My first shipment of Tonx coffee arrived last week, and I’ve been guzzling the stuff ever since. While I still don’t want to shift the focus of this blog to doing coffee reviews, I couldn’t resist posting one more time about this great service.

Additionally, since I’m a very vocal supporter of pour-over brewing, I wanted to clarify how I go about the process. There are some fairly complicated processes out there on the interwebs to describe pour-over, but I actually like it because it is an easy way to make great coffee with little fuss. If you really want to get detailed with a scale and make a big deal out of it, this is a great set of instructions. If, however, you just want to make some great coffee without a lot of work or clean-up, keep reading for my never-fail simplified process.

First off, let me say just how much I enjoyed my first full batch of Tonx. It really fulfilled all of my hopes for a mail order coffee service. They are packaged in a resealable bag and come with a nice card describing the growing region and characteristics of the individual beans.

The beans were exceptionally fresh, roasted just 48 hours prior to their landing on my porch. They were roasted exactly to my liking, a bit on the lighter side, which really shows off the unique and delicate flavors of the coffee. This is a concept clearly misunderstood by green mermaids who like to roast their coffee to a thoroughly burnt state better suited for use as charcoal. Finally, it was a coffee variety I never would have tried without this service. As I mentioned in prior coffee babbles…er, posts…I love exploring new varieties of coffee. So, Tonx was a great choice since every shipment is a different bean. This particular batch is an Indonesian blend, which is a growing region I’m not terribly familiar with and haven’t sampled in at least five years. This coffee was excellent – complex, light, refreshing and rich all at the same time. I can’t wait for my next shipment to see what surprise will be waiting for me then!

Now, as for brewing. I don’t have a scale. I don’t have a special kettle. I don’t use a stop watch. I would never get out the door in the morning if I was working that hard to make a cup of coffee. Here is how I make my pour-over coffee with minimal fuss and maximum results.

I use a Hario hand grinder, a Hario V60 pour-over brewer with Hario #2 filter and a plastic coffee scoop that came with the brewer.

(Note: You MUST use the Hario filters with the Hario brewers. Yes, they cost a few cents more, but you need a cone filter that comes to a point, and the cheaper cone-style filters do not have this. Without the pointed tip, they don’t fit in the brewer, and they don’t drip properly.) 

• Scoop one scoopful of whole coffee beans per 8oz of coffee to be brewed and grind to a medium to medium-fine grind

• Place your brewer on your coffee cup and insert the filter

• Fill the filter with the ground coffee
• Heat water in a microwave-safe measuring cup (I heat about 10 oz of water for an 8 oz cup, or 18 oz for a 16 oz travel mug – this allows for some water to be trapped in the filter/grounds without leaving your cup coming up short)
• Pour enough water over the coffee to thoroughly wet the grounds
• Allow grounds to bubble through the water a bit

• Slowly add the rest of the water until it has all been added to the brewer
• Dump filter
• Rinse brewer
• Enjoy coffee

That’s it. I don’t time it. I don’t weigh it. I measure the coffee and water before I start, and I get great results every time. Pour-over brewing has become very trendy, and people are making it complicated. Maybe they’re getting better results than I am, but I doubt it. Either way, my results are great by my account, and I hope you enjoy them too.

(Note: In full disclosure, while Tonx does not compensate me for saying nice things about them, they do spread by word of mouth, and I do receive a free shipment if others subscribe. So, if you do sign-up, please use my link so that I get credit for introducing you to this nectar of the coffee gods. Thanks!)