After years of research and collaboration by Sasa Sestic and the team at Nucleus Coffee Tools, we welcome the Paragon onto the specialty coffee scene; a patented, never-before-seen brewing style that is sure to get pour-over-lovers excited. The Paragon utilises the pour over brewing method to make a delicious coffee, but with one important addition: the Paragon Chilling Rock.
The Paragon has been designed to brew using the “Extract Chilling Technique”, which utilises either ice or a frozen object – in this case, a Chilling Rock – to immediately cool down the extracted coffee. This technique rapidly cools the coffee extract, whether it’s an espresso or a pour over, which slows down the evaporation process of those more aromatic, fruity, and delicate volatile flavour compounds, so more of them remain in the liquid. The research undertaken by Paragon creator, Sasa Sestic and Professor Chahan Yeretzian at The Coffee Excellence Centre at the University of Science in Switzerland, has shown that the Extract Chilling Technique has proven to retain up to 40% more of these volatile aroma compounds when brewed with specific coffees – 40% more flavour!
Design and Brewing
The Paragon is a sturdy, stylish pour over brewing stand which features three adjustable tiers, with the server sitting at the bottom. The top tier is where your favourite brewer sits, the middle tier holds the Paragon Chilling Rock, and the bottom tier is a handy drip tray.
All three tiers are easily adjustable to suit varying heights of brewing chambers and servers, and the stand features handy measuring marks so you can repeat your favourite recipes at the desired heights. The second tier is where the magic happens. The Paragon Chilling Rock has been designed with a liquid centre, encased by a 304 stainless steel outer, with a titanium coating for durability. The Paragon comes with two of these Chilling Rocks so you can comfortably brew two coffees in a row – but make sure that you brew within 10 minutes of taking the Rocks out of the freezer, and that the Rocks are completely frozen before brewing to maximise the chilling effect. The Chilling Rock should sit as close to the bottom of the brewer as possible without touching the brewer or the tip of the filter paper, and it should be lined up directly under the brewer, so the flow of the extraction evenly coats the Chilling Rock.
An important part of brewing on the Paragon is to only utilise the Chilling Rock within the first 20-30% of your brew. This has been tested as the best method to draw out the most flavour compounds from the coffee grounds. So, for instance, if you would usually brew a pour over using a short bloom with three longer pours, you would utilise the Chilling Rock for the bloom and the first pour (approximately). After that first pour has finished, you can slide the Chilling Rock tier out from underneath the brewer, slide the drip tray underneath the Chilling Rock tier to catch any mess, and continue to finish your brew.
So, what’s with the Chilling Rock and how does it make a difference to the flavour in my coffee? Let’s have a little look at the science behind the Extract Chilling Technique.
Comprehending Compounds
Coffee flavours and aromas are determined by many different factors, including the green bean growing region, harvesting techniques, storage, transport, roasting, grinding, the extraction, and finally, consumption. Within these different processes, there are opportunities for chemical reactions within the coffee beans, which in turn, affects flavour and aroma.
In the roasting process, the coffee bean is exposed to heat, which combines the amino acids and sugars in the bean to begin the process which helps to form the taste, smell, and colour of the coffee. This is called the Maillard Reaction and it is responsible for turning many different compounds inside the coffee bean into possibly hundreds of aromatic compounds that make up the flavours that we taste in a coffee. Some of these flavour compounds are kept within carbohydrates and proteins within the whole coffee bean and aren’t disturbed until the bean is ground. However, over the course of several weeks after roasting, most of these flavour compounds will be subject to environmental factors that begin to break down the coffee’s flavour and aroma. These factors include heat, moisture, and oxidation.
Oxidation is the process of oxygen pulling away electrons from another molecule within organic matter (and some metals). This makes the molecule unstable, and they begin to react with other molecules around them, causing browning in cut fruits, rusting in metals, and staling in coffee beans. As soon as the coffee bean is ground, the rest of the flavour compounds that were being protected inside of the whole bean, begin to oxidise immediately, and the most unstable – which are unfortunately the most aromatic and flavoursome – are the first to disappear.
It is the preservation of these unstable flavour compounds – or volatile flavour compounds – that are at the heart of the design behind the Paragon. These delicious and delicate flavours, like sweet fruits and florals, are the first to ‘disappear’ during the extraction. Why? Because the high temperature of the brew water makes them evaporate more quickly. So, instead of letting these aroma compounds float in the air around you, filling up your house with delightful coffee-smells before quickly evaporating, the Paragon aims to ensure that these aromas are retained in the cup, giving you a tastier coffee, full of delicate flavours and aromas.
By using the frozen Chilling Rock to immediately cool down the coffee extract as soon as it leaves the brew chamber, more of these flavour compounds are retained within the liquid instead of escaping into the atmosphere. But don’t worry, the Chilling Rock doesn’t cool down your entire brew so much that it’s cold, you will still be able to enjoy your pour over at your preferred drinking temperature – it will just have some wonderful new flavours for you to explore!
Got any questions on the Paragon or would like to know more about stocking them in your retail section at your café or your online store? Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. You can send our team a message using the chat module at the bottom left hand side of your screen, or you can send us an email at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can give our sales team a call on 1300 724 249.