Coffee drinkers - figured it's time to improve my coffee game. I've been drinking 3-4+ cups of pre-ground Peets coffee out of a cheap Mr. Coffee maker for years. There's got to be a better way but I don't even know where to start. What methods, machines, beans, etc. do you use for your at-home brewing?
Dec 04, 2022Dec 04, 2022
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Comments (24)
buy an espresso machine
"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
A great starter set up will cost ~$150-200
1st step is to buy a grinder. I recommend a Baratza Encore.
Next, you need a brewing method. Each will yield wildly different cups. To start, go with any of (ranked in my preference): pour-over, moka pot, or french press. Have also heard aeropress is awesome and easy.
Also, get a gooseneck electric kettle! And a kitchen scale that goes down to .1 grams, ideally with a timer.
Last input is beans. Buy fresh roasted, whole beans! Usually from a cafe rather than grocery store. Check the roasted date on the bag, should be within the last 2-3 weeks.
Try out different blends, light roast = sweet/fruity, medium roast = chocolate/caramel, dark roast = earthy/dark chocolate.
Ask the barista which beans they recommend for whatever brewing method you're using, but don't be afraid to mix it up.
The key to coffee is always changing it up and trying new things (beans, brewing), but keeping a consistent brew.
Highly recommend French press as it's what I've always used but my dad is a big pour over connoisseur and his coffee is simply stellar. Would just say that it's okay to get the grocery store whole beans but just got to make sure it's from a good brand like blue bottle or verve or intelligentsia, though you're right that the local beans from a coffee shop will be the best quality.
Edit - also the most important is that with your water, never overheat it as it can burn the coffee grounds in the pour over / French press. I always set the goose neck to 200 and usually take it off at 190. Once I pour I let it sit for 4 min before serving
You say a lot of words, but don't mention espresso once.
"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
Bump on the aeropress if your in a rush - takes five minutes and makes awesome one cup coffee on par or slightly below French press
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I am glad you are asking about your coffee game. Pre game hydration is important for success in the bulllpen
please recognize that your already doing great for your age. A mr coffee is like drinker bodega $1 coffee: and that's a hallmark of rainmakers
should you decide to up your game, get a real espresso machine and grinder
You can get a Jura or De'Longhi for way less than $8k. A couple of grand can get you a heck of a nice machine, according to my wife. On Ninja hasn't failed us yet, though.
Just get a WMF, DeLonghi, or Jura for the bullpen, it's only like 8k
I have one of these guys and I brew cold brew every week for myself. https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/coffee-products/coffee-makers/p.cold-brew-coffee-maker.kcm4212sx.html
I usually buy a 1-2 pound bag of a slightly cheaper (but not completely crap) coffee bean like Wegmans, Kirkland/Costco. I also have a super basic grinder, and I grind the beans coarse and steep them for 24 hours. I'm still learning, but I significantly prefer cold brew to hot coffee. Way less harsh and way less acidic.
jmonkey pretty much nailed it. i'd recommend the following setup (it's what I use daily)
1. Hario scale: for weighing your beans and it has a timer so you can ensure you are hitting the correct bloom times on pourover (I no longer use this functionality since I have a good sense of it now).
2. Hario v60 pourover set: this is great for me as I live alone and you can just put it on top of your coffee mug or if you are doing brew for your plus one, can use the pot it comes with instead of your coffee mug
3. Proper paper filters: hario v60 filters are good for this but really any high quality paper filter made for pourovers is what you want. normal coffee filters will tear and ruin your experience
4. Kettle: ideally one which has temp setting of ~200F or is adjustable, you don't need a gooseneck kettle - the one I have is great for all usage (tea, coffee, just boiling water in large quantities) so I opted not to buy the gooseneck one everyone uses
5. Grinder: you need a burr grinder, i feel like distinctions between brands are a bit overrated just don't opt for a hand one unless you plan on going camping with it lol
6. Beans: fresh beans are the most important. i love the nizza from la colombe but all personal preference
There's a really snooty pretentious youtuber, james hoffman, you can checkout if you want to see the optimal pour over technique times etc. but honestly I try to keep it simple. Focus on fresh beans, wetting the coffee filter before use, and first bloom and that's like 99% of the results. Nice way to start the day and not too much work
Try out the Delonghi Dedica Espresso Machine. It costs roughly 150-200$ and does a great job of getting comfortable with portafilter machines
Who uses the dollar sign at the end of the number? Is this a Euro thing or something?
"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
Yes. In Europe, at least in Western Europe, you put the Euro sign after the number
I like my gaggia machine. Saecos are also nice. Make sure your espresso machine is automatic and can make espresso and reg. cup coffee.
Absolute gamechanger in terms of quality and accessibility. Purchase whole beans in large qty. recommend Jamaican blue mountain or on if you're going for value buy from a local roaster or starbucks sumatra. IMO the delivery(i.e. fresh ground) is more important than quality/selection of blend
Go binge Hoffman. Buy a Nice De-1 and their expresso accessories, buy some beans from a single  origin source with a roast date with a recent roast date (local roasters preferred) . Then just experiment. Total cost? 5k and never upgrade again
Coffee Maker / Method: Ottomatic 2.0 Chemex. We manually brewed Chemex coffee for ten years before switching to the Ottomatic 2.0 six months ago. I would need to taste manual brew and Ottomatic side by side for a true test, but we haven't noticed any decline in taste quality. You gain about 7-10 minutes per day vs. manual method. Didn't perceive it to be impactful but it's surprisingly noticeable. Can shower, take the dog out, take care of the kids, etc.
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso+. Baratza is must have. Model can be preference driven.
Scale: Hario v60 Drip Scale. Clear choice.
Coffee: Will be preference driven. Coffee is a fruit. Make the switch toward light roast if you haven't already. Find coffee you enjoy, that is reliably in-stock, and reasonably priced. Buy direct from the company. Try to find a company that roasts the coffee to order (i.e. guaranteed fresh coffee).
Coffee Container: We have a large glass airtight mason jar. Airtight and glass are the two things that are critical.
Get a Chemex for $30, grind your own whole beans, incredible. I've been doing it for 5 years.
Only one answer, get the BT Speed Brew Classic Thermal Coffee Maker from Bunn. My dad has had his for years, I have had mine for >3 years and it has not had a problem ever. Instant brewing and a shower instead of drip so you get way better coffee out of your grinds. Don't look anywhere else. (I use mine for tea and cup ramen too since it has hot water always on tap).
Any whole beans ground fresh will be light years better than mr coffee 🤣
Don't waste your time with all these expensive and high maintenance espresso machines. Buy a $25 Moka pot. It will be infinitely easier and make a much better product. Just make sure you buy good quality whole bean coffee and grind before brewing.
Have a Raffaello or a Ferrero Rocher with each cup!
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