4 New Ways to Enjoy Runyon Coffee in 2022

Now that you've been enjoying high quality Runyon Coffee, it's time to check out some other ways you can make your coffee to keep things fresh!

Why try new methods of making coffee? Well, #1, because it's fun! Each method gives the coffee a different expression and can be used to get different flavors and mouthfeels to come to the surface. Some of these also have a functional benefit, such as using the AeroPressⓇ when you're traveling.

Remember: there's no right or wrong way to drink Runyon Coffee as long as you're getting a taste and flavor profile you enjoy. 

Here are some new ways you might try making coffee in 2022:

(*QUICK DISCLAIMER: We aren't being paid for any of these methods we recommend, and we'll just link to Amazon for the sake of convenience.)

THE METHODS:

• AeroPressⓇ
• Cold Brew
• Espresso Machine
• Pour Over

 

AeroPressⓇ

The AeroPressⓇ shines REALLY well in one area: travel.

If you're a frequent traveler like we are and get a little sick of hotel coffee, get an AeroPressⓇ, or even an AeroPressⓇ Go, their new model that's slightly smaller and comes with a travel cup to make things even easier.

Coffee snobs will consider this sacrilege, but here's the foolproof method to enjoy great coffee while traveling:

1. Grind enough coffee (medium-fine) for as long as you need. Use an old Runyon Coffee bag to keep the grinds super fresh (or grind the bag you just bought!).
2. Heat your water up to 175 to 185°F in the microwave, or use the water from the in-room coffee maker (just make a pot without adding coffee). (Let's be real: you're not bringing a thermometer with you, so just remember that boiling water is 212°F. Get close to boiling, but not THAT close.)
3. Alternatively, go down to the lobby and fill up a mug or two with hot water.
4. Add the appropriate amount of coffee to the AeroPressⓇ according to the instructions (generally one scoop of ground coffee per line that you're going to fill up the coffee to, which is obviously 3 or 4 because you're on vacation and you're trying to have a good time).
5. Add water up to that line mentioned in #4.
6. Push the water through the AeroPressⓇ, then add the appropriate amount of water to the coffee that's been made. It's sort of like an Americano, just as a heads up.
7. Enjoy the best coffee you can make while traveling!

Of course, this same method works well at home, but you're probably already enjoying coffee without having to go through all this trouble.

 

Cold Brew

I was a bit of a snob about cold brew until Summer 2021 when I let go and embraced how delicious a really good cold brew can be when it's 100°+ in Texas. This is especially helpful when you see me at the Coppell Farmers Market; you'll probably notice my 32oz Yeti filled full of delicious Runyon Coffee cold brew. The good news is, you can cool off in the summers, too, using this easy method that batches cold brew that you can enjoy all week (or at least, as in our household, a few days)!

1. Buy a cold brew jar, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074G53B78?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-ypp-ro-model_ypp_ro_model_k0_1_9
2. Grind 10oz-12oz of a medium roast coffee (shameless plug: Weekday Roastworks perfect for this) on a medium-coarse grind and put it in the filter.
   1. I'd lean towards 12oz only because I typically do mine over ice, so when it waters down a bit it doesn't dilute the flavor.
3. Fill the jar with filtered water, all the way up to about an inch from the lid.
4. Leave it for at least 48 hours before drinking.This is crucial. Anything less always tastes weird.
5. You can leave the filter in there with the grinds until you're done with it. It continues to extract the coffee out of it even after the 48 hours, so the flavor continues to improve.
6. Enjoy!

There's nothing like sitting out on the porch in Texas with a nice glass of cold brew during the summer. Get a mason jar to drink it in (save the ones you buy from T-Rex Pickles!) and you're well on your way to becoming a successful blogger!

 

Espresso Machine

Got $1,000 laying around? Of course you do! If not, do like I did and get married and put it on your registry. That's how we acquired our De'Longhi Magnifica, which I've been pulling a shot from almost every afternoon since October.

I've had a love-hate relationship with this machine, which turned into total love once I actually dialed in the grinder appropriately. I was scared of clogging up the machine with a true espresso grind, but after watching a few YouTube videos and not telling my wife, I set the grinder to nearly the finest grind size and turned the water amount WAY down so that I was getting pretty good espresso for a home machine.

Remember that last point: these home espresso machines are really only for the home, so you're not going to get that delicious pull you'll get from your local coffee shop. But, you can get a solid shot after some trial and error, and you can make decent cortados and lattes to impress your friends and family.

 

Pour Over

Many of you are already doing this, so this recommendation is for those who are looking to try something new other than drip coffee. I find this method especially nice when I'm trying a new coffee for the first time (or something wild I've just roasted). You tend to get the full experience of the coffee because the water is able to interact with all the ground coffee instead of maybe just touching some parts due to the limitations of a drip coffee maker.

There's a couple cons to this method I'll just address right away. First, your wife may not want you bringing another coffee gadget home again, so you'll need to figure out how you're going to hide it from her. Second, it can be a little expensive, so you're going to want to wait until something like this goes on sale (I got it on sale for like $20).

Once you get those things out of the way, here's the steps to doing a solid pour over:

1. Grind your coffee to medium-coarse (maybe a little more on the medium side). I've read that one ounce of coffee per like 12 oz of water is the way to do it. I like a bit more oomph to my coffee so I'd probably do something more like 2-3 ounces of coffee for 16 oz of water. You'll just have to play around with this one. When in doubt, I just always add more coffeethan less.
2. If you're using a paper filter, it's good to wet it with some filtered water to get rid of some of the paper taste. You can use some of the hot water you've got and pour it on the paper filter over the sink, then once it's no longer dry, you can stick it in the pour over filter spot.
3. Heat the water whatever way you'd like until it JUST starts to boil. Let it sit for around 30 seconds to a minute, or protip: just add a little cold filtered water to it to cool it off a little.
4. Pour the water over the grinds evenly for about 30-45 seconds until you get all the grinds covered and a nice, consistent coffee appears in the pour over container.

 

What new ways are you enjoying Runyon Coffee in 2022?