How to Brew The Seance: Our Colombian Single Origin at Its Best

Meet The Seance

The Seance is our Colombian single origin -- medium roast, tasting notes of milk chocolate and stone fruit. Where our Ethiopian (The Secret Temple) leans fruity and bright, The Seance goes in the other direction: smooth, balanced, and approachable. It is the kind of coffee that works no matter how you brew it or what you add to it.

Colombian beans are naturally versatile. Their balanced acidity and medium body mean they do not fall apart under milk, do not turn sour in a French press, and do not taste thin in a drip machine. The Seance is about as forgiving as specialty coffee gets, which makes it a good starting point if you are still figuring out your brewing preferences.

Espresso

The Seance makes a sweet, crowd-pleasing espresso. The milk chocolate comes forward as a rich base, and the stone fruit gives the shot enough acidity to keep it interesting without being sharp. Excellent on its own, even better under milk.

Starting Recipe

Dose: 19.5-20g in

Yield: 40g out (1:2 ratio)

Time: 23-32 seconds

Temperature: 200-202F / 93-94C

Grind: Fine

The Seance takes a slightly higher dose than our blends. Start at 19.5g and adjust from there. If the shot feels thin or watery, bump to 20g. The higher dose gives this single origin enough body to stand up as espresso, where a lower dose can leave it tasting hollow.

If the shot is too acidic, grind finer to slow it down -- pushing from 24 seconds toward 27-28 will mellow the brightness. If it is too flat and you are missing the stone fruit, grind coarser to speed it up.

Milk Drinks

If you make lattes or cappuccinos at home, The Seance is your best option in our lineup. The milk chocolate base pairs naturally with steamed milk -- it tastes like it was designed for it. The stone fruit adds a subtle sweetness that keeps the drink from tasting flat.

For a latte, pull a double shot (19.5g in, 40g out) and add 180-200ml of steamed milk. For a cappuccino, use 100-120ml of milk with more foam. The chocolate flavor cuts through either way.

Drip (Automatic Brewer)

The Seance might be the easiest coffee in our lineup to brew on an automatic drip machine. Colombian beans are forgiving at this grind and brew time, and the flavor profile - chocolate, smooth, balanced -- translates well even if your machine is not top-of-the-line.

Setup

Ratio: 1:16 -- about 60g of coffee per liter

Grind: Medium

Water: Filtered if possible

Tips

Use the bloom/pre-infusion setting if your machine has one. If it does not, that is fine -- The Seance is not as dependent on a perfect bloom as our Ethiopian.

Do not let the brewed coffee sit on a hot plate. Transfer to a thermal carafe. The chocolate notes turn ashy on a burner in about 20 minutes.

French Press

French press brings out the heaviest body from The Seance. The metal filter lets all the oils through, which amplifies the milk chocolate into something closer to hot cocoa territory. If you like a thick, rich cup, this is a great match.

Recipe

Coffee: 30g, coarse grind

Water: 500g at 200F

Steep: 4 minutes

1. Add coffee. Pour water. Do not stir yet.

2. At 0:30, give it one gentle stir to break the crust.

3. At 4:00, press and pour immediately.

The stone fruit shows up less in French press and the chocolate dominates. If you want more brightness, try a 3:30 steep instead of 4:00 -- pulling the coffee earlier preserves some of the acidity.

Pour Over

Pour over is not the most common way people brew Colombian coffee, but it works well with The Seance if you want a lighter, cleaner cup than French press or espresso give you.

Recipe

Coffee: 24g

Water: 400g at 200-205F

Ratio: 1:17

Grind: Medium-fine

Time: 2:45 to 3:30

Method: Same as any standard pour over -- bloom 50-60g for 30-45 seconds, then pour in slow circles in 2-3 stages.

Pour over pulls more of the stone fruit forward and lightens the chocolate into something more delicate. It is a different experience from espresso or French press -- same beans, different personality.

Quick Reference

Which Brew Method Should You Start With?

If you are not sure, start with whatever equipment you already own. The Seance is not fussy -- it will taste good in a $20 French press and a $2,000 espresso machine. But if you are buying this coffee specifically because you want that milk chocolate flavor, espresso and French press will deliver it the strongest. If you want to taste the stone fruit more clearly, go pour over.

And like all our coffees, The Seance is available in whole bean or ground. If you order ground, just specify your brew method at checkout and we will dial in the grind for you.