Below are the notes for my DIY Kyoto Style Class at Coffee Con Chicago 2017. I will give a quick rundown of the content, including the components of the brewer and the reason for brewing Kyoto Style. The video above, covers the entire lecture and is perfect for those who want a more detailed understanding of Kyoto Style.
Here's what you will need
Aeropress
Separatory Funnel
Lab Stand with Ring Clamp
Mason Jar or Similar Carafe
All these items are available cheaply from Amazon. The total price should be under $80. Be sure to get a ring clamp that matches the diameter of your funnel. It should sit comfortably below the thickest part of the funnel. I also wrapped my ring clamp in yarn, I'm not a huge fan of metal on glass contact.
Brewing Specs
I prefer a ratio between 7:1 and 10:1 of water to coffee. measured in grams. Feel free to play around with parameters that suit your tastes. The Aeropress will only hold roughly 80 grams of coffee by the way.
The coffee should be ground to a paper filter setting. You'll have to play around with this as well.
Assembling the brewer is simple. Secure your ring clamp to the lab stand. And set your funnel within the ring. Make sure the funnel is in the off position. Fill the funnel with your pre-measured water.
You will only need to use the main body of the Aeropress, not the plunger. Place a filter into the filter cap and screw on to the main body. Fill the Aeropress with ground coffee, leaving at least an inch of space. Do not fill to the top. Usually, another filter is placed on top of the coffee to dissipate the force of the drops of water. That is not necessary for this set up, since the drops will be falling only a short distance. But, feel free to one on top if you prefer.
You can now place the Aeropress on top of your carafe, and sit both of them under the dripper. Do not run the brewer at full speed without pre-wetting the top of the grounds. To pre-wet, open the dripper to saturate the 1/3 of coffee. Let the coffee rest for a few minutes and absorb the water, then run the dripper at full speed, 4 drips per 6 seconds. The drip rate may slow as the water level drops, if so, adjust it. And that's it. All you have to do is wait 4 hours and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Why Kyoto Style
I fell in love with Kyoto Style because like espresso, it combines body with flavor clarity. Typically when you brew coffee, you have to choose between body and clarity. French press has great body, but terrible clarity. Chemex has amazing clarity, but a thin body. Kyoto Style and espresso are the only two methods that allow you to have both.