The ideal coffee aroma

Donut Coffee Dripper

手沖一杯咖啡,磨豆子時先選好自己喜愛的粗幼,煮了開水後倒進手沖壼裡讓水稍為降溫,輕澆熱水在豆子上讓它一點點地吸飽,待豆子發脹後,前半段便旋著圈在上面澆溫水,後半段則任水垂直地繞繞落下⋯⋯沖咖啡時任何的細節,包括水溫、水流的速度、器具等等,都為咖啡提煉出不同的味道。手沖咖啡讓人簡單地對每個細節作出微調,這就是它引人入勝的地方。

日本人熱愛手沖咖啡,因此常找到一些價錢大眾化、造工卻大十分講究皫咖啡器具品牌,由中林孝之(Takayuki Nakabayashi)成立的Torch便是其中之一。中林先生曾是咖啡廳經營者,那時他便希望能沖泡出「濃郁卻沒有負擔的咖啡」,亦即是,香濃的、沒有雜味的、咖啡因的濃度剛剛好。器具影響咖啡的味道,如能有相應的瀘杯,他就能輕易地調出自己理想的味道了。於是在十年前,他研發了Donut Coffee Driper。

Donut Coffee Driper跟其他瀘杯有三個不同之處。首先是瀘杯的形狀較修長,同樣份量的咖啡豆,在瀘杯中堆得較厚,每一滴水與咖啡豆接觸的時間便較長了。其次是底部的孔是較大的,讓水份能順暢地通過,不過如此的設計,或會令水流得太快,使咖啡味道較淡,為了解決這問題,中林先生把瀘杯的「牆壁」造成階梯的形態,減慢水流的速度。


精心設計除了功能外,還有其外形。因為對中林先生來說,製作咖啡器具的要素之一,是「能溶入生活。」,而即使再細微,他也希望能為生活帶來一點革新。

To prepare a cup of pour-over coffee, the first step is to choose the right kind of grinder for your beans. After bringing water to the boil, pour it into a kettle to slightly bring down the temperature before gently pouring it over the coffee grounds to let them bloom. The water should be first poured in concentric circles, later on, poured straight down. Any minute details during the brewing process, including water temperature, the speed of pouring, utensils and so on would affect the final coffee taste. The pour-over method is intriguing as you can always finely adjust any step of coffee making.

Japanese are passionate about pour-over coffee, and the market provides a good selection of reasonably priced but fine coffee equipment. Among them is a brand called Torch founded by Takayuki Nakabayashi who used to be a cafe owner. Back then, he was figuring how to brew a cup of “strong but burdenless coffee”, meaning a brew which is aromatic, free of impurities, with the right amount of caffeine. The equipment can affect the taste of the coffee, a matching dripper would come in handy when trying to acquire an ideal taste, and therefore he invented the Donut Coffee Dripper ten years ago.

The Donut Coffee Dripper differentiate from others for three main features: firstly, its comparatively slender shape allows the water to take a longer path through the coffee for a maximum flavor extraction. Secondly, the hole at the bottom is larger than the standard to promote a smoother water flow. To prevent the water to flow too fast and in turn weaken the flavor, the dripper has two internal ribs which guide the flow of water through the coffee grounds.

Both the function and the style of the dripper are well-thought-out. To Nakabayashi, blending his coffee equipment into everyday life is one of the decisive element to his design, so that he can bring changes to life, even if it casts only the slightest impact.

w