Wilbur Curtis Batch Brew Parameters: A Suggested Recipe for Optimal Taste and Extraction
Setting up a new batch brewer can be frustrating at times, especially when it’s not producing the same taste and consistency of flavors that you were getting from your roastery or a pourover. Recently I tested the Pulse Brew feature from Wilbur Curtis and found that it extremely enhanced the flavor, body, and balance of my coffee, not to mention I knew my coffee was being brewing to SCA standards.
Wilbur Curtis Pulse Brew
The brewers used for this test were the Wilbur Curtis D1000GT and the D500/D60GT. The pulse brew parameters are as follows, with detailed notes below:
Pulse 1 ON: 20 Pulse 1 OFF: 20
Pulse 2 ON: 20 Pulse 2 OFF: 20
Pulse 3 ON: 30 Pulse 3 OFF: 20
Pulse 4 ON: 0
SAVE and EXIT
Keep in mind that batch brew is a different way to brew coffee, so it’s likely that it will extract different flavors than a manual pour over using a much smaller coffee to water ratio and brewer. Additionally, adding a pre-infusion or a “pulse brew” will increase the time it takes to brew a batch. If this is too slow for your business, consider brewing in smaller quantities more often. Just be sure to adjust the maximum water output on the Wilbur Curtis Brewer before adding your coffee.
Some detailed notes regarding the pulses and adjusting the Wilbur Curtis batch brewer.
To add Bloom and pulses:
Turn the brewer off. It can still be hot/warm, just be careful. Hold down the “On/Off” Button and the Brew button. After 1 second the LCD panel will light up, continue to hold the “Brew” button until the brewer prompts you for a password (or grants you access to the menu) Default passwords for these machines is the combination of buttons from left to right pushed once. Scroll until the selection “Pulse Brew”.
Press ON
Pulse 1 ON: 20 seconds on – based off the factory water flow rate, this adds roughly 8 ounces (236 ml) of water at the factory set water flow rate, which should double the weight of the coffee used. Pulse 1 OFF: 25 seconds off – based off of the visual cues of the bloom, the amount of coffee extracted from the bloom, and a taste test I determined that 25 seconds was adequate time for the bloom. Any shorter or longer made the coffee taste more/less sour and watery. THIS IS BLOOM.
Pulse 2 ON: 20 Pulse 2 OFF: 20
Pulse 3 ON: 30 Pulse 3 OFF: 20
Pulse 4 ON: 0 SAVE
Wilbur Curtis Batch Brew Parameters: A Suggested Recipe for Optimal Taste and Extraction
At this point, roughly 26-30 ounces (.8 liters, .21 gallons) of water has been dispersed. The Wilbur Curtis then resorts to the factory settings to brew the remainder of the coffee by steadily pulsing water 2-3 more times to achieve the desired volume (which for this application was 2.1 liters)