Reddit mentions: The best coffee makers
We found 2,841 Reddit comments discussing the best coffee makers. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 648 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. Toddy Cold Brew System, 1 EA
- The Toddy Cold Brew System is our original cold brew pioneer, a nonelectrical coffee maker that produces a smooth, rich liquid concentrate used to make unparalleled cold brew at home
- By allowing time to replace heat, Toddy's deceptively simple cold water filtration process extracts the coffee bean's true delicious flavor, leaving behind much of the undesirable acidity
- Concentrate brewed in the Toddy Cold Brew System is the perfect foundation for delicious iced and blended frozen drinks, or serve steaming hot. Our versatile BPA-free system can also be used to cold brew artisanal tea
- Get more out of your coffee grounds, as the coffee concentrate stays fresh for up to 2 weeks with no change to the flavor
- Set includes brewing container with handle, glass decanter with lid, 2 reusable filters, 1 silicone stopper, set of instructions, and NEW brewing container lid
- Includes a one year manufacturers warranty when purchased from an authorized reseller
Features:
Specs:
Color | white |
Height | 12.5 Inches |
Length | 7.25 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 1 Stück (1er Pack) |
Weight | 1.4770971554 Pounds |
Width | 7.25 Inches |
2. Melitta Single-Cup Pour Over Coffee Brewer, Black
- 1 cup capacity
- Black
- Brew A Phenomenal Cup of Coffee
- Cone Fits All Cups
- Fast Easy Clean up
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 5 Inches |
Length | 5.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 1 Count |
Weight | 0.18125 Pounds |
Width | 5 Inches |
3. Hario Ceramic Coffee Dripper, Size 02, White
- Classic Ceramic Dripper: Specially designed to produce an evenly brewed cup of coffee. Durable Japanese ceramic retains heat to help ensure retain temperature throughout the brewing cycle. Minimalist look to suit any kitchen design or style
- Pour Over Excellence: Specialty cone shape and unique spiral ridges allow for deeper layering of the coffee grounds, producing a deep, rich umami flavor
- Pour Control: The V60 features a single large hole, improving pour flow and providing users the ultimate freedom-- Pour water quickly for a light flavor or slower for a rich, deep taste. Better accentuates coffees with floral or fruit flavor notes
- Traditional Meets Modern: Our ceramic drippers are made from Arita-yaki, a traditional style of Japanese ceramics with a rich 400-year history. Each Hario pour over dripper is handmade by a local craftsperson in Japan
- Product Details: Size 1; 1-2 cup brewing capacity. W119×D100 ×H82mm. Red color
Features:
Specs:
Color | White |
Height | 4 Inches |
Length | 4.7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | Size 02 |
Weight | 1.07 Pounds |
Width | 5.5 Inches |
4. AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker - Makes 1-3 Cups of Delicious Coffee without Bitterness per Press
- Popular with coffee enthusiasts worldwide, the patented AeroPress is a new kind of coffee press that uses a rapid, total immersion brewing process to make smooth, delicious, full flavored coffee without bitterness and with low acidity.
- Good-bye French Press! The rapid brewing AeroPress avoids the bitterness and high acidity created by the long steep time required by the French press. Plus, the AeroPress paper Microfilter eliminates grit and means clean up takes seconds.
- Makes 1 to 3 cups of American coffee per pressing in about a minute, and unlike a French press, it can also brew espresso style coffee for use in lattes, cappuccinos and other espresso based drinks.
- Perfect for home kitchen use, the AeroPress is lightweight, compact, portable and durable, making it also ideal for traveling, camping, backpacking, boating and more!
- Includes the AeroPress press, funnel, scoop, stirrer, 350 microfilters and a filter holder. Phthalate free and BPA free. Mug not included. Assembled measurements: 9 1/2" h X 4" w X 4" d
Features:
Specs:
Color | Gray |
Height | 11.5 Inches |
Length | 5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | Height: 11.5" |
Weight | 0.83114272774 Pounds |
Width | 5 Inches |
5. Bodum Brazil French Press Coffee and Tea Maker, 34 Ounce, Black
- Add coarsely grounded Coffee. Add hot water. Wait 4 minutes. Plunge.
- No paper filters or plastic capsules required.
- Base and handle made of BPA-free polypropylene. Carafe made of German heat-resistant borosilicate glass. Plunger made of stainless steel
- 34 oz. capacity.
- Dishwasher safe.
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 9.3 Inches |
Length | 4.2 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 34 oz |
Weight | 1 Pounds |
Width | 5.2 Inches |
6. Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, One Quart, Black
- The Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a durable BPA-Free Tritan pitcher with an airtight lid and non-slip silicone handle. It produces 4 servings of smooth cold brew with any type of coffee grounds and is less acidic than traditional coffee brewing. One Quart, Black
- The Fine-Mesh Coffee Filter in this cold brew coffee maker keeps grounds out of your freshly brewed pot - differing from other coffee machines. Tritan plastic withstands hot temperatures if you want a hot cup of coffee. Fits in most refrigerator doors
- Premium Bottles and Lids: Our innovative line of insulated hydration solutions come in a range of sizes. We offer water bottles in 18, 24, 32, 40, and 64 oz sizes, beverage makers and pitchers in 1 Qt and 2 Qt sizes
- BPA Free Hydration Solutions: From insulated stainless steel water bottles to beverage makers and pitchers, as well as a variety of product accessories, Takeya USA products help you stay cool, refreshed and hydrated for an active, on-the-go lifestyle
- Innovative Hydration Solutions: Takeya brings over 55 years of Japanese design heritage to our line of insulated, BPA-free water bottles & our sustainable iced tea, fruit infusion, & cold brew pitchers
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 9.5 Inches |
Length | 5 Inches |
Size | 1 qt |
Weight | 0.11875 Pounds |
Width | 7.5 Inches |
7. Bonavita BV1900TS 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker Featuring Thermal Carafe, Stainless Steel
One-touch brew operation with auto-offCarafe lid, filter basket, and showerhead are dishwasher safePowerful and precise 1500-watt heater maintains optimal brewing temperature of 195°-205°F (91°-96°C)Optional pre-infusion mode wets freshly roasted ground coffee to allow degassing before brewingFl...
Specs:
Color | Stainless Steel |
Height | 12.2 Inches |
Length | 12.4 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 8-cup |
Weight | 6.13 Pounds |
Width | 6.8 Inches |
8. Hario V60 Plastic Coffee Dripper, Size 02, Clear
- Cone shape helps to better accentuate coffees with floral or fruit flavor notes
- Spiral ribs allows for maximum coffee expansion
- Sturdy, lightweight pour-over coffeemaker, perfect for travel
- Large single hole can change coffee taste according to the speed of water flow
- Size 01: 1-2 cups, Size 02: 1-4 cups, Size 03: 1-6 cups
Features:
Specs:
Color | Clear |
Height | 4.92 Inches |
Length | 4.33 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | Size 02 |
Weight | 0.2425084882 Pounds |
Width | 4.8 Inches |
9. Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot, 1000 ml, Brown
- Mizudashi Coffee Maker: The simplest way to make and enjoy cold brew coffee at home. Simply add ground coffee to the fine mesh basket, add water and leave in refrigerator to brew. Clean up is easy with a removable filter--simply wash and reuse
- Cold Brew at Home: Grind coffee coarse for a lighter more delicate coffee, or finer for a brew with more body and strength. Delicious homemade cold brew coffee, however you like it
- Daily Use: Featuring a slender spout for slow, steady and controlled pouring. Brew and serve directly from glass coffee server
- Japanese Design: Made with high-quality Hario heatproof glass. Made in Japan
- Product Details: 5-cup capacity, brewed volume 1000mL; W138×D94×H294mm
Features:
Specs:
Color | Brown |
Height | 4.33 Inches |
Length | 4.72 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 1000 ml |
Weight | 1.0251495183 Pounds |
Width | 11.81 Inches |
10. CHEMEX Pour-Over Glass Coffeemaker - Classic Series - 6-Cup - Exclusive Packaging
- CHEMEX - simple, easy to use with timeless, elegant design
- All CHEMEX Coffeemakers are made of the highest quality, non-porous Borosilicate glass which will not absorb odors or chemical residues
- The patented CHEMEX pour-over design allows coffee to be covered and refrigerated for reheating without losing flavor
- All CHEMEX Coffeemakers are measured using 5 oz. as 1 cup
- Use CHEMEX Bonded Filters FP-1, FC-100, FS-100, FSU-100
Features:
Specs:
Color | Clear |
Height | 1.35 Inches |
Length | 9.6 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | reg |
Weight | 1.35 Pounds |
Width | 6.3 Inches |
11. Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot, 1000 ml, Black
- Mizudashi Coffee Maker: The simplest way to make and enjoy cold brew coffee at home. Simply add ground coffee to the fine mesh basket, add water and leave in refrigerator to brew. Clean up is easy with a removable filter -- simply wash and reuse
- Cold Brew at Home: Grind coffee coarse for a lighter more delicate coffee, or finer for a brew with more body and strength. Delicious homemade cold brew coffee, however you like it
- Daily Use: Featuring a slender spout for slow, steady and controlled pouring. Brew and serve directly from glass coffee server
- Japanese Design: Made with high-quality Hario heatproof glass. Made in Japan
- Product Details: 5-cup capacity, brewed volume 1000mL; W138×D94×H294mm
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 24 Inches |
Length | 20 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 1000 ml |
Weight | 0.7 Pounds |
Width | 14 Inches |
12. Bonavita BV1800TH 8-Cup Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
1400W Heater raises water to ideal temperatureEngineered for precise water and coffee grounds contact timeShower head designed for complete saturation and optimal extractionBrews 8 Cups (40 ounces)High quality stainless steel carafeBPA-Free Plastic
Specs:
Color | Thermal Gray |
Height | 14 Inches |
Length | 13.2 Inches |
Weight | 6.24 Pounds |
Width | 8.7 Inches |
13. Bodum Chambord French Press Coffee Maker, 1 Liter, 34 Ounce, Chrome
French press: Chambord French press brews a premium cup of Coffee in just 4 minutes, simply add course ground Coffee, hot water and pressStainless steel: 3-part stainless steel plunger has a mesh filter that helps extract your coffee's aromatic oils and subtle flavors instead of being absorbed by a ...
Specs:
Color | Chrome |
Height | 9 Inches |
Length | 4.2 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 34 Ounce |
Weight | 1.46 Pounds |
Width | 5.5 Inches |
14. Bonavita 5-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker Featuring Thermal Carafe, BV1500TS
One-touch brew operation with auto-offPowerful and precise 1100-watt heater maintains optimal brewing temperature of 198°-205°F (92°-96°C)Optional pre-infusion mode saturates freshly roasted ground coffee to allow degassing before brewingSpecially designed showerhead for ideal extraction in smal...
Specs:
Color | Stainless Steel |
Height | 10.6 Inches |
Length | 12.3 Inches |
Size | BV1500TS |
Weight | 5 Pounds |
Width | 6.2 Inches |
15. Hario Pour Over Starter Set with Dripper, Glass Server Scoop and Filters, Size 02, Black
- Hario Starter Kit: Everything you need for a professional pour over cup of coffee at home or work—Just add coffee and water! The perfect starter setup for yourself, or a gift. Great for those new to pour over or manual coffee brewing
- Pour Control: The V60 features a single large hole, improving pour flow and provides users the ultimate freedom-- Pour water quickly for a light flavor or slower for a rich, deep taste. Better accentuates coffees with floral or fruit flavor notes
- Kit Includes: V60 02 Coffee Dripper, V60 02 Coffee Server, Coffee Scoop and V60 02 Disposable Paper Filters (100-pack)
- Japanese Design: Sleek, modern and minimalist coffee set to suit any kitchen design. Heatproof glass server with BPA-free handle, lid and measuring spoon. Made in Japan
- Product Details: Size 02 makes 1-4 cups coffee; 700mL capacity
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 5.12 Inches |
Length | 6.81 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | Size 02 |
Weight | 1.322773572 Pounds |
Width | 9.65 Inches |
16. Technivorm KBT Coffee Brewer, 40 oz, Polished Silver
- The top coffee maker choice of coffee brewing experts
- Easy use, one button Operation and 4-6 minute brew time for 40 oz. of Coffee
- Manual adjust brew basket allows you to customize your Coffee
- This Coffee maker features a stainless steel thermal carafe to keep Coffee hot longer
- Backed by a 5-year Warranty
Features:
Specs:
Color | Polished Silver |
Height | 15.25 Inches |
Length | 11.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 40 oz |
Weight | 6.5 Pounds |
Width | 6.75 Inches |
17. Hario Glass Technica Syphon Coffee Maker, 5-Cup
- Upper bowl, lower bowl and burner are made of the best heat resistant borosilicate glass from Hario
- Stand, burner cover, and filter are made of stainless steel
- Imported from Japan
- Item dimmensions are: 14"H x 6.2"W x 4.3"L; 5 Cup Capacity
- Fasteners are made of brass; windbreak is made of aluminum
Features:
Specs:
Color | Glass |
Height | 6.5 Inches |
Length | 16.34 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | March 2012 |
Size | 5-Cup |
Weight | 1.54 Pounds |
Width | 4.92 Inches |
18. Cold Brew Mason Jar Coffee Maker by County Line Kitchen - 2 Quart, 64 oz – Durable Glass Jar, Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Filter, Stainless Steel Lid, Save $ - Easily Make Your Own Cold Brew
- Easy to Use Cold Brew Maker: Simply add coffee, steep overnight, and enjoy a fresh cup of cold brew coffee in the morning. Simple cleanup with dishwasher safe components
- High-Quality Filter: Stainless Steel Filter is Constructed Of High-Quality Mesh That is Super Fine and Prevents Coffee Grounds From Entering The Jar. Rolled and Folded Seams Prevent any Sharp Edges. Heavy-Duty Mesh Filters Are Durable and Long Lasting
- Multi-Use: Works great for tea and as an infuser. Infuse water with your favorite fruit or brew your most loved tea. Brewer components are food-grade compliant and BPA free
- Durable, Leak-Free Mason Jar: Built to last and withstand canning process without a concern of breaking; Soda-lime glass will not leach harmful chemicals into your brew
- Lid Compatibility: Stainless Steel lids are compatible with all Ball and Kerr Mason Jars
Features:
Specs:
Color | Stainless Steel |
Height | 9.5 Inches |
Length | 4.25 Inches |
Size | 2 qt (64 fl oz) |
Weight | 2.2 Pounds |
Width | 4.25 Inches |
19. Bodum Brazil 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker, 34-Ounce, Black
- 8-cup, 34-ounce French Press serves 2-3 people; Coffee is measured in 4-ounce cups
- Carafe is made of durable, heat-resistant borosilicate glass; BPA free plastic handle and base; Dishwasher-safe
- 3-part stainless steel mesh filter helps extract your coffee's aromatic oils and subtle flavors
- Pressed coffee extracts the perfect amount of essentials oils and acids from the bean for maximum flavor
- Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 7.2 Inches |
Length | 9.65 Inches |
Size | 34 oz. |
Weight | 1.0251495183 Pounds |
Width | 5.9 Inches |
20. Cuisinart DCC-1200 Brew Central 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Black/Silver
- FULLY AUTOMATIC COFFEE BREWER: 24-hour programmability with 1–4 cup settings, auto-off functionality (0-4 hours)
- TEMPERATURE CONTROL: Variable heater plate for temperature control that is adjustable – low, medium, and high settings
- 12-CUP GLASS CARAFE: Features ergonomic comfort grip black handle, dripless spout, lid, and knuckle guard for added protection
- DURABLE FILTERS: Permanent gold-tone coffee filter included, and built-in charcoal water filter ensures only the freshest coffee flavor flows through – measuring scoop, #4 paper coffee starter kit and instruction book for best practices and tips included
- NORTH AMERICAN ELECTRICAL STANDARDS: This product was built to meet and exceed the NAES standards
Features:
Specs:
Color | Brushed Chrome |
Height | 14 Inches |
Length | 7.75 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 12 Cup Carafe |
Weight | 6.8 Pounds |
Width | 9 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on coffee makers
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where coffee makers are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Well this is gonna get kinda long and will only scratch the surface but I'll break down the pros and cons of some of the most popular entry-level gear in as un-confusing of a way as I can. First up, let's look at grinders.
First off, you want a burr grinder, particularly a conical burr grinder because those blender-y blade grinders they sell at wal-mart for $5 don't get any kind of a consistent grind. Varying sizes in a grind means varying levels of extraction in the cup and that means off flavors. Because burr grinders are more expensive, hand crank conical burr grinders are commonly recommended to beginners because of their lower price point compared to similar quality electrics. They're cheap and work well but do have some drawbacks beyond the extra effort involved in grinding. First, most of them don't have actual grind settings and you adjust the grind size by twisting a wheel until it looks as fine/coarse as you want it to. If you use different brew methods and switch grind size a lot, this can be a bit of a pain. Second, most hand grinders aren't ideal for french press because of the way the burrs are stabilized; they'll give fantastic fine/medium grinds but the coarse grind is a tad inconsistent. That said, I use a hand grinder for french press all the time and am relatively happy with the results. A few common ones are:
The Hario Skerton. I personally have one and love it. As I said, not perfect for french press but it's a durable daily driver that never lets me down and can do an espresso grind damn near as well as a $300 baratza
The hario mini is essentially the same grinder in a different, smaller package. Perfect for travel
The porlex JP-30 is a tad more expensive but has grind settings that, while unmarked, do "click" into place making adjusting grind coarseness a bit easier
If you wanted to go the electric route, I've seen refurbished Baratza encore grinders for around $100. This will give you a mediocre espresso grind but a perfect and much easier drip and french press grind
Next up: preparation methods
French presses use a metal mesh filter, which gives you all of the oils in the cup and lets a tiny bit of really fine coffee solids through, which gives the cup a rich, full-bodied, velvety character They're also very easy to use as there's pretty much one accepted way to brew in them. And here's Philly's own Todd Carmichael demonstrating it. As far as which one to buy, they're all pretty much the same: a glass tube with a stick in it and some mesh on the end of the stick. I like my sterlingpro a lot but the bodum chambord is hugely popular and looks just as nice. Even a cheapo will do the job just as well, though, even if it doesn't look as nice.
pourovers do essentially the same thing as a drip coffee machine just with a lot more input from you, which is good because all but the most ludicrously expensive drip machines are very inconsistent and don't work as well as just doing it your own damn self. With a pourover, you're going to use a kettle or measuring cup with a spout to pour the water over the grounds in a set amount of time (3-4 minutes depending on the grind size) and usually in a very specific manner. Because these use a paper filter, there are no oils or insoluble solids in the cup so the coffee is clearer, tastes cleaner and usually a bit brighter than french press coffee. Popular models include the Hario v60 which is one of the more finicky models. If you decide on one of these, be sure to use a gooseneck kettle like Mr. Carmichael was using in the french press video above. Slightly more forgiving are the kalita wave and the melitta both of which would work fine with a normal kettle so long as it has some type of pour spout. If you want something with very thick filters, so as to produce a very clear cup, and also looks very nice, the chemex is a beautiful thing that produces great coffee, has a built-in carafe, and can make more than one cup at a time. Really more of a replacement for a large-volume drip machine than most pourovers.
The Aeropress is an absurdly popular, extremely versatile, and very well priced coffee brewer which is essentially a huge syringe with a paper filter instead of a needle. There's a thousand recipes online with different ways to use it, all of which produce a different cup.
Also worth noting is that you may want a kettle with temperature control, coffee should be brewed at 195-205F, so knowing what temp your water is helps reduce a lot of the headaches of cooling off boiled water for a vague amount of time. This bonavita is a little on the pricey side but has temp control and a gooseneck, which is always useful
There are some very affordable burr grinders out there, and it's worth the investment. You'll use it pretty much everyday. Hand grinders can be very cheap, and work great. Hario Skerton is a popular choice (I've seen it around for cheaper, but this is at least what's on amazon). Plenty of options, all varying in price. There's a pretty decent burr grinder from Kona I've used before, which I got for like $20.
But manual grinding can take some time. And if you're like me, and you want some quick coffee in the morning, then it's worth investing in an electric. There are some pretty decent electric burr grinders out there. You really don't have to pay a fortune. Here are a few cheap options:
Capresso Infinity
Bodum Bistro
Baratza Encore
But you can get far snobbier than just grind...
What kind of water are you using? Hopefully filtered, not tap. And definitely not distilled, since you want some of those minerals for flavor. Now, if you want to get even fancier, try using these mineral packets. I think each packet mixes in with 1 gallon of distilled water. I haven't tried it myself (I just use a brita) but I've heard good things. The quality of water makes a huge difference. This was the first "eureka" moment for me, when I moved from tap to filtered.
Next, how are you making your coffee? There are some great, cheap equipment out there. In this sub, here are some pretty cheap and popular choices:
Aeropress
Chemex
Pour-over
French press
We're getting pretty deep in the rabbit hole, right? Not yet! How about measuring the weight of the coffee? Consistency is important. You need the same, proper coffee-to-water ratio for the best cup. You can find people debating over the best scales, some costing hundreds. I'd just get a cheap one if I were you. You can find some decent cheap ones from like $10 to $30. If you want the best bang for your buck, look into American Weigh Scales.
I guess I can mention temperature of water as well. You can get thermometers or even electric kettles with built-in thermometers (like this). I think temperature matters so much more for tea than coffee, but it's something you need to keep in mind for coffee as well.
Here's probably the most important thing, in my opinion: where are you getting your coffee? What is the roast date? Unless you're buying your coffee directly from the roaster, you're probably not buying freshly roasted beans. It makes a world of difference. Try finding a local roaster and getting your beans from them, freshly roasted.
I'm sure there's plenty of other ways you can splurge money on coffee, but I'll let you figure it out!
(edited to fix the links)
The method the MC is using here is the coffee drip/pour over method. The glass heating containers on the left are the siphon coffee makers.
When you're picking up coffee as a hobby, remember that you're going to go through a lot of batches of coffee that aren't good until you master your technique. You're also going to go through a lot of beans which just don't have the taste you're looking for (these make great gifts for other people).
For online subscriptions, I recommend https://one.mistobox.com/
For good coffee equipment, I recommend checking here.
If you want to do it like in Leblanc, then go with pour over coffee equipment.
You'll want to get a gooseneck electric kettle such as the bonavita model shown here.
Why a gooseneck like the one in the screenshot above? The gooseneck shape is very useful for limiting the amount of water coming out of your kettle while also allowing you to be far more accurate with how you pour your water than over a standard kettle. This is very important in the pour over method as how you pour does determine the taste of your final product. I also recommend electric kettles because having precise temperature controls is very important with trying to figure out the exact temperature at which to make your coffee.
If you want the pour over coffee method, you'll need one of the drippers/filters here.
Pour over method requires precise aim to ensure a good cup of coffee. Here you go!
If you want to do it through the siphon coffee method, I recommend this.
People love a good cup of coffee and becoming a master of such a skill will make you well loved by your SO. Its also a great topic and skill to teach others.
Proper coffee is drank black without milk, sugar, or cream (though depending on your culture you may add milk and cream). The reason for this is that these extra ingredients are typically used to cover up the taste of bad coffee. If you get good coffee beans and treat them right, you will be fine. Make sure you're using filtered water as well as bad tap water will heavily alter your taste with extra "flavors" you aren't looking for.
Head over to /coffee subreddit and they'll get you hooked!
Coffee making, like tea, is a relatively cheap and easy hobby to pick up while also being useful and a great topic of conversation. Its a useful skill as well and an easy way to impress a date or friends, though if you really want to impress people, learn to cook. Learning to cook is NEVER a bad idea.
Also make sure to buy a good UV-coated and airtight container to store your beans.
Some extra guides if you want to be super serious about coffee. 1, 2, 3.
This won't be 100% relevant but I already have it typed so I'mma just copy paste it here and make some notes at the end:
>Well here's the thing about coffee, it's finicky stuff. Much moreso than most Americans would give it credit for. Automatic machines like you have can deliver quality coffee, but unless the one you have cost $200 or more, it won't really be up to the task of making cafe quality coffee. If you want coffee of the same quality (or even better) you'd find at a cafe, you're going to have to know a couple things. Don't worry, I'll tl;dr this with a few specifics at the end, but right now I'm going to go over the things that affect how coffee tastes:
>Bean quality: probably the most esoteric and taste-dependent part of coffee, it's not much worth getting into grading, processing, etc, just suffice it to say that folger's is definitely not using top-rate beans and they're mixing robusta (high caffeine, very bitter) in with arabica (moderate caffeine, much better flavor), whereas a decent coffee shop is using 100% arabica
>Freshness: Coffee goes stale quick and the flavors dull within about three weeks, a month tops after roasting. Those mass market beans are months old by the time you get them off the shelf. The good news is that there's almost definitely a roaster near you who sells decent beans that are nice and fresh roasted. The bad news is that the cheapest decent coffee you'll find is ~$10/lb most places.
>Grind: piggybacking on my last point, coffee, even when sealed in those cans, goes stale VERY fast after being ground (like, within an hour), so buy whole bean and grind it yourself right before brewing
>Grind consistency: if the grind isn't uniform, the coffee won't extract evenly and will taste off. The normal blade grinders you think of when you think "coffee grinder" won't work, you'll need a burr grinder, whether hand crank or electric. Doesn't have to be fancy but it does have to be a burr grinder
>Brew ratio: coffee will optimally be brewed (for most methods) with 16 or 17g of water (a fat tablespoon) for each gram of coffee. You can guestimate it but digital kitchen scales that read in grams can be had for dirt cheap on amazon. IME people who don't know about brewing coffee tend to use way too little coffee for the amount they brew. This extracts too much from the grounds and makes it watery and bitter
>Brew time: each method has its own ideal brew time but for most, like pourover or french press, ~4 minutes is optimal
>Water temperature: Coffee should ideally be brewed between 195-205Fthis is where the vast majority of home drip machines fail, the reason that /r/coffee approved drip machines start off at like $200 is that they have big, heavy copper heaters that can reach ideal brew temp, most drip machines have crummy weak heating coils that end up brewing at lower temperatures and making the coffee taste flat and sour.
>#TL;DR
I know this seems overwhelming, so I'll give you a nice, easy starter kit and instructions how to use it to get you started. And I know you said your bank account was getting crushed, so I'll make this nice and wallet-friendly
>For a grinder, go with either this manual one which has the advantage of being really cheap and producing decent grinds, but will take some effort to grind your coffee (2-3 minutes) and setting the grind size can be a pain, or if you want to spend a little bit more and get an electric, go for this one, it's not the greatest in the world but for a starting point it works ok and it's darn cheap.
>You can either keep brewing with your auto drip or, if you're still not satisfied, get a french press. They're crazy easy to use (weigh coffee, put in press. Place press on scale and tare. Pour in water. wait four minutes. drink), and they can be had for damn cheap
>Then find someone who roasts coffee near you, get some beans, and enjoy!
>Anyway sorry to bombard you with the wall of text but coffee's a complicated thing and we're hobbyists (and snobs) around here. Hope that helps! Feel free to ask more questions
>EDIT: forgot to add in Todd Carmichael's awesome instruction video for the french press.
If you're brewing for one, though, I'd look at the Aeropress, the learning curve is a bit steeper than FP but it makes wicked good coffee, is extremely versatile, and (my favorite part) cleanup is super quick and easy. And if you're willing to shell out a little more for a grinder take a peek at the Baratza encore.
EDIT: link to the aeropress and just one of many, many recipes for it. I actually used that recipe just last night and it came out fantastic. Might make myself one right now, actually...
My favorite thing about coffee as a "hobby" is that, like some have said, it's a hobby that isn't just a waste of money. Fresh beans are a huge 1st step, they really just have tons of flavors that change almost as you work through the bag, and sometimes I feel like the first sip of a french press is different than the middle, etc. For me the different methods I use just work better for different beans, I'm still figuring that out myself. I prefer to french press african beans, pour over on more typically "harsh" beans, and I'm still dialing in aeropress, but I feel like it takes a lot out of the coffee so it seems to work best if I'm like "hmm I'm not sure I like this bean", aeropress... oh nevermind it's great.
You could buy:
Good grinder ~$140
Scale $15
Kettle $25
And three interesting and different types of brewers:
Aeropress ~$30
V60 ~$20
French Press ~$20
That's all the gear for now, you're SET until you become a crazy coffee nut, but for me 90% of the coffee I make is in one of those 3 methods. I have a moka pot, and they're cool too. But that's $250 for gear, and you could probably save a bit with different grinder options but plan to drop the biggest amount of that.
Add in $20 for some high quality beans (S&W is great and their reddit discount is on this page somewhere) and you're around $270 to be brewing great coffee a few different ways. Now you have 4+ different coffees, 3 ways to make it, and the equipment to make sure you're doing it "right".
Okay that's a lot and I hate this "if you buy a cup of coffee a day" crap, but let's just say you drink work swill most of the time, but get a cup of coffee out 3x a week. At $3/cup maybe you tip a quarter each time, you pay off this stuff in 6 months and these things pretty much last forever.
The point is, yes, some of the costs of entry (specifically the grinder) can be a little daunting, and sometimes we get carried away, but overall, the cost of making great coffee at home is significantly less than going out. You're actually getting BETTER coffee too, trying different ways to make it, and enjoying yourself. Wow, okay rambling there. Good luck!
My story is a simple story of liking coffee then slowly going down the wormhole into a full fledged problem.
I always liked coffee, since high school. Would always drink it black, sometimes would add some cream or milk, but usually just enjoyed a good cup. A good cup from a drip is rare, I didn't know this before, it was good to me.
What started me and my completely normal addiction, was a girl. I had taken a new job out of town, a 3hr drive away, and needed to move. I had just started seeing this girl so nothing was serious and we promised to keep in touch and visit once in a while. Well the relationship never slowed down and we ended up seeing each other every weekend. The problem was, when I went to see her and stay at her place, she didn't drink coffee so she didn't have a coffee machine. I would end up having some tea to hold me over. One day while we were grocery shopping, I ended up finding one of these. I thought $5 well that's not bad I'll be able to at least get a cup of coffee now. No reason to by another mr. coffee just to use twice a week, So I bought it with a bag a ground beans.
The next morning I tried out my purchase, had to boil water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Made my cup and tasted it AND..... I don't remember now but it was passable, same as my next few cups. I slowly was getting my coffee:water ratio down and was getting better and better cups. And every so often I would get an amazing cup that would rival anything I had ever tasted, but then the next was ok, weak, or extremely bitter. Couldn't figure out why.
At this time I had just found reddit and found /r/coffee. I started to read some of the How to Coffee links and doing some Google searches. Oh water temp, get a quick read thermometer. Coffee was much better consistently. This was good for a while, finally the GF found a job near me I bought a house and she moved in. Then I had a Kitchen with lots of empty cabinets to fuel my new found addiction. Burr grinder was the next purchase along with a chemex, Coffee is excellent and consistently good.
Now over the next two years I'm always looking for the next best cup, Slowly it consumes the rest of the kitchen. A scale, a electric kettle, Aeropress, french press, vacuum pot, cold brew, Turkish, a goose neck kettle, pop corn popper... My kitchen is now full, once section dedicated to coffee, and every morning I slave over measuring the perfect amount of beans, getting the grind just right, perfect water temp. Timing the bloom with the correct amount of water. Perfecting the pour from the goose neck kettle. All so when I finally get to enjoy a cup I always wonder if I could get it better.
It all depends on what your husband likes. The vast majority of coffee drinkers love Keurig machines as they're super easy, quick, single serve, no mess, and there are unlimited options of different K-Cups.
If he likes regular coffee or flavored coffee, get him a Keurig machine like this K55 on Amazon or check out the Best Selling Single Serve Brewers. Keurig machines are quick, easy, and no mess. I use mine every day. Yes, I have other machines for fancy drinks but the Keurig is the best for regular, every day coffee, especially when I'm busy. I prefer iced coffee so I have a Keurig that makes hot or cold coffee, but most machines are hot only. There are thousands of different kinds of K-Cups out there and some that serve beverages other than coffee like hot cocoa, chocolate milk, cider, all different kinds of teas, and I think I even saw some lemonade or some type of lemon drink. If your husband likes mocha Frappuccinos, he would probably like Starbucks mocha latte K-Cups and Gevalia mocha latte K-Cups. Keurig works well for all different types of preferences.
If he likes lattes, espresso, mocha, or other flavored coffee-based drinks, check out the NesCafe line of Nespresso and line of Dolce Gusto machines like the Dolce Gusto Genio. The Dolce Gusto line is much simpler than the Nepresso machines and has more flavored drinks. If your husband likes mocha, you could get these. I have the Genio along with my Keurig and a few other coffee machines. The Dolce Gusto machines are great but they are more for fancy drinks, not regular coffee. I should also add the cups for Dolce Gusto machines are far more expensive per serving than K-Cups, there are far less flavors/options versus K-Cups, and they don't sell them in stores so you have to buy them online.
If he already has a Keurig or wants something a bit fancier, get him a French press like these on Amazon.
If he likes cold/iced coffee, you could get him a cold brewer like this.
Remember, whenever you buy anything on Amazon, always use the Amazon Smile link and select a charity to donate to. To learn more abour Amazon Smile, click here or go here to learn how to change your charity. I personally use the Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism as my charity and it's worth checking out.
I think to best answer this request, we'll need a bit more info. Are you ok with a manual grinder, or do you prefer an electric grinder? Do you want a drip brewer or a pour over set up? Are you looking to get into espresso? And, what is your actual budget in your local currency?
And now for a guess at what might work for you...
A [Melitta Plastic Pour Over Dripper](https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527536804&sr=8-1&keywords=mellita) $5 to $6 (a lot of grocery stores carry these in stock)
A box of #2 Cone filters at your local grocery store $2
If you want an automatic drip brewer, and you are making smaller amounts for just you, the [Bonavita 5 cup](https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537674&sr=8-4&keywords=bonavita+brewer) is wroth a look. it runs about $66. I have the 8 cup for the wife and I and we love it.
Filters can be purchased, again, at your local grocery store for about $2.
[Brewista SmartPour Kettle w. Thermometer](https://www.amazon.com/Brewista-Variable-Temperature-Kettle-BKV12S02NA/dp/B01CFBBUVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537033&sr=8-1&keywords=brewista%2Bsmart%2Bpour&th=1) $40. There are cheaper ones, but I personally have this one and have loved it.
[Scale](https://www.amazon.com/Jennings-CJ-4000-Compact-Digital-Adapter/dp/B004C3CAB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537139&sr=8-1&keywords=Jennings+CJ4000) This is a must. $30
[Bratza Encore](https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1527537371&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=baratza+encore&psc=1&smid=A302OQK4GZWXCC) Grinder is the default recommendation around here, and for good reason. It's high quality, and easily serviceable. New they run $139, but you can save $40 and pick up a [refurb](https://www.baratza.com/product/encore-refurb/) (still with the 1 year warrantee) for $99 direct from Baratza.
If you want a cheaper option, and don't mind a manual hand grinder, there are a few options, but the [Hario Skerton Pro](https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Grinder-MMCS-2B/dp/B01MXJI90S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537536&sr=8-1&keywords=hario+skerton+pro) is about the lowest cost / still decent quality grinders, grinder that most would recommend. It runs about $60, and personally, I'd spend the extra $30 on an Encore refurb.
Happy Mug Beans are a pretty great option. I really enjoy the Big Foot Espresso blend (despite it's name) as a pour over, and even like it in my drip brewer. The Inspirational Artist Blend is a great option too. But really just try them out and see what you like. Their bags (for 1lbs of whole beans) run $11 - $13
Hope that helps.
Do you go to cafes together? I would suggest that you figure out her preference between coffee and espresso and then put your money into one or the other. I love both espresso and coffee but I would much rather have a good coffee machine in my house than an good espresso machine. I like trying different specialty coffee roasters and different single origin coffees. Try Intelligentsia, Stumptown, George Howell's Terroir or the roaster I work for Mocha Joe's. We all purchase high-end green coffee and have very talented coffee roasters.
A "really good coffee maker" isn't really an espresso machine. Coffee and Espresso definitely taste different, are "brewed" with very different techniques and espresso is usually a blend of several beans. Its not a great analogy but I guess you could think of coffee as milk chocolate and espresso as dark chocolate. They both come from cocoa beans but they taste very different.
I know it sounds like you really want a plumbed in machine but I'd highly suggest rethinking that and taking a look at the Technivorm. Its the only non-commerical coffee machine I know of that meets SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) standards. Most plumbed in machines are considered commercial and you have to be pretty careful about your water set-up and flow rate. Also if you don't have a good water filtration system on it, you are likely to get scale buildup inside the machine. Repairs are very expensive (I am a repair guy). Some commercial machines are also 220v and you would have to get a dedicated outlet put in to power them.
As for espresso machines, the Rancilio Silvia is pretty popular among coffee geeks. They are pretty well built and affordable. They are also fairly easy to mod if your wife is into that sort of thing. Good luck with everything, I hope you found some of this useful!
To answer your question, the strength of your coffee is mostly influenced by how much coffee you're using versus how much water. For a strong cup with your Keurig, go with the setting with the smallest amount of water. The Keurig is by no means the "best" method to make coffee, but it will make coffee. If you decide to get a manual brewer (French press, Aeropress, Kalita Wave, etc.) the brew time has some leeway, but I'd recommend just using more coffee than trying to push the recommended brew time too far. Coffee can/should be strong without being bitter, and keeping the water and coffee together too long will create bitterness.
What follows is everything you need to know about making great coffee. Warning, this may be overwhelming:
and 2) Those are your best bet. Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, you can get an automatic blade grinder if you might have an issue with manual grinding/don't want to drop a lot of money. I will mention that darker roasts are easier to grind manually so there's less worry for your wrist. The problem with blade grinders is you get a bunch of differently sized bits, which makes it more difficult to get consistency and figure out a grind size/brew time you like.I would recommend a French press (1 2 3 4) or Aeropress for someone just getting into coffee. They're much more forgiving than pour-over methods, meaning you're less likely to make a bitter cup. They each have their own drawbacks, too. An Aeropress is easier to clean up, but can only make one cup at a time. A French press takes more time to clean, but can make about 3 cups at a time. (By cups I mean a standard 12-ounce mug.) Definitely get a grinder, too (see above). A scale (1 and 2) is optional but recommended. For beans, seek out a local roaster/coffee shop, but there are tons of online options available, too.
Welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes crazy) world of coffee!
I'm starting to realize from a lot of these ratios that some tastes are very different! I'm sure that a "recommended" ratio is out there but an ideal ratio is what tastes best to you.
As you've noticed, you definitely need to increase your steep time, especially if you're using the fridge.
I've tried many methods but the one I've been using for a while now is the following (just a suggestion if you're into that sort of thing):
I was very skeptical about the CoffeeSock's ability to filter properly as I was using Chemex filters before this which obviously filters well. I spoke to CoffeeSock about this and they said "you will pass some fine silt only" and they were correct, much to my surprise.
The french press definitely had some fine grinds coming out of it, as did most of the popular products I've tried. Some people don't mind this but I did. :)
The product tastes fantastic, in my opinion, and comparable to the concentration of many shops I've purchased cold brew from. Just play around and at some point you'll settle on the method that works for you.
Happy brewing!
I started getting into coffee nearly a year and a half ago, and here is what I did to start:
I bought
Now, bear in mind that I knew that I loved coffee before I invested all this money into it; you should obviously really consider your situation and really get into "good" coffee before splurging on all of this equipment. I now have a French press, a moka pot, and am going to invest in an Aeropress soon, but I still prefer the pour-over method to any other coffee that I've had, thus why I recommend you go that route. It can take some definite getting used to and has a bit of a learning curve, but it is easily worth the effort (tutorial videos will help immensely.
Keep in mind, you needn't buy exactly what I did. Shop around, see what you like and what is in your price range. I will say this, however: if you do go the pour-over method, go for the V60 or the Chemex, they are both easily the best on the market, and the same goes for the Buono kettle, though if necessary you can purchase a different kettle, just so long as it is a gooseneck (which is required to finely control the flow of water).
Many other people will tell you to go with a French press. This is good advice as it has a very slight learning curve in comparison to pretty much every other method (besides maybe the Aeropress, depending on who you talk to): it is literally grinding the coffee coarsely and letting it sit in water for X-amount of time. It also does not take filters, is easy to clean, and is a relatively cheap initial investment (~$20). I like the Brazil model that Bodum makes.
No matter which method you choose to brew with, there are three things that you should not underestimate the importance of (and thus should not skimp on):
Best of luck. There's a lot of good knowledge on this sub, on this sub's How to Coffee: A Primer, and on the Internet in general. Check it all out, pick your path, and enjoy the ride!
Honestly, the easiest way to start is probably an Aeropress and a decent kettle. Get a gooseneck early, then you won't have to buy a second kettle later if you decide to start playing with pour-overs. If you want to make boiling water a little more passive, get an electric one. I have this one and it works like a charm.
Another cheap starter option for brewing is the V60 and its various clones. The original is plastic, but this one is ceramic and only $20. It takes some practice to get pour-overs just right, but it's worth it. And for $20, it's not a bad way to give it a shot or just to have in your collection.
Grinders are a whole discussion. I have a Baratza Encore that I really like. It's easy to maintain and Baratza's support was pretty good to me when I needed them. If you want to go a little cheaper, you might consider a Skerton or Mini Mill.
For beans, have fun. There are a ton of places to get decent beans, and part of the fun is finding new places. There are a number of redditors that roast and will probably sell beans to you if you like. (Including me!) I would suggest some, but I actually skipped this part and went straight to roasting.
EDIT: Oh, and good luck. You're opening a door to a rabbit hole, now.
You are absolutely correct that coffee shouldn't be bitter. Generally, he shouldn't buy French roast, but anything in the light or even medium roast range should not be noticeably bitter. If it's too strong, he should just change the water to coffee ratio until it works for him. A good cup of coffee should be mellow and somewhat sweet even without cream and sugar.
Obviously everything tastes better if you add fat and a sweetener of some sort, though. I like heavy cream and ez-sweets, but before Keto I just drank it straight and was perfectly happy.
Cold brew is delicious, but expensive to brew in sufficient quantities to replace a 2-3 cup a day coffee habit, since you have to use something like 1:3 water/coffee. If you drink 24oz of coffee a day, that's a 12oz bag of beans every day and a half.
A lot of people like Aeropress, I find it cumbersome. Same with Chemex. I would ignore these, unless you want to deep dive into coffee purism.
Last year I switched from a french press to a Hario dripper and I'm very happy with it. I would say the quality is slightly preferable to me, though they're in the same ballpark. The process is slightly easier, and the cleanup is trivial (since you have a paper filter). A Hario is like $9, 100 filters are like $5.
Thank you for such an awesome contest.
Interesting fact:i had scarlett fever at 32 weeks pregnant. I didnt even know it still existed and thought nothing of the rash until an elderly lady came in and told me i needed to go to the hospital then left. Had to give son meds to prepare for early birth and he was born 2 weeks later. I am still so thankful for her to come into my store that day. ♡♡♡♡
spoil me! - i would love to have a cold brew coffee maker. Currently just have a regular coffee maker but my favorite is cold coffee and this would make my life easier. But really would love anything from my wishlist. As moms we tend to overlook our self and so little indulgences like this are very special to my heart. So thank you again for this contest.
Link to cold brew carafe:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U/
Link to wishlist:
http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3BUWGJB03IFE1
Good luck everyone and merry christmas!!!
<--- Barista here! I second the Moka suggestion. Unless you have thousands to shell out on a shop quality espresso machine, this is the next best thing. A good grinder is key, and burr grinders are best. This is mine. Also, steaming wands on cheaper machines never work very well and are horrible to clean. All you really need to get that nice foam easily is one of these nifty milk frothers.
Most retail coffee "machines" aren't built to last and make mediocre drinks. Low-tech almost always produces a superior tasting beverage. I have a Chemex(for normal coffee), a french press(for stronger coffee), a Toddy(for iced coffee) and a Moka(for espresso).
Also, if you can, seek out a roaster that is local to your mother. They will direct you to their best beans for espresso, and it will most likely be very fresh. All the roasters I have worked with are always happy to help customers troubleshoot and tweak to their tastes as well. It's a really worthwhile relationship for a coffee enthusiast.
So, Moka, burr grinder, frother wand, a pound of beans, and you're set. She'll love it. If you have some extra cash, and she likes normal coffee, throw in that Chemex. 10 times better than an auto-drip, and uses less beans as well. :)
The answer to your question is really dependent on budget. A quick perusal through the sub will show you that the Aeropress is a popular option because it is one of the least expensive ways to get a solid cup of coffee.
If you have some cash to part with, it might be worth looking at setting yourself up with a pourover setup - I'd probably suggest the v60. You would need the v60, the hario buono, and you'd probably want a scale to weigh coffee (there are a LOT of options, many cheaper than what I've linked). You would also need to get a reasonably good grinder - check out the sidebar for a list of grinders. Yes, it's a lot of capital to get started, but the coffee is fantastic and the equipment is very durable. This equipment, properly cared for, could potentially outlast you in many cases.
There's also the standard drip coffee maker, but from my experience if you go that route you ought to just invest in the cheapest one. The quality coffee from most drip machines is pretty similar. A better question is what grinder to get - that will improve your brew quality across all methods. Again, sidebar has great advice, but a really popular grinder here is the[ Baratza Encore] (http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00LW8122Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1459250167&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=baratza+encore+coffee+grinder) which you can sometimes find on their refurb page for discounted prices.
No matter what you choose - good luck and happy caffienation
It sounds like you're busy, but willing to spend a little bit of time and money to feed your new addiction. This is a good place to start!
To consistently brew good strong coffee, follow these steps:
I'm not super informed about super automatics but from what I know generally about automatics is they are expensive and repairs could get costly. My friend has a Jura and he swears by it. Personally doesn't seem to me like he proper cleans it so the shots tasted too nasty. Well I guess that and he uses Starbucks beans from Costco. I have had an espresso from a Saeco and that was pretty good, smooth, fruity. I'll assume better beans (since they weren't burnt to hell) and it was a new machine (at the time). I had it months later and same beans but seems like people at the office didn't care to clean it.
Range. I would not expect an automatic to do drip coffee well. But why would you need to? Just make yourself an Americano. What does everyone actually drink at the office? If it is more towards drip then you could just get a better drip maker like the Hario or BonaVita
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009JWH5YE/ref=mp_s_a_1_19?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1506320219&amp;sr=8-19&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=hario+machine&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51mJZKoZUbL&amp;ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00O9FO1HK/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1506320609&amp;sr=8-3&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41CK31RprXL&amp;ref=plSrch
Super autos ... yeah I don't have any exact model suggestion minus someone should make sure to descale and make sure the machine is clean on a weekly basis. For beans, I would just go to a local coffee shop. Range usually $13-20 but not sure what your budget would be like. Plus, you haven't given us current info on the coffee situation at the office now ie. any general preferences (like for milky drinks), how many cups per day, etc.
$150 is a good amount really, much more generous than other people who are like "I have $30, how do I make cafe-grade espresso at home???"
My list for you:
I won't explain WHY these are really good kits for getting started with, you can just search on this sub and there will be hundreds of articles on that.
And I should stress again, good beans are important. As a Starbucks Barista I am 100% coughing up to the fact that most of our coffee's are charcoal. Use them if you like them, but if you can get something better then you should really be doing so.
I'd go for an aeropress. It's what got myself, and later on my girlfriend, into coffee, and it's pretty cheap. It will make a strong, small batch of coffee each time, somewhere between an espresso and a french press (in my opinion).
I'm guessing the macchiatos your fiance is talking about is the Starbucks variety. Macchiatos are supposed to be an espresso shot with very little milk added.
Anyway, continuing on the assumption that the drink she likes is 1-2 shots of espresso and a mug of foamed milk (and flavoring), I would start by making a copy of that at home with the aeropress.
The way I did that is I'd warm up a mug of milk while I'm boiling the water, and use a handheld frother to froth the heated milk. (This won't create the same caliber of foamed milk as you'd get from an espresso machine/steamer but I'm guessing you don't want to drop the cash on one quite yet)... Once the milk is frothed and the water is heated I'd add freshly ground beans(important that they're fresh!) to to the aeropress, and then water, and brew the coffee right into the mug of frothed milk.
At this point you have a pretty close replica to a latte. Since you are newcomers to coffee, you might want to add some sort of flavoring to it. I rarely do, but when I did, I'd just add a little vanilla extract and sugar.
Tips:
You're going to want to grind your beans at home. Buying preground beans almost guarantees they're going to be stale.
Gear:
Beans: (Places I've tried)
Mugs:
If you have any questions, or if I'm wrong about something let me know! I think this is all for now.
Coffee has a lot of interesting natural flavors, and you can easily and inexpensively step up your coffee game for even better coffee that has it's own nutty or caramel notes, that will be even tastier than Starbucks or Duncan Donuts. :)
Honestly though the great thing is you can pick ONE of these things and have better coffee, and each thing you do will improve your cup. And then you can go to /r/coffee and go down the rabbit hole of "the perfect cup". I'm kind of a coffee-snob poser: I get my beans from Trader Joe's and don't own a grinder. But what I get from my French Press is miles ahead of what I used to drink, it allowed me to cut out sugar or sweeteners.
From America's Test Kitchen Season 14: Oatmeal Muffins and Granola
NOTE: I originally posted a slightly less detailed review of these coffee makers in March or April 2013 but they have been re-tested so I am posting this more detailed review, the old post has been deleted. The youtube video review is not the same as the (updated) one on the ATK website, but the Winning and Best Buy models are the same. ~OP
**
WINNER
Rated as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
Technivorm Moccamaster 10-Cup Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe - $229.00
> Certified by the SCAA, the updated version of our old favorite (the KBT 741, now also $299) meets time and temperature guidelines with utter consistency. As a result, it produces a “smooth,” “velvety” brew. It’s also intuitive to use. The carafe lost some heat after 2 hours but still kept the coffee above 150 degrees.
**
BEST BUY
Rated as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe - $149.00
> Simple to use and SCAA-certified, this brewer spends most of the cycle in the ideal temperature range. Its coffee had “bright,” “full” flavor that was a bit more “acidic” than the Technivorm’s. The widemouthed carafe is easy to clean, but there’s no brew-through lid; you must remove the brew basket and screw on a separate lid to keep coffee hot.
**
Rated as RECOMMENDED:
Bunn HT Phase Brew 8-Cup Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker - $139.99
> This SCAA-certified pot heats the water completely before releasing it over the grounds. That explained its impressive temperature accuracy, though the coffee was somewhat “acidic.” (Note: Early versions of this model shorted out when home voltage fluctuated; Bunn states that it has solved this problem, and our machine worked fine.)
**
Five others were NOT RECOMMENDED:
--
> By prescribing far less than the SCAA-recommended amount of grounds, this machine brewed “dishwater.” Adding the right amount of coffee for a full pot caused the grounds to overflow the filter and gunk up the brew basket. Other design flaws: The basket’s side drawer must be pulled out completely to fill—annoying if your counter is crowded—and its reservoir acquired a musty smell we couldn’t eradicate.
Not only that but, despite this incredibly long and detailed explanation, making your coffee better is really easy. Any one of these changes will make an improvement. Do all of them and you might never bother going out for coffee again.
For 1 and 2, I'll admit that buying $110 in equipment just for your coffee is a lot, but both the drip maker and the grinder will last you for years and years and will give you better coffee the whole time. If it saves you from buying just one cup of coffee per week, it pays itself off in a year.
The others cost very little, and will make an improvement immediately.
Were you thinking of buying a filter coffee machine or an espresso machine?
If your GF is as knowledgable as you think, she will know that there isn't a viable option for espresso machines in that price range.
Good news, coffee machines (certified by the SCAA) are well within that price range!
My friend recently bought this guy:
http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1380671500&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker
It's pretty nice and simple. Also, it is a thermal carafe so there is no heating plate destroying your coffee. If you want to go that route, that machine will be fantastic.
Other options: $200 could get you a pretty serious coffee subscription to some damn good roasters!
Check out: Intelligentsia
Counter Culture Coffee
Verve Coffee Roasters
SightGlass Coffee Roasters
Heart Coffee Roasters
Madcap Coffee Roasters
Handsome Coffee Roasters
All are very well known and produce consistently delicious coffee. ( I should say roast consistently high quality coffee). But really, if my SO got me a subscription to one of those roasters....lets just say I'd be a pretty happy fellow!
Hope that helps!!
I'm trying to put together a cost-effective beginner kit for a friend in the US who is trying to get their feet wet with making coffee at home and wanted second opinions on my choices.
Shopping - Done on Amazon where possible for free prime shipping + using prime credit.
So far I've found a V60 starter Kit for $20 which seems to cover the basics for a pour over.
In terms of grinder I was thinking of defaulting to the Hario hand grinders for ~$40 but I have seen people recommend the Porlax which is currently ~$15-20 more off Amazon.
A bit of searching around reveals some being happy with Hario while others voice displeasure with the consistency. Porlax seems to have more praise but I've also come across comments mentioning the metal of the hand bar being soft and easy to wear out. Is this a batch specific thing or are the two pretty much equal today?
Thanks!
Alright, I'll lay out two set ups for two different price points.
Cheap Set Up
Hario Skerton This is the most basic entry level grinder possible, grinds enough for one person pretty easily, and gets "good enough results for a poor college student
Aeropress You can make full cups of coffee or pseudo-espresso that you can mix with milk for a pseudo, its easy to clean, and probably the most forgiving coffee making tool.
And then any kettle and any scale. Look for cheap on both, were going for cheap here, and were not doing rocket science, should be another 25-30 total for both of these, which lands you just under $100 total for this set up. You don't need to bother roasting beans yourselves, and if you're in a college town theres probably a local roaster around that you can get good quality roasted beans from and be happy with. For cold brew just throw grounds and water in jar in you fridge for a day in a 8:1 ratio, then strain the goop the next day for a solid cold brew concentrate
The pricier beginner college set up
Baratza Encore. If you can afford this, then get it. The things great, does everything but espresso grind really well, and because its not manual its doesn't take that long and it doesn't require any real effort on your part. I love mine, but the $140 price tag could be steep (I wouldn't have bought it when I was in college, I was poor as shit).
Brew Methods: I still recommend at least an Aeropress, but pair it with a 1LFrench press too for when you want to make a lot of coffee at once, or coffee for friends. you can also make cold brew in a French press instead of a jar, and you can use it to strain it out. Also, if you really want to make the closest thing to espresso that you can without blowing $300 dollars, get a 3-cup moka pot. You can find a cheap one at your Ross or Home Goods equivalent.
For kettle, you can get a variable temp one if you want to spend the money, people recommend the Bonavita Variable Temp Gooseneck but I still just use my cheap 15 dollar kettle and am doing fine.
As far as scales go, I still just say find a cheap scale that works well enough.
Bits and Bobs
Hand held Milk Frother for frother hot milk for lattes. Sounds like something you would like.
I love coffee so much. Where I used to live, I liked this local coffee house (The Mudhouse, Springfield, MO) that served lukewarm americanos for me, which is a double espresso shot in water. puts hair on your chest if you leave it black like i do!(not saying i have a hairy chest, just being dramatic). They'd sell chocolate covered espresso beans that sustained me during my associates degree/long nights out at rock shows. Tasted like M&Ms, but with coffee grounds instead of chocolate on the inside (wait, what?).
Best coffee I've ever had was Turkish coffee at a Mediterranean cafe here in STL. Came in a tiny metal stovetop pot with a long handle at the top, with shot-glass sized cups on the side. It was thick, and earthy, and matte (hit the tongue and stayed), as it's a thick coffee, so you drink a bit of the finely broken-up grounds. Amazing rush, almost a detoxifying effect.
now I brew dunkin donuts hazelnut in my 12-cup pot at home. I need to get a french press. I have an aeropress, too, just never used it. I will now, though. Coffee shops are lovely, but I love brewing my own pot, for the aromatherapeutic effect in the early AM hours.
i'm a purist, as well. always black. always :)
hmmm.... he COULD upgrade his grinder, a baratza virtuoso is a step up from his capresso infinity (that's what i think that is), especially when it comes to espresso making.
there are things like custom tamps that you can get and get their name on it? I'm not familiar with the breville machine so not sure if the tamps you get actually work on the breville one, sometimes they are smaller.
other cool things include a siphon coffee machine, you would want to get a butane burner for it, i'm not from america so I don't really know what people recommend of amazon lol but i'll link something for reference:
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Technica-5-Cup-Syphon-Coffee/dp/B000IKLQZK/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=siphon+coffee+hario&qid=1569350492&s=gateway&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Tabletop-Outdoor-Butane-Burner/dp/B07WFDPMNJ/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=siphon+coffee+butane+burner&qid=1569350580&s=gateway&sr=8-15
or a kyoto style drip tower, which is for making iced drip coffee which is great and this is also somethign I would NEVER get myself (price and all) but would be awesome to have but be aware of the practicality of size and where to put it lol, note: it takes 5-6 hours to drip a few cups haha:
https://www.amazon.com/Yama-Glass-YAMCDM8SBK-Coffee-Technology/dp/B004EBUZ1A/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=kyoto+drip+tower&qid=1569350410&s=gateway&sr=8-15
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-Water-Dripper-780ml/dp/B001807LZS/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=drip+tower&qid=1569350457&s=gateway&sr=8-10
btw, you are a great friend.
Now this is a conversation I can get in on.
Let's begin with my stainless steel measuring cups. I bake a lot so these are so useful. The 1/8 cup comes in so much more use than I ever imagined it would. And they're just so much nicer than plastic ones. I want to get a set of stainless steel measuring spoons but haven't yet.
Next, I would probably say my French Press. Coffee is important, and my French Press makes some delicious coffee.
I absolutely love this skillet. Works like magic.
I also recommend this 3 tier cooling rack to everyone. It's so useful and stores so well.
In the fall/winter I use my crock pot a whole lot. I also find having large mason jars to be useful for storing food, though I also have this tupperware.
Finally, my KitchenAid stand mixer. Self explanatory. It's fucking awesome. I just want to spend every waking moment putting it to good use and baking everything under the sun.
Let's do it in the kitchen.
Aeropress! People all over RAoA have been raving about these contraptions as apparently they make very good coffee. I don't actually drink coffee, but I want it for my boyfriend. He loves coffee but never really gets to try anything beyond instant. I think this would make him very happy, which in turn would make me giddy with joy! A whole new world of coffee would be available to him! And then people can buy him coffee for christmas rather than a gajillion bottles of aftershave.
Elephant Barber! Also I know things can work out more expensive on co.uk so even a gift card towards it would be awesome (I'm planning on getting it sometime anyway =p)
About me? I like making things! Fimo is my current thing and make things like Pokemon , feather earrings or kitty earrings =)
First, the grinder. You want a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. Burr grinders cost more, but are well worth it. They make a very even grind, where a blade grinder just chops up the beans and getting the right grind is impossible. A burr grinder lets you set it for what you're using (course grind for French Press, medium grind for drip maker, fine grind for espresso maker, etc). I have this one.
You can get a nice drip coffee maker if you want to make a pot. You can combine the two like I'm about to do and get a drip coffee maker with a built in burr grinder. I have this one.
If you're looking to make single cups at a time, there are other options like pour over's, Chemex, etc. The key is to grind your beans right before you brew the coffee. Good beans may be the most key ingredient. Companies like Tonx ship fresh roasted beans regularly on a plan, you can go that route. For example they can ship a 12oz bag every two weeks. You get beans that are only a few days roasted. Fresh roasted beans produce the best tasting coffee imaginable.
Not at the grocery store, and not at Charfucks. Ya gotta order it, ya herd? I gets mine from PT's Coffee in Topeka, but that's because it's close to me. Also because they won Best Coffee in 2009. If you're really interested, this is a great place to start. Any of these coffees will be good and fresh. Also, you need a burr grinder and a decent brewing method. The simplest one, which I use, is a conical-shaped glass or ceramic thing that you set right on top of your cup, made by Hario. You just put the coffee grounds in the filter and then pour boiling water over the grounds, and it drips right into your cup. Here it is in Amazon. Have fun!
The cheapest reasonable set up for roommates who all drink lots of coffee would be something like this:
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
That puts you at 180 for your grinder and machine, which isn't bad.
&#x200B;
For beans, Happy Mug is as cheap as you'll get for super freshly-roasted. Based on what you're saying you'd probably be just fine with a blend. Order two or three different ones and figure out what you like! $9 per 12 oz bag. The beans are nearly always roasted the same day they ship.
&#x200B;
It sounds like you aren't interested in taking on coffee as a "hobby" and instead just are looking for a better cup. Something like I recommended would be the cheapest and least "enthusiast" route to drinking much, MUCH better coffee than you are now.
I love that your first cup of coffee linked you strongly-enough to the coffee community that you're already saying "we". :-)
Welcome to the
cultclub!I became a coffee snob accidentally, since with each improvement I'd make to my coffee, I could no longer even stomach what I'd enjoyed before. So beware of that . . . That said, my advice would be:
1b. A blade grinder will have been be a waste of $15 when you finally replace it (and you will). Go for a Hario Slim for your first grinder, because even when you upgrade, you'll still use it for travel, work, etc.
My recommended starter kit:
For under $40 shipped, you'll have a setup with minimal sunk cost if you decide manual coffee isn't for you, will make coffee every bit as good (imho) as more beautiful systems, and won't be obsolete if and when you upgrade (since it'll still give you wonderful coffee at work or on the road).
PS. See my essay on my descent into coffee-snobbery I contributed to an online writing community I used to participate in regularly.
PPS. If you meet the Coffee Buddha in the cafe, kill him.
This is not a straightforward answer. Sorry.
It really depends on what you want to get out of the cup:
I personally use a V60. The others are all fantastic, you really can't go wrong.
Mine's going pretty well. I've been making an effort to move into vegetarianism and trying to cook more/have more excellent food. I made a fantastic curried chickpea dish for dinner last night and packed the leftovers for lunch today. I always feel better when I pack my lunch instead of eating the crap overpriced food around work. Tonight I'm going to bake chocolate chip zucchini bread muffins.
I found a cold brew coffee carafe on Amazon a while back for $25 that I love link here. It's seriously so nice to wake up to delicious iced coffee in the summer, and it's already paid for itself if you think in terms of Starbucks $.
A TMI bonus to eating a lot of healthy food, veggies, and strong coffee? Best number 2's of my life. So regular, and so happy.
Congratulations on becoming a free thinker and embracing everything that life has to offer! Never stop questioning everything! It's all about the beans, it's basically impossible to make good coffee without using freshly ground and good quality beans that have been recently roasted (i.e. not sat on a shelf for months).
You will need 3 things to start making good coffee.
That's pretty much it, just coarsely grind the coffee, put it in the press with water just slightly off the boil, wait a few mins depending on how strong you like it, press down and serve delicious coffee!
This is not the exact one I ordered as Amazon no longer has the one I bought listed. However this is close enough. The filter is smaller but honestly sometimes I think my coffee is REALLY strong and I wish the filter was smaller. I do wonder if I'm going through beans unnecessary quickly in exchange for super effective coffee. So there's that.
The one I purchased came with an extra filter and was only $16. I see nice looking ones for $30 but like... Why? I dunno. You leave coffee soaking in the fridge. Does the container make a difference if you're achieving a good extraction? Maybe someone will tell me.
As always, filtered water. Really notice a difference in my cold brew with sink water. Not happy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I7JKAQ0/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1510139098&amp;sr=8-9&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=cold+brew+coffee+pitcher&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41TaCy70X-L&amp;ref=plSrch
I do cold brew for my weekend coffee, and it's wonderful. Less acidic, smooth, and rich. I use a Hario 1000ml pot and use a coffee mill to medium grind my beans (~100g). Espresso blends are a good place to start, flavor-wise. Slowly pour filtered cold water over your grounds. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours. Discard the grounds and enjoy.
My typical cold toddy is:
Simple syrup is crucial if you want sweetness. Even castor sugar doesn't dissolve enough. Simple syrup is... Simple. Bring equal parts (by weight) of water and sugar to a boil, stirring until fully dissolved. If you want flavors, just simmer for a while with either vanilla bean, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, honey, lavender, or whatever. Cool and then store. You can even do fancy stuff like buy caramel or chocolate sauces.
Good luck!
Edit: The Hario pot is about $20,and a coffee mill can be had for $20-40. Get some Mason jars or spring-top jars from Goodwill/SA. Get good beans and make your own syrups. Cheap investment for the best coffee you've ever had.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001VPXEBU?cache=4ea5976e2c9e936ae8b097d6c5d0065c&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;qid=1411452831&amp;sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001802PIQ?cache=4ea5976e2c9e936ae8b097d6c5d0065c&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;qid=1411453722&amp;sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
>I thought about a pour over, but I don't really know what I'm getting myself into
Honestly, not that much. It's pretty straight forward. A Chemex produces a fantastic cup, and would only really require you get a gooseneck kettle. Ditto if you go the v60 route. Bonavita has a couple, either temperature controlled or not. Other wise Hario kettle would also work.
Regardless, take a look here at Brew Methods. It has summaries on a variety of brew methods, from chemex to other. May give you some ideas.
>I don't want to spend a ton of money,
Depends on what "a ton of money" is to you, but:
> would a chemex be a better investment?
Yes, imho. Buy a cheap gram scale, a gooseneck kettle, and a chemex/v60. You'll be very pleased with the results.
I've got a pretty high quality dorm setup that is approved. Here are your options:
Option 1:
Hario ETL Certified Kettle
Hario V60
Filters
Hario Skim Grinder
Total: $119
Option 2:
Aeropress
Proctor-Silex Water Kettle
Hario Skim Grinder
Total: $66
Currently, I'm using the first setup. The v60 is a great pourover method. You'll be having the best coffee on campus. However, since it requires the gooseneck kettle it runs a greater price. Last year, I had option. The aeropress is a kick-ass coffee maker, and you can get by with the way cheaper water heater since pour method has no factor on the brew. Either way, you'd have the small hand grinder which is cheap, easy to clean, and does a fantastic job.
Either of these will make a solid cup, better than anything you'll find in a keurig.
You could definitely go the keurig or mr. Coffee route, there should be some decent sales coming up on those soon.
Be aware that the keurig systems have caught some flack for the amount of waste that they produce. Each individual serving cup can't be recycled, and if you get one of the newest keurigs, they have a special chip in the cup that has to be used for the system to actually brew. So no more knock off K-cups.
My girlfriend also loves coffee and tea. In the past I have given her a french press to make coffee, which is going to be cheaper than a keurig and makes a much better tasting cup of coffee. It's much more hands on than just hitting a button too. This is the one I got her. http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Chambord-Coffee-Press-demitasse/dp/B00008XEWG. You can probably find a cheaper one if you do some digging online. This and a fresh bag of coffee would make a great gift. Extra points if you go whole bean coffee and get her a grinder too.
As for tea, if you are around a Teavana, this little guy is awesome. http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/teavana-red-perfectea-maker. You pour water and your tea into it, let it infuse, and then you put that on top of your mug and a pressure switch allows the tea to filter out the bottom without mess or tea fibers floating through. This is on sale right now and paired with a nice bag of loose tea would be a good route to go! Hope this is helpful! r/coffee and r/tea are great places to learn more!
We can help you out a little better if you had some sort of budget. When I was 13 I got about $5-10 a week from my parents but I knew others that received more or even nothing at all. I'll try to aim for what a typical intro to coffee setup would look like.
So with any method you use the first and most important step is the beans. They should ideally be whole bean and roasted semi-recently (a couple days to weeks ago). This is going to be a reoccurring purchase for you/your parents depending on how often you drink coffee. Price could be anywhere from $7/lb to $15/lb.
Setup 1: You can buy the $8 reusable keurig pod and grind your own coffee. With this method you could get away with using a regular bladed grinder probably. Or you can step it up a bit and buy $25 this hand grinder that gets recommended on here a lot. I have it, it worked pretty well when I was first getting into coffee. You just grinder your beans, fill the pod, and use as normal. Cost for parts: $8-$34
Setup 2: If you get the same $25 hand grinder you can then get either a $24 french press (give a more oily cup, there will always be particulates in your mug, you can also make ~8 cups of coffee with this method) or you can go with the very often recommended, and my current favorite way to make a quick cup, the $26 aeropress. This only makes 1-2 cups at a time but it's hard to make a bad cup with it. Cost of parts: ~$50
You should look of reviews for both the french press and aeropress methods on here or online to figure out what meets your needs better. If these are still to expensive then you can try goodwills or garage sells.
Honestly that looks great. The capresso infinity grinder is great and that looks like what is used in the grinder. You'd be very happy with that setup. My recommendation for having them separate is Baratza has WONDERFUL customer support for repairs or small parts orders. Also, if you ever decided to brew a different method you can. From extremely coarse to near fine for espresso. The grinder on that all in one only looks like it has a few different variables and the grind for a pour over and for a drip is not the same. Its a pretty significant change in taste just by grind size or even brew temperature. I fully nerd out and use a thermometer for my water. Brewing at near boiling versus 200F makes a massive difference.
(LONG POST) I also recently transitioned to hardcore coffee drinking, and I found that it is only a modest investment to get some seriously good cups. Perhaps you should try pour-over brewing, which I switched to from French Pressing - imo you get a lot higher flavor clarity. The industry standard was the Hario V60, which is kind of tricky to use, but I as with many have switched to the Kalita Wave, which is especially forgiving for novices. Keep in mind that the Wave I linked is a smaller size, so it can be a bit finicky for a good pour method, but it is a major score compared to other Kalitas I found across the web. Filters are a bit pricey with the Kalita though, so the V60 is better moneywise but again tricky to achieve consistency. A good scale can be found for about $15-20, which is essential to getting the correct ratios. As others have said, a Mini Mill is possibly the most important investment, but I HIGHLY recommend modding it to get high consistency (I used a rubber band for this.... it will all make sense with the link). For pourovers, some will tell you a specialized kettle is a must for pour control, but I fare just fine with a ceramic tea kettle https://imgur.com/uIWppVj . Anyways, cheers to entering coffee! :D
French Press is how I started down the rabbit hole. But coffee is ritual with that I take great pride and joy in making an excellent cup of coffee. I purchase coffee from Counter Culture Coffee and they ship me 2 x 12oz bags every month. I freeze one while working my way through the first bag, I defrost the second bag from the freezer in the refrigerator 48 hours ahead of time then move to storage.
Now I own:
Baratza Encore Grinder which I purchased refurbished from Baratza Link
Chemex link A really beautiful pour over, looks great in your kitchen.
Kalita Wave Link IMHO the best pour over money can buy.
Aeropress link My ride along for any trip and work.
Hario Gooseneck Kettle for Precision Pouring link
Storage; I own two different types This and This
A cheap electric kettle, A kitchen scale, and all my mugs.
I have a Bakers Rack in my kitchen that most of these are displayed. When I make a cold brew after the brew process I store it in a glass milk carton from a Straus Family Milk purchase. (I think the deposit is $3?)
Not all of this is necessary but I love my coffee and I am not afraid to show it. I say for every beginner you owe it to yourself to at least purchase an aeropress, it makes fantastic coffee thats almost foolproof.
I like dark roasts, and prefer African coffee beans if I get a choice in it, they have a nice deep and spicy flavor. I get them as whole roasted beans from a coffee shop in town, which roasts them fresh every couple of days. If you are looking to get into it, you can just search for coffee roasters in your area, and if there really aren't any I'd look for roasters who sell single origin beans online. In a pinch, Starbuck's single origin beans are good too, just really expensive for what they are.
I use a hand mill grinder, a gooseneck kettle, and a Chemex coffee maker and filters. It sounds like a lot, but all that together is still cheaper than a decent drip machine. You grind the beans with the grinder (I use 3 heaping tbps of grounds), bring the water to a boil and then let it sit for a minute (letting it come down just a little in temp keeps the coffee from being acidic, the gooseneck also helps with that). Pour a little on the grounds in the filter, and let it sit for about 30 seconds wet to bloom. Then pour the rest and just let it drip through.
The chemex makes the smoothest, best tasting coffee I've ever had, and I've tried quite a few different methods. If you like it stronger, a french press might be better for you.
Stuff:
Chemex Coffee Maker
Filters
Hand Mill Grinder
Goose Neck Kettle
I don't know anything about that grinder, but it is a burr grinder, so it's should be half-decent.
I'd say upgrade his brewing machine and buy him some really good beans. A $50 Mr. Coffee very likely doesn't even get the water up to a proper brewing temperature. This Bonavita would be a great step up.
Then there's tons of great coffee you could buy, whether a few single bags or a subscription. Blue Bottle is extremely well known and respected, but a little searching on this board will get you many other good recommendations also.
Is your grinder a blade grinder? If it is a burr grinder will be a big improvement. But regardless try a different Brewer. If you're strapped for cash get a cheap pour over Brewer like this Melitta with that you can boil your water and control the temperature better than what the machine will do. I would recommend a thermometer of some sort but it's not 100% necessary. The Melitta was my first coffee Brewer and I still use it from time to time. A Chemex would be a bigger improvement but there no reason to go all out at first. Start small and get your technique down before you put money into something bigger.
A scale is also a big improvement so you can accurately weigh the beans and the water you're using. I bought a $20 scale from the grocery store and it's been kicking for a few years now. I would honestly say that a scale is more important then the thermometer but that's just my opinion. I'm a fan of accuracy.
Keep reading through this sub and you'll find all kinds of good advice. Have fun!
I do, and it’s SUPER easy. I bought a [Toddy Cold Brew System] (www.amazon.com/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_fxKkDbMPE83QH) from Amazon and use that. It has instructions and everything. But basically, I grind 6oz (half a bag) and add it to the brewer with 3.5 cups of water. I let it set (steep or brew, if you will) for about 24hrs. Then drain it, add it to my storage bottle and pop it into the fridge. It lasts 7-10 days, having a 16oz coffee every morning. It’s a concentrate, so you then pour some to your cup, add water and ice. I dont have an exact measurement, as I eyeball the pour. But it’s probably around a 1/4 cup of concentrate? It’s up
To your tastes and how strong you prefer it.
In a pinch, I’ve done it in a mason jar and then Strained through cheese cloth and then a coffee filter. But it’s messier and I don’t like it as much. I love my Toddy system!
Another important factor is finding a coffee bean that you like. I personally find I prefer a medium-dark Roast. I tried various roasts and “flavors” until I found a blend I liked best!
First of all, if you want to get into loose leaf tea, you're going to want to get something to brew it in. The simplest to use and clean is a French Press. But getting into loose leaf doesn't mean you have to forsake bagged tea all together, I still use both.
As far as finding a tea you like, you should start with bagged tea just because it's cheaper. You need to get familiar with the tastes of black, green, white, herbal, etc teas. Once you get a feel for the different tastes, get yourself acquainted with a nearby tea shop. There's not much of that by me, but at least I have a Teavana.(Good teas, but way overpriced). A lot of times they'll have different teas you can sample or at the very least smell.
The best way to buy quality tea without bleeding your wallet is probably through Amazon. You can buy it in bulk (generally 8oz+) for pennies on the dollar.
I don't have much experience with mixing teas with alcohol, but I know that Earl Grey goes well with scotch/whiskey. And I bet that a spiced rum would go wonderfully with a hot milk chai. Actually I think I'll try that out once I get home from class.
Here are some other favorite teas of mine, I'd recommend them all if they adhere to your personal tastes.
Dragonwell Green This is my favorite tea of all time, but it's not for everyone. Very earthy.
Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate (Mate/Herbal)
Bourbon Street Vanilla (Rooibos)
Honey Lemon Ginseng (Green/White)
Constant Comment (Black)
Earl Grey (Black)
Honey Vanilla Chamomile
Are you looking for convenience and the ability to make a lot of coffee at once, or do you want to get the best cup of coffee you can for the money, even it's just one cup at a time and you have to do a little work?
If it's the former, then a basic coffee machine is your only option based on your budget. If it's the latter, then I think an Aeropress is the way to go. I'd recommend it over a pourover cone + filters (like the Melitta or V60) because it's going to be easier to consistently produce a good cup of coffee without a scale and gooseneck kettle.
You could also get a French Press which isn't much work, but a scale would be a good idea. Fortunately you have room for both in your budget. For example:
https://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-French-Press-Coffee/dp/B000KEM4TQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1543210385&amp;sr=1-8&amp;keywords=french+press
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Food-Multifunction/dp/B01JTDG084/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1543210468&amp;sr=1-5&amp;keywords=kitchen+scale
$25 total, and you don't really need to invest in anything else. A coffee grinder would be ideal, but that won't work with your budget.
EDIT: On second thought, I think this is your best bet!
You also have to consider how much you're willing to spend on coffee. Freshly-roasted beans are going to be a lot more expensive than something like Folger's; anywhere from $8-9/lb at the cheapest to $20+/lb. If your budget doesn't allow for that then I don't think it makes a lot of sense to go the pourover/French Press/Aeropress route, as they won't enhance low quality coffee very much.
Oh oh I love coffee! Some cool products to check out on the cheap:
Hario Mini Mill Slim Hand Coffee Grinder: It's a hand crank grinder, but it's a burr grinder so it produces a more consistent grind which in turn produces a better cup of coffee.
Chemex 3-Cup Classic Glass Coffee Maker: Not as cheap as the french press, but since it uses a paper filter so there isn't as much sediment in the cup. I find that I prefer it over the french press.
Bodum Brazil 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker: Classic french press.
Optional:
Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale: Scales are helpful in getting a consistent cup every time. You can measure out the water and coffee and dial in the perfect ratio.
Also check out Pinewood Roaster's coffee. I think they're on Franklin and 11th in the same building as Alpha Omega. Grab a bag of Ethiopian Beriti and enjoy!
$130 used. This is a technivorm, which gives you all of the ease of use of a drip coffee maker but without all of the issues present in a drip coffee maker. Basically the best you can go for here without completely wrecking your budget and everything it loves.
That said, you could convince her to use an easier method of coffee procurement like The Coffee Fool. It's not awfully expensive, they'll send it to you pre-ground if you're into it, and it's a shit-load better than you'll get at a supermarket unless your mother happens to live in Portland.
The bonavita gooseneck variable.... again (sorry :) )
I woudl say either use your basic kettle and a thermometer (cheap one like this Weber instant read) for minimal money or get the gooseneck variable.
The variability will be great for your aeropress and pourover is super cheap and fun to try (the plastic hario v60 02 is under $8) for which the gooseneck is key. No point spending $50 on the variable normal then spending another $100 later on the gooseneck. Likewise gooseneck metal kettles are also $50. The $100 one really is the best upgrade, better to save longer for it than buy an interim and end up spending more.
The Bonavita is also on massdrop a lot (bookmark this) as while it ended for now it comes up all the time.
I don't really understand your question: you want a hot cold brew? You want a cold brew but want it warmer than it currently is?
If you're looking for a solid cold brew, I have the 1000ml Hario Cold Brew pot and this recipe is golden:
Pour 108g of coffee into the filter then place the filter in the pot. Pour filtered water through this filter until it reaches about a quarter inch from the top. Let it sit for 12-18 hours in the fridge. Remove the filter and discard the coffee. You now have a good concentrated base for iced coffee.
I plop a square ice cube in a glass, pour the concentrate and filtered water into the glass at a ratio of 1:1. I drink mine black but if you add cream/milk/flavoring, then change up your water with a whatever mix you want. Add sugar in at the end. Since this is cold, I recommend syrups over crystal sugar as you may find the crystal sugar settling at the bottom.
Been doing this for a year and have settled on this recipe being my fav. Good luck!
Wholeheartedly agree with this suggestion! I bought this cold brew maker on Amazon for under $20 and use it religiously. It only makes a quart at a time, but you can dilute it 1:1 with water and it's still pretty strong. It's also not too large a profile, which is great if you share a fridge with roommates.
Only downside is that it takes a lot of coffee - 12-14 tbsp for one batch. However, this will be the case no matter where you get your cold brew from.
The food storage container/nut milk bag method is also a good way to make sun tea - for either coffee or tea, a glass half-gallon milk jug from Whole Foods does the trick perfectly.
I use an aeropress at work, but there's really only two fresh coffee drinkers at my office and the other gent uses a french press.
When I make coffee for friends or family in larger quantities at home, I have a Bonavita 1900ts It's extremely consistent and has a bloom feature as well. If the 5 of you are cool splitting the cost, that's a great option.
The 1800ts is a little less expensive, doesn't have a bloom feature or a thermal carafe. Still a great option.
Just my .2c.
Getting a burr grinder, a decent brewer, and freshly roasted (within two weeks) coffee is a great place to start.
This is a quality brewer. There are cheaper brewers, but if you want a solid investment in a brewer I recommend this. They also offer an 8 cup model. Bonavita 5 Cup brewer
Capresso makes great grinders. Most of their “infinity” models are very efficient and won’t completely break your bank.
Messenger Coffee from Kansas City offers a wide variety of coffees from many origin countries. This coffee is expertly roasted to bring out the best in each coffee. If you want to try a variety of different ones, they have a subscription plan where the roaster selects a different coffee every week. You also get 10% for subscribing. Messenger Coffee Roaster Choice Subscription
Chemex, Bonavita kettle, skerton grinder, knock off scale
So you def pay a little bit for the Chemex aesthetic, but I think it makes a pretty smooth cup and is somewhat forgiving to beginners.
The skerton pro is an excellent hand grinder, when my electric broke I used the hand grinder every day for a semester and had absolutely no problem (I honestly enjoyed the process for a while).
The scale will feel like a knockoff because it is, I got a very similar one (but payed extra for a reseller to put a fancy label on it because I’m not the brightest) and while it works, you’ll def want to invest in something more if you catch the coffee bug
https://www.amazon.com/-/es/gp/aw/d/B074TB9L2D/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/Chemex-Classic-Pour-over-Glass-Coffeemaker/dp/B0000YWF5E?th=1&amp;psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Manual-Grinder-Ceramic/dp/B01MXJI90S
https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV382510V-Variable-Temperature-Gooseneck/dp/B005YR0F40
hi there - not a coffee drinker, but my friends love this. French Press also my friend took it camping with her so I think its definitely able to be brought hiking, backpacking, nuclear holocaust! :)
Ok. There's been some great advice in this thread and I don't want to step on anyone's toes. But I went through a similar process when I wanted to stop drinking shit coffee a couple years ago, and this is my current setup.
The Grinder. You want a conical burr grinder. You can do this without breaking the bank: I got a Breville for less than $100 and it kicks ass. Grinds like a boss, whisper quiet, and it looks like a robot.
But why, you ask, should you splurge on the grinder? You could get a little Krups grinder for $15. And that would be great -- if all you wanted, ever, was to drink french pressed or drip coffee. But if you ever want to make espresso, then you need a conical burr grinder. And it sounds like you are going to want to do some experimenting.
The Brewer. My personal thing is this: I don't brew coffee through anything that plugs in. There's just no reason to.
Get yourself a kettle for your stove - I like this one, because you can see that there's nothing growing inside. And you avoid the mineral-y crust that you would have to scrape off of an electric kettle.
Use filtered water. It makes a difference.
Get yourself a simple drip cone or, if you want to be a little fancier, a Chemex carafe. You put a filter in the top, you grind the beans, you put the beans in the filter, you pour hot water over the top of it. The beans get thoroughly steeped and you end up with an even, smooth coffee with little to no bitterness.
Because you've saved so much money on coffee makers, splurge a bit. Get yourself a French press for when you want something with more oomph. And get yourself a little Italian stovetop espresso maker. You put fine espresso grinds in the top, you put water in the bottom, you put the whole thing on the stove - voilà.
There. If you wanted all this shit to plug into the wall you would have spent $1000. But you can get all of this for less than $200.
The Beans. Here's the dirty little secret about coffee beans: freshness matters more than brand. You could get the finest quality beans shipped to you from halfway across the country if you like - but they're going to be stale by the time they get to you.
Here's what you do instead: find a cafe that roasts their own beans and buy from their cafe. They'll have been roasted within the last few weeks. The beans will have this great oily sheen to them - that's how you know they're good. Buy them one package at a time and keep them in an airtight canister. And for christ's sakes, never freeze coffee beans.
There you go! With this setup you can make almost any type of coffee drink available at your local Starbucks, for cheap. There'll be no gunk to clean out of the musty interiors of a complex drip coffee maker. And a lot of this stuff has a great aesthetic, so your kitchen will look fantastic.
Edited for spelling.
Hario pour over filters and Ceramic Funnel. A grinder. A sauce pan to heat your water in. I've never bothered with buying the gooseneck kettle. A steady hand when pouring out of the sauce pan works fine for me, just remember to barely soak the grounds and then let them sit for a minute before pouring more water through. It's a very cheap set up that makes the best coffee I've ever had. Yes, it would be great to have a bur grinder, but I was given a $30 "blender" grinder from Target for Christmas and it works great. All you have to do is learn to slowly pour your water in. Probably around a $60 investment that you will not regret. If you want to learn more, just go to a local coffee house and ask them for a pour over cup of coffee and watch them. It never has a scorched taste, and it never turns out too strong like a press sometimes does for me. It's so damned simple that I've kicked myself for not learning it earlier.
Funnel can be found here.
A cheap gooseneck kettle and a plastic Hario V60. You will need filters too.
If you want to spend a little more this set has it all.
Keep in mind that a scale is extremely helpful too. If you don’t want to spend the money on a grinder, which everyone is going to recommend, just get pre-ground, quality coffee. I recommend HappyMug online. Happy Mug makes great coffee and will grind it for you before shipping. They also have an awesome little timer for $5 that is helpful at first If you’re using your phone for recipes and stuff.
>Breakfast and lunch are super important (coffee is a runner up). You don't realize it till you go without. Then it hits you.
Yupper
For lunch...
http://luckypeach.com/recipes/miso-claypot-chicken-no-claypot/
Make a big batch of that and freeze the leftovers.
https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Ramsays-Fast-Food-Ramsay/dp/1554700647
These are all great too.
Nutritious and most freeze well.
For breakfast, always have spare cooked rice in a baggie in the fridge, eggs, tortillas, condiments, cheese, etc... so you can just throw stuff together. My favorite:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/how-to-make-omurice-japanese-omelette-fried-rice.html
Coffee in the morning your type of thing?
https://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-80R11-Coffee-Maker/dp/B000GXZ2GS/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1482258230&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=aeropress
Cheap and works great, makes an excellent cup of coffee with hot water quickly.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DCG-12BC-Central-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0000A1ZN7/ref=sr_1_23?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1482258296&amp;sr=1-23&amp;keywords=coffee+grinder
This is my grinder.
It's the details that count, decent quality stuff that just gets the job done.
Grinder
>Capresso Infinity - $89
>
>or
>
>Hario Mini Mill Slim - $30 - If you don't mind hand-grinding your beans
Coffee Maker
>Aeropress - $23 - Balanced flavour, easy cleanup
>
>or
>
>Hario v60 - $19 - If you enjoy the process of preparing your coffee, and enjoy a brighter (more acidity) cup of coffee.
>
>or
>
>A french press - $20 and up - If you want to make more coffee at a time than the Aeropress, don't mind a "thicker" (more coffee particulate and oils in the cup) coffee, and are not opposed to having a little bit more clean-up.
You'll need a kettle for any of these brew methods; a programmable/temperature controlled kettle like this one ($95) is ideal for manual brew methods, but any kettle (and a thermometer if you'd like to get fussy) will do just fine.
Personally I would get the Capresso and the Aeropress if I were you. It's a very balanced and forgiving brew method that can make coffee a few different ways (eg. paper filter for a "brighter" cup, metal for a thicker one). Set aside the rest of your budget and find a good coffee roaster near you!
Large Clever Dripper is my vote, the ease and larger cups of a french press, but paper filter to make it a cleaner cup and much easier cleanup. The aeropress is fine, but the small cup size is slightly annoying as you have to make a concentrate and water down if you want larger, though it is faster. There's also the cheap test if you want, to get a $5 Melitta dripper with #2 filters that are sold at almost every major grocery store, a lot of times cheaper than you can get online. This is what I use most days now over the Clever/Aeropress/Chemex, I make about 14oz cups.
&#x200B;
It's better to grind right before brewing, but if it's down to like a $10 blade grinder or ground 4 days prior by a big Commercial grinder, the commercial will be better as it's much more consistent. if you want to try before investing in a grinder, go to your local nice coffee shop and when you buy a bag have them grind it for you on their big shop grinder.
Could you get her good coffee-making equipment? An aero press is $30 and a hario v60 is about $20. Actually hario has a hand grinder that’s pretty cheap too. Throw in a bag of beans from your favorite toaster if you have any surplus.
Edit to add link and update price. My bf loves the v60, might be good!
Edit 2: it looks like it looks like the grinder is $40? which blows my mind. I swear it was cheaper
The thing is, french press makes a totally different cup than say, a drip machine. It will have much more body from the oils in the beans and also it will inevitably have some grit. The best way to avoid grit is to invest in a really good grinder that is consistent. Or you can just let it settle to the bottom of the cup and not drink that portion.
So really to make the best french press possible you need to invest a lot of money. Fresh press is great but I wouldn't call it the gold standard, it is just one of the many ways to make coffee. Drip machines can make great coffee if you spend a lot of money, like a Technivorm.
If you are satisfied with the coffee you make in a french press without investing in an expensive grinder, go for it. In my opinion, the Aeropress makes a damn decent cup of coffee without the expensive grinder - it is much more forgiving when it comes to grind inconsistency.
Hi there. May I recommend a blow up mattress microwave and maybe even some sheets and a blanket. (sorry my links are good prices via amazon prime, but i'm not actually suggesting the specific products, just giving examples)
As far as food and cooking goes. /r/eatcheapandhealthy might be a place for you to look into. I personally would recommend you get a big microwave safe bowl (so you can cook rice and other stuff in the microwave if it comes to that), a mug, a kettle, a frying pan, a pot, a knife, fork, spoon, and big wooden spoon. For the dishes and stuff, go check out your nearest salvation army or goodwill. You can buy a plate from 40 years ago that will work just fine for another 40 years for less than a buck.
For food figure out how much you eat and what circumstances you need to eat them in. For example, you take public transit to work in the morning and would ideally pick up coffee and a bagel on your way to work. You could brew you own coffee in a french press or regular coffee maker or make it with instant using water from your kettle. Maybe make yourself a homemade granola bar to eat instead of the bagel. Maybe you have a microwave at work, make some chili to bring in or if you can't nuke your food something like a veggie pizza or a tuna salad
I've done both. From a process standpoint, not a huge difference.
Coarse grind, leave it for a bazillion hours, filter, enjoy.
Toddy is great because it's significantly more capacity. My French press will produce about half to 65% of the concentrate as the Toddy. I get about a literish of concentrate when all is said and done (you add like 7 cups of water, so 1.6 liters). Compared with my 1L French Press which gets me just over a half a liter.
It's also super easy to use and clean. Let it brew, pull the plug into the decanter that's fit for the top.
looks like it's $28 on amazon which is the lowest I've ever seen it. If you're gonna jump, do it now!
http://www.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW
Replying to confirm that I make the best coffee I've ever had with a skerton and v60. Here's my entire set up. These aren't necessarily the best in their class, but they do me well.
-Digital scale (or anything that measures in grams)
-Gooseneck kettle (they make ones that are electric, as well)
-Flow restrictor for kettle (not required, it's just what I have)
-Hario skerton burr grinder
-OE mod for skerton (not required. again, it's just what I have)
-Hario v60 02 (I have the clear plastic one)
-Gerber Pure water (available at Walmart, any "spring water" is what I recommend. My tap water smells of chlorine, so even Britta water is gonna be a bit better than my tap water. You want water that's not too hard, nor too soft. So don't use distilled or RO water or "mineral" water.)
-Digital timer (not required, but I like to time things)
-Hario filters (there's a couple different kinds, try any you want. Mine are the white without the "tabs")
-I'm not linking my mugs/servers. But whatever one(s) you use, I recommend preheating them.
(Edit to add: I have other methods of making coffee. This is just my personal overall favorite.)
Like those before me, and many that will come after me, I use something akin to a nut milk bag to do the initial brew (purchased at a local beer brewing supply shop), then filter through paper filters to get the "fines" out. It isn't too painful, but I do go through a handful of paper filters to avoid the clogging that slows things down.
I'm also wondering how to make this process more efficient - I know there are one-stop solutions that companies make and sell, but I suppose I like getting my hands dirty, as it were, since it seems to add something to my enjoyment of the results. Relevant quote:
> "If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures." — Gaius Musonius Rufus, Fragment 51
The former referring to making my own cold brew, the latter referring to buying from Starbucks. ;) HA!
Anyway, I'll probably keep doing it the way I am, because I'm a glutton for punishment or something. Buying one of those cold brew devices like I linked to would save time, but what would I do with that time? Get in some kind of trouble, no doubt. Best avoid that! ;)
Aerobie Aeropress is easily the best coffee maker around. I have made coffee and espresso for some of my pickiest coffee nerd friends, and they love it and always ask me how I made it. Great Christmas gift for your coffee-loving friends.
If you'd rather have more automated things but still good quality, you could get:
Baratza Virtuoso ($259)
Bonavita 1900ts ($135)
And then you'd have ~$100 to spend on beans, filters, descaling powder (future maintenance), etc.
Some roasters:
And plenty more. There are even some roasters here on /r/coffee that you'll see promote their products in the weekly threads.
As /u/ttls- said, espresso is a different beast. You could almost get started, but might want to double up on that budget if you don't want to buy used and have to hand grind.
Wait...what is your budget? Are you willing to spend £150?? If so, we could probably put together a great beginners setup for your boyfriend.
I'm thinking:
Aeropress
And Baratza Encore but that's a little over 150. Instead of an Aeropress, a Clever would work, too, but you would also need #4 filters.
Actually, if you want to give him a lot of options for 150, you can get him the Aeropress (23), Clever (18), #4 filters (4), Hario Hand Burr Grinder (22), and a Mocha Pot (23) for a grand total of ~90 quid. I'd also add a .1 gram digital scale for 15 extra. So 105 for quite a good introductory setup for coffee (and I'm assuming you have a kettle for boiling water).
What electric kettle do you have? Does it have variable temperature controls and/or a gooseneck spout?
The main ways to improve your setup are a better grinder, better coffee beans, and possibly a better kettle (I'd say, in that order). The other thing to think about is trying out some other brew methods, at least so you can learn about the differences and find out what your preferences are.
If I had your setup and up to $200 available to improve it, I think I'd look for a refurbished Baratza Encore ($99), a $10 - $15 electric scale accurate to within 0.1g, a clear plastic Hario V60 for $6 (along with filters for another $6). That's around $125, leaving extra to try out some nicer coffee beans. For example, Happy Mug has good quality coffee for $11 - $13 per pound plus $3 shipping.
About a year and half ago I went from 0-60 with this setup:
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-VKB-120HSV-Buono-Drip-Kettle/dp/B000IGOXLS
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-Dripper-V60-Clear/dp/B001RBTSMM/ref=pd_sim_k_6
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-White-Filters-Brewer/dp/B001U7EOYA/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1349906139&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=hario+v60+filters
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MSS-1B-Mini-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B001804CLY/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1349906080&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=hario+hand+grinder
http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1349906101&amp;sr=1-5&amp;keywords=kitchen+scale
Here is a video I found about how it all works:
http://vimeo.com/34182806
The big thing is to use FRESH roasted beans (we're talking ~3 weeks old or less). If you are buying beans that don't have a date on em, try again. Hopefully there is a coffee shop around you that will sell their own roast (usually comes in a 12oz package). If not you can try the grocery store or order online (http://ceremonycoffee.com/ is a good start), it really depends on the city you live in.
I had always liked the aroma and taste of coffee in other things (ice cream specifically) but it wasn't until I got into beer that I really started to appreciate it. Hopefully this finds you well, feel free to send a message my way if you have any specific questions!
Resources I used: /r/coffee and youtube (I particularly like the sumpcoffee channel).
Conclusions and setup I arrived at:
Also, in regards to cleaning the french press. You don't want to dump the grounds into the sink because it can cause clogging. This is what I do - rinse off the metal filter immediately after brewing. Some grounds will be stuck to it, but this shouldn't be a problem. Then, I just leave the glass beaker out on the counter to dry out. That night or next morning the grounds are mostly dry, I dump them into the trash and rinse out the glass beaker with hot water.
Absolutely. You can have top grade coffee for £50.00 total:
And source some beans from a good local roaster to you. I have a few recipes I like but coffee is very subjective. Best to experiment with different beans, brew times etc. My go to recipe :
Enjoy. It’s very strong, rich coffee though. Not a very delicate brew.
posted this earlier.
I bought a Toddy last weekend. I know you can do basically the same thing with mason jars and whatever, but this just seemed quick and idiot proof.
I really enjoyed it. I liked that it was able to make a lot at a time, (lasted me pretty much all week) and could just keep a jug of it in the fridge. (the waiting was the most frustrating part of the process)
I just put it over a ton of ice and then added milk or almond milk.
Since I was just doing it for the first time I used some french dark roast beans from trader joes. Not sure what the best to use are.
I've only done it one time, so I'm obviously not very experienced. But yeah, that's my experience. I'd say it was easily worth it, I thought about going the more thrifty/crafty way, but the convenience seemed worth it to me.
If you want true Espresso the first one you list isn't gonna do it.
I think one of the cheapest useable option is the Gaggia Classic. You can get it with a hand grinder and are all set to go. This one is pretty good.
Want to spend more? The Rancilio Silvia is beloved by many, from beginners to advanced. Here it is with a matching electrical grinder.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of those devices, because my kitchen is way to small for more than an AeroPress but I have friends who own this stuff and they make great coffee.
Cheaply-built auto drip machines work against you in a few ways:
So how much does this matter? The first is the most important, IMO, and it varies a lot from cheap machine to cheap machine. How much you care about it varies a lot from coffee to coffee. If you've got a machine that can basically hit a temperature where the coffee you're using tastes good and it's mostly consistent about doing so, you're in luck. Just keep it descaled, because limescale will severely degrade the ability to hit the temperature. I think the dispersion pattern matters less for most coffees, and as long as you get it off the burner right away, it doesn't do too much damage.
The secret to getting a decent cup from one of these is to use good, fresh beans. Grind them with a good grinder just before you brew. Use water that tastes good before you pour it in.
All that said, given the same prerequisites (good, fresh beans, a good grinder, good water) you'll be able to produce a better cup than these cheap makers by using the cheapest manual pour cone you can find. By manually heating the water, you control temperature yourself. By manually pouring the water, you can make sure that the grounds are soaked nice and evenly. And by not pouring it into a glass carafe sitting on a burner, you can avoid degrading the coffee by heating it once it's brewed.
Since you're 17 years old and likely don't have access to a few hundred dollars to really get started, I would save up and get a Hario Skerton grinder and V60 single cup pour over here: http://www.amazon.com/Hario-VDC-02W-Dripper-Ceramic-Funnel/dp/B000P4D5HG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1372182859&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=hario+v60
then I would save up for a bag of intelligentsia, just buy whatever single source sounds good to you. watch youtube videos on how to do proper pourover technique. learn how to use a kettle (there's no need for a gooseneck one just yet), figure out how to pour slowly with a standard kettle. maybe buy a cheap thermometer so you can get the water temperature right. start pouring yourself coffee, but remember to drink coffee right after it's been roasted, not months later.
if you're rich, do the same thing, but buy the bonavita temperature controlled gooseneck kettle in addition to the v60. and a baratza virtuoso.
actually do whatever you want, there's no good answer. just about any advice you take from this subreddit will be significantly better than what you're currently doing.
posting this topic is the equivalent of 17 year old with a casio keyboard asking a concert pianist for advice in becoming a musician.
I was curious about this, so I did a little research in looking for the best drip brewer.
Eventually, I found my to this site, which seems to list brewers that pass a certain standard of coffee volume, brew time, brew temperature, etc.
In addition, I found this video, which I also found interesting, as their top 3 machines were also on the SCAA list.
Those three are:
I hope this helps.
Aeropress is ok, but you can get similar results with a simple single-cup pourover.
You can find one of these plastic filter holders for $3-6 at any big grocery store: https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6
Then get some #2 paper cone filters which are also very cheap.
The part that gets expensive (if you want it to be!) is a coffee grinder. I have a nice electric one at home that I paid about $300 for. But when I'm on the road I use a hand-grinder: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill/dp/B001802PIQ. The Hario one is $35 but you can find similar ones for $20.
You could also just spend $10 on a shitty electric blade grinder. The fresh-ground coffee will still taste better than the pre-ground stuff but you might not get full flavor extraction if the grind is inconsistent.
To boil water I use an electric kettle, but you can also just use a propane stove or microwave or whatever you have available. I heat my water to anywhere between 190oF and 205oF, actually boiling water is too hot for coffee.
The most important single thing you can do for awesome coffee is simply grinding the beans fresh and then making the coffee. Everything else that coffee snobs do as part of their coffee ritual don't add too much more unless you have a really refined palate and are serious about coffee. Some people need to have their beans uniformly ground at the right diameter, use water at an exact temperature, and have a drip process that lasts for a precise amount of time. They aim for consistency so they spend a shitload on expensive grinders and kettles. They'll only use beans that were roasted within the past week.
But for me, as long as the beans were roasted within the past couple of months (pro-tip: don't buy a bag of coffee beans if it doesn't have the roasting date on it), I grind them fresh for coffee, and use water-that-isn't-boiling-yet, I get a cup I can really enjoy.
The Bonavita drip brewer ($140) is one of the very few SCAA certified home brewers out there. It will make excellent coffee.
A good cheap burr grinder is the Hario Mini Mill ($20). It's a hand grinder and that entails a bunch of extra effort and time, but it's a fraction of the cost of comparable electric burr grinders. If you want a decent electric grinder, a good place to start would be a refurbished Baratza Encore ($99).
The Encore + Bonavita combination will make really good coffee and won't really be much more work than a combo grinder/brewer. However these things are obviously expensive, probably more than anyone who isn't looking to get seriously into coffee should consider. Find what works best for you.
For a french press, might I recommend this: Bodum french press?
As for a grinder, you want to grind coarse for french press. Blade grinders are extremely inconsistent with grind size. Like others have mentioned, burr grinders are better because they grind more consistently and will not heat up the beans as much during the grinding process. The issue with the Hario Skerton that you posted is that is known to be pretty inconsistent at coarse grinds (unless you make some modifications to it). The Hario Slim Mill may actually be better because there is a spring loaded that helps prevent the burr from wobbling.
Your total here would be around $40 which is pretty decent for a beginner setup.
Did you have the Chambord? My particular gripe with the Chambord is the fact that the steel frame isn't attached to the beaker. Unfortunately, I can't find any decent alternatives to purchasing the carafe from outside sources.
If you want to continue using Bodum's French Press line, I'd highly recommend their Brazil French Press. Not as aesthetically pleasing to some, but I personally favor it over the Chambord. The base and bottom inch or so is ringed in plastic, and so is the handle and the top. It's also a one-piece beaker + handle, so you don't have to worry about it slipping out as you pour. It's also much more forgiving when you wash it as there's less of a chance of shattering the beaker when you tap it against the sink walls. Best part: it's cheaper than the Chambord.
There are other non-Bodum French Presses out there. The Espro Press I hear mentioned a lot lately on this sub is an all-stainless steel container so there's no more dealing with fragile glass containers. Also more expensive though.
Oh wow! Thanks - seems like that it would be worth getting that one.
Amazon wants $35 and 4.4 out of 5 stars with 461 customer reviews is pretty good :)
the V60 is perfectly fine, some may suggest the Chemex, others Kalita, just pick one and stick to it. i personally recommend a V60 clear plastic server for several reasons:
some other things to pick up are a scale and a kettle (gooseneck if you're slightly more serious about the game). picking the right grinder will depend on your budget and whether or not you'd like to work out those arms of yours (auto or manual). i'd recommend watching this to get a good idea on the whole brewing process
good luck!
$750 is alot of money to spend if they only drink coffee out of tradition than for taste. For that kind of reasoning i wouldnt spend all the budget!
I agree with the comments about buying baratza encore grinder. Those are reliable and well in the budget. For the coffee machine i would recommend the [bonavita dripper]
(https://www.amazon.ca/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=bonavita&amp;qid=1559008848&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-4) easy to use, realiable, beautiful chrome. Not bad,not the best,but better than the average coffe brewers. See it in action And buy some good coffee with the rest of the money.
The cheapest you could do to make "good" coffee would be to get a Bonavita BV1800. They are about 150 or so online and then get a Baratza encore refurbished for about 100.
that is the PC answer on this sub.
In my opinion if you want a good (not great) coffee. Get the Bonavita but then grind your beans fresh (even if that is a blade grinder). Burr grinders are really essential if you want a great cup of coffee but it seems that it isn't too essential to you.
ps. i think mcd's coffee is the best non-third wave coffee out there
Edit: http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1415508290&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=bonavita
it's actually 130!
I have tried quite a few different methods, but not this one. After a quick look at the specs: It's a pretty simple immersion method with a stainless steel mesh filter and a drain/stop lever. Basically, it's a 1L Clever dripper with a stainless mesh filter. I wouldn't pay $50 for it.
Save over half your money and get a 1L Hario Mizudashi or save all of your money, use a mason jar, and pour it through your own filter.
On the cold brew note, I picked up a Tayeka Cold Brew Maker (linked to Amazon, but I bought it at Natural Grocers). it's nothing you couldn't do with a nut milk bag or french press or whatever, but it sure beats adding the grounds directly to water and then trying to filter them out. Also, Trader Joe's has/had a bag of cold brew coffee bags, like big teabags. I had to steep for 24 hours instead of the much shorter time they list, but it tastes pretty good for pre-ground coffee. I use one bag to a quart mason jar.
I would check this out out as a good starter option. It has everything you need plus the carafe which is helpful for multiple cups and making iced coffee. The 02 is a good size. Definitely wouldn't go smaller.
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Pour-Coffee-Starter-Clear/dp/B00JJIOJ7E
So one unexpected benefit of the clear one is you can see into a cup that you are using it over, which is helpful for preventing spills if you aren't paying attention to amount of water you are pouring. It also looks cool to see the coffee coming out of the filter and into the funnel. As for heat resistance of the plastic, I'm not sure how it compares so the colored ones (it is a different material), but the clear one is dishwasher safe and I've never seen anyone complain about melting or run off during normal use and cleaning.
Yup, I got a cold brew bottle and it makes GREAT coffee. Just pour cold water over a pot's worth of grounds, let it sit for 8 hours, remove grounds, enjoy over ice with milk.
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MCPN-14B-Water-Coffee-1000ml/dp/B001VPXEBU/
GOLD EDIT: wow - my first - THANKS!
>I guess my expectations are high because of the tight bond this community shows.
Yeah, I totally get that! I find cigar people, even IRL, are friendlier than most.
&nbsp;
By "drip method" are you talking about an auto-drip machine? Because if so, I highly recommend exploring a manual pourover set-up. I prefer the Hario V60, but many others like Chemex or something like the Clever Dripper (a combination pour-over and immersion brewer) instead. The cheapest option for trying your hand at a pourover is the plastic Melitta brewer, often available at your local grocery store for $2-$3, some standard #2 filters, and an electric (or stovetop) water boiler with a decent spout for slow, steady pouring. It's funny that you mention a (french) press pot and moka pots don't give you a full enough flavour, though, because those are typically two of the more full-flavoured methods. I suspect your water:coffee ratio or grind size/consistency might be causing a weak (under-extracted) brew.
In my opinion, though, whilst brew method makes a difference in your cup, I'd say bean freshness and grind make more of a difference than anything. I'd much rather have fresh beans recently ground at a proper size and consistency brewed in a $10 Mr. Coffee than stale pre-ground or poorly ground beans in a professionally-poured manual brewer.
In the end, if you find a manual brewer is too much hassle, the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) does test and maintain a list of certified auto-brewers that meet the temp/brew time requirements.
*Ninja-Edit: Here's a good starter on grind size and how to adjust for flavour.
Personally here are 3 easy things you can do cheap to get into "specialty coffee"
I have a set up that i love that was only like 50 dollars and makes great coffee.
I have this french press
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-French-Coffee-34-Ounce/dp/B005ADS5FO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1450216508&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=french+press
and this grinder
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Ceramic-Skerton-Storage-Capacity/dp/B001802PIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1450216551&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=coffee+grinder+hario
It is sorta labor intensive but makes way better coffee than most machines that are way more pricey.
Also the key is to have good, fresh beans.
I also have a hario v60 for when i want to make coffee quick.
I use the Hario Mizudashi pitcher but you can buy these pretty neat socks from places like HappyMug that are perfect for occasional drinkers of the deep, cold black. As /u/Shoeshiner_boy pointed out, you can just dial back the brewing time to compensate for the smaller grind.
(I'm sure others here can offer up solutions that use cheesecloth or something similar.)
&#x200B;
I have a Cuisinart Brew Central. I have had it for probably 6 years, it was given to me by my brother second hand and he had had it for a few years before that. It is the best coffee maker I have ever had. We love it so much that recently when my husband was cleaning the pot and it cracked we just got a new replacement pot, because there no way we are replacing this workhorse.
Edit to add: I have extremely hard water, I have never run anything through this thing to clean it, though I do change the filter in the water tank about once a month, they are like $10 for something like 36 of them on amazon.
Yeah. We have a really good local roaster (Velo) I get my coffee from. I don't drink it often so i get whole beans and grind them as I need it.
I treated myself to a new coffeemaker a couple of years ago sort of like this one but smaller and it's been great. I also have a french press and an espresso maker I sometimes use the Press for tea as well.
Little weird things that sit on top of your cup have become oddly popular up here.
There are some great auto drips that make great coffee easily, if you are willing to pay $100-$200 for the privilege. This one http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00472MMS0 is quite well regarded; and this one http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YQZNO8 is seen as about as good as you can get below a $$$ Technivorm
I'm more of a novice than most of the users on this sub, but here is what I can recommend in terms of good ratio of quality to price (and keeping it below $100).
Grinder: Hario Mini Mill
Brew method: Hario V60
That's $50 right there, and it'll put you well past the quality of the Keurig once you do even a decent pour. You'll also need to blow ~20 bucks on a kettle, ~5 bucks on a pack of filters, and then you have to do your own research on finding beans that work for you.
Small edit: Definitely need to recommend getting kitchen scale so you can be measuring your grounds to water ratio more accurately.
I've used a coffee filter to filter my bacon fat and the end result is crystal clear, melted gold.
edit: if you find that you're needing to filter bacon fat often, I'd buy one of these, granted you aren't filtering gallons of the stuff at a time.
I haven't used this gold filter for bacon fat, but in terms of coffee making, some fine dust particles will make it through this filter. If you want something that'll filter out almost every solid, maybe you can go with this.
Wait until your fat has cooled off a bit, then plop this filter cone on top of an open jar, put a coffee filter in, and pour away. I have seen both of these filter cones in multiple grocery stores like Wal-mart and Kroger. Super cheap and reusable!
I used the Toddy system, but that's just because it was given to me by a friend. It worked out pretty well, but you can easily re-create the setup with a large mason jar, just pour through a pour over cone at the end.
Another tip which may seem obvious but I didn't think about at the time: don't be afraid to do some test brews before committing to a batch of coffee. I had never brewed coffee this way before and it came out a tad over-extracted, which came through in my stout.
I've already got a Zojirushi on the way! The one with a lid that doubles as a cup because I've heard the normal one keeps the coffee too warm to drink directly from the spout! That way I can pour it out, wait to cool for a bit and sip on it. Also better to pace my coffee drinking for the day.
I'm pretty resigned to ordering this coffee maker for now as I'm no expert. I've read that it's got the proper certifications to make a good cup and I honestly don't want to spend the time each day to make a cup of coffee by hand, especially if I want a big thermos full!
For me the French press is definitely the way to go, but the AeroPress comes pretty close and is a little easier for making a cup at a time rather than a full pot.
What I usually do is make coffee with an 8-cup sized press pot. I'll coarsely grind about half a cup of coffee, add nearly boiling water, stir it a bit to get rid of some of the bubbles and clumps, then let it sit for about 6-8 minutes or so.
To enhance the flavor you could add a little salt. Dark roasts like French are usually better for espresso or lattes; I generally use a lighter roast (Brazil Santos currently).
Get one of these Toddy Cold Brew things. Starbucks brews their cold brew in a larger one of these and it is awesome at home. Makes a cold brew concentrate, so you cut it with water when you are wanting a glass of it, so you can adjust how strong you want it. It is worth every penny and makes it a simple process. I let it brew anywhere from 16-24 hours and it is always great. Can buy cheaper beans for it too, which is nice.
The Aeropress if you drink coffee. It's £24 on Amazon at the moment but it has been under £20 before. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Coffee-Tea-Espresso/Aerobie-AeroPress-80R11-Maker/B000GXZ2GS
I don't really understand how it makes such good filter coffee, it's magic or something, but it's really easy to use and makes great super-fast one cup coffee for those who want to use filter or grind their own beans but don't want to run a full coffee maker / make loads of cups / wait around.
In my opinion, you notice the most difference with:
I'd say the most important thing is a grinder. You can go for a cheap electric blade grinder, or you could go for a slightly more expensive adjustable hand grinder. The hand grinder is great quality for the price, with the tradeoff being it can take you 3-5 minutes to grind your beans.
Start with a french press or an aeropress. Both are quick and easy, and you shouldn't have to spend more than £25 for one.
Get this and these filters for doing pourover.
You might also want this grinder, unless you want to have your local shop grind for you as well, which they will. Tell them you're grinding for pourover so they'll know how coarse.
If you decide to also get the presspot, you'll need to grind differently for that, which is why I recommend buying the grinder also. Not to mention, it's super helpful to be able to grind your own, so you can dial in your brews. Additionally, whole beans stay fresh longer than ground coffee. You'll definitely notice a difference between fresh ground and the very end of a bag of ground coffee.
All you need other than that is a way to heat water, and some beans. Do you have a kettle of some sort? Stovetop or electric will work. You want to avoid using your keurig to make hot water, as it doesn't get hot enough.
Melitta cone cup-top and pot-top filters are quite cheap and, in my opinion, do most if not all of the job of a Chemex or whatever without the financial outlay. I'd see that as your next step: Moving from the Mr. Coffee to something that brews at the right temperature.
You can simply heat water on the stovetop, until you get a better solution. Premeasure the water, so that you know to just pour the entire lot instead of guessing how much water to pour after it's heated. If you have a thermometer that goes high enough, time how long it takes that amount of freshly boiled water to cool down to your target brew temparature. If your inside conditions remain the same and you use the same vessel to heat the water, then you don't need to use the thermometer each time. Just bring the water to a boil, switch off the heat, and wait that long.
As far as using the Melitta, don't neglect to "bloom" the grounds for several seconds with a bit of that hot water, before continuing the pour. Pour the water carefully, to help keep the grounds from "climbing" the sides, where they will not extract fully. I pour some water thusly and then also tap the side of the Melitta lightly to help settle the grounds. I pour the water in a few stages, instead of all at once, again to help keep the grounds settled and so promote better extraction.
Switching to a Melitta filter made a big difference, for me. If you are concerned about quality/flavor, you want to get away from that Mr. Coffee.
P.S. Non-affiliate Amazon links, just as examples including of low prices. Not saying it need be Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6/
http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Cone-Filter-Coffeemaker-1-Count/dp/B000MIT2OK/
I already have a reputation as a bit of a coffee fiend. If I bought that thing and put it next to my bed than I wonder if the people in my life might start to become a little concerned...
This machine looks really cool and it is kind of a novelty, but it is a bit impractical. I would probably use it pretty consistently for a while and then use it less and less until it is just another thing cluttering up the place.
At any rate, I already have a Cuisinart pot with a timer in the kitchen that I use almost every day. I set it to start making coffee 15 minutes before my alarm goes off and the smell of fresh coffee coming up from the kitchen usually wakes me up before the alarm. I also love my Cuisinart coffee pot. It makes a great cup of coffee and I have had the thing forever.
I use this mason jar and these bag filters. I fill up the filter bags full with fresh coarse-ground coffee, tie it, plop it in the jar, and let it sit 12-16 hours. It has turned out well with the few beans I've tried, yields a concentrate that I dilute 1:1 with water.
I used to use the steel mesh filter that came with that mason jar, but it lets through fine particulates from the grounds. You can probably get the jar for less, but you could probably use that and just pour through a filter without using the bags.
So... mess around with what you got, if it's too strong, water it down. Doesn't have to be a perfect science as long as it tastes good!
Great, hope you enjoy! Espresso machines are pretty expensive but maybe try a V60 or an aeropress first. They produce very different cups of coffee to an espresso but you'll be able to appreciate different aspects of the coffee.
Enjoy!
It does take a long time but you aren't actually doing anything, it just sits on your counter. I typically make it at night and then its ready in the morning. Plus you're making 1-2 liters of coffee which should last you 3 or 4 days minimum unless you're a serious addict.
You can buy something like this and it makes the "work" part of it take like 2-3 minutes. I have the one i linked to you and it's great.
If you like Cuisinart and your family just wants a simple mechanism, I'd go with this. It's way below your budget, but it's really good for a simple cup of coffee. My parents are similar to you, and they've had this machine for years. Just make sure you clean it after every use! People don't seem to clean their coffee machines...
&#x200B;
It also has a timer that you can adjust to brew automatically, which I found useful when I had work at 6am.
Grinder | Hario Skerton | $39.37 @ Amazon
Kettle | Hario VKB-120HSVV60 Buono Pouring Kettle, 1.2 litre | $33.89 @Amazon Saving 49%
Coffee Dripper | Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper (size 02, white) | $19.46 @ Amazon
Grinder Upgrade | Blue Horse Products Hario Skerton Upgrade Kit | $10.99 @ Amazon
| Total | $103.71
You'd have about a hundred dollars left in budget, so you could buy an encore refurb from Baratza.
I hope my table worked:Dedit: fixed my table
A few years ago I brought a bag of good fresh coffee backpacking with a girlfriend. A plastic Melitta pour over thing and a few filters were much appreciated in the cold mornings. I just weighed my brewer and it's a whopping 58 grams, and at most grocery stores for like 5 bucks. I pretty much always bring that plus a Trangia kettle, good coffee is just hard for me to compromise on...
I like this model I got off Amazon a lot too:
Cold Brew Coffee Maker - 2 Quart - Make Amazing Cold Brew Coffee and Tea with This Durable Mason Jar with Stainless Steel Filter and Stainless Steel Lid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ATJ6AJG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pI4QBbEYT38HX
I try not to use plastic anything so suited my preferences a little better and cleans up super well.
I wish I wasn't so late to this conversation, so I'm sure I'm just a repeat comment, but my boyfriend and I have the same problem except (when) I make cold brew in the Toddy he refuses to cut the concentrate with water. Our pitcher will last two days. I don't like Starbucks coffee unless the Kati Kati blend is in season. Freshly ground on the courser side. Mhm.
Anyway, maybe you could entice him with the Toddy and a cool reusable cup? Spend a little up front and commit to a 15 minute weekly prep should help with over all savings.
Side note: I've also seen the infuser bottles (The ones for fruits and tea) work just as well, nightly prep but pretty easy and convenient.
https://www.amazon.com/Toddy-THM-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=toddy+cold+brew&qid=1566996393&s=gateway&sr=8-4
Get yourself a Toddy cold coffee maker and then hit a local grocery store and grind up a pound of their darkest/greasiest beans on the absolute coarsest grind then let that steep in your fridge for a at least 24 hours. Cold brew coffee is bright and the dark beans are the least bitter. The resulting concentrate should last you for a good week. Treat it like a strong liquor and mix a shot or two with some cold milk, ice and maybe some sugar or flavored syrup.
https://smile.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1499652642&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=toddy
Hey so I'm new and have been lurking around for a few days. I've been looking for something to get for my dad's birthday and after reading the wikis and guides, can someone please tell me if this would be considered a good set?
Links: Beans
French Press
Grinder
Any help would be really great.
edit: I'm also thinking of just getting an aeropress instead of the cafetiere, would that be a good idea?
&#x200B;
There are some really good videos about it on Youtube too. First time I tried cold brew I followed this video using the mason jar method and it turned out pretty good, just was a little messy to cleanup afterwards.
&#x200B;
As a side note, you do not necessarily need whole coffee beans to make cold brew. You can use pre-ground coffee to save some time and money, but using fresh whole beans usually produces a better tasting coffee. I use a basic hand operated coffee grinder.
You could probably get both if you get the BV1900TS . I just ordered that and the Baratza Encore for about $300 total, shipped!
After extensive research and posting, it came down to the Behmor Brazen Plus or the BV. The BV, seems to have a slight edge. Its probably the best home auto-drip coffee maker out there, right now, and its on the cheaper side of the SCA Certified Home Brewers
Take a look at this review listed under the Brazen, but its a comparison of both
On a side-note, this is probably the best review of anything I have ever seen, hands-down, ever. Also, if you live up in the moutains where boiling water is an issue, the Brazen is probably better.
My Moka Master is the only thing I can recommend because it's all I've used, when brewing pot coffee, for the past 6 years. For $300, the machine is a tank and hasn't had a hiccup once, also allows you to control the speed of the drip. At the time of purchase it was the only machine I could find that heated water to proper brewing temperature.
Moccamaster KBT 10-Cup Coffee Brewer with Thermal Carafe, Polished Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002S4DI2S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zATpzb00GT80E
If you want the best bang for your buck I wouldn't drop more than 20-30. Go with a simple V60 pour over, French press, or stovetop espresso maker. They're all cheap and and give you a good cup of coffee consistently, given you brew each method properly
Method of brew is important and all, but grinder and uniform grounds is as crucial, if not more so, and this is where I would put my money. Burr grinders are known to be the best. I use a capresso $100 burr grinder and has been a powerhouse these past few years (I'll link it below). I recommend paying the premium as well, they offer a $45 burr grinder, however, you get what you pay for. The motor is much weaker and much less consistent grinds.
Also know what ground size is necessary for each method. Coarse for French press, fine for espresso etc.
Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AR7SY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZITpzbHK420TD
Hmu if you got questions, I'm always down to talk coffee.
Totally agree! Even a cheap-ish grocery store coffee like Eight O'Clock tastes 100x better than Starbucks drip coffee to me. Especially when you buy the whole bean and grind it yourself before brewing.
I use a simple one-cup pour over cone. I got mine for about $3 at Christmas Tree Shops. I like that it's easier to clean up than a french press. Just grind the beans, put in a paper filter, and pour small amounts of hot water over the beans until the cup is full. Doesn't even compare to Starbucks.
Not really, the way my pot is set up makes it super simple. Fill it up with water(1000ml), add coarse grind coffee to the top of the filter basket (~80g). Sit it on the counter or in the fridge for about a day.
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MCPN-14B-Water-Coffee-1000ml/dp/B001VPXEBU
Best $23 I have spent on something coffee related.
I will also say that good cold brew can be made with less than premium beans. Sure good beans will yield a better cup, but $10/lb stuff will do just fine. Especially if you are like me and add a little cream or half and half with ice.
If your husband likes coffee with milk and/or sugar, you just need a good coffee maker that doesn't make really bitter coffee. I've seen people recommend this Bonavita coffee maker.
Otherwise, good beans go a long way. You can get those from most coffee shops, so if there's one you like chances are they will sell you the same beans. They can grind it for you or if you want to step it up, you can get your own basic grinder for ~50$.
Must thank /u/nom_deguerre for the comments made in this [thread] (https://www.reddit.com/r/coldbrew/comments/5159wk/made_my_first_batch_and_its_sludgy/)
Been experimenting for several weeks using the ball jar and paper filter method and had amazing beginners luck. Really rich pleasant coffee, actually slightly sweet, no acid. So convinced I was on the right track I bought one of these 64oz Cold Brewer from Amazon. First batch NOPE! All the little subtle flavors were gone. None of the little interesting nuances that made it taste like a coffee shop were gone. The stainless steel sleeve that filters the grounds from the brew had to be the culprit as that is the only thing I did different. Made 2 more small batches to confirm and the Stainless Steel Filter batch was tasteless. So now I roughly follow their ratio of two cups coarsely ground beans and fill the large Ball Jar to the top. Tightly closed I shake it it a few times the first day, top it off as the coffee absorbs some of the water and then leave it in a shady corner for 16 to 24 hours. Filter it with paper filters into smaller Ball jars and cut with water, milk, or just ice for ice coffee. Makes enough coffee to last the two of us several days. This is the first recipe I used to make the little batches NYTimes but adjust everything till you find it to be to your liking.
tldnr: filtered water, coarse grind, no metal, paper filters.
It's been mentioned, but a pour-over cone is cheaper than instant, and your coffee will be better.
My setup:
Simple. Pick your mug. Start your kettle. Put the pourover on top of your mug, put your filter in, grind/measure your coffee and put in. When the water's hot, pour it over until your cup is full.
Techniques vary, but this has got to be one of the most dead-simple ways to make cheap coffee. Plus it only takes a couple minutes. :)
Are these not available stateside?
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B001VPXEBU/ref=dp_change_lang?ie=UTF8&amp;language=en_JP
It's just a Hario pitcher with a nice filter, but it makes pretty darn good iced coffee from cold water. (I'd guess it's lower caffeine as well, which may be a good thing in summer, or not.)
Well, I am really curious about the aeropress myself. So I'd love to hear what you think of it.
The Hario V60 is a pourover, so I thought it'd be a nice change of what you're used to, experiment a little bit.. I would still reccomend it actually, it's a nice cheap addition to your collection.
Here's the v60: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-V60-Starter-Dripper-Filters/dp/B00JJIOJ7E/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_79_t_1/136-0271202-3333230?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=N44XM2YWDT3MBH06HCY1
What equipment do you currently have and how much are you willing to spend?
I decent entry level setup for pour overs would be:
This is in the order I'd suggest purchasing them as well. You'll get the best initial quality increase from fresh beans, the grinder will ensure you're getting well ground (i.e. more consistent sized granules) coffee, and the kettle is more of a nice-to-have but it's a great piece of kit.
I have the Bodum Brazil 34 oz french press and I really like it. I'm not sure if there's much of a benefit to getting a better brand/model as it's a pretty simple concept. Someone else would be better to weigh in on that. The one I have is less than $20 on Amazon.
https://amzn.com/B005ADS5FO
Do you think he'd like anatomy and physiology prints? My brother is in the medical field an found similar prints for his office that he loves.
If he's a big coffee drinker, a Toddy cold brew system might be up his alley. It makes even subpar coffee taste great, and it's less acidic that other brew methods.
A badge reel related to his field would be a nice daily use item. I'm partial to these.
I know this is asking about store bought ice coffee, but this is ridiculously easy and cheap.
Just buy one of these. All you have to do is fill the steeper to the top of the filter screen with ground coffee of your choice, pour enough cold water so it comes to the top of your ground coffee and put it in the fridge to brew overnight. It takes about 8 to 10 hours. Wake up, pull the filter out, and pour yourself the absolute best glass of ice coffee you've ever had.
IMO I think you can get better bang for your bucks, all possible with a cheaper price tag -- I've assembled a list assuming a pour over kit. Obviously you would want to get a dripper. Now, there are a lot of different kinds out there (even within the same product line e.g. plastic vs ceramic construction), amongst which the popular ones would be the Hario V60 and the Melitta, the Beehouse included. For the kettle, you can get the Bonavita Variable GooseNeck for $60 now at Amazon (it's a steal!), or the Stovetop version for $20 less. The Bonavita allows the user to manipulate the temperature much more precisely, and thus ensures more consistent consecutive cups of coffee. To be even more precise, get a scale. I have owned the Hario Slim Mill for some time now, and with some simple modification, it can grind some pretty darn consistent grinds! I think altogether this will sum total to at most the same price. And above all, make sure you buy him freshly roasted beans!
If you are looking for an automatic coffee maker this one seems to get recommended often. I have never used one myself though.
https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1517883812&amp;sr=1-6&amp;keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker
For a grinder this one is recommended often as a basic electric model. If you want to save some money and don't mind a little effort than a hand grinder like the Hario might be a good option.
https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1517884047&amp;sr=1-4&amp;keywords=baratza+encore+grinder
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B01LXZACFB/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1517884146&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=hario+skerton+pro
Tips:
Don't drink it, you are transforming a good beverage into a bad drink.
You know when you add more coffee to a regular coffee maker make it slightly strong with good taste? Well is not the same for instant coffe, only makes it worst.
*I'm a broken student too, and I offer you two solutions that worked for me: This cheap plastic coffee maker that you put on top of your coffee mug and you buy a permanent filter and you are done.
Don't like it? Well This awesome french press save my life at work, no filters! Just add hot watter wait a couple of minutes and you have a tasty fresh made coffe.
I hope it helps, and remember instant coffee it's never the answer.
Heck yes he is- and visa versa, of course. Last time I saw him live, he was wearing a Yelich shirsey, gotta love that.
I really like the new album- I was a huge fan of his last record, and this seems to continue to evolve his sound in some exciting ways.
I make my own cold brew in a toddy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qkjtDbHZAK9A3. It’s great, but the access to unlimited caffeine has definitely lead to some sweaty palms before.
I'm not familiar with that machine but it looks like just a regular drip coffee maker?
If you are making multiple cups of coffee I would recommend one of the popular drip machines. I like the Bonavita models, e.g. the Bonavita BV1900TS. (They also make a smaller model but I don't have any experience with it.)
I'd have to recommend looking away from a pod based machine. Because it's pre-ground the coffee is stale already when you buy it. In addition to using stale coffee these machines aren't capable of producing enough pressure (9 bars) to produce real espresso. Instead of opting for a machine I'd get an aeropress.
An [Aeropress,] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GXZ2GS/) [grinder,] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001802PIQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PE85xb5KY6678) [scale,] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004164SRA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_NG85xb8VP81H3) and [kettle] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IGOXLS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8J85xbF33PVD0) will be cheaper than the Nescafe and will produce significantly better coffee.
The nice part about the aeropress is its simplicity and versatility. You can use it as an espresso substitute for Lattes and milk drinks, drink it black for a clean, bold cup, or dilute it to an americano for a traditional cup of coffee. Make sure to get some fresh beans from a local roaster too!
I think the two most important questions are: what are some coffees that you've had and like? What sort of work are you willing to put into it?
My personal recommendation would be to get a Baratza Encore grinder, a digital scale, a gooseneck kettle of some sort, a Chemex, and a French Press. All that should easily fit within your budget. And of all the accessories I have, on 90% of the days I don't use anything other than those. Well, and some coffee beans.
But that will take some work -- measuring, grinding, pouring, waiting, more pouring. It will make much better coffee than any automated machine, but maybe you don't care that much and it sounds like too much work. In that case, the Technivorm Moccamaster and Bonvavita 1900 TS are good options for automatic drip machines.
EDTIT: Sorry, I missed "automatic" in the text. I still don't think that will give you the best coffee, but if you're set on it, ignore everything I said except the Technivorm and Bonavita.
Stumptown, Coava, and Water Avenue are all award winning roasters out of Portland. A good burr grinder will run you about $120. For my brewer I have been using this powerhouse for the past 5 years. Excellent brewer.
My simple guide for UK beginners.
Don't waste your money buying fancy AA single estate small batch beans because you just won't get the best out of them. You want a reliable and inexpensive blend that doesn't need a chemistry degree and £300 worth of equipment to achieve good results every time.
I would go as far as to recommend new comers just pick up some decent supermarket branded beans to practice your technique and figure out what type of coffees work for you. The when you become more confident with your method feel free to start exploring more luxury beans.
Well, I just moved for the first time in 7 years... I had been getting coffee at my local shop EVERY morning since they opened over the 4 years ago.
So, I am relatively new to brewing my own coffee-- around 2 weeks actually. I went out and bought the stuff for Father's day.
My setup.
Black & Decker Grinder - Not great, but it really works. I got it at a local store new for $22.
[Chefman Water Kettle] - Fucking amazing and quick - $39.99 same local store.
[Boodum French Press 8cup] - I love this thing - $21 at Target.
Wooden spoon for stirring & hand painted mug.
Wanted to get some feedback on mysetup. Apparently the grinder is not amazing, but it seems to be working just fine for me on the coarser setting.
I use this brewer:
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Iced Coffee Pot/Maker (1000ml, Brown) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I7JKAQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Ri9BybSC24YXV
It's pretty easy to use, just put about 100 grams of coffee in the filter, fill it up with water, stir, and put it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. To make my iced coffee I use a cup of cold brew, a cup of whole milk, and two tablespoons of either chocolate or caramel syrup. I've also mixed honey and caramel, it's pretty awesome.
Yes, ditch it. You'll get better coffee for less money with less environmental waste from any of the methods suggested here.
I'll put in my vote for what got me into pour-overs, and which never seems to get much love on this sub: a good old fashioned Melitta drip cone, which makes a more than decent cup of coffee with easily obainable (and cheap) filters with a minimum of fuss. You can pick up a small one that's perfect for one or two cups for under ten bucks, and a set with a larger cone which also includes a glass carafe (perfect for making multiple cups at once) for not much more than that.
https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Coffee-Single-Pour-Over-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6
https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-640446-Pour-Over-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0000CFLCT
While a french press is good I highly recommend the AeroPress. It works similar to a french press but is much easier to use and clean. I switched to the Aeropress about two months ago from a decend drip maker and have been using it every single day since. Its also the quickest way to make coffee which I like because I'm often in a rush.
Seriously? Seriously?! A French press costs $20. Assuming it lasts a year (conservative estimate) and you drink 5 cups of coffee/week, that's $0.08 per cup of coffee. If you get your beans ground fresh where you buy them you don't need to buy a grinder. Water + the energy required to boil it has got to be like $0.30 (I rent my apartment so don't directly pay for water & electricity, correct me if I'm wrong).
If you are serious, then you sir, are intensely frugal. I hope you're joking though. You could save more money employing the most frugal cliche of all: reusing sandwich bags.
For the price of that baratza encore you can get a porlex hand grinder, which is wonderfully durable and extremely consistent for a hand grinder, a Chemex, and this scale. I apologize in advance for the ugly links - I'm on my phone. This is the setup I use at work and I love it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002JZCF2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1404223324&amp;sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000YWF5E?cache=9ada7d74e8bb83d5e4a86ca38f89940c&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;qid=1404223352&amp;sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001RF3XJ2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1404223399&amp;sr=8-1
I like my Hario Mizudashi a lot. Makes about 1000mL per batch. Really easy and delicious. I do a coarse grind, cold bloom, and 36 hours in the fridge. I've done 12/24 hours batches and they are very good too, I just prefer the 36.
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Mizudashi-Coffee-Maker-1000ml/dp/B001VPXEBU