How to Brew?! - Kopi Sock
There are so many different methods of brewing coffee, but none is more iconic than the kopi sock! Brewing with the kopi sock is actually very simple – just immerse your kopi grounds in water, stir, and pour through the kopi sock to strain it!
Though not quite as fanciful as the steps taken by the barista at your favourite cafe, kopi brewing is actually an art by itself as well. Each and every kopi master at our favourite kopi stall have their own unique style or routine - from the way they pour hot water into the pot to the steeping durations of the kopi grounds. These seasoned masters have, through their own experience, understood and learnt how best to brew their favourite kopi blends.
Ever wondered about pulling the coffee through the sock yourself? Well, let’s get you started. This really isn’t meant to be a definitive guide to yield the best tasting cup of kopi, but rather, is one that aims to be a good starting point in your journey to be a kopi master at home 😉.
One last thing before we begin. We'd like to tell you to not be afraid to experiment with different brewing parameters! We believe that each and every one of us have our own preferred taste of coffee and it is worth taking the time and effort to find our preferred method as it makes your morning so much better!
Okay, ready? Let's get started!
What you need (for 1 to 2 cups of kopi):
- 2 cups/brewing vessels
- 1 coffee sock (The one we have is good for 1 – 5 serves)
- Freshly ground kopi powder (2 – 3 tbsp, approximately 15 – 20g)
- Hot water (1 cup, approximately 250ml)
Steps
- We recommend using a medium grind for your kopi powder. Using too fine a grind may result in some coffee grounds passing through the filter, leaving a gritty feeling when you drink the coffee, or choke the filter and give you a really bitter tasting cup of kopi.
- Pre-heat the vessel and sock filter by rinsing them with hot water before brewing.
- Put an appropriate amount of coffee grounds (we recommend about 2 – 3tbsp, approximately 15 – 20g) into one of your brewing vessels. For this post, we used 3 tbsp which came up to approximately 20g. Feel free to adjust based on your taste preference!
- Pour the 250ml of hot water into the vessel with the coffee grounds. Watch the magic happen as the coffee grounds slowly expand and form a crust on the surface of the water after a few seconds.
- Stir the coffee slurry for about 10 – 15 seconds to ensure that all the grounds are evenly saturated and let it steep for about 3 mins. You may wish to let it steep for longer if but remember that the longer you let it steep, the more bitter the cup gets. You may also wish to put a lid on top of the vessel so as to not lose that much heat during this step.
(Pro-tip: Breaking the crust would release an intense aroma so take it all in when you start to stir the slurry! 😊)
- Once done, stir the coffee slurry one last time and then pour it through the sock to strain the coffee grounds into your second vessel.
(Pro-tip: We recommend pouring the kopi through the filter a couple more times again as this would help elevate its aroma!)
- You now have a super gau cup of Kopi – O Kosong! This will be the base for all your Kopi drinks. You can now start adding your sugar, milk, and water to your desired taste!
- Kopi: Add condensed milk, sugar, and water
- Kopi – C: Add evaporated milk, sugar, and water
- Kopi – O: Add sugar and water
- To wash the filter, simply turn it inside out to get rid of the grounds in the bin before rinsing it under running water. Do remember to wring it before hanging it to dry!
