How Do You Make The Best Cup Of Coffee?

[RJC]

Dear friends,

We currently have a k-cup type of machine that spits out coffee in minutes. It's great for during the week and times when we're on the run. On the weekends, I would like to enjoy a better cup.

I have heard that a pour over is the way to make better coffee? What do I need to get started? It sounds like I would need a bean grinder, a kitchen scale, a timer, goose-neck kettle, and a dripper (e.g., Kalita Wave). Any particular brands/recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

[Qubird]

I would start with just a grinder and a new method of brewing. Try a French press, aero press, or pour over for a completely different feel than your k cup. Don’t worry about all the accessories to start.

[blortchplop]

I always do pourover.

Big fan of the handground ceramic burr mill: https://handground.com/ and the temperature controlled electric kettles from Fellow: https://fellowproducts.com/collections/kettles.

I have some kind of ceramic filter holder. Not sure on the brand.

I have a scale but honestly usually just pour by eye. The scale does make the process a lot more consistent.

[alpenglow]

Quality coffee + Aeropress for me.

[vanuber]

Pour over. Tea kettle, pour-over brew cone, #2 cone filters, grinder, organic free-trade whole bean coffee. We use the glass base of a French press to brew into so we can see the coffee quantity. I use 5 Tbs of coffee per 24 oz Yeti mug. Wet the coffee with the first pour and let it bloom for a minute. Then keep it topped off until you have enough for you mug. Love the morning ritual.

[KlangFool]

https://www.sweetmarias.com/bonmac-2-si ... kz4sWuDVca

I recommend Bonmac and it ensures the flow rate to be consistent even with bad pouring technique.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/glass-cleve ... ipper.html

I heard great thing about the glass clever coffee dripper but never try it so far.

KlangFool

[Beck49]

Quality coffee + Aeropress for me.

+1 for an Aeropress. If you don't like it, you are only out $35 or so. Plus you need a good burr grinder, freshly roasted beans, and filtered water. Personally I skip the weighing step and live with some minor variation in results. Good luck.

[sschullo]

Pour over. Tea kettle, pour-over brew cone, #2 cone filters, grinder, organic free-trade whole bean coffee. We use the glass base of a French press to brew into so we can see the coffee quantity. I use 5 Tbs of coffee per 24 oz Yeti mug. Wet the coffee with the first pour and let it bloom for a minute. Then keep it topped off until you have enough for you mug. Love the morning ritual.

Same here.

[Beensabu]

I have heard that a pour over is the way to make better coffee? What do I need to get started?

A Melitta dripper, #2 coffee filters, an electric coffee grinder, and a tea kettle.

[Jack FFR1846]

Mr Coffee machine
Dunkin hazelnut
Set for strong
Get cup ready with stevia, 2% milk, cinnamon, sugar free syrup, pour, drink.
Best

[daleddm]

I'm a committed serious espresso person day-to-day, but on occasion will make a Greek coffee, which is nothing more than a slow cooking of super fine grounds and water - to just short of a boil (will start to foam a little - then carefully pour off the foam and coffee leaving the grounds behind. There's a bit of an art to to - check out some youtube instructionals of the "like my Greek mom does it" type. Turkish coffee is much the same - both work best with a very small cylindrical pan over medium low heat.

[David Jay]

#3 for the Aeropress

[Padlin]

If you like expression style, like Starbucks, then the aeropress. Being a Dunkin guy I like pour over. I use a V60 filter holder, #2 V60 filters, a kitchen scale, a grinder, a Pyrex measuring cup (mine is 4 cup), instructions, good coffee beans, and patience to try it for a month to get the right times and weights for your liking. Oh, you need a timer of some sort too.

For a grinder, you can start with the Handground linked to above, quick and easy to use. You can change to an electric later if you stick to it.

You can skip the grinder altogether if you can find a place that will grind it for you, you want it fairly course. The local coffee shops near me sell coffee beans and will grind it to order for no charge. Costco has do it yourself but they have limited selection and the grinders have a lot of issues.

I use 16g dark roast Sumatra coffee, 350g water, for 10 oz.

[snic]

#3 for the Aeropress

#4. And make sure you have a decent burr grinder. Try for lighter roasts, which are less likely to be burnt, allowing all sorts of interesting flavors to come through. With an Aeropress, you have very good control over how long the extraction lasts, and that's important for lighter roasts. They tend to need longer extraction (2 or even 3 minutes) than medium and darker roasts (30 to 90 seconds). There's a small mail order roasting company in Indiana, S&W, that sells basically only light roasts. They have some remarkable varieties. With their coffees I use a scale to weigh out the beans because I find just a few grams difference in weight can have a big effect on the intensity of flavor.

Aeropress also works well for good quality medium and darker roasts, and a scale isn't really necessary for those. Just use a scoop or measuring spoon. The device completely transformed my appreciation of coffee. And the it's actually really simple to use. You won't be able to go back to K cups!

[AdmiralJJ]

Aero Press for me. Hand grinder and I stir it about 30 seconds and let it seep for a little over a minute.

I reserve some hot water to add after I do the press, as I like my coffee to be hot, not just warm.

I use the metal filter and the extra attachment that focuses the coffee stream, but now I'm a bit concerned about not using a paper filter in light of the cholesterol post earlier in this thread; I'd never heard of that before.

[snic]

French press coffee is good, no doubt, but raises your bad LDL cholesterol. This is because there is no paper filter to trap the cafestol molecules from the beans, and they raise your LDL.

You can use French press brew bags like these or similar, but I find them to be a hassle. That's one reason why I switched to an Aeropress. There's very little mess and it uses a small disposable filter. The post above says you can use a metal filter instead, but the paper filters are really cheap.

[TipsQuestions]

Pour over dripper, filter, grinder, $25 roaster (popcorn popper), and green coffee beans from a quality source.

[FeralCat]

I do pourover, and also skip the weighing of beans, and measuring of water. I always use the same cup, and fill the water level to the top of the cup (my Beehouse dripper allows me to see the water level in the cup as I am pouring the hot water). Yes, there is slight variation with each cup. Though my entire pourover ritual is as fast as a Keurig. And way better than Keurig coffee.

[N.Y.Cab]

Nespresso Essenza Mini is fast and consistently makes good espresso that’s better than any newer, bigger machines. The Original Line capsule patent came to an end several years ago but it is still the very best, in my opinion.

[$=WxTxI]

Dear friends,

We currently have a k-cup type of machine that spits out coffee in minutes. It's great for during the week and times when we're on the run. On the weekends, I would like to enjoy a better cup.

I have heard that a pour over is the way to make better coffee? What do I need to get started? It sounds like I would need a bean grinder, a kitchen scale, a timer, goose-neck kettle, and a dripper (e.g., Kalita Wave). Any particular brands/recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

1. Cowboy coffee.
2. Stove top percolator

[spooky105]

Pour over for me. If you’re just trying things out, I would recommend building a setup with Hario gear as they cover all of the bases. To keep the entry price point low, the Hario V60 Drip Kettle (stovetop) and Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Mini-Slim (hand grinder) are both good. As this is my daily brew, I use an electric kettle and higher end grinder that also double for use w/ my espresso machine.

My setup:

Hario V60 Drip Decanter
V60 Paper Filters
Bonita Gooseneck kettle
Hario Coffee Scale Polaris
Niche Grinder

[Sunrise]

https://www.sweetmarias.com/bonmac-2-si ... kz4sWuDVca

I recommend Bonmac and it ensures the flow rate to be consistent even with bad pouring technique.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/glass-cleve ... ipper.html

I heard great thing about the glass clever coffee dripper but never try it so far.

KlangFool

I'm a huge fan of the original (full BPA-free plastic) Clever Coffee Dripper, I bet the newer glass one is even better. I'm a fan of these "immersion dripper" brewers that let you steep the coffee brew as long as you like (like a French Press), but unlike a French Press these brewers use a regular paper cone filter to filter out sediment, giving you a cleaner cup. You just dump the ground coffee and hot water in the filter/dripper, put on the lid to keep heat in, wait a few minutes, then set the dripper on a mug which opens the stopper and drains the brewed coffee. No pouring technique required. Looks like Hario USA makes something similar called the SWITCH Immersion Dripper. I love Sweet Maria's also, they probably have instructions on their web site for the Clever Coffee Dripper. Good luck!

[Feldman]

I pour some dirty brown water in a cup and swirl it around. Then I pour it down the drain because it's nasty. I also don't want to cultivate a dependency.

[Kagord]

Another pour over, on Saturdays, for something extra special, I take the extra 30 seconds and bloom it.

[simplesimon]

https://www.sweetmarias.com/bonmac-2-si ... kz4sWuDVca

I recommend Bonmac and it ensures the flow rate to be consistent even with bad pouring technique.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/glass-cleve ... ipper.html

I heard great thing about the glass clever coffee dripper but never try it so far.

KlangFool

I'm a huge fan of the original (full BPA-free plastic) Clever Coffee Dripper, I bet the newer glass one is even better. I'm a fan of these "immersion dripper" brewers that let you steep the coffee brew as long as you like (like a French Press), but unlike a French Press these brewers use a regular paper cone filter to filter out sediment, giving you a cleaner cup. You just dump the ground coffee and hot water in the filter/dripper, put on the lid to keep heat in, wait a few minutes, then set the dripper on a mug which opens the stopper and drains the brewed coffee. No pouring technique required. Looks like Hario USA makes something similar called the SWITCH Immersion Dripper. I love Sweet Maria's also, they probably have instructions on their web site for the Clever Coffee Dripper. Good luck!

I’ve tried V60 and Aeropress and the Clever is the one that ended up as my favorite. I use a Vario grinder with steel burrs.

OP check out all of James Hoffmann’s videos on YouTube. Great content.

[bikefish]

I use the 3 cup Chemex. If you take the couple minutes to carefully pour the water over the grounds (I am sure there is a video on youtube), you are not going to get a better cup of coffee in my opinion.

[MorgansRun]

1. OXO pour over
2. #2 filters
3. Capresso burr grinder
4. Zojirushi hot water kettle
5. Lavazza Espresso Italiano whole bean

[rebellovw]

I measure 60 grams of Sweetbloom coffee beans - and grind them.
1 Liter filtered water
Paper filter
Moccamaster Coffee Maker.

Produces 2 really good cups of coffee - for 2 people.

Measure because Sweetbloom coffee isn't cheap - and it comes out consistent. Love it.

[sunshinebottom]

Bit of a geek for coffee:
Roast green beans in a Behmor drum roaster in the garage
Grind the beans finely in a good burr grinder
Hand press 2 espresso shots in a manual Flair espresso maker

Fresh ground beans used within 2 weeks makes a huge difference
The grinder is important.

I started with this because it was a less expensive way to make coffee. The roaster was about $300. The grinder a little over $100. The espresso maker similar. Green coffee runs from $4-8 a pound.

[Kenkat]

I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life!
— Alice

[bagle]

1. Good raw material (whole artisanal beans, very subjective).
2. Good burr grinder (e.g. Baratza).
3a. Aeropress for brew coffee.
3b. Cafelat Robot for expresso.

Optional: Hario gooseneck kettle.

[CenTexan]

I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life!
— Alice

+1

[leland]

Pourover here.

• Hand grinder - 1zpresso JX Pro at the moment but interested in upgrades more tuned to pourovers
• Pourover device - Kalita Wave, Hario V60 and a few other gadgets
• Paper filters - not down the rabbit hole of specialty papers yet (also have a metal V60 filter to play with)
• Scale - <$20 random model
• Good beans - mix of local roasters, travel souvenirs and every so often a trade subscription
• Oxo gooseneck kettle

Generally brew 500ml with 30g of coffee at 203c at some point before noon each day. Varying the time reduces the dependency a bit for me. Sometimes will use aeropress, french press and other gadgets. Always on the lookout for the next pourover fad to skip although I'd love to find an immersion device (like Hario Switch, Clever, etc.) that can do a 500ml brew. Please tag me on a reply or DM me if I've missed something.

Every so often I'll use Filtru to cadence my pours or try a new recipe. It works a bit better than tracking on my scale.

For travel where I have the space (road trip or flight to one location where a checked bag isn't a pain) I'll take most of this setup with me using the Kalita Wave and a small travel kettle.

Not yet down the espresso or roasting rabbit holes - don't feel like I have the kitchen or mental space for that even if my YouTube history says otherwise

[soretired]

For heating your water, for a pour application, can't one just put filtered water in a glass pyrex measuring cup and heat it to desired temp. in the microwave? Why do so many of you use kettles?

Also what's the best temp. for your heated water? I do like the coffee to end up abt 155>165 degrees.

[windaar]

Costco medium roast ground coffee in a Mr. Coffee.

[Dottie57]

I have heard that a pour over is the way to make better coffee? What do I need to get started?

A Melitta dripper, #2 coffee filters, an electric coffee grinder, and a tea kettle.

This setup works great for me too.

[GeneralRUSick2]

Ditch paper filters (they steal the oils from the beans) and do a simple pour over. Use the best water possible.

[Retiredrocketbuilder]

Spring water
Kitchenaid kettle
Illy medium grind
French press
Occasionally I sprinkle a small amount of sea salt in the coffee so as to make sure the minerals are in the water.

[texasdiver]

Dear friends,

We currently have a k-cup type of machine that spits out coffee in minutes. It's great for during the week and times when we're on the run. On the weekends, I would like to enjoy a better cup.

I have heard that a pour over is the way to make better coffee? What do I need to get started? It sounds like I would need a bean grinder, a kitchen scale, a timer, goose-neck kettle, and a dripper (e.g., Kalita Wave). Any particular brands/recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

What no one has mentioned is that you can do pour over with your Keurig. Just get one of the reusable filters. They are all over Amazon. You need the right one for your model of Keurig. They aren't universal fit. Find the right one.

I mean yes, you can go to extremes with pour over equipment and technique. But for a quick fix this is OK.

[Beensabu]

Why do so many of you use kettles?

Also what's the best temp. for your heated water?

When the tea kettle whistles is good.

[TheGreyingDuke]

Pour over dripper, filter, grinder, $25 roaster (popcorn popper), and green coffee beans from a quality source.

+1 (and make it a Barazata mill)

Sweet Maria's is a good source of green beans

[LaurenRose]

I've tried so many methods and coffees over the years, now I just make a cup of coffee that rivals any coffeehouse, if I may say so and it's fall over easy.

I draw a mug of hot water from my Zojirushi water boiler, then add a half tsp of Nescafe instant coffee and a half tsp of Nescafe instant espresso,
stir well and enjoy.

It's not your grandpa's Sanka, those days are long over.

[Nicolas]

Buy a home roasting oven, I suggest the Behmor. Then roast some green arabica beans to medium roast. I suggest buying the beans and oven from Burman Brothers Coffee Traders of Madison, WI (no affiliation). After a day of rest grind them in a burr grinder, I suggest using a Baratza burr grinder.

Then using a pour-over flask with a metal strainer, install a cone-shaped paper filter into the strainer. You can optionally skip the filter. Add 3/8ths of a cup of ground coffee into the filter. Heat a half liter of filtered water to boiling then pour just enough into the filter for the grounds to “bloom”, wait thirty seconds and then slowly pour in the rest of the water. When the coffee is all in the flask pour it into a thermal carafe.

Drink black or not. I drink only black.

[eddot98]

Dear friends,

We currently have a k-cup type of machine that spits out coffee in minutes. It's great for during the week and times when we're on the run. On the weekends, I would like to enjoy a better cup.

I have heard that a pour over is the way to make better coffee? What do I need to get started? It sounds like I would need a bean grinder, a kitchen scale, a timer, goose-neck kettle, and a dripper (e.g., Kalita Wave). Any particular brands/recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

GMAB, this is like saying I have a Chevy Vega and asking what is the best car that I can get? Why not just ask how can I make a much better cup of coffee than the one that I get from a Keurig (from which I have never tasted a decent cup) without going down the rabbit hole of roasting your own single source fresh beans from somewhere thousands of miles away.
Our Cuisinart DCC1200 drip coffee machine makes a better cup of coffee than 95% of the coffee that I have personally had anywhere. I use Starbucks Caffe Verona Italian roast ground coffee and make 6 or 8 cups every morning, depending on how well I slept the night before.
Can you make a better cup of coffee at home than that? Sure, but it will only be marginally better and take much more effort and money.

[TSWNY]

I've been doing pour over for several years now. I have a subscription for Black Rifle Coffee shipped right to my house and it's by far my favorite brand. I have a Kuerig in my office at work and keep a box of BRCC k-cups there.

[TipsQuestions]

Pour over dripper, filter, grinder, $25 roaster (popcorn popper), and green coffee beans from a quality source.

+1 (and make it a Barazata mill)

Sweet Maria's is a good source of green beans

Yeah, I get most of my green beans from Sweet Maria's. Good quality, good prices and fast shipping.

[Halicar]

$30 Hamilton Beach coffee maker and Starbucks brand pre-ground beans from the grocery store. A few years ago I did the whole gourmet beans / burr grinder / French press thing but decided it wasn't worth it.

Threads like these always bring to mind the stories about how wine connoisseurs can't tell the difference between a $20 bottle of wine and a $20,000 bottle of wine in a blind test.

[Catalina25]

How Do You Make The Best Cup Of Coffee?

It's all about the bean (where grown, roast level, time from roast-to-cup, etc.).

I purchase my whole coffee beans from a small, local roaster that roasts beans from all over of the world and the variety is amazing! The retail side is closed on Mon-Wed as these are the primary roasting days with the retail side opening Thu-Sun. Along with coffee bean origin and roast level, using freshly roasted beans helps considerably towards a flavorful cup of coffee.

As they say, "Life's too short to drink bad coffee!"

[KlangFool]

$30 Hamilton Beach coffee maker and Starbucks brand pre-ground beans from the grocery store. A few years ago I did the whole gourmet beans / burr grinder / French press thing but decided it wasn't worth it.

Threads like these always bring to mind the stories about how wine connoisseurs can't tell the difference between a $20 bottle of wine and a $20,000 bottle of wine in a blind test.

Halicar,

If you can't taste the difference, then, it won't matter to you. For example, I can't taste the difference between fishes. It is either salmon or not salmon. So, for me, it is a waste to have gourmet fishes.

I cannot stand Starbucks in general. I can taste the bitterness of the burnt coffee beans of roasting a large batch of coffee beans.

KlangFool

[Catalina25]

I cannot stand Starbucks in general. I can taste the bitterness of the burnt coffee beans of roasting a large batch of coffee beans.

KlangFool

I've never had a decent cup of coffee from Starbucks (either brewed at Starbucks or beans bought at the store, as to me, it always has a burnt taste to it. Dunkin Donuts has better tasting coffee than Starbuck's.