Uniform Brewing Solution for the Breville Precision and Luxe Brewer

The Problem: The catalyst for our Uniform Brewing Solutions product line was our desire to transform an existing good product into a great product.  That initial product was the Breville Precision Brewer, which has been updated and rebranded as the Breville Luxe Brewer.  For years, the Breville Precision Brewer has been the drip coffee maker (batch brewer) that we have most often recommended for home and small cafe use and the one we have brought to countless farmer’s markets.  That recommendation has always come with a qualification regarding workaround methods to address the brewer's poor showerhead design.  The problem is that the stock shower head sprays water only onto the center of the bed of coffee and the rest of the ground coffee is wetted only as the basket fills with water.  This often results in dry pockets of ground coffee that do not get extracted, the center of the ground coffee being over-extracted, and the rest being under-extracted.  In other words, it results in an uneven extraction and inconsistent flavors from batch to batch.  This is a well-documented critique in various online coffee forums.  

Our Solution: Our solution to this problem was to create a food-safe, BPA-free water dispersion device that fits inside the filter basket, which provides a more uniform water flow across the bed of coffee at a consistent flow rate.  The result is simple, repeatable, consistently great tasting coffee.  The device is designed to be used only in the flat bottom filter basket and rests in the two notches where the cone-shaped filter basket would be inserted. 

The Results: The Uniform Brewing Solutions water dispersion device produces coffee is that is consistently sweeter, more balanced, more full-bodied, and more evenly extracted than the stock brewer.  We and other testers have often found as a much as a 50% increase in extraction compared to the stock brewer.  One thing we want to be clear about is that we are not suggesting that higher extractions necessarily mean better tasting coffee.  It doesn’t.  Consistently great tasting coffee is our ultimate goal—not high extractions.  In other words, extraction is a means to an end and not the end itself.  While the trend in the past five years has been chasing brewing methods resulting in extractions well above 20%, we often prefer extractions in the range of 18-21% depending on the particular coffee being brewed.  Taste is subjective.  Our position on this topic is that your brewing equipment ought not to be the limiting factor on your ability to reach higher extractions and, most importantly, your ability to consistently extract the coffee evenly. With the Uniform Brewing Solutions water dispersion device, you are capable of reaching high extractions.  Should you determine that the coffee tastes better at a lower extraction, you can always adjust your brewing variables to lower the extraction.  Our opinion is that this is a game changer for the Breville Precision Brewer and the Luxe Brewer.

Maximum Dose: Breville’s recommended maximum dose of ground coffee in the flat bottom filter basket is 99 grams.  When using the Uniform Brewing Solutions water dispersion device, the recommended maximum dose is 75-80 grams to prevent the ground coffee from touching the bottom of the device during the brewing cycle.  This is largely going to depend on the roast level and freshness of the coffee, and a phenomenon known as bloom or blooming.  When hot water is initially applied to freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee, it is not uncommon to see the rapid swelling and bubbling of the ground coffee, especially the darker the roast level.    

Flow Rate Setting: While we made this product to be compatible with the fastest flow rate setting on the Breville, our preference is the medium flow rate setting.

Tips on Getting the Most of out of your Breville: 1) We find that the most efficient way to figure out what grind size and Breville settings to use is to start out with a 30 gram dose of ground coffee.  This will save you both time and money in coffee in the long run and a lot of frustration.  2) We do not recommend using the default brew settings.  We would recommend the following custom settings as a very good starting point: a) bloom time 45 seconds, b) medium flow rate, c) a water temp of 200F for medium-dark or darker coffees, and d) a water temp of 208F for light roasts.  3) To get the most out of your Breville, you will need a good burr grinder as you will need to be able and willing to adjust your grind size as you brew more or less coffee.  For a 30 gram dose, we recommend using starting with the same grind size you would if you were brewing a two-cup pour over.  Grind size is difficult to speak of in the abstract without references, but for most people this will place your grind size on the finer side of what many people refer to as a medium grind.  4) If your coffee tastes over extracted (typically associated with flavors described as harsh or bitter), you can lower the extraction by adjusting the following variables: a) lowering the water temp, b) shortening the bloom time, or c) coarsening the grind size.  If your coffee tastes under extracted (typically associated with flavors described as sour, weak, or hollow), you can increase the extraction by a) increasing the water temp, b) increasing the bloom time, or c) grinding finer.  Adjust one variable at a time, write down your settings, and document what you taste.  Over time, you will quickly identify trends that will help you in the future be more efficient at dialing in your brewing variables.  5) We recommend scaling up the amount of coffee you are brewing in 10 gram increments.  The only variable you likely will need to change is your grind size.  You will need to incrementally grind coarser as you brew more coffee.  Just to give you a sense for what this might look like for you we will share our grinder adjustments as we scale up from a 30 gram dose of coffee.  Please keep in mind that every grinder has varying amounts of grind size adjustment between dial settings.  On our grinder a lower number dial setting is finer.   What you will see is that for us once we hit 50 grams there is a bigger jump in the grind size than when going from 30 to 40 grams.    

30 grams - 6.3-6.4  

40 grams - 6.5

50 grams - 7.0-8.0

75 grams - 8.5

6) While we find these settings to be very good starting points for all coffees, we also find there is consistently some variability between coffees and a need to fine tune the settings for each coffee.  We consistently find that for lighter roasts, we tend to grind a little finer than for darker roasts, which is what you see reflected in the 50 gram grind settings above.  

Cleaning: Depending of the roast level, freshness, and the closer you get to 99 grams of ground coffee in the filter basket, the greater the odds that you will need to clean ground coffee and coffee oils from the underside of the water dispersion device. While the Uniform Brewing Solutions water dispersion device is top-rack dishwasher safe, cleaning in a kitchen sink is fast and easy.  Begin by rinsing off the underside of the water dispersion device.  Next use dishwashing liquid and a bristle brush to quickly remove any remaining coffee oils or grounds from the part.  Rinse and you are done. 

About the manufacturing process: The water dispersion device is made from injection molded medical-grade Polypropylene homopolymer (P4G3Z-039).  It was injection molded by David Eberhart with Dragonfly Engineering in California.  If you are interesting in the injection molding process of this product, David documented the process in his YouTube channel.  I have included links below.