it a quick wipe on the inside. If you really want to make it sparkle put the
filter in the dishwasher and it will clean up to like new again.
11. Can the SoftBrew™ be microwaved
The SoftBrew™ pot can be microwaved if you first remove the stainless steel filter. As
explained in question 5 we recommend using a candle warmer to keep the coffee warm
rather than reheating it.
12. Is the Sowden SoftBrew™ dishwasher safe
Yes, both the ceramic and the stainless steel components may be put in the dishwasher.
13. Are there spare parts available for the SoftBrew™
Yes, the lids and filters are available as spare parts but not the pot.
14. Why is the SoftBrew™ advertised as ecologically friendly
It is ecologically friendly because it does not use paper filters or any other disposable
material. Treat it with care and it will forever continue to work as well the day you bought it,
probably even better.
SoftBrew is a trademark registered by GJS srl. Copyright © 2013 GJS S.r.l. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.sowdenathome.com
SOWDEN SoftBrew COLD-BREW COFFEE INSTRUCTIONS:
SoftBrew is a trademark registered by GJS srl. Copyright © 2013 GJS S.r.l. All Rights Reserved.
