Brew & Tell: V60 Recipe by Leigh Wentzel of Cedar Coffee Roasters

Interview by Sibahle Ngqiva

I had the opportunity to have a chat with Leigh Wentzel from Cedar Coffee Roasters, while he brewed some delicious coffee using the classic V60 as his brew tool of choice. I got a chance to hear his story on his early experience being in the coffee industry and how that shaped him in his career.

About the coffee professional

Leigh is the Co-founder of Cedar Coffee Roasters, which he established in 2021 with Winston Thomas. He started his coffee journey at Rosetta Roastery as a part-time driver delivering coffee. He managed to work his way to becoming a barista and eventually a roaster manager where he honed his skills as a coffee roaster. 

Brewing equipment of choice

“My favourite tool I have been using throughout these years is the classic Hario V60 2-cup ceramic dripper. Believe it or not, this was the first piece of equipment I worked on when working at Rosetta. I had to earn my stripes to even be allowed to touch the espresso machine lol. I like to think that I come from an older generation where the Hario V60 was the only fancy brewing gear out there. 

It has definitely stood the test of time and I prefer the cup profile you can get out of it. A clean filter coffee that easily highlights the acidity and lighter flavour notes of a coffee like our new release Colombia Felix Samboni washed. This device tells me a lot about the varietal and terrior of the country when it is complimented by a good roast profile. You can tell a lot by the draw-down time of the brew and make adjustments from there.”

Leigh’s Brewing Recipe

What you will need:

• Hario V60 2 Cup dripper
• V60 filter paper
• Grinder: currently using my trusty old Severin Electric Grinder I got for my birthday 5 years ago. 
• Hario scale (the first ever gift from Rosetta as my bonus for my first year at the company, still going strong)
• A Timemore Electric Fish Kettle 

Dose and Brew time

Coffee Dose: 14g ground coffee (currently using  Colombia La Palma El Tucan Anaerobic Natural from Black and White Coffee Roasters) 

Grinder setting: 10 on the Severin electric grinder

Brew water: 200g filtered water (Aquelle water) 

Water temperature: 94 degrees Celsius

Overall time: 3 minutes

Steps for this brewing method

1. Start your first circular pour of 50g of water. 
2. Give it a swirl and allow it to bloom for 30 seconds.
3. Add your second circular pour of 50g then allow the timer to hit 1 minute.
4. Add your third pour and allow the time to hit 1:30 on the timer.
5. Add in your last pour of 50g just before 2 minutes. 
6. Give the dripper a final swirl and allow the coffee to draw-down completely.
7. We are aiming to finish the brew at 3 minutes.