The Ultimate Coffee Brewing Guide from an Otaku

Hello, I’m Ohno, a first-year student in the Faculty of Economics, Department of Economics.

One of my hobbies is coffee. Of course, I love visiting cafes, but I also really enjoy brewing coffee at home. Before I knew it, I ended up collecting quite a bit of equipment.

One of my favorite pieces of coffee gear is this percolator. It became popular during the American Wild West era and is said to have been loved by many cowboys.

I’m using KALDI’s Morning Blend beans right now, but I’m running low and will need to buy some more soon. The biggest advantage of brewing coffee at home is being able to enjoy freshly ground beans whenever you want.

Speaking of which, I once had a friend who really didn’t like coffee try the percolator coffee made with these beans. Surprisingly, they enjoyed it without any sugar! I think the freshness of the grind and the unique benefits of this equipment, which I’ll explain later, made all the difference.

While I was grinding the beans, the kettle had already come to a boil, so let’s get started with brewing right away.

You place the ground coffee in the basket part inside the boiling water section of the kettle. Then, you keep it simmering gently over low heat. As the water boils, it shoots up like a fountain toward the glass window on the lid.

Explaining the full mechanism and the brewing process would take too long, so if you’re curious, I recommend checking out some videos on YouTube—it’s pretty fascinating to watch!

You just leave it like this for a while. Unlike regular drip coffee, you don’t need to do much, and yet the percolator brews a delicious cup all by itself. That’s one of its biggest charms.

After letting it sit for about four minutes, the glass window on top turns a brownish color. Once it reaches this shade, you turn off the heat, and your coffee is ready.

How long to leave it brewing really comes down to experience and personal preference.

The coffee has a smoky aroma, almost like smoked food, and it’s very smooth and delicious. This brewing method doesn’t bring out much bitterness, so you can enjoy it almost like drinking tea.

Whether you’re not a big fan of coffee or a coffee lover, this is one of the great benefits of coffee brewed with a percolator.

Another plus is that this equipment makes just enough for three to four cups, so you always get a generous amount. In just about 10 minutes, you can have plenty of delicious coffee ready, which is why I use it more often than my regular drip brewer.

The test period is winding down, and summer vacation is just around the corner. Adding a cup of coffee I brewed myself to my usual study environment makes things a little more enjoyable.

With this coffee in hand, I’m ready to push through the final stretch. Thank you so much for reading until the end!

Someday, I’d love to serve the coffee I make at the school festival (haha). Although there might not be any coffee served at the food booths this year, I’m sure there will be plenty of delicious dishes. I hope you’ll look forward to it!

Until next time, this was Ohno.