v1.19.1
2022-12-08
• Adds a new URL scheme, brewtimer:// that allows you to launch the app.
• This year's Year in Coffee is now available. Check it out in Settings!
Happy brewing!
Stephen
Missed v1.19? Read on.
Background brewing. AeroPress plunge guides. +14 more changes!
Background Brewing
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This one’s for the multi-taskers. Want to send a quick message while your French press steeps? Snap a photo of that beautiful bloom? Brew Timer is now fully background-aware, so go right ahead!
And don’t worry about missing anything while you’re multi-tasking. Brew Timer will notify you shortly ahead of time so you can get ready for the next pour, bloom or press.
Head to Settings › Background Alerts to turn it on.
AeroPress Plunge Guide
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A perfectly timed AeroPress plunge. Just the right speed. Even pressure throughout. So satisfying.
Is such a thing possible? I think so, and Brew Timer’s here to make it easier to achieve.
Now in any recipe with a timed “Plunge” or “Press” step, the app will show you where your water level should be to ensure you finish on-time. Just follow along for a satisfyingly consistent press every time.
Brew Timer will detect whether you have a classic AeroPress or a Go. Brewing tiny recipes in your classic? It’s just one tap to switch.
Tiny Things
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• Added an option to always use Light or Dark mode instead of following the system setting. (iOS 13+)
• Added a new French Press recipe from Barista Hustle.
• Added Scott Rao’s recipe for the Tricolate brewer.
• Added the grinder name to each journal entry, for those of you with multiple grinders.
• Made it easier to add new steps when creating a new recipe. There’s now a … button in the bottom right so you can add a next step with a few less taps and scrolls. (iOS 14+)
• Added a new (exciting!) project to Labs. Check it out in Settings › Brew Timer Labs.
• Improved the detection of drawdown steps for total brew time. Please check that this doesn’t change your total brew times unexpectedly (tap the time at the top left of the step list and scroll to “View Steps”). Let me know if it does!
• Updated the Year in Review cards so you can click “See All” even when you have less than 4 roasters or varietals in a single year. Helpful to see how many coffees you had from each.
• Switch grinders a lot? The grinder list now shows grinders you’ve used recently at the top to make it easier.
• Brew with multiple grinders? You can now see how many times you’ve used each grinder in Settings › Grinders.
• Added a new option when you launch the app for the first time to get a reminder the next time you are planning to brew some coffee.
• Fixed a bug that prevented duplicating a coffee immediately after it was created.
• Fixed a bug where the Pour Compass wouldn’t display for the first step of a recipe.
• Fixed a bug where cooling reminders would not be shown in some rare edge cases, like if you had Brew Timer and Control center open at the same time.
Thanks for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.18
2022-05-19
Searchable coffees. Brew summaries. Coffee color picker. And more!
Coffee Search ’n Summaries
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When dialing in new beans, it’s helpful to learn from your past brews. Now with Brew Timer it’s also easy. First, use the brand new Coffee Search to find a similar coffee. Every coffee is fully searchable across any dimension — country, process, roaster, you name it.
Once you find a similar coffee, you can use it to pick a good starting point for your new beans. Just tap the new book icon in the top right to view the full list of associated journal entries. If you just want the high-level picture, Brew Timer gives you a summary of your settings right at the top.
Not tracking your coffees yet? Start today and enhance all your future brews.
Coffee Color Picker
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Coffee roasters often choose a distinct color for each bag of coffee. Now you can use the same colors in Brew Timer! To make it easy, you can even use your camera to pick a color straight from the bag! Tap the palette icon (to the right of the coffee’s name) while editing a coffee to get started.
Revamped Labs
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Do you like to stay on the cutting edge? Be sure to check out the Brew Timer Labs in the app’s settings. It’s got a slick new design which makes it easier to see all the new and updated experiments.
Tiny Things
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• Made it easier to paste or scan text into fields when editing a coffee. It was a little finicky before but now you can tap anywhere in the row to show the standard Paste menu.
• Updated the brew journal to show the full date for older brews. This should make it easier to find old entries since they now won’t all say "1 year ago".
• Straightened out some confusing naming between brews and recipes.
• Added a checkmark when viewing sort options for a list of coffees. Now you can easily tell how they are currently sorted.
• Fixed a bug where text in the Settings coffee list would sometimes get clipped.
• Fixed a few bugs which could cause your list of coffees to lag and stutter. It should be silky smooth now, even while searching!
• Fixed a rare crash when adjusting your grind after completing a brew then changing the associated grinder.
Thanks for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.17.4
2021-12-27
iOS 12 Fix
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The last release crashes on iOS 12. Hopefully this one doesn't -- if it still does please email me! (brewtimerapp@gmail.com)
From last time:
Holiday Fun
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Thanks for using Brew Timer this year! This is the last release of 2021, and it's got a little something special for the holidays. Head over to the app's settings to spread some holiday cheer.
If you missed it, check out your year in coffee while you're there!
Tiny Things
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• Added a new button to perform on-demand iCloud backups. I don't think you should need to use this, so please let me know if you do!
• Added the ability to send me extra logs that will help me debug iCloud issues.
• Fixed a typo in Labs - can't believe how long it's been there.
Thanks for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.16
2021-03-11
A Lot More Grinders
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This release adds 21 new grinders: Fellow Ode, Timemore C2, Niche Zero, Kinu M47 and many others. Don't see your grinder? The "Add Your Own" grinder screen is now redesigned to make it easier to remedy that. And if you want something custom, I've also set the app up to support that — just get in touch!
I've found tweaking grind is an easy way to improve your coffee. Add your grinder to a recipe and give it a shot!
Water Temperature
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Grind and technique have a big impact on your brew's extraction but temperature matters too! Brew Timer can now keep track of each recipe's water temperature for you. Simply enable temperature tracking in the app's settings to get started.
(For convenience, temperature is also editable from the Brew Journal after you brew.)
Brew Timer Labs
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I like to experiment with coffee-related ideas and I'd love for you to join me! "Brew Timer Labs" is the new home for all my experimental coffee projects — try them out, tell me what you think, and suggest new ones. Get your lab coat and safety goggles, then head over to the app's settings to check it out.
Tiny Things
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• Brew Timer now has basic espresso support for those of you lucky enough to have a machine. Try one of the two included recipes to see which fits your style.
• Brew Timer's recipe library now includes recipes for the Fellow Stagg [X] and [XF]. Check them out!
• You can now delete brew journal entries. This is useful if you are testing recipes but didn't actually brew them.
• Added an export option for your brew journal data. Handy if you want to do your own data analysis!
• Shrank the Cancel and Save buttons when you're editing a note so you have a bit more room to type.
• You can now tap any grinder to preview it in the app's settings.
• Added support for coffee bag masses entered in kilograms. That's a lot of coffee!
• Added water temperatures to all included recipes.
• Cleans up coffees that were accidentally duplicated due to a bug in a database migration last release. Feel free to email me about this if you still see issues.
• The "Welcome to Brew Timer" screen you see after installing the app was updated to be more useful (and a bit prettier too).
• Fixed a bug on the Brew Dashboard while changing the grind for grinders with both macro and micro grind adjustment settings, like the Baratza Sette. Adjusting the grind across a macro boundary previously skipped the entire micro range. It no longer does.
• Fixed a crash when you tried to preview a recipe someone shared with you.
• Fixed a rare crash when saving changes to a coffee.
Thanks for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.14
2020-08-17
More Recipes
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If you brew with a Kalita Wave (both sizes!), V60 or Clever Dripper, Brew Timer now comes preloaded with a few more fan favorites. Head over to Settings > Included Brews to try them out. Shout out to Wendy and Matt for the suggestions!
More Grinders
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You have always been able to create your own grinder in Brew Timer, but this release adds a few more common grinders for your convenience.
Skippable Drawdowns
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Sometimes your pourover’s drawdown doesn’t take exactly the prescribed amount of time. Instead of waiting for the timer to finish in these cases, you can now tap the new “Done Draining” button to finish. Simply name your drawdown step “Drain” to enable this feature.
(P.S. If you’d like to see more enhancements like this, let me know!)
Tiny Things
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• Added the ability to view what was new in prior versions in the app's settings.
• Fixed a case where the coffee/water/grind sliders would jump around unexpectedly sometimes.
• Fixed a color issue when browsing journal entries in dark mode.
• Removed some unused code to make the app a little smaller.
Thanks for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.12
2020-04-11
Coffee Tracking!
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Technique and timing are crucial, but they’re nothing without a good coffee bean. And now you can track both in Brew Timer!
Just head to any recipe and add whatever coffee you’re currently brewing. It's a breeze to track as much (or as little) as you want and the more you add the smarter Brew Timer becomes.
• Add an 8oz bag? Brew Timer will let you know when you're about to run out.
• Roast date? Brew Timer will automatically monitor how long it's been.
• Tasting notes? Brew Timer will put them front and center so you know what to look for.
As a bonus, coffees are automatically added to every brew journal entry. Ethiopians are in season again and you want to look up your last Ethiopian pourover? Brew Timer has your back.
Try it out and let me know what you think!
Little Things
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• If the last step of you recipe is timed, it will now vibrate/ring so you know when it's finished. Thanks to Matthew for the suggestion!
• Start a recipe, but forget if you tweaked your grind? You can now see grind setting while running a timer.
• I redesigned the brew journal to look a little snazzier both as you scroll and while you're editing. Check it out!
• Some other tiny visual tweaks, bonus points if you spot them!
Thanks for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.11
2020-01-29
Recipe Sharing (and a surprise!)
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Have a recipe you're particularly proud of? I'd love to try it out! And now Brew Timer makes it so easy. In just a few taps, you can export your recipe and text/email/airdrop it to anyone. Their copy of Brew Timer will automatically import it in another few taps. Give it a shot!
Also, I wasn't kidding about trying your recipes so send 'em over to brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Not to bribe you, but there may or may not be a surprise waiting if you do!)
New Recipe: Siphon
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Fire, science and coffee — a winning combination for sure! If you have a siphon brewer (aka vacuum brewer) head over to settings to enable Brew Timer's newest included recipe. New to siphons? It's a great recipe to start with. Siphon pro? It's a solid base to copy and tweak. Thanks to Jeff for making the suggestion!
Little Things
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• Fixed a bug where the list of recipes wouldn't refresh after you enabled one of the included recipes in settings.
• Fixed a crash that could occur after deleting a recipe in some rare cases.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when editing coffee or water amounts.
Thanks so much for using Brew Timer!
I love to chat about the app (and coffee!) — shoot me an email at brewtimerapp@gmail.com. (Or Twitter @BrewTimerApp + Instagram @brewtimerapp)
Happy brewing!
Stephen
1.10
2019-09-20
Dark Mode
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A bright screen can be blinding if you're an early morning coffee brewer. Brew Timer will now switch to a darker palette if you're on iOS 13 and have Dark Mode enabled. No more squinting!
Little Thing
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• A recent release added a 60g and 500ml limit to coffee and water amounts. That limit is now removed! When editing coffee or water drag the slider all the way to the right, then tap the pencil icon. Thanks to Joel for pointing this out!
Thanks so much for using Brew Timer!
I'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions about the app (or just want to talk coffee) you can send me a message via email (brewtimerapp@gmail.com), tweet (@BrewTimerApp) or on Instagram (@brewtimerapp).
Happy brewing!
1.9
2019-06-20
(Much) Better Coffee / Water / Grind Editing
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Trying to move a slider to exactly 20.5 grams of coffee was never fun. The brand new editing panel makes that a thing of the past! You can now tap the “+” or “-“ to quickly adjust coffee, water, and grind by small amounts. But that’s not all — it also:
• is easier to reach on big-screened phones.
• actually fits on small-screened phones.
• hopefully fixes issues with adjusting 2-level grinders like the Baratza Vario. (If it doesn’t, please email me!)
All-Time Statistics
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How many coffees have you made with Brew Timer? How much time have you spent honing your technique? Open up settings to find out! Brew Timer now shows you some fun numbers in the app’s settings and also at the bottom of each recipe. Check ‘em out!
(Don’t worry, these stats come from the automatic Brew Journal and never leave your phone.)
New Grinder: Capresso Infinity
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Another release, another grinder. The Capresso Infinity now comes built in. Shout out to Mark for helping make this happen!
Little Things
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• The settings page was getting a bit unruly, so I did some late spring cleaning.
• If you have a keen eye, you might notice some subtle design improvements.
• This is the first release without iOS 8 support. If you’re still on iOS 8 and that makes you sad, please shoot me an email.
Thanks so much for using Brew Timer!
I'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions about the app (or just want to talk coffee) you can send me a message via email (brewtimerapp@gmail.com), tweet (@BrewTimerApp) or on Instagram (@brewtimerapp).
Happy brewing!
1.8
2019-04-02
Cooling Reminders
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The bad news: when you drink coffee, letting the temperature vary can change the taste. The good news: Brew Timer can now help you keep that consistent too. You can choose how long you want to let your coffee cool and Brew Timer will notify you when that time has passed. Try it out after you make your next cup!
Louder Step Change Sounds
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The alert sound between steps was quite quiet. It's now much easier to hear and you can even adjust it with your phone's volume slider.
Little Things
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• The just-finished-a-recipe screen now looks a little prettier.
• The support email in settings was wrong. It's now the right one.
Thanks so much for using Brew Timer!
I'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions about the app (or just want to talk coffee) you can send me a message via email (brewtimerapp@gmail.com), tweet (@BrewTimerApp) or on Instagram (@brewtimerapp).
Happy brewing!