For the caffeine-sensitive among us

Here at Blue Bottle, we’re not immune to the allure of caffeine. After all, we wake up in the morning, too. And yet, when we talk about coffee, we rarely mention the inevitable boost you get from drinking it. There are just too many other aspects that interest us, from the women farmers who have joined forces in Burundi for a better future, to the bursts of tropical fruits in this year’s Santa Isabel from Guatemala.

But, quietly, around our headquarters, we’ve noticed a new kind of pour over taking hold: the diminutive fifteen-gram coffee. Normally, our pour overs range from twenty-two to twenty-four grams for a single origin, and twenty-eight to thirty grams for our heftier blends.

Of course, if no caffeine is desired, we recommend our dependably decaffeinated Night Light blend. Yet there are times when a modest boost is okay—even desired. So why not just enjoy a slighter cup? With less to drink, the coffee becomes all the more precious.

When Smaller Is Better

A number of circumstances might compel a person to drink less caffeine. In addition to just having a sensitivity to the naturally occurring stimulant, perhaps pregnancy compels one to watch one's intake. Or maybe it’s the afternoon, and a full cup will prevent a restful night's sleep. Whatever the reason, we thought we’d share this simple method with you, because we all have moments when a full cup would do us in.

The Diminutive Pour Over

This is our quintessential method for a pour over, divided in half. For a more in-depth description of the technique, read the full instuctions here.

Step 1

Boil at least 175 grams of water—more if you’d like to pre-warm your cup. Place filter in Dripper.

Step 2

Grind 15 grams of coffee and place it in filter. (If you’re making a single origin and wish to highlight its more nuanced flavors, grind 12 grams of coffee.) Tare the scale so that it reads "zero."

Step 3

Start a timer. Pour 35 grams of water in a spiral motion over the coffee. Make sure that all of the grounds are saturated, adding more water if necessary. Pause until the timer reads 45 seconds, allowing the coffee to “bloom.”

Step 4

Pour water in a spiral motion until scale reads 75 grams.

Step 5

Pour water in a spiral motion until scale reads 125 grams.

Step 6

Pour water in a spiral motion until scale reads 175 grams.

Step 7

Pour coffee into a pre-warmed cup. Enjoy every sip.

A Smaller (But No Less) Delicious Coffee