AD Cafe | The Creative Duo Bringing Specialty Coffee to a Wider Audience

AD Cafe is a coffee-focused media brand founded in 2018 by Adi, who comes from a music background, and Mumu, who studied chemistry. By blending music, science, and coffee culture, the duo has built a unique approach to sharing coffee knowledge and experiences.

Today, AD Cafe has grown to more than 200,000 followers across social platforms, with over a million views on YouTube, continuing to introduce more people to the world of specialty coffee.

During a live brewing session at the 1Zpresso booth at the Taiwan International Coffee Show, Adi demonstrated the K-Ultra hand grinder and showed how grind settings and pouring structure can be used to shape the final flavor profile. 

Rather than simply sharing brewing recipes, he focused on a bigger idea: how every brewing decision directly shapes the final cup.

The K-Ultra Flavor Profile: Rich Sweetness and Fuller Body

At the beginning of the session, Adi asked the audience a simple question:

“Do you prefer aroma, or mouthfeel?”

He shared that he personally leans toward coffees with more sweetness and body, and in his opinion, the K-Ultra fits naturally into that style of brewing.

According to Adi, the K-Ultra tends to produce:

• Pronounced sweetness
• A fuller, heavier mouthfeel
• A balanced presentation of texture and aroma

How the K-Ultra’s Grind Profile Affects Pour Over Flavor

Adi also mentioned that because the K-Ultra is designed to handle espresso grinding as well, it tends to produce slightly more fines compared to grinders optimized specifically for pour over.

As a result, when used for pour over coffee, the K-Ultra often delivers a denser and richer cup profile with more body and structure.

The K-Ultra User Experience: Fast and Effortless Grinding

Beyond flavor performance, Adi also highlighted the grinder’s usability.

He said there are two things he pays close attention to when evaluating a hand grinder:

• How much effort the grinding requires
• How long the grinding process takes

In his experience, the K-Ultra performs especially well in both areas:

• Grinding feels effortless
• The process is fast and efficient
• It can even handle espresso grinding comfortably

AD Cafe’s Pour-over Recipe

Brewing Parameters

• Coffee dose: 20g
• Grind setting: K-Ultra 7.5
• Water temperature: 92°C / 198°F
• Dripper: 1Zpresso Dripper
• Total water: 300g
• Total brew time: Approximately 2:10

Pouring Structure

Bloom

• 40g water for about 40 seconds
• Pour slowly in circular motions from the center outward, making sure the center of the coffee bed is fully saturated

First Pour

• Pour up to 140g total water
• Use a heavier center pour to bring out brighter acidity

Second Pour

• Pour up to 240g total water
• Use a gentler pour around the outer edge to extend extraction and increase sweetness

Final Pour

• Pour up to 300g total water
• Increase the flow rate to speed up drawdown and control the overall extraction time

AD Cafe’s Brewing Tips

Do You Need to Rinse the Paper Filter?

Adi mentioned that modern paper filters have improved significantly, so skipping the rinse step usually does not introduce noticeable paper flavors.

That said, he still prefers rinsing the filter because it helps the paper adhere more securely to the dripper and improves brewing consistency.

Final Thoughts on the 1Zpresso K-Ultra

Adi described the K-Ultra as his current favorite grinder and one he regularly uses in daily brewing.

In terms of flavor, he believes the K-Ultra leans toward sweetness and mouthfeel, producing cups with higher sweetness, fuller body, and a balanced presentation between texture and aroma.

Because the grinder is also capable of espresso grinding, it tends to generate relatively more fines than grinders built specifically for pour over brewing. That characteristic contributes to a stronger sense of body and structure in the cup.

When used for pour over brewing, the K-Ultra tends to produce a richer and fuller-bodied cup. 

From a usability standpoint, Adi also emphasized the grinder’s efficiency and ease of use. He noted that the grinding action feels smooth, requires little effort, and does not take many rotations to finish grinding.

For Adi, the K-Ultra is not only a grinder that matches his flavor preferences, but also one that balances cup quality with an enjoyable day-to-day grinding experience.

With the right pouring technique, brewers can further shape acidity, sweetness, and body by adjusting pouring position and flow rate.