Reddit mentions: The best coffee, tea & espresso

We found 8,830 Reddit comments discussing the best coffee, tea & espresso. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 1,927 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

10. Melitta Single-Cup Pour Over Coffee Brewer, Black

    Features:
  • 1 cup capacity
  • Black
  • Brew A Phenomenal Cup of Coffee
  • Cone Fits All Cups
  • Fast Easy Clean up
Melitta Single-Cup Pour Over Coffee Brewer, Black
Specs:
ColorBlack
Height5 Inches
Length5.5 Inches
Number of items1
Size1 Count
Weight0.18125 Pounds
Width5 Inches
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14. De'Longhi EC155 15 Bar Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker,Black

    Features:
  • EVERY CUP TO YOUR LIKING: 15-bar professional pressure assures quality results every time, and adjustable controls allow you to make modifications for your personal taste preferences.
  • BREW LIKE A PRO: Whatever your preference – single or double espresso, cappuccino or latte – the machine brews authentic barista-quality beverages just like you enjoy at your favorite coffeehouse.Input power (W): 1050
  • YOUR FOAM, YOUR WAY: A manual frother mixes steam and milk to create a rich, creamy froth for evenly textured drinks – just the way you like them.
  • ONE ESPRESSO SHOT OR TWO. The three-in-one filter holder, included with the unit, has filters for one espresso shot, two shots, and one for an easy-serve espresso pod – whatever your preference.
  • NO WAITING BETWEEN CUPS: The Advanced Cappuccino System maintains the optimal temperature so you can brew cup after cup instantly.
  • SLEEK SPACE-SAVING DESIGN: With a sleek profile, compact design and narrow footprint, the EC155 fits beautifully on a kitchen countertop – without taking up too much space.
  • CONVENIENT WATER TANK: The water tank is simple to remove, refill and reattach, and the water level is easily visible to eliminate the guesswork.
  • EASY TO CLEAN: Removable water tank and drip tray make for easy cleanup, and the parts are dishwasher safe.
De'Longhi EC155 15 Bar Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker,Black
Specs:
ColorBlack
Height15 Inches
Length19.3 Inches
Size1
Weight6.6800065386 Pounds
Width12.2 Inches
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🎓 Reddit experts on coffee, tea & espresso

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, tea & espresso are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Total score: 281
Number of comments: 70
Relevant subreddits: 1
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Total score: 47
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Total score: 29
Number of comments: 29
Relevant subreddits: 3

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Top Reddit comments about Coffee, Tea & Espresso:

u/simsoy · 2 pointsr/tea

Sorry, generic tea copypasta coming though here.

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New to Tea? New to loose leaf? Let me help.

Hello, new friend. So you've stumbled your way into /r/tea, you probably though this was a subreddit for the Mr. T, but no worries you're here and you're in good hands. We're all tea fiends and we're all eager to share our fifteen minutes of meditation, our hobby and our little slice of heaven. So why should you consider switching from Lipton to something crazy like leaves some Chinese person picked off a tea bush?

  • Loose Leaf tea is often higher quality than your traditional tea bags.

  • Less preservatives or additives.

  • A greater variety of teas that are too delicate for tea bags or can't be effectively brewed that way.

  • Greater access to fine teas, you can't find good premium teas in tea bags.

  • It's more cost effective. You can pick up Twinning's Irish Breakfast tea (20 tea bags) for $2.99 at your local supermarket and that'll make you 20 cups of tea. With loose leaf tea you can buy 125 grams of Irish Breakfast from Upton Tea for $5.60, which will make you 100-150 cups of tea. You can re-brew the same tea leaves two or three times when it comes to loose leaf, but with a tea bag all the water penetrates the "tea dust" the first go.

  • It tastes better. That's 100-150 cups of far better tea than Twinnings. Not to say you can't get good tea out of a tea bag, but you'll get better tea with more control/flexibility when it come to loose leaf.

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    So, Where To Start??

    ^^buy ^^theses ^^teas ^^first!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Where | Why?
    ---|---
    GoodLife Tea's $7 for 7 Sampler | Free Shipping! Robb has a fantastic variety of tasty high quality tea important for building up your tea pallet.
    Verdant's Five Teas for $5 | Free Shipping! Again, Verdant sells some premium quality tea. Think of their sampler as a crash course into the rich people's side of tea. But the catch with tea is that it's a lot more affordable than wine could ever hope to be. The sampler is great for building up your tea preferences and giving you a kickstart in the right direction.
    Upton Tea | My personal favorite store, they send a nice little paperback catalog every quater. They sell a huge variety of teas, from traditional English Breakfast to Tie-Guan-Yin. Not only that but they sell their teas in different grades meaning you can dabble in what is traditionally an expensive tea by trying a lower quality (but still delicious and tasty) grade of tea. You can find the grade and variety of tea that matches your wallet and taste. They also sell cheap samplers, if you wish you can take $20 and order around 15 samples and see where your cuppa takes you.
    Adagio | A personal favorite of /r/tea if you can find a store nearby! But don't fret, most of us buy our tea online so no worries if you're in Kodiak, Alaska and can't get down to an Adagio. They sell nice quality tea, their stores people are incredibly informed and helpful (unlike a certain Starbucks owned tea store). They also have Adagio XL which sells tea in bulk.
    Harney & Sons | Amazon Prime Shipping. I love my Amazon account, that's usually by go to place online shopping and being able to two-day ship a simple tin of Harney & Sons tea without the shipping cost is fantastic. They sell lots of teas and they're all very good. Maybe not the premium tea you'll see Chinese diplomats drinking but they in my opinion sell tea that all tastes great.
    Coffee Bean Direct | Who knew a place called
    Coffee Bean Direct* sold tea too? Again, with Amazon Prime Shipping this seems to be the place to buy tea in bulk. They're well reviewed and their tea seems to be good. If you're like me and cold brew ice tea frequently then this might be the best place to pick up some bulkier tea to last you the season.
    Crimson Lotus | Owned by a frequenter of /r/tea, Puerh_Lover stocks a great store with lots of neat little stuff. Be warned, he caters to pu'er which is a type of fermented tea pressed into bricks or pellets. In other words this is a special variety of tea that needs special equipment and special knowledge to brew. Don't fret if you're not walking out of /r/tea after a day brewing in a gaiwan.
    White2Tea | More lovely pu'er.
    Yunnan Sourcing | Again, more pu'er, but also lots of green and white teas too. They sell teaware for good prices too so if you're looking to pick up a traditional china teacup or gaiwan this is a good place to get that.
    What-Cha | Another beloved store on /r/tea, but they're pretty pricey at times. But you can always expect good quality tea and a looser wallet from here.

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    Just How Do You Make Tea?

    Traditional Western | Gongfu | Cold Brew
    ---|---|----
    The way you're probably familiar with when it comes to brewing tea, all it requires is a teapot like this one (I highly recommend this teapot). Western or Traditional works well with every kind of tea. It's the universal method of making tea and the best place to start. | This kind of brewing is very specific as it only works with Chinese type teas like pu'er. This method of making tea is hands down the best way to make a Chinese styled tea and does wonders to enhance and bring out the best in the leaves. But this method wont work for a cuppa English Breakfast or Japanese Sencha. To brew Gongfu style you use a gaiwan which is fancy talk for a tiny cup with a lid. The idea behind Gongfu is more leaves, less water and time. You use micro-infusions instead of waiting minutes like Western or hours like Cold Brewing. | Cold Brewing is for those of us who just love iced tea. It's simple to cold brew, a vessel like this will brew a mean pitcher of ice tea. All you have to do is leave the leaves in the filter and wait 5-12 hours for the tea to brew, perfect for leaving overnight. Fair Warning: tea can go bad, the kind of stuff you'd buy at the store has a massive amount of preservatives in it. Keep your cold brewing tea out of the sunlight and don't let it sit for more than 48 hours.

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    On Kettles

    So you're going to need a way to keep your water hot. A stovetop kettle is probably the most accessible and the biggest no brainer out of everything here. A microwave heats water inconsistently, can leave an odd taste if your microwave isn't properly clean, and you really don't have a good way of knowing how hot the water is. Temperature is important. Brewing a cuppa green tea in boiling water will result in a pretty shitty cup of tea, and brewing some black tea in the water appropriate for green tea will result in a disappointing cuppa.

    You also have electric kettles like the Cuisinart CPK-17 which is going to cost as much as a decent coffee machine but if tea is your caffeine fix then it might be worth it. The Cuisinart is a variable temperature kettle meaning you just have to press a button and it makes the water the appropriate temperature for whatever kind of tea you're drinking.


    Tea | Temperature
    ---|---
    Black | 212
    Green | 175
    White | 190
    Oolong | 185
    Pu'er | 212
    Herbal | 212

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    Where To Buy Tea Equipment? What Equipment Might You Want To Buy?

    Umi Tea Sets sells lots of cute tea sets. They also sell pretty much any kind of vessel you can brew tea in, from Yixing to Japanese tea sets.

    Mr. Coffee Tea Kettle A simple, $10 stovetop kettle to boil some water. It seems to have a little hole in it for a thermometer to go in if you need to measure your water temperature.

    Glass Whistling Kettle I have one of these, you can tell water temperature from the bubbles if you learn to read them well. It’s pretty handy but if I could I would exchange it for the Mr. Coffee.

    CPK-17 Electronic Kettle probably the device that makes most of /r/tea’s mouths water (that might just be the tea). This is pretty much the best electronic kettle you can buy, cheaper than a K-Cup Coffee machine. It has temperatures for making all kinds of tea labeled nicely. I have one and I love it.

    OTHER

    Want to find the right kind of tea for you? Here’s a tea discovery wheel! Try it out here.
u/Picrophile · 1 pointr/cigars

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

u/spankymuffin · 1 pointr/Coffee

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)

u/mikeTRON250LM · 1 pointr/Coffee

> I really want to learn to make good coffee at home so that my wife is happy to wake up in the morning. Plus, I'd like to save some money instead of going to Starbucks every morning. I don't personally like coffee (I wish I did. Closest I came to enjoying coffee was drinking a caramel brulée latte from Starbucks last Christmas) but I find the craft of it absolutely fascinating. And I'm really interested in learning to get my wife's perfect cup of coffee down to a science. (And if I learn to enjoy coffee, all the better)

So I started down this exact path about 8 or 9 years ago for my gal as well. I also had no interest in coffee but enjoyed the convergence of art & science.

Anyway the following is what I ended up with [and what I paid].

  • [$100 refurbished from the Baratza Store] Baratza Encore - Most people argue this is the best grinder for the money when the budget is tight
  • [$30] Aeropress - This is a great way to make a single cup of coffee
  • [$40 on sale] Bonavita BV382510V 1.7L Digital Variable Temperature Gooseneck Kettle - Awesome way to manage the temperature of the water for brewing
  • [$40 on sale] Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale and Timer - very important to measure the weight of Water and Coffee PLUS extraction time


    You can be patient like I did and buy over time to get things on sale but after owning each item for multiple years now I can wholeheartedly recommend each component.

    All in a buddy was using a Keurig for the past few years and when it broke he reached out to me for the same thing. He bought everything but the scale (it was almost $70 when he was buying) and his wife is in LOVE with the setup. The neat thing is once you get the grinder and scale your options to multiple brewing methods opens up. Then with the water kettle you can then use it all for the Aeroporess, Kalita Wave, Chemex, V60, Clever Dripper (ETC) brewing methods.

    Anyway once you have good enough gear you can then start trying finding local roasters and different beans. We have tried a few local joints and just recently found a few beans roasted fresh that are substantially better than anything we were purchasing in grocery stores. Alternatively there are SO many online stores to try (and a biweekly friday thread on r/coffee for what beans people are currently trying).

    Compared to the $5+ a drink at starbucks we make great coffee at home for typically less than $1 a cup and it takes less than 5 minutes all in, including cleanup.
u/InnerOrbiter · 1 pointr/hearthstone

What price range are you talking about? Here's some gifts divided into categories and price:

Lord of the Rings (Does she like LotR?):

  • LotR Lego - You said she was smart and likes things to be clean, so I'm going to assume she likes decorating. And what's better than decorating your house with things you have built yourself? These sets range from $29.99 to $199.99. Check out the rest out!
  • The One Ring - Ranges from $59.95 to $99.99. If she likes it, she will wear it multiple times a week.
  • Arwen's Evenstar Pendent - Ranges from $72.99 to $149.00 (I like the higher end products myself). Subtle, fancy, and looks nice when going out.
  • Sting - For the sword and the scabbard it's going to almost always cost around 174.98. Hang it on the wall, use it for home protection, it's shiny, ect.

    Games:

  • Zombie Dice - BLARRGH BRAINZ FOR $13.13 ARRRUUGGH SUPER CASUAL FUNNY
  • Munchkin - Very casual party game with lots of expansions. Listed at $24.95 on their website, but it usually will sell for ~$20 at your local Barnes & Nobel or Target.
  • DOMINION - I bolded this suggestion because it is a card game and this is the Hearthstone sub-reddit. A brilliant German Board Game which invented the genre of deck-building games. Players draw 5 cards from their deck every turn, using the cards they draw to buy more cards for their deck. When they have no new cards to draw, they shuffle their discard pile back into the deck and keep on playing. If you enjoy the deck building element of any card game, this game is immensely fun. The base set is $30.30 on Amazon right now.
  • Settlers of Catan - Want to get into more hardcore board gaming? This is the gateway game to start. Being another German Board Game, it focuses on non-combat economic decision making. That doesn't mean you cant screw eachother over, as in any good board game. The site asks for $42.00. Again, this game has a lot of expansions. I like the Star Trek Version which goes for $49.99.

    Other:

  • Espresso Machine - Does she like Coffee? For ~$79.00 you could cut out Starbucks entirely from your life. If you go to Starbucks every other day, this will pay for itself in just over a month.
  • Record Player - Nothing beats some nice Analog sound, it's so much more real to me. These vary all over in price depending on what you want out of it. Here's a really nice one for $150.98. Just go to BestBuy/Walmart to find one more precisely for what you're looking for. Here's one of my favorite records of all time. Here's a really sexy big band one.
  • Wacom Tablet - Is she artistic at all? One of these for ~$229.99 and she'll be able to draw beautiful things on her computer.
  • A good memory - Take her on a nice date. Inform her she will need to dress well and rent a tux. Go out to an expensive local restaurant and split a meal. Both walk in overdressed and own it. Watch the sun set. Go home, pour her some wine and give her a massage. Bathe each other. Watch her favorite show all night. Go out for breakfast and watch the sun rise. Something different; something exciting! Live life in a routine? CHANGE THE ROUTINE. She will not forget it and this is the best gift you can give her.

    These are my main suggestions, for everything else there's Think Geek. But really, browse this site.

    ^^Moved ^^from ^^your ^^original ^^comment ^^to ^^the ^^thread, ^^as ^^was ^^original ^^intended ^^location.
u/MikeTheBlueCow · 7 pointsr/Coffee

That grinder will possibly give you issues with pour over. V60 is really picky too, and you will probably want a gooseneck kettle to use with it to make it much easier to get a good cup. The potential issue with that grinder (or similarly priced ones, which are all knock-offs of another hand grinder) is that it might give you a really inconsistent grind with a lot of fines, which could cause your pour over brew times to vary wildly and take far too long (ruining your coffee).

How much coffee do you want to make at once? If only one cup, here's what I recommend:

  • You can keep that grinder and instead of a pour over (which is pickier about grinder + kettle type), get something like an AeroPress ($30). Also, get a scale too, to weigh out your beans + water in order to get a consistently good cup, every time.

    If you want a larger amount of coffee (though you might find making your own coffee with fresh beans gives you more of a kick of caffeine than a cup from McD), then pour over is a good way to go, but will probably require more and better equipment in order for it to not suck. The V60 is the pickiest pour over about grind consistency. I don't make large batches, so maybe someone else can chime in with recommendations for devices that might handle a lower quality grind. But no matter what, a better grinder will improve both your ability to make pour over, and the taste of the coffee. If you want to stick with pour over, here's what I recommend for equipment in order for it to not be hard and get coffee that doesn't suck out of it:

  • Get the same scale I linked above. This is important for consistency; without weighing your coffee and water amount you can easily vary between making strong or weak coffee from day to day. It'll suck and be confusing. Scales are awesome and make everything easy.
  • Get a good-enough grinder, at the very least. When it comes to coffee, the best grinder you can afford is the way to go, it'll make your coffee taste better and with pour over you'll be able to be better at making your coffee. For me, bare minimum is the Baratza Encore. For the same price point but better grind, see if you can get a Feldgrind. Or pre-order the Aergrind for a great deal. A Lido or Helor are good options too.
  • A gooseneck kettle will be important too. V60 is very difficult without one if you want good coffee. Other pour overs you may be able to handle without needing a gooseneck, but it makes anything easier if you have the free cash flow. A good inexpensive one is the Hario Buono.

    And I would recommend going with white/bleached filters instead of the natural/brown ones. The nat/brown ones always have a strong paper taste you can't really get rid of.

u/Dacvak · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Hey man, let me hit you with my personal coffee journey. It worked super well for me, and it starts pretty entry-level. I highly recommend.

So, first and foremost, you need to start with pourover. Here's a pretty cheap starter set. Then you'll also need a kitchen scale, here's one of the smallest, most accurate ones I've found.

I'd also recommend getting an automatic burr grinder, which isn't exactly entry level, so it could be a secondary purchase if you find that you really want to get ball-deep into coffee. I started off with the Infinity Grinder, which worked well for me until I got an espresso machine (more on that later). But for pourover and most other methods (aeropress, coffee maker, even shit like siphon coffee, it's perfectly fine). Having an electric grinder is just going to make your life easier overall. But if you don't want to jump right into that, you could use the grinder included in the set I listed (I've never used it - it's probably not great, but I'm sure it'll work).

And that's all you need to make one god damn good cup of coffee. I've spent thousands of dollars on coffee equipment over the years, but for me, the best way to brew a simple cup of coffee is using a pourover method. And it's incredibly fun!

Now, once you've got a few months of pourover under your belt, it may be time to move onto other methods of brewing. Grab yourself an Aeropress. Aeropress effectively is the midpoint between normal coffee and espresso. It absolutely does not make real espresso, regardless of what anyone tells you, but that doesn't mean what it makes isn't super delicious. Plus it lets you start experimenting with the closest thing you'll be able to get to cappuccinos, and other fun things like flavored lattes when you have company over and want to impress them with some tasty java.

The Aeropress is fantastic, and it's ridiculously easy to clean. It's a nice way to be able to travel with a decent coffee maker, too.

Then, once you've got a couple years of delicious coffee down, it's time to get into the big leagues. Espresso.

Holy fuck dude. Espresso is complicated, and you really have to throw away everything you thought you knew about coffee. I know how pretentious that sounds, but it's super true. What I went with was a Crossland CC1, which was mainly because I got it for cheap on Craigslist for $400. But, warning, the Infinity Grinder will not grind accurate enough for espresso. For that you'll need something like a Baratza Hario or Sette 270 (I went with the Sette 270).

Anyway, that's waaaaaaaaay in your future. I'd highly recommend just starting off with pourover and some great beans (check locally, or order from Intelligentsia).

Enjoy your journey, bro. It's a great world out there.

u/aoeudhtns · 2 pointsr/Coffee

This really comes down to preference. The good thing is that a lot of these methods are inexpensive, although I don't know your financial situation.

First, you'll want a kettle with controllable temp. There are better, but this Bonavita is ~$50 and totally gets the job done. You'll be able to use this to boil water for cooking, control temps for different types of teas, as well as tweak your brew temp for coffee. I use mine a ton! This device is useful with pour-over, Aeropress, French Press, moka pot, and manual espresso methods. A digital scale is also useful for weighing your beans/grinds, and potentially weighing your cup when pouring.

You can get a ceramic (personally I would pass on plastic) dripper for $12-$20. There are two filter styles: V60 (cone) and Melitta (flat-bottom). Some people love the V60 - I haven't tried one though. I have a Melitta flat-bottom style. I get my filter paper from Trader Joe's; I think it's $1.99 for 100.

The Aeropress is ~$30 and an excellent brew system. It does seem to prefer finer grinds, which oxidize very quickly so fresh-ground is important. French Press is similar in cost, somewhere in the $20 - $40 range for a basic press. You may want to watch this video if you go with the press.

You can't go wrong with these three as starter methods - they all produce good, and slightly different, coffee. However, there's one thing that we need to address, as it's also important:

Grind and bean selection.

Using whole beans and grinding fresh can make a huge difference in your coffee. In addition, the consistency of the grind makes a difference as well, including the amount of fines that your grinder generates. (Fines are ultra-small particles, like dust.) If you are on a budget, you might want a good hand grinder like the Hario Skerton (~$45 - not so great for course grinds though). If you have a bit more money, you might want to look at the Capresso 560.01 (~80). Both of these selections have shortcomings, but they're pretty inexpensive too while still providing a decent quality result. These are just two quick picks - please take the time to dig some more and do your own research. People are highly opinionated about grinders. ;)

OK, last but not least, bean selection. There's a lot of different flavor profiles to be had out there. One problem with Keurig brewers is that the K-cups tend to have pretty cheap, low-quality coffee in them. There's an issue of both the beans that are being used, and your own preferences of different roast levels, and even what roast levels work the best with the given beans. There's no shortcut here other than your own personal experimentation. But I will advise, generally, that you should neither blow your budget on boutique coffee when starting, nor should you go as cheap as possible.

You could potentially stop by a local coffee shop and inquire about pour-overs and French Press. It'll cost a little more but they'll let you pick exactly which beans to try, and you can even contrast methods as well.

Good luck!

u/SnarkDolphin · 4 pointsr/Coffee

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...

u/sehrgut · 1 pointr/Coffee

Don't listen to the Aeropress people (like me). They're a cult. ;-)

J/K (sorta) . . . but if his general aesthetic shies away from the modern, he may use it quite rarely. I love my Aeropress, but it still feels all "modern and plastic" to me, and there are times I just don't want my coffee to involve anything modern or plastic, so I leave it in the cabinet and reach for my Chemex or French press.

In general, for any hobby, I recommend the things that are both the most useful and the least specific.

I honestly wouldn't get him any brewing device, since he's still at the stage where he's learning what he likes. If he decides he doesn't like an Aeropress or a V60 or a Chemex or anything else we like, it'll never be used. However, a good kettle, a good scale, and a good grinder are all very versatile (he can use them immediately with his press) and very non-specific (he can use them with any brewing method he settles on).

My recommendations are:

  1. Hario Slim or Hario Skerton hand grinder, depending on whether you think being small for travel or large for serving more than two people will be more important to him.
  2. Bonavita electronic kettle to enable him to brew any temperature he wants, for any brewing method he wants. The gooseneck spout is really important if he ends up liking manual pourover methods, too, even though it's more expensive than the plain kettle. (Versatility, and all that.)
  3. Any of the scales recommended in the brew guide: weighing both the coffee and the water become very important the more into coffee fanaticism you get. :-)

    You're right to leave the beans out of your calculations. Besides being entirely a matter of taste, it goes stale very quickly (a month old is pushing it). Though a gift certificate to a local coffee roaster wouldn't be amiss!

    I'm not sure what your price range is, but since you say that a nice mug was one option, I'm going to guess it's $30 or less. In that case, probably the hand grinder or the scale are your most likely options. Either of them will be something he'll use forever (regardless of what brewing methods he ends up liking), and will be a great contribution to his hobby.

    (Also, my gf just asked me, "So what are you telling her?" Maybe I can spin this for some good gear for me too! :-D )

    Edit: As far as the scale goes, a cheap electronic scale from Harbor Freight in the $15 range is perfectly serviceable (and in fact, I use one from there at work). You're looking for hundredths of an ounce or tenths of a gram precision.
u/TehoI · 2 pointsr/Coffee

I own a virtuoso and I love it. Grind quality for anything that isn't espresso is going to be about as good as anything that isn't $2700. The Lido is of course a great grinder, but I really think the no-effort aspect of the Virtuoso is underrated. I just made three cups of the same coffee in different ways - a side by side test is so much better than comparing days apart. I don't think I would have done that if I had to manually grind it out each time.

Pourover, V60 or Kalita are your best bet. Kalita is more forgiving but I think the V60 is more flexible once you get used it it. You should also look at getting an Aeropress - it is what got me used to stronger coffee and ultimately espresso.

Other gear, if you're doing pourover you need a gooseneck kettle. This one is great if you can swing it, otherwise any gooseneck will do. A scale like this one will be your best friend too.

EDIT: Disclaimer: I would not plan on using either of those grinders on espresso. The Lido is certainly more capable for that specific task, but ultimately you will want a grinder for espresso use only for two reasons:

1). Grind quality is SUPER important for espresso, and the Lido might get you to mid-range in that capacity. Plus adjustabilty is an issue here, so while the Virtuoso can grind to espresso fineness, it can not take small enough steps to get a truly great cup.

2). Switching from brew to espresso is a pain, and it will decrease the quality of your espresso. You need to "dial in" espresso, which is finding a very specific grind setting and recipe for a specific bean. Switching back and forth will completely disrupt that process on top of just being a pain.

Now, both grinders will be fantastic for brew and I would highly recommend both of them for that purpose. The above just something to be aware of.

u/user_1729 · 5 pointsr/Coffee

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!

u/clay_target_clubs · 3 pointsr/Coffee

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.

u/sherpasojourner · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Ok I am going to try to answer every question

  1. 100% worth it. The difference in taste is indescribable. With a good burr grinder and an aero press the coffee will be immeasurably better. And, you can measure a system were it will take you maybe 5 minutes, tops. Heck, you can even pre measure the water and coffee the night before if you need to save time.

  2. This is hard to answer since everyone's choices are different. I have never seen a mug recommend on here that I loved, they always seem to be really tacky in my opinion, I guess I just don't like novelty mugs. One thing that is mostly a safe bet is going to a local roaster or a good roster online and buying there branded mugs, a lot of those are really cool. This one from Kickapoo Roatsers is really cool for instance. A lot of stump towns diner mugs are really nice.In addition, A lot of these are really unique, albeit pricy. But these are all personal preferences, find what you like.

  3. Starbucks is very contervesial on this subreddit. What follows here is my personal opinion. First, if there is a Starbucks that sells reserve near you, you are in luck because those bags are mostly quite good. The problem with most of Starbucks roasts is that they are so dark most are undrinkable, as lighter roasts typically bring out the natural flavors in coffee. The only semi good ones are there "light" or "blond" roasts, and even then those are pretty average. Some of there single origin, like the (now out of season) Guatemalan Casi Cielo were decent quality. I would first try out local roasters with actually freshly roasted beans, and if there are absolutely none with some good freshly roasted beans near you, then online would be a good place to start. Try some of the big (all good) ones like blue bottle, intelligentsia, or stump town. One I don't see recommended on here a lot is La Colombe, which is quite delicious, I loved there Hatian.

    Lastly, and most importantly, BUY A GOOD BURR GRINDER. Freshly ground truly does make all the difference. A good starter is the Hario Skerton availiable on Amazon, or a Hario mini mill, also on Amazon.

    I hope this helps! Good luck man!
u/Kalahan7 · 1 pointr/Coffee

You need a couple of things but we can make it with the lower end of your budget.

A good burr grinder. Your biggest investment but also the most important one. For pretty much everyone here I would recommend the Berata Encore. A fantastic electric grinder that grinds really well for every brewing method out there except for real espresso.

If you think you might want to get a grinder that will be great for espresso as well, look into high end manual hand grinders like a Lido. They costs between $200 and $250. They require manual labor of course but it takes about 20 to 25 seconds to grind for a single cup. Not that big of a deal.

An Aeropress itself. Around $40 I think. Comes with paper filters that will last you a long time. They also sell reusable metal filters that give a distinct, more french-press like, tasting coffee. Worth a try but non essential.

A kettle/water cooker. Probably have those already. Don't need anything especial like a gooseneck for Aeropress. If you're looking to invest, buy a gooseneck kettle with build in thermometer like this one. They will be very helpful if you expand the hobby beyond aeropress.

A 0.1g scale. A scale that works with a precision of 0.1grams. Costs around $17 on Amazon. If you buy one, buy one with a build in timer. Very handy it doesn't cost more. If you have a regular kitchen scale, this one is a bit optional but if you want consistent results you need a precise scale.

About Aeropress. It's one of my favorite brewing methods. Very fun to use and can brew a wide range of coffee. However, it doesn't do espresso. It can make a very strong cup of coffee. It can even do crema if you use it right. Just not actual espresso. It just can't. Doesn't provide enough pressure.

u/greqrg · 1 pointr/Coffee

I'm in a similar situation as you, and I've recently gotten my coffee tools up to a level that I'm happy to stick with for a while. Last week I bought a cheap CuisinArt burr grinder on sale for $50. This grinder is a huge step up from my blade grinder. It obviously isn't as consistent as a $200+ grinder, but it does exactly what I need it to do.

Last week ago I also ordered one of these as a cheap substitute for fancier pouring kettles. It just came in a few days ago and it works great. It's a lot smaller than it looks in the pictures (check the dimensions on the website), but it's perfect for brewing a single cup like I typically do.

We have one of those pour-overs at work and it works pretty well, but honestly I don't use it enough to have a good opinion on it. It's definitely better designed than a Melitta though (I like the wide whole at the bottom, compared to Melitta's dripper). I personally use a Chemex, which isn't too cheap, but I've fallen in love with the coffee it produces. (On a side note, the Chemex filters are what do the trick, and I've even heard about people using the filters with the harios. I'd look into it if it sounds like something you might be interested in.)

Also, I think the major thing that will make you better coffee with a simple setup like this is to find good beans. I found a local roaster that makes some beans I've quickly fallen in love with. (And I must be doing something right because I think I make better coffee than what I can order there.)

u/Del_Sol · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Broke college student here, I'm also a barista that's use to having amazing, freshly roasted coffee. So far, no one has lied. AMAZING espresso IS expensive. But can you make a latte as well as your local cafe? With a little practice, time and money, yes.

My current home setup consists of a Delonghi EC155, this is a true espresso machine, it's not steam powered and with a little modification and practice makes good espresso. Modification wise the only thing I'd recommend is depressurizing the portafilter basket, which is easy. If you ever want a better machine but don't want to spend the money you can modify it even more. They're vary popular machines and can be modified to pull amazing shots. They go anywhere from 70-130, however, occasionally things get repacked or the packaging gets damaged in the warehouse. They'll offer them at a hefty discount, I just got mine "reboxed" from amazon for 47 dollars, wait a few days and one will come up. If you use your student email you can get Amazon Prime for free, take advantage of that.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396498476&sr=8-1&keywords=delonghi+ec155

I also got this tamper, works well, it's a little light for my tastes but for home use it's fine. The EC155 has a 52mm basket, if having a 50mm tamper bothers you then pay the extra few bucks for a 52mm tamper. Personally doesn't bother me, and it was only 7 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Espresso-Tamper-Sizes-Alloy-Coffee/dp/B0001XRNEM/ref=pd_bxgy_k_text_z

Here's a milk frothing cup, you'll need it to properly froth milk. You can poorly froth milk in a microwave but why do that when you can spend an extra 8 dollars and do it properly? I personally got mine for a dollar from a thrift store.

http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-EP-12-Stainless-Frothing/dp/B000MR6I9I/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_text_y

I got one of these grinders years ago for around 20 dollars. I've seen them used, repackaged, and refurbished for about that much. Wait around and a deal will come up. You can also get a Hario Mini and a number of other hand grinders. But this one does just fine. Now out of the box it won't grind fine enough for espresso, however, with about 20 minutes worth of work you can shim it and it'll grind perfectly for espresso. It's not hard and anyone can do it with a screw driver and some tin foil.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1396498766&sr=1-1&keywords=cuisinart+grinder

At this point if you're willing to wait for a deal on the EC155 you've only spent 107 dollars. Even less if you're willing to wait on a deal for the burr grinder as well. If you want AMAZING coffee you can spend another 27 dollars and get an Aeropress, or wait for a deal and get it for 20 dollars. It will make a coffee concentrate which will taste "okay" for a latte.

At this point, I cannot recommend going to your local coffee houses and asking if you can buy green beans. They typically sell green coffee for 5-8 dollars a pound. You can roast your own coffee with a skillet and a whisk, or a popcorn popper, there are hundreds of ways to do it cheaply and it easy. You'll save money and you'll be drinking tastier coffee.

Don't let these people get you down, good espresso doesn't have to be expensive. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

u/givemeyournews · 3 pointsr/Coffee

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.

u/mrockey19 · 7 pointsr/Coffee

Hey there. I'll give you a little summary of what I think most people on here will tell you in response to your questions.

Books: Blue Bottle ,Coffee Comprehensive and Uncommon Grounds are all good books to cover most of coffee and its processes.

This Capresso Infinity is considered a pretty decent burr grinder for the price. It will not do espresso but will be good enough for most other coffee brewing methods.

Getting a set up that is acceptable for "real" espresso is kind of expensive. A Gaggia classic is considered the bare minimum espresso machine for a "real" espresso. A Baratza Virtuoso is considered bare minimum for a decent espresso grinder. Now, you can (and many people do) find these items used, which obviously reduces the cost greatly. But depending on your area, finding these items up on craigslist or similar sites can be pretty rare.

I'm not from Rhode Island, but googling local roasters will provide some results. As for online ordering, tonx, blue bottle and stumptown are favorites around here for their price and quality. Beans are broken down on what region they came from, how they were processed and how dark they are roasted. Each region has different flavor profiles in their beans. African beans are known for being more fruity than other beans, for example. A little warning, most people on this subreddit believe Starbuck's espresso roast coffee to be too dark. However, many of Starbuck's light/Medium roast coffees have been reviewed as pretty decent. Most websites that sell the beans will list a flavor profile of the beans. The basic saying on this subreddit is that if you have crappy beans, no matter what, your coffee will be crappy. If you are going to overspend anywhere in the process, overspend on quality beans.

The espresso machines that you will be using at starbucks are machines that will basically produce espresso at the push of a button. They will grind, tamp and extract the espresso without any input from you. You should just know right off the bat that there is a whole other world to espresso making that is the exact opposite, with people grinding the beans to the right size, tamping by hand, and extracting shots with a lever that controls pressure. Neither way is right or wrong, you should just know that there are many different types of espresso machines and baristas.

I'll share a little bit of advise, take from it what you will. I was an ambitious college student coffee drinker just like you. I asked for a Breville espresso machine as my first real coffee making device (even before a grinder, how silly of me). I just wanted an espresso machine because that was all I was getting from these coffee shops. Since then I've gotten a nice grinder, a melitta pour over, french press, gooseneck kettle, aeropress, V60, moka pot, and chemex. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't turned on my espresso machine in over a year. There is so much more to coffee than espresso. There are so many methods to brew coffee that are cheaper, more complex and more interesting. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I'd buy the burr grinder I linked, and an Aeropress or any french press (Starbucks sells some pretty nice ones. You could get one with an employee discount) and just learn to love coffee on its own, without frothed milk and flavorings.

There is a ton of info on this subreddit if you stick around for awhile. Questions like yours are posted all the time and answered by very knowledgable people. Your enthusiasm for coffee is extremely exciting to see. Please don't let any of my advise subtract from your enthusiasm. Everyone takes a different path while exploring coffee. That's part of the excitement. You will learn a lot at Starbucks and you will learn a lot if you stay here. Enjoy your stay.

u/segasean · 2 pointsr/Coffee

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:

  1. Freshly ground coffee is going to taste better. Consider coffee like bread. A loaf left on the counter will get stale faster if you slice it up. Freshly roasted is better, but it might be more expensive/harder for you to find and you might not want to dive that deep yet.
  2. Conical burr grinders are better than blade grinders. The problem is that a decent automatic burr grinder is going to be ~$100 and that's a steep price for someone just getting into coffee. Many people will recommend the mini mill, Skerton, or something along those lines that is hand-crank. (Good non-name brand options: 1 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.
  3. Each method of brewing calls for a differently sized grind. This is pretty important. If it's too small, you'll get a bitter cup. If it's too big, you'll get a sour cup. The same goes for brew time. Too long will make a bitter cup, and too short will make a sour cup. However, there's some leeway on both of these to your taste.
  4. There are a bunch of ways to make coffee that change how it tastes. Methods that involve filtering through paper make a cleaner cup, but you lose most of the oils in the coffee. Metal filters leave in these oils, but can also leave a lot of sediment/mud in the bottom of your cup. You might drink this if you drink that last sip, and it isn't really nice.
  5. Weighing your coffee is much more accurate if you want to make a consistent cup. A tablespoon of a darker roast might be 5 grams while a tablespoon of a lighter roast might be 7 grams.
  6. You'll need something to boil water in. If you have a kettle, great. If you don't, you can use a pan or you can buy a kettle. It doesn't need to be a fancy/expensive gooseneck-style one (1 and 2), but you might want one of those if you get into pourover methods.

    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!
u/imfcapebo · 1 pointr/espresso

Hi David! Huge fan of your show, btw.

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If you want something simple, go with a Rancilio Silvia, which you can find here. https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rancilio-silvia-espresso-machine-version-m. It’s not as high tech as something that Saeco or La Marzocco would put out but when paired with a Rancilio Rocky grinder they are a great duo worth their price.

​

On the higher end of the price range, the Saeco Superautomatic Xelsis is literally all you will ever need. Anecdata here: a close friend of mine uses it, and it's great. It's fully digitized, it's smaller, it looks great, and the performance is second to none for home espresso IMO. https://www.amazon.com/Saeco-SM7684-04-Automatic-Espresso/dp/B07G3XYR3R. ($2,399)

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My personal espresso machine I have used for the past 5 years is a Gaggia Classic Semi-auto espresso maker. I can't find it on amazon, however the Gaggia Anima is very similar and actually a bit better than mine. https://www.amazon.com/Gaggia-Automatic-Macchiato-Cappuccino-Programmable/dp/B016RYODRS/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=gaggia+classic&qid=1558640715&s=home-garden&sr=1-4 ($899)

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As for grinders, I would definitely recommend getting an automated burr grinder. I personally hand grind my coffee just because I like the control it gives you, but it is time consuming. If you want a good hand grinder, start with the Hario Skerton. https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill/dp/B001802PIQ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=hario+skerton&qid=1558640805&s=home-garden&sr=1-2 ($40)

​

For an automated grinder, I would start with the Baratza Virtuoso. It's roughly $250 USD and the quality is up there

u/Avgvstvs_Caesar · 13 pointsr/Coffee

Thanks for the update. That's plenty of money to start.

The two big things you can do to drastically improve your cup is 1.) fresh WHOLE coffee beans (check the roast date); none of that pre-ground stuff. If you are looking for speed and cheap this is a decent grinder that will meet your needs, however if you have the time, (effort) and want to do it right. I would strongly recommend something like this. It is a burr grinder and will give you MUCH better results (rather than chopping beans you are actually grinding them. Burr grinder = squeezing out the best aromas and flavor into your coffee). You can buy one for ~$40 (along with ~$30 for a decent french press).. Get the beans whole and grind them before each use (two scoops of coffee per 6 ounces of water); don't let the beans sit for more than a month. They lose freshness and aroma/taste each day after it's been opened. 2.) use good water. You don't have to use bottled, Brita is fine or tap if you have good water.

and that's it. From there you can explore the types of roast you like, the different regions, blends, etc since you will be making consistent coffee each time this way (very few variables unlike many of the methods of brewing- but hey, isn't that half the fun? Although most would suggest getting a scale right away, I would recommend holding off. A scale can then help you fine tune your technique, but is IMHO a bit too complicated to start with. Instead, I would take the money saved and check out some good coffee shops in your area, particularly ones that roast their own coffee. You'll quickly learn what you like and what you don't.

Good luck, have fun and feel free to msg me if you have anymore questions.

Also: you can try to adjust the grind for the strength of your coffee (to taste). More fine = stronger. More coarse = less strong. That will affect not just the strength, but also the body and "mouth feel" of the coffee (if you do go with a french press, you want a "coarse" grind).

u/THANAT0PS1S · 2 pointsr/Coffee

I started getting into coffee nearly a year and a half ago, and here is what I did to start:

I bought

  • A Hario V60 02 Pour-Over Dripper ~$20, with filters, ~$30

  • A Hario Buono Gooseneck Kettle ~$50

  • A Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder ~$150

  • A scale ~$25

  • Freshly, locally roasted whole beans ~$10/lb. Dark roasts tend to be less acidic, sweeter, and have less caffeine (when brewed correctly); light roasts are the opposite: acidic, fruity, and more caffeine.

    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):

  • Freshly ground and roasted beans are a must. The fresher, the better.
  • A blade grinder will always do a worse job of grinding than a burr grinder. It is worth it to spend the extra cash for a burr grinder right off the bat, as, if you get at all serious about coffee, you will eventually purchase one anyway, rendering your blade grinder useless and a waste of money in hindsight. Blade grinders make it nigh impossible to control how fine or coarse the grind is, which is one of the biggest variables in coffee brewing. There are absolutely cheaper models out there than the one that I linked to, especially if you get a manual one rather than the electric one that I own.

  • A scale is essential. Coffee brewing is very much an exact science. Making sure the ratio of water to coffee is exact and being able to fine tune down to the gram/milliliter can create some of the biggest deviances between batches next to grind size. This cannot be overstated.

    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!
u/Tricker12345 · 1 pointr/Coffee

If you're in Salt Lake, there are a lot of good coffee shops up there! My favorites are Publik, Coffee Garden, and Raw Bean Coffee. All three of those shops have some very good coffee. Google is your best friend, if you do some searching you'll come across a lot of super good coffee shops.

I haven't personally tried any local beans, but I know Publik has some great stuff. As far as making your own coffee - I'm partial to the Hario V60, but a French Press or Aeropress are also great. If you want something that makes more coffee, you could pick up a chemex. I've owned all four of those, they're fairly simple and they all make great coffee. I personally use a hand burr grinder that cost $24, here's a link for you. It's nothing super special, but it works for what I use it for. You probably wouldn't want to use it for espresso, but I find that it works great for pourover/french press coffee. The grind is a little inconsistent, but I've still been able to get great results.

As far as ordering beans, I always go through Happy Mug. I've ordered a lot through them, and their stuff has never let me down. Their prices are great, and they have $3 flat rate shipping that takes 2-3 days to get to me. I usually order 3 half-pound bags at a time, those will last me about a month personally. I haven't really branched out past Happy Mug because I've been so happy with what I've received from them, but I know there are plenty of other places to buy from. If you do some searching on this sub you can find a lot of info about online vendors.

u/koschbosch · 4 pointsr/Coffee

I will have to agree with what u/Pumpkinsweater said. Last year my girlfriend and I were in the same boat, but we decided to get a french press and use a cheap $40 grinder with not-so-great results.

We then got the Hario Slim hand grinder, which made a huge difference, but was just a bit too much work for the mornings.

We now have a Baratza Encore grinder and an Aeropress; a $150 (USD) total investment. We still use cheaper beans because we are on a budget, but properly ground and pressed cheap coffee, to me, is still quite nice.

The cool thing about the Aeropress is it makes coffee at double strength, which you then dilute down to "regular" strength or whatever you want. If you want a latte-STYLE, just use the double strength and finish with an equal volume of milk/creamer/whatever. You get a ton of variety from one little Aeropress. It's quick too, I can have a cup made (after the water is already heated, of course) in just under 4 minutes.

The Baratza Encore grinder will work across whatever you want to try. They say it's not great for french press, but I find it perfectly fine. Aeropress, French Press, Pourovers, or grinding for a cheap-o drip coffeemaker, it works for them all.

Oh, that's one thing, you will need a hot water kettle. We've had the Hamilton Beach temp controlled w/ timer since last year and it is awesome. You can program a time for it to turn on, so your hot water is ready, and also set the temperature (I brew coffee at 195-200 degF, then I can vary it for teas). http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40996-Programmable-1-7-Liter/dp/B0083I7THI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418247900&sr=8-3&keywords=hamilton+beach+hot+water+kettle

Anyway, good luck in your ventures!

u/sli · 2 pointsr/Coffee

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.

u/pokoleo · 11 pointsr/uwaterloo

After much experimentation, you have a few options:

  1. On-campus
  • EngSoc C&D: Though not world-class, the coffee is very inexpensive. It runs at about $1 per cup. It's less if you bring your own mug. A++ would recommend if caffeine boost is all you need. Cash only. Profits go to Engsoc.
  • Mathsoc C&D: Similar quality to the EngSoc C&D, and around the same price as the EngSoc C&D. Cash, Debit, and Visa. Profits go toward C&D improvements (furniture & appliances).
  • Science C&D: I've only stopped by once while it was open, and didn't buy coffee :(. Cash only. I assume profits fund SciSoc.
  • ENV C&D: I've heard amazing things about the C&D, and it seems like it's run very well. Similar to Science, I've never had a chance to stop by, but will try to this term. They seem to be very entrepreneurial, and are one of the few non-school-run places on campus to offer catering (of limited size). Unsurprisingly, things are green/fair trade. Cash only. Profits go to improving the C&D.
  • Arts C&D: I've never seen it open. ¯\(ツ)
  • UW Food Services (Various Locations): Coffee is consistent, both in high-prices and low-quality. Cash & Watcard everywhere, debit in some places. Profits go to the school.
  • Williams, EV3: I've never ordered a latte, but they probably serve them here. Expect worse service & selection than the off-campus Williams, with prices ≥ off-campus. If you're choosing this, just walk to the plaza for less expensive food and improved service. They take cash, watcard, (and probably debit).
  • 24H News, SLC: "Emergency Coffee" - don't bother, unless it's really necessary, and everywhere else is closed.
  • Turnkey Desk, SLC: This is "Emergency Coffee" - don't bother, unless it's an emergency. Choose 24H News over Turnkey.
  • Tim Hortons (Various Locations): Going to skip this, since it's probably well known to you.

  1. Selected off-campus locations:
  • Sweet Dreams: Despite being a tea shop, they have well-priced coffee, and awesome employees. Expect to wait a bit longer, since there's usually a line, and they use a french-press to brew the coffee after you order :'). They take cash/visa, and probably watcard.
  • Williams, Plaza: Miles better than the one in EV3. They have better food selection than the on-campus location. Cash/visa/watcard are all accepted.
  • Mel's Diner: Their coffee is ok, but they refill it as long as you continue to eat.
  • DVLB: I've only been for scotch, but something tells me that I'll be holed up at DVLB for a few afternoons this term. It's a nice place to be, and they (apparently) have wifi.
  • Second Cup: There's a second cup in the plaza. A friend worked there once, and swore to never go back. They may have what you want, but idk.
  • Starbucks: There's a starbucks at Uni & King. Starbucks is Starbucks is Starbucks.

    Many places off-campus & within a reasonable walk serve coffee, but I don't know of any other notable options.

    At home, I use an incredibly inexpensive coffee maker: Aerobie Aeropress, with a Hario Hand Mill, both of which are highly-recommended by /r/coffee. I haven't been able to find an amazing place to buy unground coffee beans near campus yet, and I tend to buy beans when in Toronto.

    Hope this helps.
u/fjwright · 1 pointr/Coffee

Hey there! I am also from Ohio! I'll give you two answers.

Cheapest possible way to get into it is a whirly blade grinder and a french press. No filters needed, just fresh ground coffee made rather quickly and easily. This was my first ever coffee set up, and really got me into drinking better coffee. If you tell me what city in Ohio you are closest to I will give you a recommendation on a local roaster to get beans from. Buying locally from a reputable roaster will be the best option for quality beans for a good price.

​

The other answer, is to buy nice or buy twice. After using the above set up for a few months I was hooked and decided to upgrade everything. So I will send you some options for the cheapest way to make specialty level coffee. For this I would look at a nicer grinder and a pour over. While hand grinders are great, almost everyone upgrades to an electric one. The linked options there are my favorite for the money. The electric model from baratza can be found refurbished on their website from time to time for addtional savings.

The next thing you'll need is a pour over and a kettle to pour with. I recommend a Chemexhere as they are good for serving one to three cups comfortably. I recommended a glass handle chemex because they are beautiful, but wood necked models are a little cheaper. I would get the white square filters with it as they impart less papery flavor. As for a kettle you have a ton of options. I am going to link a budget electric kettle as I find the stovetop models to be more of a hassle.

​

As for healthy sweeteners, brewing it well I hope you won't need them as much, which would be the healthiest. But whole milk and stevia in the raw are your best healthy fixins.

​

Hope this is helpful! Happy brewing and welcome to the fam!

u/kayla_mincerepublic · 7 pointsr/coldbrew

I make large batches of cold brew once a month (almost 5 gallons) to fit into my kegerator and the process is really simple. For what it's worth, my coffee breaks down to about $1 a day for a large Nitro Cold Brew coffee on tap (which sells around me for nearly $4-5 a cup) and I get a lot more coffee, plus very high quality. You could get this price even lower without the kegerator because I included the price for nitro and I also use relatively expensive beans.

Here are the basic tools I would recommend:

​

  • brewing bucket or jar
  • coffee grinder
  • something to filter the coffee
  • beans of choice (use whatever you like)

    ​

    Depending on how much coffee you're looking to make, you can use a different sized vessel. For example, I use a 5 gallon bucket for my keg, whereas if you don't need that much cold brew at once, you can use something like a large mason jar or a smaller sized bucket (say 1 or 2 gallon bucket). I'll definitely recommend you get a bucket with a spout. This makes it very easy to dispense your cold brew.

    ​

    As for a coffee grinder, buy what you can afford, there are plenty of options on the market. Obviously you're going to have a better grind if you invest a little more but if you can't, at the end of the day, it's not really going to break you. If you're doing large batches, I'd recommend buying an electric grinder. I use a Bodum Bistro Grinder which is less than $90 and works great. You could use a handheld grinder if you wanted to save more money, obviously it's just more work.

    ​

    To filter the coffee, I use a fine mesh food grade bag (they sell these for things like almond milk) and sit that on top of a mesh strainer that sits on top of my bucket. You don't need the mesh strainer part, it just makes it easier for us since we have more coffee. You might want to strain your cold brew before you pour it but to be honest, I don't always and I don't have much problem. You can always double bag your beans to remove some of this too. Most of it settles on the bottom of the bucket underneath the spout anyway, so you just throw away that part.

    ​

    Get whatever beans you like. I buy mine in bulk from a local coffee shop. I'd suggest doing a coarse grind and using a 2:1 water to coffee ratio until you figure out your particular preference. That would be to drink it straight out of the gallon. If you want to do more of a coffee concentrate, use more coffee and less water and then add water/milk/cream or whatever when you're preparing your cup.

    ​

    I hope that helps. Enjoy!
u/AutumnElayne · 3 pointsr/Coffee

<--- 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. :)

u/TuiLa · 2 pointsr/tea

You should consider getting an electric kettle. This is the one I use at home and the only one I can really recommend from experience. The temperature controls can be a bit fiddly at times, but once you get used to them its super easy to get the temperature you want. This is another popular programmable kettle which I've heard a lot of good things about. You can also surf around on Amazon and read some reviews, there's a large variety of electric kettles around. Another option is to keep boiling your water on the stove then letting it sit and cool and using a meat thermometer to gauge the temperature.

As for brewing, get a gaiwan! One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and there half a million more options out there. This is an awesome simple guide to using a gaiwan. Look up some tutorials on youtube or google for some more detailed info, or search around /r/tea a bit.

Next on the checklist, SAMPLES! Don't order 100 grams of a tea that you've never tried. Here's some basic sampler packs: One, Two, Three, Four. Plenty of other great sites offer samples too, check out /r/tea's List of Retailers on the sidebar.

Hope this helps, and sorry if this was too rambling and in-cohesive, I've had a lot of caffeine.

Also, I want to leave you with this guide. It's an incredibly well done piece. Good luck!

u/caseyboycasey · 7 pointsr/IWantToLearn

Better coffee helps. I've been drinking my coffee like a cowboy for quite a while now, and don't ever think twice about it anymore. But if I'm stuck with shit (like the crap you find in hotels) I'll throw a bit of sugar in there.

If you haven't already, start making your coffee at home. You'll not only save money, but your coffee can be exponentially better than what you can get at Starbucks (Who overroasts the shit out of their beans, resulting in cups that taste burnt.)

Buy a hand burr grinder and a French Press, and start buying fresh roasted beans from a local shop.

I own this grinder, and love it.

If you don't have an independent shop around, online companies like Intelligentsia ship amazing coffee out at what can be called reasonable prices. I never buy more than a pound at a time. Keep your beans airtight and in a dark, cool place.

Never grind your beans until right before brewing, as grounds begin to go stale after twenty minutes. For French Press, you'll want to use a coarser grind.

Try out different blends until you find something tasty, and gradually subtract creamers and sweeteners until you're in the black. I've converted more friends than I can count to black coffee simply by giving them something truly fresh.

u/TheCryptic · 2 pointsr/cafe

> if I were to use this, would the metal mesh screen capture all particles, even the finely ground ones?

Steel will let some fines through, but the mesh is a lot tighter than on my French press... The fines have never been enough to bother me, basically large enough to see, but small enough that I don't feel then when drinking.

The main difference between paper filters and steel ones is the oils. With paper you get a cleaner cup, the flavors pop a little more. With steel you get more of the oils, and it is a richer cup similar to French pressed coffee.

>how much can I make in one press?

Basically a small cup. Personally I think it's strong enough that you can easily top of a large mug with hot water and still have a good cup of coffee... Definitely still stronger than a basic drip pot makes.

>mostly going to be coffee and water, don't even know what other kinds to make, really. (yet)

Coffee and water are pretty much the appropriate ingredients. Really is a matter of trying different beans, different grinds, different steep times.

>is this a chore for daily coffee making, or is the flavor worth the extra hassle?

For me it's worth the hassle on the weekends. Personally I prefer my Moka pot on weekdays before work, but that's actually more effort (though I cheat and use pre-ground coffee.)

It's definitely not set it and forget it, but it definitely makes better coffee. It is more effort, but if you've got an extra few minutes in the morning is a much better way to start your day. For me it's the difference between "I need coffee" and "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my morning coffee".

Quick edit: I did use my Aeropress every day until this last Christmas when I got the Moka pot. The Moka pot makes coffee that resembles espresso. The Aeropress makes very strong coffee that doesn't really resembles espresso. Different device, different purpose.

u/annnm · 2 pointsr/Coffee

I don't know about that manufacturer for the grinder, but most people haven't had great luck with similar types. There are lots of reports of them breaking or being of inconsistent build quality. Almost universally on this sub, people recommend hario for introductory grinders (sub 30$) and nothing else. It should be noted that non-coffee enthusiasts may quickly tire of manually grinding their coffee. And imo, while freshly grounded is superior, many may feel that increase in quality not worth the extra effort. you know your dad. he may be one of these people. in which case, a manual grinder might only just take up space.

french press seems good. it's pretty! It'll be a full bodied murky coffee because there isn't a paper filter. A cleaner coffee can be achieved via a v60 cone or aeropress like you were thinking about. This is all up for preference and i will note that the cost of filters is near negligible. It comes down to like a nickle per brew. As for cleaning, the aeropress is slightly more annoying to clean and dry than a cone, but it's not that troublesome.

As for the beans, i have no idea. i'm a part of the camp that believes the process is superior to the materials. So, so long as it isn't bad, then it should be good. And accordingly, I buy bargain bin beans because i don't care. They taste good enough for me. But some of my friends believe in only single origin beans from an expensive and artisan roaster like blue bottle. I don't think either of us is wrong. again: just preference.

all in all, looks decent. hope he enjoys the gifts!

u/MsPrynne · 2 pointsr/tea

Disclaimer: I have received so many canisters of fruit-flavored teas that I'll never ever drink - and I am an adventurous eater, I'll try just about anything once - that it has reeeally turned me against the idea of gifted tea unless you're totally certain the recipient will like it. If you must give someone tea, I'm also very strongly anti-sampler. One very nice tea is usually a better gift than four alright teas.

This is the situation that gift certificates were made for. Someone else suggested Adagio. If it seems too impersonal, combine it with a nice mug or a nice strainer for loose-leaf teas, like this one.

If she's not an adventurous person, that's okay and you're not going to turn her into one by buying her teas she might not want to try as a gift. If you really want to pick something instead of getting a gift certificate, remember that it's supposed to be a gift and not a chore, so get her stuff that you know she'll like. If you really really really want to get her a tea instead of a gift certificate, instead of getting her a sampler of new and different stuff, get her one or two things that she already enjoys, but a higher quality product than she'd ordinarily buy for herself. The one tea gift I've received that I actually drank all of was from somebody who knew that I loved jasmine green tea, so he got me...jasmine green tea. It was awesome.

If you know that she likes black tea and fruit-flavored teas, I bet she would appreciate a really nice earl grey, for instance, or maybe an oolong tea.

u/mlochr · 8 pointsr/Coffee

When buying new gear like this, I often find it worthwhile to buy the good stuff from the beginning. It'll cost more upfront, but in the long run you save money by not sinking it into gear that you're just going to upgrade away from. I know you're looking for a starter kit, so I'll outline some entry level stuff and then some recommended upgrades.

For a burr grinder, a decent entry level manual grinder is the Hario Skerton. One complaint with this is inconsistent coarse grind size, which is what you'll be using with a French Press. Orphan Espresso makes an upgrade kit that fixes this problem, but personally I feel that if you're going to spend $40 on the Skerton and $15 on the upgrade kit, you should just spend a few more bucks and get something like the Capresso Infinity. This grinder is going to be way more convenient, versatile, and consistent than the hand grinder. For one last option, there's the Baratza Encore. This is probably the best grinder you'd want for French Press, because anything better / more expensive would just be overkill as they're primarily aimed at espresso.

The Press itself isn't too important. Bodum is usually the recommended brand.

You'll also need a way to heat water. You could go with a stovetop kettle, but I think electric kettles are more convenient, and are roughly the same price anyway. You can get a pretty standard one for less than $25. But getting a gooseneck kettle is going to help control your pour better and ensure the coffee grounds are completely saturated. If you don't want to worry about getting the perfect temperature for brewing, a variable temperature kettle will take care of it for you.

Other than that, you might want a kitchen scale to get the right coffee-to-water ratio, and a thermometer to check your water temperature.

u/bputano · 1 pointr/Coffee

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:

  1. Buy fresh coffee. Good roasters will put the roast date on the bag. Look for bags roasted within 1-2 weeks.
  2. If possible, purchase an electric burr grinder like the Baratza Encore or Bodum Bistro because fresh ground coffee is always going to taste better. If not, just ask the coffee shop to grind it for you.
  3. Buy a coffee maker certified by the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) like the Bonavita or Wilfa. These machines make sure you'll get a consistent brew.
  4. To make strong coffee, simply use more coffee per pot. The SCAA Golden Ratio is 55g of coffee (just over 3.5 tablespoons) for every liter of water. I would start with this ratio and adjust to your liking.
  5. That's it! Enjoy
u/wine-o-saur · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Cool, so now we have a better idea what we're working with. I can run through some options/limitations and you can take it from there.

  • An espresso machine with a built-in grinder (superauto) is going to be way over your budget, so you can scratch that off the list.

  • I don't know of a drip coffee machine with a built in grinder that will actually do a good job brewing.

  • There is no machine that can make even halfway decent espresso and drip. You're going to have to choose here. She can dilute an espresso with hot water to make an Americano, which she can then treat like regular coffee but won't be exactly the same (though probably won't be vastly different once she adds her creamer and sugar).

  • Making an espresso with a machine like the Mr. Coffee you mentioned or one of the De'Longhis is going to be a bit of a faff. She'll have to grind, dose, tamp, brew, and clean. With a bit of practice she'll get this down, but it'll be hard not to get some coffee grind spillage no matter how quick/good she gets at doing it. If she's going to want a latte, the Mr. Coffee will froth the milk for you (but I don't know how well), but if it's a machine with the wand, she'll have to steam her own milk which is another skill to learn (and involves another layer of process/cleanup). Again, this should become second nature fairly quickly, but you'd know better if she'll go through the effort until it gets to that point.

  • My advice, if you don't think she'll go through the hassle of making the espresso/latte, would be to go with this machine which is SCAA certified (long story short: coffee-snob approved) and this or this grinder. I linked BB&B because the Americans on here frequently talk about being able to get coupons fairly easily that knock the price down to $80. So either way you'll get her a very respectable coffee-brewing setup for right around your target budget. Get her some good beans and she'll be leaving home to go back to her dorm and make coffee.

  • If you are going to go the espresso route, I'd definitely go for the Capresso over the Bodum grinder.

    Based on the way you've described her tastes, I think she'd probably do ok with 15-bar pump espresso maker, but avoid 'steam' espresso makers at all costs. In the first instance you're making something that doesn't have all the glory of a truly great espresso, in the second case you're making something that shouldn't really be called espresso at all.

    Anyway, I hope this is somewhat helpful.
u/mal1291 · 2 pointsr/Coffee

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&qid=1459250167&sr=8-1&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

u/Schmauf · 3 pointsr/Coffee

Gooseneck kettle is a must for pour overs if that's what you see in your future! I have the Bonavita 1L electric kettle. Looking back, I would have invested in the more expensive version that lets you vary temperature, but I've had great results with mine regardless.

I started out with a v60, then a Chemex, then the Aeropress. Of the 3, I use the Chemex the most often; it gives the best quality brew with the highest quantity (37g @ ~600mL of water). It took me quite a while master the pour, but it was definitely worth it!

Hope this helps and good luck on your coffee journey!

EDIT: For grinders, I have the Hario skerton. It takes a while to grind the beans, but was marvelous for my budget at the time. Once I have the money though, I'm going for the Baratza Encore. It's cheaper than the Virtuoso, but an old roommate had the Encore and I LOVED having all my beans ground in such a short amount of time.

Just some food for thought!

u/cwillzz · 4 pointsr/Coffee
  1. You should get a gooseneck kettle. I prefer them to not have hotplate attached (just use stovetop) and to have a built-in thermometer so you can be versatile with what you use it for. Small spouts are much better than larger spouts to control flow, however this may be hard to find when looking. Unfortunately, the one I bought is no longer up for sale on amazon, however this one is very similar: https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Kettle-Outstanding-Thermometer-40floz/dp/B07GPWZFRW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1550204612&sr=8-5&keywords=pour+over+kettle+gooseneck
  2. Just a regular food scale should do. This one works and is popular in the coffee community. It's also super cheap. Only problem is that it is battery run and turns off without activity for a minute or so. I use it daily. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IP8KRXS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  3. This is by-far the hardest part. You must get a burr grinder. It's the only way to maintain consistent grinds. You can buy a cheap one for around 30-40$ that do pretty well for a pour over grind but not well for really anything else. The upper end of the cheaper burr grinders would be the baratza encore (https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1550204913&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=baratza+encore+grinder&psc=1), but i probably wouldn't drop the money unless you've got an experienced taste. Honestly, i've made better pour overs with a low budget burr than with a mahlkonig ek43.

    I do have another recommendation. IMO, pour overs are the absolute best way to brew coffee, as they extract flavor the best. For this reason, you want to optimize your setup for better results. You're already doing this by buying a scale, good kettle, and grinder for home. What I would also do is buy a paper filter based system. They are often cheaper or the same price than what you're considering buying. I use this V60 at home (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BA2I7A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and it produces amazing results. Additionally, filters are cheap and probably impact the environment equally to stainless steel filters (due to dumping grounds and excess water use), even though this is usually a big appeal for the permanent filters. Paper is significantly better for taste than the steel filters IMO.

    Buying good beans is also very important. I hate to use price as a reference point, but most high quality specialty beans are going to be around 15-20 for 8 to 12 oz bags. Stick with single origin light roasts. Look locally or online and build a sense for the flavor based on region and processing.

    ​

    Feel free to ask any questions!
u/Smile_lifeisgood · 5 pointsr/simpleliving

A tablet + a server running plex.

Replaces a TV, DVD player, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon et al accounts. Provides tons of entertainment when at home and when traveling.

Sleep Stuff

Personally I think there's really no proper way to value a good night's sleep. After years of dealing with poor sleep due to breathing problems in a dry climate and living with obnoxious neighbors whose religion prohibits using headphones figuring out some cheap solutions to my sleep issues has yielded immeasurable quality of life improvements.

Nasal dialaters.

I was having a lot of problems sleeping due to narrow nasal pathways + seasonal changes and my BP was off the charts. The quality of life improvement from quality sleep is hard to quantify as a value.

[Really comfy sleep masks.] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJQFJX8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1)
The inner lining on these ones reliably peels off for me but I still use mine and I think I could put these on 1 mile from the sun and not see light.

Super comfortable noise canceling ear buds
I have a ridiculously loud 300lb stomping upstairs neighbor who enjoys putting together furniture at 3am due to either meth or sleep apnea or both. He also really enjoys his shitty 1990s R&B. I've had several confrontations and he's changed some of it but you can't request someone not walk around their apartment when they want. I think he has knee problems so his steps are really heavy. These things are the best answer I could find. If I put these on + a TV show it drowns him out. It sucks to rely on noise to cancel out other noise but I love these things, they're super comfortable and they do the job I need.

Coffee Stuff

GeneCafe Coffee Roaster

So I'm the sort of person who is willing to spend the right amount of money when there's value. For me roasting my own coffee provides tons of value. For starters you can order green beans online for $3-5 a lb. I order 6+ months worth of coffee at a time for around $100, give or take. This roaster has now paid for itself compared to buying coffee at my favorite roaster and is in line with the stale, burnt tasting shit you can buy in giant vats at the grocery store.

But beyond just that I get the supreme joy of truly fresh roasted coffee roasted to a level I like which is a lot different than the black and greasy shit you'll get at Kroger's or whatever. I also love that I can bring this is going to be useful if/when I'm living on a homestead somewhere.

Stainless Steel French Press

Goes with the above. I used to buy glass ones and break them, but this $40 french press will probably last for a very long time with only the screen to worry about replacing and god only knows how long that will take.

[Rough Bur Grinder] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001804CLY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I really enjoy replacing electronic equipment with stuff I can power with elbow grease. It's not much of a workout, but it's quieter and still does the same job as the electric one I had purchased and unless other electric ones I'm not sure this one will ever break. My previous ones would break/clog constantly, this one has been trucking without issue for a year and I suspect will last several.

u/Thebaconingnarwhal4 · 5 pointsr/Coffee

Your easiest, relatively cheap option would be something like the Bonavita Connoisseur. Just slap in water and ground coffee and it’ll do the rest. Your cheapest option would be a pour over device (Chemex, V60, Kalita, etc.) and a kettle with a thermometer. You could go stovetop (cheaper but less convenient) or electric (more expensive). I’d go with something with temp control like the Bonavita or Brewista for something inexpensive but functional.

Now you are probably gonna hear a lot of people recommend getting a dedicated grinder, and for good reason. If you get a pour over, I’d say a grinder is needed for most of them unless they have some flow control (Kalita, Blue Bottle, or immersion droppers) as you’d need to be able to adjust grind size for best flavor. The Baratza Encore is always a good pick. The Porlex Mini or Hario Skerton are inexpensive and perform adequately for pour over although hand grinding may not be your thing.

For under $100 you obviously won’t be getting the best coffee you can, but overall if you want quality and don’t mind spending 10-15 minutes making coffee then I’d go something like the Skerton grinder, Kalita pour over, and Bonavita kettle. It will be effort though. If you just want something adequate, a dripper (Bonavita above) with basic temperature regulation will be leagues better than keurig, even with preground coffee (grind in store if possible).

u/whiskeysnowcone · 2 pointsr/Coffee

what are you going to be making primarily? I personally have a Bodum Bistro and love it. It's not the highest rated grinder and I may get better results from a better grinder but honestly I've been using it for years and it's never let me down for drip coffee. For a french press it's not terrible but I do find a bit of silt in the bottom of the cup but if that doesn't bother you then you'll do just fine with a Bistro. However, I will say for sure that it is NOT good for espresso. I bought a Lido E for my espresso and it's the best purchase I've made for my coffee collection. The difference is astounding. I'd definitely recommend a dedicated grinder for espresso.

I will also add that I enjoy the process of hand grinding for my espresso because I don't drink it that often and the process isn't that bad. However I drink drop coffee every day (and I might make the occasional cup for my wife) so if I had to hand grind for drip coffee every single time I would probably get really tired of it really fast. So keep that in mind. If you drink a lot of coffee then you're going to be grinding that all by hand.

u/MightBeOnFire · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Mostly flavor, but also mouthfeel. It lacks punch, it tends to feel very thin, and it's just not a very high quality cup of coffee. The beans are old, weren't high quality to begin with, and they have to use workarounds to make the extraction that fast. The only method that will properly extract coffee that fast is espresso, but you're looking at close to a grand for an entry level setup if you go down that road.

But like I mentioned, I'm a coffee snob. Good coffee for me has to be made with freshly roasted beans (If it's much older than 2 weeks past roast, it's too old), ground fresh (Within 5 minutes of brewing), with a decent quality burr grinder, made with the proper ratio of water:coffee (Which requires weighing the beans you're going to use), and brewed using proper technique with the proper temperature water (a difference of 5-10 degrees can make or break a cup). That might sound time consuming, but it generally takes me about 5 minutes to make a cup in the morning.

I don't normally recommend coffee "machines", because they generally make sub-par coffee, and I don't know enough about them to recommend one. I've heard there are a couple on the market that are pretty good, but the overwhelming majority suffer from not getting the water to the proper temperature.

I'd say the easiest way to get into legit coffee for a beginner would be either a pour-over or a french press. You can get a Hario V60 pour over setup or a Bodum french press for pretty cheap. The Aeropress is another good option, but it's a little more tricky, and only brews a single cup at a time.

I would also highly recommend investing in an electric kettle like this one. The gooseneck design is almost mandatory for good pour-overs, and the ability to set it to the proper temperature is invaluable regardless of the process.

Another thing to consider is a grinder. The Baratza Encore is a really good entry level grinder. You might look at the ~$140 price tag and think I'm insane, but the grinder plays a massive role in good coffee. And if you think that's bad, there are $800+ grinders out there that are common choices for home espresso setups. Might take the sting out a bit ;)

Sorry for the overwhelming wall of text, but I like my coffee, lol. It's really not as complicated as it sounds, but there's more depth to the coffee world than most people realize if you're the sort of person that wants more.

u/icommentingifs · 12 pointsr/AskWomen

Bialetti - stove top espresso maker - you'll never need to buy an expensive coffee maker ever again.

Leuchterm 1917 journal for my bullet journal

6in Ruler to go with my journal - fits in the back pocket perfectly

Huhuhero Color Pen Set also to go with my journal -- has every color you'll need and has a really nice thickness. I use a finer tipped Staedtler for writing but these pens are perfect for titles and decorating and under $6 can't be beat

Customizable dog tag

Ahava Dead Sea Bath Salts - for a luxurious bath that won't dry you out

Ramekins for all of your baking needs. It's also fantastic to use for cooking (holding onto spices, separating eggs, etc.) and for serving dips.

Dog Toy Basket - adorable, holds a ton of toys, and looks really chic in my apartment.

Salt and Pepper Mill Grinders - pretty and functional

Bath Overflow Cover - get your water higher for a more satisfying bath

Bath Spa Pillow

Grippy Stand - the BEST stand for any size tablet.. I have two of them they're so good

Hotel Spa Cotton Towel 4 Pack - smallish bath towel with so many uses. I leave then by the front door to wipe the pup's paws.

Popin Cookin 9 Pack - the MOST FUN you'll ever have 9 times over

Tons and tons and tons of books - look under the "available for less money" links for "used" paperback versions that will make them super affordable and they usually come nearly brand new!

u/drumofny · 4 pointsr/Coffee

I've been wanting a goose neck kettle for some time. I've used some cheap alternatives such as oil cans and some tea kettles, but I've wanted a much nicer goose neck kettle for some time. They can cost quite a bit and you have to account for some heat loss if you are pouring it into a gooseneck from whatever container you heated the water in. I've been using a cuisinart variable temperature kettle for a couple of years now. It works great, but it only has presets and I could only choose 200F for coffee. I wanted a kettle that I could choose the exact temperature. This can really help dial in different roasts and help me achieve some great coffee. This should help me dial in some of my teas as well. I believe the going rate for one of these kettles is $90, but I got mine for $80 as part of a preorder. I don't know of a variable temperature kettle that has this functionality that is even close to this price point. I've got high hopes for this kettle.

I've preordered this badboy in May. I was initially slated to drop in July, but got pushed back until early September. I got mine yesterday. It's aesthetically pleasing and has all the functions I want. I do wish it was a touch bigger, but it should do the trick. I'll be sure to do a review in a month or so; after I've had a fair amount of time using it. Cheers.

u/cravf · 13 pointsr/Coffee

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.
  • Following what I said above, freshness is key. Try to buy freshly roasted beans.
  • A lot of the process of coffee making is tinkering to your own taste. If you make a cup of coffee and it's way too strong, don't give up. Try something else untill it's good for you!
  • Once you get used to the milk-laden coffees, try to broaden your horizons. There are a wide range of coffee types, and they all have their bonuses.

    Gear:

  • Aeropress $25.95
  • Milk frother $2.00
  • Hario Skerton Hand Grinder $48.50 (Ceramic burr grinders are the best type of coffee grinders, but they run around $300 on average, this one, however is $50.00 but requires some work. I own one and it's worth the effort in my opinion)

    Beans: (Places I've tried)

  • Intelligentsia
  • The Roasterie
  • Klatch Coffee

    Mugs:

  • Great mug
  • Also great mug, but pretty large

    If you have any questions, or if I'm wrong about something let me know! I think this is all for now.
u/jixie007 · 1 pointr/keto

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. :)

  • Brewing: There are a couple easy, inexpensive brewing options. I think the most universally favored for beginners and pro's alike is a weird device called an Aeropress. Another option is a pour-over coffee cone, like this Hario V6. Or what I use: a French Press. What I like about the French Press is that you can almost always find one at a thrift store or yard sale for like $2.

  • Grinding: Coffee starts to get stale once it's ground. Ideally you can grind it before you make it. A quality inexpensive grinder is the Hario Skerton But here's what I do: I get my coffee ground in the store and put it in an air-tight container. I put 1 weeks worth in a separate bag.

  • Grind size is important too, if you use a French Press you want "course" grind. Which you can get in pre-ground coffee.

  • Water: use filtered water.

  • The coffee itself: Starbucks heavily roasts their coffee, but would still be better quality than Dunkin Donuts. Entry-level good coffee can be had at Costco or Trader Joes. Even better coffee comes from 3rd wave coffee shops, or ordering online. Those are higher priced but you get what you pay for.

    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.
u/GeneticRiff · 3 pointsr/Coffee

What is your budget?

The aergrind is possibly the best valued grinder, but it is a manual grinder. This guy can grind espresso quality and will greatly improve your mokapot and aeropress. Their Feld2 is also great but less portable. These expensive manual grinders are much easier to grind than the cheaper ones, you dont need nearly as much force. They grind as good as electrics 4x the cost.

If thats out of your budget you could go for this porlex or mini mill but these produce far less consistent grinds, harder to turn, and cant grind as fine.

If you want electric, the baratza encore is a popular recommendation. This is good enough for everything thats not espresso. This is very easily repairable, so it can last longer than other options.

But honestly the price difference to the bodum bistro isn't worth it. Id go for this if you wanted a cheap electric. Also wont grind espresso, but good enough for just about everything else.

Hope that answers your questions!

u/phenomenalanomaly · 3 pointsr/Coffee

Mmk.

Let's ignore the espresso machine route, and go for something that will give you strong coffee. Either a moka pot, or maybe an aeropress. (I personally recommend the aeropress.)

As for the milk, the cheaper route would be to heat it up (microwave?) and then use a milk frother to blend air into it. You'll get these big bubbles as opposed to microfoam like you'd get at an actual coffee shop. OR. You can go for a stovetop steam wand like this. You'll need to invest some time/money into this to learn how to make microfoam, but the results will be worth it. I'm actually about to embark on this step :/ (Note, you don't HAVE to foam/froth your milk. It just makes it a little tastier.)

NOW. Back onto the coffee. So we have your "machine/maker" figured out. Let's talk about the ACTUAL coffee. Depending on what you've picked from above, you're in $30-$100+ deep. If you have a local roaster, that's great! Buy beans freshly roasted from them. Learn from them. Ask them to make recommendations. If not, there are a few online sources good for buying roasted coffee. Remember, buy what you can use in about 1-2 weeks. Longer than that and you'll have stale coffee.

If you can, you should buy whole coffee beans, and grind them yourself. The cheaper method is to buy a hand grinder. The Hario Skeleton/Skerton is always highly recommended. A few drawbacks to this, but you'll learn about them on your coffee journey. (Don't want to bombard you with too much information for now.) The Hario Mini Mill is also a great option, especially for travelling, but grinds less.

As for electric grinders, the Baratza Maestro is a good entry level burr grinder, but at a pretty steep price :/ Note: always buy a burr grinder, and note a blade grinder. Bear in mind that using the hand grinders is actually quite a lot of work, especially if you're not a morning type of person. The entire Baratza line of grinders are all highly recommended, but as always, the better the grinder, the higher the cost.

u/uRabbit · 5 pointsr/Coffee

AeroPress, for sure. Here is probably the cheapest setup you can do, and still get the best flavour/experience.

Aerobie AeroPress + Able DISK Fine - $40 (I strongly suggest the DISK Fine over paper filters, but the AeroPress does come with a bunch of filters.)

Pocket Scale - $7

Carafe - $7 (so you press straight into this, and measure yield, as most mugs will not fit on the scale; also great for serving two)

Hario Slim burr grinder - $34 (if you'd rather go electric, the Bodum Bistro burr is a great buy and can be had for $120 new or under $100 used/refurbished)

Bonavita Gooseneck kettle - $50 (You do not need a gooseneck for the AeroPress, but you do for any type of pour over, so why not?)

Good luck, and have fun! Give my video a gander to see how to prepare with the AeroPress. It is fun! Almost as fun as an espresso machine. Ha! Yeah, right! But definitely worth the small coin.

u/vjack11 · 2 pointsr/Coffee

How many people are we talking about? That will inform the decision. Also if more than maybe 2 or 3 you will really want to consider getting a commercial machine or at least a high-end consumer setup. An entry-level espresso machine designed for home use is not designed to be pumping out shot after shot all day.

I think ease of use and ease of cleanup is paramount. I honestly think a Nespresso may be a good bet. Yes they are expensive to operate and yes the pods are wasteful but they are super easy to clean up. If you get a regular espresso machine and somebody forgets to remove the portafilter or leaves scummy milk on the steam wand it will get gross really fast.

Here is what I would recommend:

  • Nespresso and/or K-cups. The coffee is mediocre at best but it is truly idiot-proof and no mess.
  • A nice grinder like a Baratza Vario and a nice, largish coffee maker like a Technivorm Grand (makes about 6 mugs of coffee). You can program the Vario to grind the right amount of coffee to brew a pot.
  • Buy a grinder and an electronic kettle or two (I like this Bonavita kettle since you can program the temp), and then tell your employees to BYO brewing technique. And/or buy a bunch of ceramic pour-over cones that can just be put in a dishwasher.
u/JustHereForTheTips · 1 pointr/Coffee

The blade you have will be easier to use, but you should find you get better coffee using the burr grinder. I started out with this guy because they had it at Kitchen Kapers, and I needed something quiet (manual-only) and burr.

I wouldn't recommend that one. The Kyocera doesn't have a lid, so you have to be careful to keep it upright and not grind too fast or beans fly out. Looks like the Hario version of the one I bought has a lid so it would do better, but I see the one you linked as many people's preference, so I'm sure that'll be great.

I stopped using my hand grinder because I'm lazy, and I just ordered my coffee ground for the last couple years, but then last month I bought an Baratza Encore and have been quite happy with that so far and think that will keep me satisfied for as long as it lives.

If you're like me and having to hand grind your coffee results in you not making coffee when you would have otherwise, then just buy it pre-ground and save up for a nicer electric burr grinder.

u/xdflames · 1 pointr/Coffee

Little late to this thread and new to the sub, but hopefully someone can still answer my questions! Before I start I'd like to say that I don't have $300 to spend on a good coffee set with a grinder, kettle and etc.

I've never been a huge coffee drinker but I'm really interested in going for it now. I've only ever had regular coffee brands made in an electric coffee maker and I always ended up adding a lot of sugar and milk because it was too strong. This being the case, my research has showed pour over coffee having a smoother taste than something like a french press, although french press is considerably cheaper!

My biggest question is, should I splurge a little for a decent kettle, grinder and pour over coffee maker to achieve what I think to be my preferred taste? Alternatively, I could easily grab a french press from Starbucks via a friend working there for fairly cheap.

That being said, I'm very interested in the art that is pour over coffee and fine tuning it to achieve better taste. The only problem is, everything I've looked at so far is incredibly expensive to start out and I'm not ready to spend that kind of money into this endeavor just yet. The $20-$30 for the coffee maker isn't the problem, it's the $50 hand grinder and $50 kettle that get me thinking that I shouldn't go down that rabbit hole.

Edit: I found a cheap and highly rated Grinder, an easy to use coffee dripper and a decent sized server but I'm unsure of if I'd need one if I'm only making 1-2 cups at a time. Thoughts on these selections and any recommendations for a kettle?

Unfortunately the cost is slowly racking up past the point of me being comfortable spending it all at once.

u/lemisanthrope · 5 pointsr/Coffee

You need to know that your coffee is about to get a lot tastier. Also siltier. The silt puts some people off, but I love it--just decant carefully. Also, after the four minutes of steeping, press the plunger and get the coffee off of the grind immediately. Transfer it into a thermos or your cup, don't let it keep sitting there on the beans in the press.

But I will say: DO NOT get a french press without also investing in a decent burr grinder and buying fresh, quality beans from a good roaster (or learn to roast at home). I would recommend this one as a quality grinder at a good price. Set your grind to course, and don't grind until your water is near boiling. Your grinder is your most important piece of equipment for world-class coffee brewing; it is not the piece you want to skimp on.

I have had some truly transcendent cups of coffee...and blown the minds of friends who had never had french press before. Happy mornings!

I love my Bodum Brazil press.

u/Gixug · 5 pointsr/food

Before I start, I should warn you that discovering good coffee can be expensive. It's also a bit time consuming. If you're in it for convenience, stick with the beans you're drinking now.

Freshness of coffee is highly dependent on two things: the time since roasting and the time since grinding. The best thing you can do is find a good local coffee roaster and get whole beans from them. Then get a good burr grinder (I love my Capresso Infinity Grinder) and grind it yourself immediately before brewing. Getting the coffee locally is good because you'll get to know the roaster and they'll almost always print the roasting date on the bag. Grinding it yourself ensures that the flavor stays locked in the beans until you're ready to drink your cup.

If you don't have any local coffee roasters, you can try your luck with some decent coffee from Amazon. Cafe Altura Sumatran is pretty good, although they don't put the roasting date on their bags, so you'll have no idea how fresh it is. Some of the best coffee I've ever ordered online was from The Birds and The Beans.

If you're just starting out, then I recommend getting a french press or an aeropress. You can even use them to make pseudo-lattes. (Obviously, to make a real latte, you'd need an espresso machine. But those get really expensive, really fast for anything decent.)

Hope that helps. :)

u/singsadsong · 6 pointsr/Coffee

Your best bet for dorm room drinks is going to be an Aeropress. It's a weird plastic tube that you use to push hot water through coffee. People here swear by them, and I do too. They don't make espresso, but they can make a terrific cup of coffee as well as a coffee 'concentrate' that can be used as a worthy espresso substitute. In terms of milk, it's really easy to froth milk in a french press. You just put warm milk in a french press and pump the plunger up and down a few times.

Grinding your own beans, if you want to make good tasting drinks, is unfortunately unavoidable. When was first getting into coffee I quickly became bummed out that the expensive and most important part of the process wasn't the exotic, perfectly roasted beans, nor was it the beautiful brewing devices, but instead... the grinder. Fortunately, a basic hand grinder will last you a long time and won't cost too much.

Aeropress - $28
Hand Grinder - $24
French Press - $17

In total that's about $70 worth of stuff. Add a bag of beans and you're at around $80-85 (hey, Christmas is fast approaching!).

Oh, and flavors like french vanilla and pumpkin spice don't really occur naturally in beans, at least not the way you're going to get them somewhere like Starbucks. Cafes typically use syrups, either artificial or natural, to get those flavors.

u/RoyallyTenenbaumed · 1 pointr/Coffee

Yea I didn't really know anything about it until I got it home and researched it. The people that owned it before were grinding flavored beans (i.e. coated in syrup) so it was kinda gross, but cleaned up easily. This is the grinder. I guess it's up to $100 bucks haha. STEAL!

Popcorn popper roasting is pretty easy. You have to do fairly small batches (about 1/3 cup per ~5 minutes), but it's not a big deal. It's kind of relaxing and I enjoy the experience. This is the one I have. I found it on sale for around $14. Totally worth it. The only details I had to get down were blocking the exit chute with a piece of foil and cutting some vent holes in the side. You have to do it outside since the chaff goes EVERYWHERE, and it's hot here, so the machine kept overheating and shutting off. Other than that, you just put the beans in, plug it in, stir them around a little (I just use a long stick I found outside..still going strong) until they get light enough to auto-stir, then listen for the crack and watch the color.

It's immensely satisfying roasting your own coffee, and places like Sweet Marias are very knowledgeable and have great selection. I usually order their sampler packs of 3-4 pounds. I save one cups worth of roasted beans from each sample then when I'm done with all of them I do a taste test. With an AeroPress it's super easy to brew multiple cups of coffee at once.

u/dubzors · 1 pointr/Coffee

First off, there are guides for this already which is why people are not responding. They are in the side bar and I linked them again here:

How To Coffee: A Primer

Coffee Gear Suggestions by Price

Now on to my own advice. I am also relatively new to coffee so my advice is based on researching how to get started over the last couple of months

Give us a budget, but under $100 puts you here:

  1. Grinder: The Hario Mini Mill ($27) is fairly highly recommended here
  2. Scale: American Weigh Scales SC-2KGA ($25). The AC-adapter version of a fairly popular scale here. It should work for a long time and work well for most types of brewing. The Jennings CJ4000 ($27) is also very popular and is worth a look. The difference is the Jennings responds way faster - which is useful for pour over - but is less precise (increments of .5 grams instead of .1 grams, though this is not as big of a deal)
  3. Brew device: Aeropress ($22), French Press ($25), or Pour Over (Melitta Cone or Beehouse) There is only one Aeropress version but there are lots of French Presses, I linked to a Bodum Chambord which is the favorite here. You can decide which one of these will work better for you based on the other responses on this thread or by searching in /r/Coffee.
  4. Cheap water thermometer or an electric kettle that can set temperatures. If you go with a Pour Over method you need a gooseneck kettle which sets you back another $35-65 depending on how nice. A lot of people go with the Bonavita Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle ($63).
  5. The coffee! Try to get freshly roasted (look for a "Roasted On" date instead of an expiry or packaged/binned on date) coffee. Try and buy stuff that is roasted less than 5 days ago and use it before 3 weeks from the roasted on date (some people say 2). You can try to find local roasters and coffee houses that sell fresh whole bean coffee using the /r/Coffee search or Yelp. Be careful with darkly roasted (ie French roast) coffee because a lot of the dark roasts at Grocery Stores and even shops (Starbucks) is considered over roasted and basically burnt. If you want suggestions for brands search /r/Coffee, though really popular and expensive stuff would be Intelligentsia and Stumptown.
u/One_tym3 · 1 pointr/Coffee

What kind of grinder do you have? A good grinder goes a long ways. I would recommend at least a Baratza Encore it’s like between 100-200 bucks totally worth the money. But I will probably upgrade to a virtuoso + in time. If you want something more low budget to dip your toes in I recommend a Hario MiniMill.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007F183LK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523307658&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=baratza+encore+grinder&psc=1&smid=A302OQK4GZWXCC


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01GPMH590/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523307695&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=hario+mini+mill+plus&dpPl=1&dpID=31BVJId0wqL&ref=plSrch

Then as others mentioned combined with a scale is where I would start. My girlfriend got me one from Walmart, most recipes are measured in grams; so you want something that can do that.

If you begin to treat it like a science expirement as I do I recommend a V60 or a chemex. The chemex was much easier to use IMO. It’s not as versatile as the aero but you once you get dialed in it makes a nice cup. But I also recommend a goose neck kettle.


Also if you’re interested you can try and find different aero recipes here to refine what you like the best.

http://www.worldaeropresschampionship.com/recipes/#/lukas-zahradnik/

As far as beans go, I’m a recent convert to HappyMug.com. But Counter Culture and S & W roasters are on the to try list also. The importance is freshness. If you go the way of a local roaster I would ask about when they were roasted if the bags aren’t dated. I was bamboozled into buying a little less than fresher beans than I get from happy mug recently.

I’m still fairly new I creeped for a long time took the plunge in November. I’ll never go back, hopefully you too join the cult.

GL HF mate. Let us know how you’re journey goes.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/tea

Do you have a problem consuming caffeine at night? Personally, my favorite and most relaxing form of tea is using a gaiwan with some oolongs, jade pearls, and some raw pu-ers. It's decently easy to get that kind of set up, especially if you allocate beer money to tea stuff.

For beginning...! Adagio.com has this tea maker giftset that comes with a choice of a five flavor sample pack. If you're doing night time tea, I'd get the herbal set and perhaps get some caffeine free tea samples. For day/morning... definitely black or green.

And after you get that, Verdant Tea has a Five Teas for Five Dollars sample you can get. I honestly like Verdant Tea a lot, but they're generally more pricey (you get what you pay for!). So this is a really good deal.

If you really want to get into it, then you can get something like a variable temperature kettle for things like white teas, green teas, etc. Not all teas are made to have boiling hot water poured on them! You can do that, or use a thermometer in your kettle to get your water to the right temperature.

And then you'll need your handy mug or fancy tea cup. Just whatever you like to use. I personally have a clear mug I like to use generally and a fancy tea cup in the mornings. It's very personable and you can customize your set to however you feel like. That's what's great about tea!

u/mating_toe_nail · 5 pointsr/tea

Since you think your taste buds are out of whack, I'd say try a bunch of sampler sets. Some tea is scary expensive but it doesn't have to be! Online vendors will provide the best value for your $$$ but if you have a good teashop near you with friendly staff you may be able to show you some cool stuff. The samples given at teavana tend to be tea with a bunch of other shit added to it you won't get a good idea of what actual tastes like unless you get lucky and find a person who's really into it.

Many vendors have tasting sets. I have a soft-spot for upton because they've been around for so long. Their low/mid tier teas are good. Their "premium" teas aren't so premium IMHO. However I quite liked this sampler. It is a bit expensive. Honestly I think other people will provide better recommendations.

Also for brewing tea, a good thing to start with a simple brew basket like this. Put leaves in, dunk in water.


u/johnty123 · 2 pointsr/Coffee

i'd say at that price try to find something used. this way:


1.)if you get a cheap pump-driven pressurized portafilter machine, you're not going to regret it after moving up and realizing you spent so much on something that would have little value later (for resale, or just keep as a "backup")


2.)you may be able to find a decent used machine. not sure what the UK market is like but here (vancouver, canada) you can find stuff like the old starbucks machines (with the non-pressurized PF) comfortably in that price range.


either way, if you get used make sure the owner can show you how to pull a shot on the machine. the reason is it can be quite involved (especially for better machines), and it also shows if machine is in good shape (the gaskets, especially). on cheaper machines it may be close to impossible to replace. (i picked up a bar32 for $5 at a thrift sale to play with, and it leaks like crazy. =)

as to the grinder, this article is making more and more sense the more i'm getting into espresso. there is a minor loophole: the hario hand grinders here and here can actually get you to pretty close to the grind that works on most machines.

TL;DR- machine: try get used. grinder: hario hand grinders

u/Gefiltefish1 · 2 pointsr/Coffee

For ease and lower cost, I'd recommend getting a hand grinder like a Hario Skerton and a Clever Dripper. If you have a little extra cash, step up to an electric burr grinder like the Baratza Encore. Any kind of electric kettle will be your best way of boiling water.

In a basic coffee system, grinding fresh before you brew is likely to make the greatest positive impact and electric is super easy. A hand grinder might take 30-45 seconds to grind for a batch of coffee, but that's a small time investment for a large return. In terms of brewers, lots of folks like the Aeropress for its portability and its ability to produce fantastic coffee, but I like the Clever because it's also very easy and tends to produce a normal cup of coffee rather than a more intense and concentrated cup that you get from the Aeropress.

u/FlamingCurry · 2 pointsr/Coffee

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.

u/robotneedsbeer · 2 pointsr/ottawa

Not a coffee maker, of which there are any number of great options, but the thing that's probably more important, a good grinder.

You need a burr grinder for the best coffee. For better coffee, this is the best single upgrade you can make, drip, press or moka pot.

My preferred grinder is the [Baratza Virtuoso] (http://www.amazon.com/kitchen-dining/dp/B000EG70IK). I've had one for years and it's a great performer for drip or press coffee. For a lot less, you can now get the [Encore] (http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=pd_sbs_k_2). I've never used one - they weren't around when I got mine - but they get good reviews too.

Btw, both Grace in the Kitchen in Kanata and Paradis on Bank sell them in town

u/cache4gold · 2 pointsr/Coffee

So I was in a similar position to you at one point.

I found someone on a reddit community I frequented who sold me his Baratza Preciso for $100. It’s basically a retired version of the Virtuoso with micro adjustments on top of the regular macro. It’s served me very well. I had a friend who I got into coffee who just picked up an Encore and he’s delighted with it. For the bang for the buck it’s hard to go wrong with Baratza really in the sub $200 range. Especially considering you can find their refurbs which are updated (on Thursdays I think?) regularly and can get an encore for sub $100.

I find the Chemex to be far more forgiving than a V60. Some people say it’s expensive ($35ish) but considering you can get away with not using a gooseneck it’s cheaper in the long run in my opinion. If you don’t use a gooseneck with a V60, you’re going to have a bad time. V60s are finicky until you get a good feel for them. Don’t get me wrong, they can make a fantastic cup, but you have to put in the work. You can also look at the Kalita Wave which I think you can find the 185 on amazon for like $25 instead of $45 which is typical. It also takes funky filters that are hard to find (similar to v60).

As others have said the body is going to naturally be a little softer and more nuanced with a chemex. If you like big juicy Kenyans like me that may not be your preference, whereas if you like more floral, delicate Ethiopians then you’re golden. As time has gone on I’ve learned to appreciate my chemex more. It’s easy to dial in and brew correctly. Very forgiving of pour and what not and the body issue (less oils from the thicker filter) is more or less non-existent now that I have a little more developed palate (although I’m far from a connoisseur or q-grade taster).

Also a scale is super important if you aren’t using one. It’s ridiculous how easy it is to think you’re measuring correctly and you are totally off without a scale.

TL;DR Buy an encore or virtuoso and a chemex if you don’t have a gooseneck. Maybe a Kalita Wave if body is a huge deal for you. Get the V60 if you’re obsessive compulsive and want to really nerd out and probably brew shittily extracted coffee until you get it down. Any extra money invest in a good kettle and SCALE.

Cheap ass Shopping List:

u/Trumanandthemachine · 8 pointsr/tea

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hamilton Beach 1.7 L. I've had it for a just about a year and a half, it has a standard 1 year warranty if any malfunction happens (no questions asked), its a bigger kettle (1.7 L is on the larger but not crazy huge end of electric kettles). I did quite a but of research and because I like mine programmable and also not crazy expensive (I didn't exactly think controlled temperature water was worth 200$ on some I saw while researching mine). I bought mine for either 40$ or 45$ with Amazon Prime (so free two day shipping, and it stays at this price, not from a third party), and it does have a really nice, although h not necessary for myself, guide on the side of the kettle telling you in small subtle print what temperature for what tea (or coffee) drink is needed. It only does preprogrammed temperatures (the temperatures for white, black, green, Oolong and coffee) and it does tell you the exact temperature at every moment, as it's boiling or sitting at room temperature. So there is a bit of control manually if absolutely necessary. But I find complete temperature control is unnecessary when it comes to tea brewing. The preprogrammed temperatures do tea well.


Edit: here's a link to Amazon where it's sold by Hamilton Beach at a 10$ discount for 3
$39. (Just a note, I never got a feeling that it was cheap even though it's definitely in the lower end. Hamilton Beach makes great small kitchen appliances and this steel kettle has been amazing. Plus their customer service has always been really easy going). http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0083I7THI/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1459456433&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=hamilton+beach+electric+kettle&dpPl=1&dpID=4186x8-tdwL&ref=plSrch

u/theFlipside619 · 3 pointsr/LesbianActually

I'm a mild coffee snob. So what is key: filtered water, temperature and grinding the beans the moment you make it. Straight tap is okay but check your municipality on how they process the water. If they put add weird stuff to reprocess... don't use. I can taste that stuff and then it makes my coffee taste sad, lol. So if not filtered at home then store bought.

I also use a french press. To get the full taste of coffee you don't want to use a coffee filter. The filter pulls some of the nom nom oils from the coffee. Also, more oils means more caffeine in your system. :)

But I had one of those master baristas tell me that they only keep their coffee (once bag is opened) for a week. Gawh! If I tossed out my coffee every week...nope I don't drink coffee that fast and not gonna waste money like that.

I prefer mostly dark roasts. But the most memorable cup of coffee I made for myself was one I bought from a local store and it was an Organic Italian Dark roast. OMG, that was just superb! So I recommend supporting your local stores.

Therefore, get a hand grinder and french press. Also, this may seem like a lot of work but it's a five to seven minute process and really I love it. Once I did it, I gave away my Breville Coffee maker and have never purchased another one since.

I love coffee!

u/rtbear · 12 pointsr/Coffee

It looks like you are set on a grinder. Virtuoso and Encore are both great. It's up to you if the Virtuoso is worth the additional expense.

The Fellow Stagg Kettle looks sexy, but honestly the basic Bonavita gooseneck kettle is a workhorse and a great value. If you want a little more temperature control then you can go with the variable temp Bonavita gooseneck kettle. I have the basic Bonavita gooseneck kettle and honestly it does exactly what I need it to and I haven't missed having a temp control.

I recommend a stainless steel insulated french press, like this one from VonShef. It keeps the water temp from dropping during the brew process and it won't break like the glass body french press.

Good luck!!

u/mr-fahrenheit_ · 3 pointsr/Coffee

We had a flash heater in my dorm freshmen year. It was pretty neat but there isn't much more you can use it for if you don't eat lots of ramen. I don't know much more about them but I'm pretty sure they should mostly have a temp regulator.

However I think an electric kettle may be a better move, especially if you're on 220 volts. It looks like that isn't the case for you though. This electric kettle that I have is great. It only takes a couple minutes to heat up a full liter to 190 degrees and if you use a hand grinder the timing works out pretty well. I think this would be a better purchase.

u/dptt · 7 pointsr/tea

I think its largely going to depend on what you want out of the kettle.

Any kettle with temp control would be ideal. You want to look at your price vs. use and see if one with a digital exact temp will be preferable to one with predetermined settings.

Gooseneck kettles are lovely and provide a very steady and controlled pour so finding one that allows this is beneficial but often costs a lot more.

I am currently using this one: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B019J0A092/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lgo7BbGV0DHER

It has a hold feature so my water stays at temp for 2 hours which is great as I tend to start water, get distracted, and then remember I wanted to make tea! Plus it's good for longer sessions with tea that needs steeped many times and I can have water at the perfect temperature instead of steadily cooling.

However this is the kettle I actually wanted: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0F40/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xoo7BbFWKM023

I think there might be a better version of this now or an alternative that is better since I have been happy with my less fancy version and cant afford the nicer one I haven't looked into it!

Good luck!

u/cwf82 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Kind of a tie for me between two items:

First is a Raspberry Pi kit. I have been looking at getting more into this, but hadn't found a project that I thought would be worth spending the money on. Although it can be used for myriad things, this particular kit is meant for retro gaming. It can play anything from Commodore64 and Atari to Super Nintendo, Genesis, PS1, and possibly PS2 (haven't looked into it yet). It is basically my entire childhood smished onto a microSD and a small circuit board, and it will allow me to pass my love for those games onto my kids. My younger son, especially, loves trying out new games, and even is into some that I was never into, like sports games. He's tried a few of my old SNES games on an emulator and loved them, but didn't like the keyboard controls. Not only that, but it will give me a project to do.

The other one is a variable temperature electric kettle. I don't know how much of a tea drinker you are, but using the proper temp for the type of tea really makes a world of difference. For comparison, it's like going from nasty, generic dining hall cheap-o brand coffee to high-falutin' gourmet stuff from a civet's ass. Brewing the perfect cuppa can be difficult, if you have no way to measure temps, going more on instinct and hope. This kettle saves you that trouble and brings it up to the proper temp, and keeps it there for you.

Awesome contest. Thanks for the opportunity!

u/bobertf · 1 pointr/Coffee

Before I start, I should note that one of the things that probably attracted you to the Bialetti is the fact that you can just put the coffee in and press a button and your coffee will be ready. I tend to geek out, as do a lot of us on /r/coffee, about coffee and spend a lot of time on the process, but that isn't for everybody. So I don't have any good time-saver recommendations, sorry to say. That said...

I'm not familiar with that De'Longhi but I do have some other ideas in the price range you're looking at.

I've actually never used an Aeropress (I know, I know... sorry everyone), but they're very popular here, not to mention inexpensive. A lot of people get mini hand coffee grinders that can actually fit in the Aeropress for storage. Again I'm not too familiar with those, but I think this is supposed to be a good one. So you should be able to get the Aeropress and a hand grinder for less than $90. Then all you need is a source of hot water.

Pourover is another option, and there's all sorts of different types, some of which have their own proprietary filters. It can be overwhelming. But again the equipment is generally cheap. Prima Coffee has a nice breakdown of some of the more popular cones. A lot of these can also be found on Amazon. The thing with pourovers though, is that for better control, you'd want a gooseneck kettle. But again, I think you can get a cone, some filters, a kettle and a hand grinder for around the $90.

u/0x6d1e · 1 pointr/Coffee

This Krups (I know, I was surprised too) is used by several of my coffee-loving friends at their offices, and gets pretty good reviews. It's not SCAA certified, but at $25-30 used... a pretty cheap choice that actually gets hot enough and takes Melitta filters.

However, if you're really on a budget, you might want to consider even-cheaper alternatives:

  • A Clever Dripper is cheap and as easy to use as an auto-drip (you can heat your water in the microwave, but an electric kettle is dead useful in a dorm or small apartment)

  • Cold-press. All you need is a mason jar and some cheese cloth; these are essentially free. Downside: you have to think ahead, because it takes at least 8 hours to "brew". Upside: you don't even need hot water (though you can mix the concentrate it makes with hot water if you prefer hot coffee).

    Any of those three choices should keep you well below your $100 budget. Use the rest to buy a good burr grinder (I like the Hario Mini Mill Slim, but there are other good choices); regardless of method, a good way to freshly grind your beans (without smacking them like the cheap blade grinders do) will noticeably improve your coffee!
u/giggidywarlock · 1 pointr/Coffee

Hey there! I used to be a coffee heretic and then I started roasting. You can't stick with your old ways and expect consistently incredible results when you're trying to produce something incredible.

With that said, you aren't really a heretic. You just have your preference, and it is different than the rest of us. Sure, buzz words like Starbucks and $20 krups grinder are like poison to some ears, but that's not an issue. At least, if you are happy with it then it isn't.

But if you are wanting to stretch yourself in terms of coffee you'll need to look into different options. I don't know what your budget is, so I'm not going to push the $150 grinder on you. But many people around here like the Hario Slim for being small and effective. You may also see the Aeropress promoted around here. It is a popular item around here as well.

Now, in terms of coffee, there are options for you to get quality coffee online. Roasters like Chromatic Coffee offer free shipping to US customers. They are one of my personal favorites. And you may be surprised what a quick google search of your area can find. I'm in a big city that wasn't exactly known for its coffee, but when I searched on Google I found that there are 6 roasters within an hour of my house.

u/mewfasa · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

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.

u/derpball · 3 pointsr/Coffee

I took this review from Amazon for when I purchased my first moka. This is the only way I ever use my moka and it is delectable!

  1. In Italy this is NOT called an espresso machine, but a Moka machine. An espresso is what you would drink in bar made with a steam or high pressure machine with the crema on top.

  2. Smaller size Moka machine tend to make better coffee.

  3. Never wash the Moka with detergents, just rinse it under tap water

  4. You've gotta use it often for a good coffee.

  5. If you haven't use it in a while, make a weak coffee ("lungo") and discard

  6. DO NOT put the MOka in the dishwasher.

  7. Use drinking water. Avoid tap water especially if very chlorinated

  8. Never compress the coffee.

  9. For a strong coffee fill the filter with ground coffee and make a small cupola that slightly protrudes beyond the rim. Do not press down.

  10. For best coffee, heat at very low heat. It's ok if it takes 10min.

  11. As soon as coffee reaches the top, remove from heat

  12. Do not let the coffee boil

  13. Use good quality coffee, not too strong, medium grind (try Illy for a good commercial brand)

  14. Sip while still hot, enjoy!

  15. (Added Nov 2012) - Wait until all the water has reached the upper chamber before removing from the heat. You will be able to tell by the sound (takes some practice) or simply visually. As soon as no more coffee reaches the upper chamber remove from heat. Do note let the coffee boil. With practice, you may remove from the heat even sooner, by just using the residual heat in the lower chamber.

  16. (Added Nov 2012) - Some times you may put too much coffee, or the coffee is too finely ground, or it's been packed too hard. In all of these situations, the end results is typically that the coffee struggles reaching the upper chamber. You can tell by the spouting noise occurring too early, the foam occurring too early, and how slow the whole process is. You can try increasing the heat if that helps. However, you will likely end up with a coffee that is too bitter and tastes burned. Back in the old days, this was dangerous business with many machines exploding (they had no safety valves). Regardless, your coffee is ruined and I would suggest removing it frmo the heat immediately, let it coold down and starts all over.

  17. (Added Nov 2012) - What kind of coffee should I use? Experiment, experiment, experiment! Here are some tips I have learned by experimenting. Until you become confortable with the operations of the machine, you can use a good commercial brand like Illy (although it's quite expensive). I wouldn't want you to blame the machine, just because you happened to use a bad coffee. Then start trying different varieties from different roasters. If there are independent roasters near you, why not giving them a try? I haven't had good experience with roasts marketed towards Espresso machines (I find the roast too excessive). Try to buy whole beans and grind them yourself. I find the cheap and popular brands pretty bad for Mokas, even if they happen to make good American style brews. I have had pretty good luck with small roasters and Colombian varieties (or Costa Rican). I have also had outstanding African coffees (Ethiopian). Unfortunately, I found they are seldom consistent.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B000CNY6UK/RAK1DGKYEF0GQ/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=1&qid=1408335688&sort=rd&sr=8-5
u/spencerkami · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

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 =)

u/gbeier · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Since it doesn't sound like you're poised to dive into the insanity that is espresso, here's what I'd recommend for a top notch drip setup:

  • Clever coffee dripper $13.50
  • Baratza Maestro grinder $99.00
  • A good scale $30-$50
  • A good, quick thermometer $15-25
  • A kettle where you can easily control the flow rate $40-70
  • Beans from a quality, specialty roaster

    On that list... the grinder is really not optional. You should get one that good or better; it makes or breaks the setup. For the brewer, you could go with any other pour cone or a french press instead of the dripper and get great results. The scale probably isn't optional. The thermometer probably is. The kettle is definitely optional but makes things easier to manage if you're going with pour-drip. (It doesn't matter for press.) The one I linked is the best of its kind.

    With that setup and coffee from one of the roasters on that list, I'd say you'll have a hard time finding better coffee anywhere outside your home. As far as how it appeals to someone who likes "caramel macchiato" drinks from *$, I'd add some quality syrups and some good milk to match her taste.

    Off the list of roasters I linked, I order most frequently from Klatch, Gimme and Counter Culture, and have loved every single roaster I've tried from that list.
u/adamjackson1984 · 3 pointsr/Coffee

Totally! I love talking about gear.

Grinders:

  • Bodum Bistro (on the way out, needs new Burrs, but I really like it for course french press brews)
  • Mazzer Mini (probably the only coffee thing I have bought new...a splurge but my espresso has benefited immensely)
  • Baratza Virtuoso - Probably the best all around grinder. Can do course and fine grinds, has a timer, no-static grounds catcher. I like it a lot.
  • Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder - My hand grinder, it's ceramic and does a consistently good pour-over grind..the only issue is it gets very hot when grinding and when grinding you want the beans to suffer no heat at all. It could be because I have to hold it with my hand when grinding and I'm transferring heat + the friction of the burrs? I really don't know how to improve it but I've started using this only on trips when I have to have a grinder and can't tote around my Baratza.

    Scale - Hario Drip Scale w/ Timer - It's black, measures to the tenth of a gram, the first one I bought is slow and it struggles to keep up with measuring my water grams...then I bought another a year later and it's much faster so I'd say if you get one that seems sluggish / slow, return it it's like they added a new CPU or something later in the life of the machine.

    Aeropress sometimes....it's the fastest way to make coffee with really easy clean-up. For the event I'm just gonna brew 2 batches on everything except espresso (since I don't want to tote that thing in the office). I hope it turns people on to better coffee.
u/bilbravo · 5 pointsr/Coffee

I have a Bodum Bistro burr grinder and really think it does a great job for $70. There is another Bodum grinder here that people dislike, but in general this one gets favorable reviews most everwhere I've looked.

If you want to make a single, easy cup of coffee at home you may look into getting an Aeropress. It is fairly easy to make a good cup of coffee for most anyone using one of these things.

I have no experience with the Ninja coffee bar (but I love my Ninja blender). I would recommend looking for a local coffee shop that maybe roasts their own coffee. It isn't guaranteed to be good coffee, but it will be a good place to start because they will likely have many different choices and you'll be supporting a local roaster. They will probably offer to grind it for you and ask what type of method you are using (pour over, drip, french press, etc) until you get a grinder.

u/Barnowl79 · 1 pointr/Coffee

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!

u/Ecopilot · 5 pointsr/espresso

So what you are going to gather here is that you aren't going to be able to obtain "espresso" for that price range. However, if your girlfriend likes strong coffee in milk there are other options that would get you there without breaking the bank.

For the coffee:

  1. Aeropress: This is a very versatile tool that can be used to make a number of coffee styles including strong shots of concentrate to be added to milk. Lots of room to grow and try other styles as well as time goes on.

  2. Moka Pot: Can be either stovetop or electric depending on what works best. These are super popular in europe and have been around for ages so they are generally time-tested. They also make strong, pressurized percolated coffee that can be added to milk drinks.

    For the grinder:

    Hand burr grinders from Hario or Porlex are great and have a good following. You can get a knockoff on amazon for a lot less but it may fall apart after a while. Depends on your estimated use.

    https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill/dp/B001802PIQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1480362440&sr=8-6&keywords=porlex

    For the milk:

    Frothing Pitcher: https://www.amazon.com/Gourmia-GMF215-Detachable-Stainless-Non-Stick/dp/B01MD0AAVJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480362139&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=frother&psc=1

    Frothing wand: https://www.amazon.com/Ikea-Milk-Frother-303-011-67-Black/dp/B013S27CLQ/ref=sr_1_9?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480362139&sr=1-9&keywords=frother



    Both of these together should get you where you need to go and make a nice gift bundle (maybe with some beans if you have a few bucks left over.

    I hear that the nespresso are ok but I really have to take a stand against the waste and concept. Putting together a bundle gives you a ton of flexibility and is a more thoughtful gift in my opinion.
u/autumnfalln · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Hi there! First off, congratulations on your first contest! That's awesome! =D

The cheapest item on my wishlist are these mini cupcake liners. Something else that I really, really want is this AMAZING tea kettle!. I LOVE tea (and coffee too!), and currently, i still use a traditional stove kettle. But this electric one would be so much more efficient and convenient- it even keeps your water warm for your second cup! I would be over the moon to receive this! =D

Again, congratulations, and thank you! You're awesome, and your username is adorable!

u/GetMentalGetWeird · 1 pointr/CampingGear

Check out a Moka Pot. Here's a video as well. Not particularly light but makes a fantastic cup of coffee!!

Also, here's guide for Cuban coffee which I haven't tried but plan on this weekend.

I've also only ever used instant coffee but I'm taking an overnight trip in two weekends and am going to try my moka pot out on that trip.

Good luck!

Edit: If you like strong, concentrated coffee drink it straight as brewed. The video suggests adding some hot water but I drink mine straight from the pot and extra strong :)

u/Dinotori · 1 pointr/Coffee

Sorry people are being jerks. It's definitely not good to reuse the grounds, especially if you're going to drink it black. I would recommend maybe getting a metal filter, so you can just rinse it out after each use and you should use fresh grounds every time. If you want to step up your game a little, you could get a grinder and use whole beans (they taste way fresher). You can either get an electric one like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JFHHMN2/ref=s9_topr_hm_b1DNO_g79_i1

Or you could get a hand grinder like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001802PIQ/ref=s9_topr_hm_b1DNO_g79_i8

The electric one is more convenient, but the hand grinder will give better results (and it really isn't that time consuming). Beyond that, there's an entire world of stuff to look at - chemex, aeropress, moka pots, hario pourovers, better beans, better grinders, a hot water kettle... It's all just a matter of how much time / money you want to put in. Good luck and I hope this helps!!

u/ConnorCG · 7 pointsr/Coffee

This is a totally wide-open question, depending on budget and time commitments, as well as personal tastes.


I hate to sound like a /r/coffee cliche, but Aeropress is probably the most flexible, especially for milk drinks. You can brew a concentrated batch with an espresso blend, or a lighter cup with a more standard recipe and whatever beans you prefer. You can kinda texture milk with a french press. It's not going to be cafe-quality but it should be pretty good. If you don't want to get the french press you can honestly just use warmed milk and make a cortado.

Check out this video for some ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_J6Q4oAvLM.

You could probably get away with doing everything with a french press, but it's harder to brew smaller batches with one. You could also consider a Moka Pot instead of an aeropress, but it's more of a one-trick pony, and can be finicky to get consistent results.

I suggest picking up a grinder, a Hario Mini Mill is the best value in the low end. This way you can use fresh beans and get the best flavor. If you're not concerned with all that, the method I described above should work fine with Cafe Bustelo or Lavazza pre-ground coffee.

u/grumpypineapple · 2 pointsr/Coffee

Never used the Bonavita, but a conical burr grinder is great!

One thing is you can also jump in making great coffee for a lot cheaper than this. This Hario hand grinder and an Aeropress/Hario V60 pour over are a great way to get amazing coffee for half the cost.

Although don't let that persuade you if you have done your research and that's what you want! To a better brew!

u/Ramachandrann · 2 pointsr/rawdenim

I have a Hario Mini Mill which I like and it gets the job done, but I'm really looking for something electric. If you're doing french press, it doesnt take much time to grind beans but if you're doing anything finer than that it probably takes me 5 minutes to grind 45-50g of beans which just isn't what I wanna do right after I wake up. I've heard good things about the Hario Skerton as well.

For electric grinders, I've heard that the Baratza Encore is the best bang for your buck. Also, I would get an adjustable temperature kettle (people perfer goosenecks but I just have a regular one) and a kitchen scale! The scale is super useful for cooking in general and I think they're good to have, especially for coffee.

Also, I have a Chemex and love it. I don't think I could live without it.

u/Ukkoclap · 1 pointr/Coffee

There's a few grinders I've found after searching but there's a big difference in price.

These 3 are the ones that are reasonably priced I could find.

Melitta Molino

Baratza Encore

Delonghi KG 520M

Porlex Hand Grinder

Personally the Melitta Molino or Porlex Hand Grinder looks the most attractive due the price and size. But the more important question is does it grind fine enough quality coffee suitable for espresso or is the espresso going to be as bad as a blade grinder that I currently have? Do the other 2 grind fine enough to produce good enough Espresso.

All of these grinders don't have an amazing rating on Amazon. I know this might seem a lil bit low to more enthusiasts espresso drinkers but my machine is pretty much an entree level espresso machine and I'm also a student looking to to slowly get better coffee gear. Right now I am looking to spend around 150 euro but preferably less. What are my best options?

u/Caspid · 3 pointsr/Coffee

For starters, get a grinder (here's a cheap but decent manual one) and an Aeropress. It's cheap, takes the last amount of time to brew (~3 minutes), lasts forever, requires the least amount of extra equipment, produces a great balanced cup, is super forgiving with regards to methods, beans, and grinders, you can experiment with its variables (brew recipes, steep time, press duration, etc) endlessly, and the cleanup is super simple (eject the puck, rinse under the tap). You don't need a scale or a kettle; just use the included scoop and fill the chamber.

The Aeropress is the device that got me through college. I used to buy coffee, grind it in-store, heat water in a mug, brew using the inverted method, and then press into the same mug. 8 years later and I still use it (though now I have a grinder, scale, and kettle, and I use a metal filter cuz it tastes better and saves money in the long run).

I would personally recommend against a pourover for your first brewer, as it requires more equipment and is less flexible and more finicky.

If you're having trouble finding good beans around the area, there's a huge variety of online vendors. Craft Coffee is the cheapest I've found ($10-14/12oz bag).

u/CA_Jim · 1 pointr/Coffee

For a total beginner, I'd suggest the French Press. Everyone seems to start on the French Press, since it's good place to start learning and gain experience, per se. It's forgiving, teaches you the basics of grind settings, dialing in a coffee, brewing techniques, etc.

However, I much prefer my Aeropress over my French Press. It's a trickier to use, has a lot more variables involved in the process, will take longer to master. So, if you're willing to skip level 1 and warp to level 3, go for the Aeropress. However, I'd still suggest the French Press to start. Whatever you do, you'll get your money's worth.

I have an 8-cup Chemex, and it's great, but it's unruly when I want to brew a single mug for myself. Great for sharing with 1-2 others, but just doesn't work right brewing anything but a full batch. When I just want a single cup, I use a Tiamo 01. This is definitely not where you want to start, however. Before you begin with pour-over brewing (which is awesome and difficult), you'll need a burr grinder and a kettle.

So, since I have a French Press, Aeropress, 8-cup Chemex, and a Tiamo, feel free to message me anytime for brewing instructions, recipes, or ratios.

Oh, and be sure to bookmark http://brewmethods.com/.

u/austex_mike · 2 pointsr/Christianity

> I mean, I bought the good grounds and everything.

OK, this is a big warning flag. Are you saying you bought pre-ground coffee? If so, that is your first problem. Never use pre-ground coffee. Once the bean is ground, it is quickly losing flavor and getting bitter, the chemical process of degradation is in motion, so you want to minimize the time between grinding and brewing. I use this grinder. So get yourself some whole beans and a grinder. The reason I use that grinder is because it is a burr grinder which gives a more consistent grind than the blade style grinders, but those are fine too.

Also, find a local roaster in your area. You want as fresh of a roast as possible. Some coffee shops roast their own beans, so try those first. If you can't find that check your local grocery store for a local roaster who has their beans carried on the shelves.

Now, if you want stronger coffee the key is to make sure that you use more coffee and brew it the proper amount of time. The problem is there is no perfect answer to how long or what ratio of coffee to water. You start with a four minute brew, then if you want a stronger taste you can try adding a minute or two to your brewing time, or adjusting the amount of coffee. It is a process to find the right ratios, but usually once you figure it out for your particular brew, then you can make good coffee consistently. I have a rotation of about five coffee bean blends that I like to use, and each one has a different ideal time/amount brewing process. My favorite is a good bean from Yemen, but in recent years I have found it hard to find beans from Yemen in the US.

Source: I have had coffee in 26 countries around the world including the Middle East and East Africa where coffee originated. (The Ethiopians claim they were the first to have coffee, but I have met people from Yemen who swear up and down it was in Yemen first.)

Good Eats Episode about Coffee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=K6XA7lh7P_Y

u/helicopterrun · 10 pointsr/Coffee

This is not a straightforward answer. Sorry.
It really depends on what you want to get out of the cup:

  • Do you want a full body? Kalita wave is more temperature stable than other brewers because the wavy filter keeps the coffee away from the brewer. The flat base allows more even extraction.

  • Do you want a really clean cup where you can taste all of the subtle notes? The Hario V60 is a Classic, brews a clean balanced cup. It has a thinner filter and is great for fruity floral coffees.

  • Do you want a clean cup for more people? Chemex has a thicker filter and brews a really clean cup. It also makes it easy to brew for multiple people at once.

  • Do you want the ability to do immersion and pour over? The Clever is really easy to use and is more forgiving than the other methods. You don't necessarily need a gooseneck kettle.

    I personally use a V60. The others are all fantastic, you really can't go wrong.
u/KefkaticFanatic · 1 pointr/tea

I bought the standard Hamilton Beach kettle with no gauge or anything about a year and a half ago,and that has been working without issue since then. I later bought the same brand but with temperature control and it has worked well for the about 6 months I've had it, but I find that it will generally overheat the water by about 5-10 degrees F (when set to below boiling obviously).

Right now I'm eyeing the Bonavita gooseneck kettle with temperature control as an upgrade, but if you want something cheap I would definitely say the basic Hamilton Beach is a good choice. Costco generally has it for I think cheaper than Amazon, so if you have access there I would take a look.

On a sidenote, I've been told it's better to start using a plain straight to boil kettle so you can get a better intuition for how you actually brew your tea, but I honestly just forget about my water too easily when I'm doing other things and making tea so the temperature control is good for me! Remember, you can always get a thermometer inexpensively, which is good to have around the kitchen anyway :D

u/safepants2 · 2 pointsr/Coffee

I have an Aeropress with a Hairo Skerton Slim grinder and can vouch that it's amazing. The Skerton was supposed to be skeleton but I think it's an Engrish typo thing. Also using 175 degree water helps with flavour. I use this kettle and am very happy with it. http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346697392&sr=8-1&keywords=cuisnart+kettle

Find a local coffee roaster/shop and ask them to show you the size of the grind to use for inverted Aeropressing. I do it for 2 minutes and the grind is more similar to a french press grind, maybe a tad smaller. I'm drinking it right now and it's delicious.

Also I remember seeing two sizes of the Hairo Skerton, I have the smaller size, the slim, and it's diameter is just a bit smaller than the Aeropress so it's easy to transfer the grounds into the chamber. I think the larger size would require the use of the Aeropress funnel but I could be wrong. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=Hairo+Skerton

Also, Make a small digital kitchen scale is useful to get the same amount of beans everytime. I personally use between 12-20g depending on what I'm in the mood for. The grounds usually go to the level 2 on the Skerton if that helps.

happy brewing!

edit: fresh beans from a roaster taste better to me. The stuff on the shelves at grocery stores are all stale. Starbucks beans are too burnt for my taste too.

u/BralonMando · 3 pointsr/Coffee

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.

  1. A decent grinder, nothing fancy needed if you're just going to use a french press, but try and avoid ones that use blades, and go for a nice burr grinder, like this one.
  2. a French press
  3. Some nice beans, have a look online for a local roaster in your area and give them your support/love/money!.

    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!
u/ErantyInt · 2 pointsr/recipes

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:

u/saxmanpi · 1 pointr/Coffee

JrDot13 is right. Once coffee is ground up, it starts to lose its freshness right away. Starting with whole bean and grinding it is the way to go. I too, started with a small and cheap Mr. Coffee blade grinder. It simply does not grind consistent enough and there really isn't a way to control it at all. I know lots of people are recommending the Capresso Infinity Grinder as an entry level grinder that gets the job done pretty well. I was on the fence about either the Capresso or a refurbished Baratza Virtuoso. Keep an eye out on Baratza's website on Thursdays (I think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong). On Thursdays Baratza updates their refurbished page. I ended up with the Baratza and I absolutely love it. I've had it for a year now and it's great. Personally I've never used the grinder in the stores so I can't say I know how good they are. But if you find a solid local roaster they'll grind coffee for you when you purchase a bag of beans.

Another option that you might want to consider is buying a vacuum sealed container and having the store/local coffee shop grind the beans for you and then just keep it in that container. I understand that money might be tight and getting the most out of your coffee can cost a bit more than someone might have. Something like this container has some pretty good reviews on amazon. The only downside to that is you're only going to be able to keep it at one grind versus having the flexibility to grind it as you please for whichever method you're using. But it sounds like your family is going to stick to using the Kuerig so one grind size won't be too bad.

u/Nimalla · 1 pointr/Coffee

I agree with getting a good drip to keep it convenient and to also step up the coffee game a little. Adding timed outlets is a great idea too!

Some bonavitas have a holder for the drip cup, and others the drip cup sits right on the pot, so they seem less convenient. If I were to choose between the two, I would choose a technivorm. The folks at Seattle Coffee review and test a lot of drip machines, and they even did a blind test between the technivorm moccamaster and bonavita, and it seems they mostly agree the techivorm tastes nicer. A grinder would help too, my dad likes to keep things easy, but he LOVES his grinder. He's had 30 years or more.

Grinders: The concensus is get a baratza encore. I don't have one, but they are just loved everywhere. I just recently returned a 200$ breville grinder and bought a 43$ cuisinart grinder and have been extremely pleased with it. I know everyone says to put your money in a good grinder, but I am quite content with the cuisinart for now! https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541103820&sr=8-2&keywords=Cuisinart+DBM-8


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u/agitatedandroid · 2 pointsr/Coffee

The Hario Slim is the grinder I use every day. And the Aeropress that I brew my coffee in. Amazon even links them all together in the "commonly bought together" thingus for $65.

Admittedly, $65 sounds like a lot to lay out for anything new. That said, it's very hard to screw up and the Hario/Aeropress duo are, I've found, quite reliable. Mine gets daily use.

A French Press, while terribly fancy, may be more work than you're willing to invest to start yourself off. The Aeropress, conversely, is simple to use, simple to clean up, and well supported by we coffee snobs.

The next thing you'd need are beans. Beans you can get lots of places. Something to be aware of, the reason we prefer going from the bean directly rather than just buying pre-ground is because once you grind the bean you really ought to use it with in a day or two. That tub of Maxwell House was ground up months before you ever opened it. It suffocated long ago and died.

There are numerous roasters that you can order from online with a pound of beans ranging from $13-17 or thereabouts. This is for beans that were usually roasted two or three days before they arrive at your house.

Personally, and not to seem like a shill, but I get my beans from SW Roasting, a fellow redditor. Their sampler pack of beans from multiple continents can be a great introduction and they offer a truly personal service.

If even that seems like a little much for a beginner, I've found the single origin beans on offer from Target's Archer Farms brand aren't terrible. They're cheap, around $9. They're not as freshly roasted as you'd get from one of the online roasters but they're still good.

Admittedly, the initial outlay might seem daunting but you will have set yourself well on your way to coffee snobbery with the rest of us. After that, it's just $15-20 a month for beans depending on how much you drink.

And, really, worlds beyond instant. Go ahead, get the things I mentioned or any of the other options my fellows have suggested. Then, make that instant coffee in a mug you threw in the microwave. Drink it black. Spit it out because you love your tastebuds and wish to apologize to them. Brew some good beans you ground yourself and taste a significant, staggering difference.

u/AsherMaximum · 19 pointsr/AskCulinary

If I had to make that small an area work, I would rely heavily on countertop appliances.

Forget a built in burner, takes up too much room.
Get a gas or induction hot plate for use in the summer, and use the black oven in the winter.

Make outlets readily available on the counter. Best place would be the underside of any cabinets, or just the wall.

You can do a lot with one of those combo griddles. Cuisinart makes a cheap one, but you can get nicer ones from others. Breville is one, but I am sure there are others.

Build your knife storage into the counter, a la Alton Brown. Saves space, and makes them always available.

Don't skip the dishwasher. It'll take up valuable storage space, but working in a small kitchen like that will be much more bearable if you don't have to wash dishes by hand.

Make sure you get plenty of prep bowls, and have storage space for them. Mise en place will be very important with a small space, and they will help a lot.

A Magic Bullet type blender is really handy for cooking for 2, and for a lot of tasks that would otherwise take up more counterspace (chopping onions, beating eggs, chopping herbs, etc).

Make the whole countertop out of end grain butcher block (or side grain if you don't want to/can't spring for end grain) so that you don't have to deal with cutting boards at all.

If you don't already, try cooking sous vide. Takes little space, and good for summer cooking as it won't let too much heat into the space.

Have a hood vent for your black stove, and in the summer, put your hot plate there. The vent needs to be the type that goes outside, not the filtering one.
You don't want a small space like that filling with smoke from cooking.
Actually, depending on how you build the kitchen, you might be able to just put the vent in the middle of the room. Have the ceiling slope towards the center a bit.

Don't skip the garbage disposal in the sink - you'll regret it. Also, stick with a single sink instead of the traditional double. You're better off with one normal sized sink than two half sized sinks.

Skip the microwave, and just get a large toaster oven instead, one of the deep ones that can fit a 12" pizza. You can do most everything you can do in a microwave in the toaster over, it just takes a bit longer.

Skip the coffee maker, and get a hot water ketttle with a gooseneck spout like this. Learn to do pourover, get an Aeropress, or a Chemex. Saves you counterspace, and you can use the electric kettle for other cooking things too.

u/brokenocean · 1 pointr/Coffee

I picked up the Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder from Amazon for less than $100, and I'm pleased with it. I'm sure someone in here will school me and tell me why it's not acceptable for grinding both espresso and french press coffee, but I do it and I like it. It has a nice consistant grind that goes from very coarse to very fine, and it suits my needs. I'd say it's a nice introductory electric burr grinder for someone interested in making good coffee. Once this one bites the dust, I'm sure I'll upgrade to something fancier, but for now it works great for me.

u/jambajuic3 · 1 pointr/japanlife

My apartment kitchen has the three prongs. I'll check tonight if it works with two prongs + adapter.

It depends on when you plan on buying that espresso machine and how often you plan on using it. Back in the US, I had an aeropress, a moka pot, a chemex, and an espresso machine. I would say that about 90% of the time, I used an aeropress.

My recommendation would be to buy this grinder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AR7SY/ref=pe_2313390_216827310_em_ti

That works perfectly fine for everything except espresso. For an espresso machine, you will need to be spend the money and buy the Virtuoso. The Capresso just doesn't have the ability to grind the beans finely enough for espresso applications.

At the end of the day, it's all up to you, but I think that it would be better to start small and expand the coffee setup later. Plus, when you are ready for an espresso machine, you will love having two separate grinders. Otherwise you would be spending a good amount of beans (expensive) and a bunch of time fine tuning the grinder for the perfect espresso shots every time you swap between different modes of coffee.

u/UncleTouchUBad · 3 pointsr/Coffee

Yes. Most people in this sub will tell you to get a burr grinder.

If you're on a budget they'll tell you to get a hand grinder (that uses ceramic burrs) and such.

It depends on how much time you'll have and how much you're going to enjoy the process and how deep you wanna get into coffee. My advice is find the best burr grinder for however much you're willing to pay. (they go as cheap as $30 all the way up to $200-300+, then they go way way higher if they are supposed to be able to grind for espresso). Keep it simple for now. get whatever makes sense for you but most would steer you away from blade grinders, they just do a poor job and the grind is an important part of the process.

For automatic grinders that aren't too crazy expensive, many prefer this one.

Once you get the grinder, you gotta find some good coffee to go with it. Try not to cheap out and buy the stuff at the super market unless it has a "roasted on" date that is fairly recent. Look for craft coffee in your area or some online roasters that will ship coffee to you. coffee subscriptions can be nice but maybe just start slow and look around for a 3rd wave coffee joint that can sell you their recently roasted stuff.

It'll be much better than anything you can get in the store and it will probably even be cheaper than they sell it in the store. There's always places like Blue Bottle, Stumptown, Intelligentsia, etc. that will sell their coffee to you online but you'll get it a bit cheaper if you can go to a local cafe to buy their stuff.

Have fun and don't be afraid to ask more questions in /r/Coffee everyone here is really nice... usually.

u/sorrythatusernameist · 2 pointsr/exmormon

Okay I'm really not sure which is a deeper rabbit hole, coffee or tea...

For coffee, before you buy any gear, I'd recommend going to a few good local roasters. Try some pourover, try a latte, a cappuccino, and some espresso. I like a of the above, no sugar necessary. Don't worry about buying coffee gear until you figure out what you like, or if you like it at all.

For tea, buy a decent infuser. I prefer something like this:

FORLIFE Brew-in-Mug Extra-Fine Tea Infuser with Lid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JPA3Y8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sU.CAb9N3FK95

Fits in any mug, gives the tea plenty of space to expand.

There are tons of varieties of tea. Tons. The ones I'd consider must try are probably: oolong, genmai, Jasmine green tea, Earl grey, chai, white tea, and some standard black tea.

My usual rule of thumb for tea is if I'm going to be putting milk in it (black, Earl grey, chai) tea bags are fine. If I'm not putting anything in it, I try for loose tea. Not all loose tea is created equal, and some bagged tea is pretty good though. Ymmv.

Good luck, and happy sipping!

u/Meitachi · 1 pointr/Coffee

I appreciate the straightforward answers! Nothing wrong with that, especially since it's constructive.

I should have clarified, the price I paid was a steal. This is the Bodum Bistro grinder I have and while I haven't had a chance to try out many other grinders, it far beats the price I paid for it. My coworker actually has the Baratza Virtuoso ($~200) and has told me the macro options on it are pretty nifty. I'm going to guess they come in a lot more useful for brews with finer grinds like espresso or Turkish brews.

I really hope I can develop enough of a plate to be able to tell apart a good shot vs a bad shot. With my current setup, I'm sure its mediocre by home expert standards but I'm happy with splurging more on the machine as I feel the Bistro grinder can suffice for now.

And wow, home roasting. Props to you, really! I've thought about it but it's a far off dream for me right now. I'd like to perfect my brews before I can even think about that.

u/mixmastakooz · 1 pointr/Coffee

Well, if this a regular grinder to you, then this is a blade grinder. Cheap and gets the job done, but the grind size is inconsistent as the grinder is slicing and smacking the beans: as such, you'll get large particles in the grind to very small fine grinds at the same time. It's 10x better than buying pre-ground, but if you want consistent coffee, then you'll need a burr grinder. With the Clever, a blade grinder should be fine as it's a forgiving coffee brewing method. Burr grinders crush (for lack of a better word) the grinds between two metal or ceramic burrs and you get a consistent sized grind which is optimal for brewing. This is a hand cranked burr grinder which will give you that consistent grind but since it's manual, takes a bit of effort. If you have $100, then get a refurbed Baratza Encore (or if you're in a big urban area, just do daily searches on Craigslist, and you should be able to find a Baratza for about $50). These are great entry level burr grinders. When you get out into the world and make some money, that's when you can graduate to stepless or the top-level burr grinders.

u/estsauver · 1 pointr/Coffee

Well in that case I would save and do the grinder first honestly. If you're spending ~25$ for an aeropress, I might do this hand burr grinder first.

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MSS-1B-Mini-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B001804CLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334215615&sr=8-1

It's gotten some pretty good reviews from other people on coffeegeeks.com and reddit. I own the big brother Hario Skerton and it's served me quite well. I've also heard that the mini-mill is much better with coarse grounds than a Skerton, so that probably suits your needs pretty well. It's also nice because then if you ever upgrade to a nice electronic burr grinder you'll have a great travel grinder/backup/spare.

u/xcravicle · 1 pointr/tea

Welcome to loose-leaf tea, I hope you find it as amazing as I do!

It looks like that’s a blend of Indian black teas. If so, I can’t recommend these mesh strainers enough! I brew all of my Indian teas in them. They’re super easy to use and they fit directly into most mugs. Great for brewing one cup at a time. They also allow more room for the leaves to expand than most mesh strainers, which I’ve found to make a big difference. Plus they come in all different colors so you can collect them all :)

u/_Sigma · 3 pointsr/Coffee

>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:

  • you may want to consider a new grinder, it will allow for expanding what you can do with the coffee. Potentially too much money, but a refurb Baratza might be worth saving for. Especially the Maestro/Virtuoso if you aren't doing espresso.
  • a scale to weight coffee and water to nail down variables
  • a gooseneck kettle for pourovers

    > 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.
u/craywolf · 7 pointsr/IWantToLearn

TL;DR: Use fresh-roasted beans from a local roaster, grind them yourself with a burr grinder, use filtered water, and don't cheap out on the brewing equipment.

First of all: /r/Coffee

Now that that's out of the way: What's your goal? Are you just disappointed in how your home-made coffee turns out, and want it to be more like the coffee shop experience?

First, let's talk about the coffee itself, before you add anything to your cup. A good cup of coffee, regardless of whether your goal is just a black cup of joe or a fancy espresso drink, absolutely requires good beans, a good grinder, good water, and a proper brew.

Beans:
-
Ok, obviously, right? Garbage in, garbage out. The problem is that most of what's out there is closer to "garbage" than it is to "great." Beans should be used within a couple of weeks of when they were roasted. That's not snobbery, that's just a fact - roasted beans lose a considerable amount of flavor after the first few weeks, and most of what you'll buy in the grocery store is already weeks old, maybe even months old. Go find a local coffee roaster and buy beans from them. My local roaster charges the same as (or less than) Starbucks for a pound, and the coffee is considerably better.

Grinder:
-
Do not buy pre-ground beans. That bit about using coffee within a couple weeks of roasting? Once you grind it, that drops a lot. You should grind your coffee right before you brew it. However, I would rather use a burr grinder at the time of purchase than use a blade grinder at home. Those will turn some of the beans into fine powder (which will make your coffee bitter), some into big chunks (which will be bland and flavorless). A consistent grind is important, and you can get one from a burr grinder. Use one scoop of grounds per "cup" of coffee (cup is in quote marks because a "cup" of coffee is 6oz, whereas the unit of measure "one cup" is 8oz - your drip maker's carafe should measure by 6oz cups).

Water:
-
Coffee is more than 99% water. It stands to reason that shitty water makes shitty coffee. If your tap water has any flavor to it, use filtered or bottled water. If you use tap water, use only cold water. Or, get a coffee maker with a built-in filter and change it on schedule.

Brewing:
-
Your equipment really matters. The flavors in a coffee bean come out best at right around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take 5 degrees. A colder brew comes out weak, and a hotter brew extracts nasty bitter flavors. Do you suppose a $20 Mr. Coffee brewer achieves the correct temperature and maintains it for the entire brew cycle every time? It probably doesn't. This is even more important with espresso, where pressure is just as important as temperature. Cheap espresso machines rarely give a quality brew. ("Cheap" for an espresso machine, btw, is generally under $400.)

Now What?
-
So, those are the basics. And if you follow them well, you might even find you don't need to add milk or sugar to your cup. Of course, you can - some of the flavors in coffee aren't soluble in water, but they are soluble in fat, so a bit of non-skim milk can actually bring those flavors out.

As for how much cream/sugar to add, well... it's "to taste," as a rule. Taste it black first. Too bold? Add milk. Too bitter? Add sugar. Just a little at a time.

Espresso Drinks
-
Espresso-based drinks (generally anything French or Italian-sounding: espresso, cappuccino, americano, cafe latte, cafe au lait, etc) are tough to make at home, because a good electric espresso machine is expensive, and a good manual one can be even more expensive and much harder to use.

A good compromise is a Moka pot. What it makes is not technically espresso (per the Italian Espresso National Institute), but is very nearly the same. They're generally used stovetop, but electric ones are available.

Once you have your espresso, turning it into something else (cappuccino, americano, whatever) is generally about adding ratios of milk, milk foam, and other ingredients. The milk is heated or turned to foam using steam. Espresso machines generally have the steam wand you need in order to do this. A moka pot will not. You can get a standalone milk frother - some just whip air into it like a hand mixer (though much smaller), others actually use steam (but of course are more expensive).

Use this as a guide to building your espresso drinks.

So what equipment do I use, then?
-
It always bugs me when people give general advice but won't give specifics. So here's what I use at home:

  • Grinder: Breville BCG450XL ($99.95) - Grinds well without introducing too much heat, or static electricity (yes, this is a problem with some, and it's obnoxious). They claim the finest setting will work for Turkish, but really it's more of an espresso grind.
  • Drip Maker: Cuisinart DCC-1200 ($88.49) - Reviews consistently well for evenness and accuracy of temperature. Note: Use the "More Buying Choices" section on the right to find one sold by Amazon.com directly, instead of a marketplace seller - I can't seem to link directly to that listing.
  • Espresso: DeLonghi DC155 ($84.99) - Has all the flaws of a cheap espresso machine, except it's pump-driven rather than steam-driven (meaning pressure is consistent). Its heat block is also about the best you'll do in this price range. That said, I don't use it often. Making espresso is kind of a pain regardless of your equipment, unless you get a so-called super-automatic machine.

    And there you go - that's how to make coffee that's as good as, or better than, coffee shop coffee at home. I know the giant wall of text makes it seem like a lot but really it comes down to the TL;DR at the top.
u/dloe48 · 1 pointr/Coffee

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.

u/landrybennett · 9 pointsr/running

The aeropress and french press are the easiest way to get a good cup of coffee. Check out these brew guides to see which one you think would be best for you.

  1. Aeropress
  2. french press

    Both are pretty easy to clean, but I think the aeropress is a bit easier. However, a good cup of french press is hard to beat with any manual brewing technique, imo. Aeropress only brews a single cup, whereas a larger french press can brew however much you want it to up to its limit. The big downside for french press is that it uses a coarse grind and you have to drop some money on a good grinder if you want a consistent coarse grind - grind consistency is key. (You could also buy beans and have them ground coarse wherever you buy them if you don't want to grind fresh.) With the Aeropress, you use a medium-fine to fine grind which can be achieved with a relatively inexpensive grinder such as the [hario mini mill.] (http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-Mill-Slim-Grinder/dp/B001804CLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451402224&sr=8-1&keywords=hario+mini+mill) I frequently use both. Aeropress is great for travel and work, whereas french press is great for weekend mornings.
u/e-lishaphoto · 5 pointsr/SaltLakeCity

Welcome to the coffee world! It can be fun acquiring a taste for it and exploring what you like. Since this is important for your diet I recommend gaining a better understanding of coffee to the point where you can enjoy it vs. starting out with crappy coffee.

Visit some local shops and taste variety of drip coffees. They'll range from $2-3 for a 12oz cup. If you don't know what you're ordering there's no shame in asking the baristas about coffee. If they're good they'll be thrilled to talk coffee with you. I'm also happy to tell you my favorite shops across the valley.

There are many different brew methods that influence the flavor and amount of coffee you can make. Since you're new I recommend using an auto drip machine to keep things easy. I began this way, moved to french press and now use the Aeropress and love it. Start simple and get more complex as you go if you would like.

Here are some items you'll need to start:

- Coffee machine

- Coffee grinder

- Bag of beans

Check amazon and read reviews for your coffee machine. There are quite a few out there. As for your grinder I recommend getting what's called a burr grinder. It gives your beans a better grind which will affect the taste/flavor. There are hand grinders, auto grinders, etc. I use this one from Amazon because I wanted one I could camp/travel with.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013R3Q7B2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Beans are going to vary. I recommend buying whole bean and grinding yourself just before brewing so they stay fresh longer. Store them in an airtight container. You can buy beans locally, online, from the grocery store, coffee shops, etc. I'm fussy and don't recommend purchasing generic beans from Starbucks, folgers, grocery stores, etc. Harmons Grocery sells great local beans sometimes at a discount. My favorite local roaster is La Barba Coffee. They cost a bit more but the flavor is great. They also have a bag punch card you can pick up from their Downtown SLC or Draper store. Daily Rise is a little cheaper and also local.

Watch youtube videos on grinding and brewing and go from there. If you dislike black coffee you can always add milk, flavored creamer, sugar, honey, etc.

u/fuser-invent · 1 pointr/Coffee

Wow, props to Gawdor for writing all those up! I think they are awesome and personally don't think they are a bit long in the tooth. The extra info is really good and having details is nice for people like me who like to delve a little deeper into things.

What I'd like to see in addition to the guides though is a list of equipment recommendations in certain price ranges, with very brief descriptions and links to Amazon or something where people can see the products there and buy them if they choose to. For example:

>Grinder Under $50
>
>Hario Hand Grinder - ~$33 - Cheap alternative to an electric burr grinder. Good for people on a budge who still want the quality of burrs.

However, no Amazon affiliate links where people make money, they should all be straight/direct links like the one in the example.

EDIT: I'm setting up a new section for that right now.

u/CommuneNefas · 5 pointsr/Coffee

I store my beans in an Airscape and really like it. Keeps the beans fresh, protected from air, temperature, light, and moisture, looks good, and I think it's reasonably priced. I would assume that it does a similar job of storing ground coffee, but I just don't really see the point.

Once you grind the coffee, it begins to go stale much quicker than it does in whole bean form. I totally understand your desire to not wake up your girlfriend by grinding each morning, but grinding the night before is going to drastically reduce the quality of your morning brews, regardless of what you store it in. I would suggest a hand grinder like the skerton or LIDO for grinding fresh each morning without making noise. Actually, the skerton comes out to roughly the same price as the container, so if you already have some way of storing beans (really anything works as long as you're putting it in something airtight and in a dark place), I think buying a hand grinder is the better solution.

u/TheTheoryJackBuilt · 1 pointr/Coffee

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.

u/Robocob0 · 2 pointsr/rawdenim

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.

u/writer__ · 2 pointsr/Coffee

(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

u/sleepwizard · 1 pointr/malelivingspace

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.

u/eukomos · 2 pointsr/Fitness

Loose leaf is really worth it with green tea, to start out with.

My favorite type of green tea is Japanese. O cha has some great stuff. Sencha is your basic Japanese green tea, don't worry so much about the other types unless you want to make a hobby of it. It is very strong, highly caffeinated stuff, which also means you have to be careful; don't brew it in boiling water or for more than two minutes, or it will take the roof of your mouth off.

China also produces some excellent green teas. I'd go to Silk Road Teas for that. Chinese tea is much more forgiving. It's pretty common to dump a scoop of leaves into a thermos and then just keep topping it up with more water all day. More subtle brewing techniques will let you play with flavor more, of course. Dragonwell is the most common everyday Chinese green, and it's easy to brew and drink, so it might be good for a beginner. Silk Road also does nice sample sets!

Many beginners also like Adagio. They're good at easing you into the world of tea, and sell a lot of teaware if you don't have any equipment yet. In-mug infusers are a fantastic approach if you don't feel like spending gobs of cash on decorative teapots, Amazon is also a good source there.

Green is only one category of tea, of course. Black is great stuff, oolong and white if you get interested in the complex flavors, and if you want a powerful hit of caffeine, try the pu erh. It's an acquired taste, but boy will it keep you awake.

ETA: Mug infusers that are in stock. They come in colors, but you'll have to look yourself. Also fill your own tea bags for the weak of heart who insist on tea bags.

u/Redcat1991 · 6 pointsr/tea

If you are looking at teas from unusual origins, say the country of Georgia, try what-cha.com.

if you are looking mainly at Chinese teas, Yunnan sourcing and teavivre are good places to start.

you can get some wonderful Taiwanese teas at Beautiful Taiwan Tea, and they have a very reasonable threshold for free shipping. You can also go to Yunnan sourcing's Taiwanese sister site taiwanoolongs.com

If you want to go down the rabbit hole that is Puerh, try out white2tea (they also have some gorgeously yummy black teas and oolongs) as well as the aforementioned Yunnan sourcing.

yunomi is a decent place to go to for Japanese teas, but since it is a marketplace type website, you would have to do some hunting (and Japanese teas are not my speciality, so I will leave much of that to other users.)

for flavored teas- there's really a plethora of places to get those, but the one that I have found with the best tasting flavored teas of the bunch is New Mexico tea company. This is just personal opinion, some people like Adagio better (and I do love Adagio's chestnut tea as well as a few others, so don't take that as a strike against Adagio).

I would stay away from most mall-type stores like Teavana because a lot of their teas are more cheap filler ingredients and less tea, just to cover up the low quality of their teas.

On the subject of tools, seeing as you are a coffee guy, might I suggest a hario teapot? A gaiwan would be the next step in going towards the gong fu style of tea. A very basic 100ml gaiwan would cost you less than 5 bucks + shipping. (shipping is expensive from here, so I would suggest getting more than one item).

For very basic tea drinking there are always in mug basket infusers.

Or you could always go grandpa style, where you just toss your leaves in a mug and refil the water whenever it gets low.

u/fish_fries6 · 1 pointr/Coffee

His french press, grinder, and kettle are certainly sufficient for what he's doing. There are certainly upgrades for the grinder (such as this) and the kettle (such as this), but for what he's doing, it's not likely to make much difference.

Others have suggested different brewing methods, which would be nice, but this depends on preference, of course. The Aeropress is probably the best option for someone looking to expand their horizons from the french press.

Given his equipment, the biggest difference is going to come from the beans. I personally have not tried coffee subscription services (such as Tonx), but it sounds like a really neat idea and I've heard generally positive things. Periodically, you get shipments of different kinds of coffee, so you can try new beans.

u/UrbanDryad · 2 pointsr/tea

Here is what I use, and I love it. This strainer actually lets the loose leaf tea expand, unlike little tea balls. It's also easy to clean. I get a pot because I like to brew 2-3 cups at once. I pour one in an insulated mug so it's drinkable by the time I finish the first. This set also comes as a brew-in-cup system for singles.

Infusing
1:Water temp. Either get an electric kettle like this that you can set to heat to a certain temperature, or bring to a boil and let cool to the right temperature. For greens that is always BELOW boiling. 170-190 degrees F, and it can vary by the type of tea.
2: Preheat your brewing vessel, be it cup or pot, by swirling some of the water inside and dumping that out. Starting with a preheated pot keeps the water temp. stable during brewing. You want a lid for the same reason.
3: Add loose tea leaves to the infuser.
4: Pour in your water.
5: Let steep. For green tea that is going to usually be 2-3 minutes, but it can vary by strain. Overbrewing green tea makes it bitter.
6: Remove the infuser. A good quality loose leaf tea can be brewed 2, and sometimes three, times! Let it cool between brewings, and you want to use it the same day.

7: Pour and enjoy! I like to brew in one cup/pot and drink from another. Pouring into a cold cup drops the temp of a green tea to almost drinkable right away.

Brands
I tend to order online and in bulk. I like to buy 8-16 oz of loose leaf at a time. I've enjoyed Republic of Tea, though they can be expensive and some of the flavors are a big miss. Their Vanilla Almond is to DIE for! Right now Rishi Tea is my favorite. They do greens very, very well. I recommend the Green Flight sampler pack to get started. The name is a play on taking a vacation across regions of the world by sampling greens from each.

I just ordered some Numi jasmine green tea, but I haven't gotten it yet. I'll update you when I do.

u/PrellFeris · 7 pointsr/pics

Obligatory /r/tea plug.

what-cha.com is fantastic! Great selection and good prices.

Use 1 tsp (5g) of tea leaves, and you can steep them multiple times (up to 3-5 depending on the tea you use), so 50g of tea is quite the value. You can also try samplers of more "exotic" tea if you want to try them out.

I highly recommend Yunnan black tea, tastes like chocolate and caramel black tea without all the watery fillers and flavorings. :D It also doesn't get bitter if left steeping for a minute or two longer than you intended.

I also just tried a sample of their Kenyan Flowery Orange Pekoe black tea recently, and it's basically a higher grade of the regular black tea you get in stores. Less astringency, more delicious juicy flavor.

I use this type of strainer and it works great in all sorts of mugs.

Hope this helps!

u/ElDochart · 2 pointsr/CasualConversation

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

u/theCardiffGiant · 2 pointsr/Coffee

this grinder fits very well into this brewer for one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make really good coffee at home.

The Hario Skerton is a better grinder, but the slim is cheaper and dumps the grounds into the aeropress very easily.

I second Tyler's recommendation to try to find a local roaster, both to buy good beans from and ask questions about coffee. Making really good coffee is a lifelong self improvement journey, not a $10 purchase at Safeway. You will need a mentor. If you're willing to say where you live I have a feeling we could help you find the best place.