Aeropress is cheap and easy for a regular submersion brew and if you want to try venturing into the realm of espresso I'd suggest a flair neo cause its cheap and it lets you play with all the same variables of a 3000 dollar espresso machine e.g. pressure/flow control and temp if you already have a temp controlled kettle or a thermometer. Also don't forget a good grinder!
this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
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Thanks! I will try everything first and then decide which one I like the most so idk about espresso rn.
Aeropress, a grinder, good coffee roasted 3 days, and a way to make water hot.
The aeropress is a little more expensive then some cheaper French presses I’ve seen BUT the Awropress is way WAY more versatile and makes a better cup imho. Also the aeropress is more forgiving for a cheaper grinder then some other devices like a v60. The French press is forgiving as well but the coffee comes out sometimes with some fines and sludginess to it the paper filter with the aeropress makes a very clean cup meaning you don’t get any fines.
If you read “body” when referring to coffee that refers to a thickness, less body is more juicy/watery. The French press keeps more of those thicker body oils but that makes a cup that can sometimes but a lot for folks.
Thanks! I'll keep this in mind :)
Also does manual/electric grinder matter?
No BUT manual grinders price for price will have better burrs. The only thing I suggest is not to buy a blade grinder. In coffee one key is consistency. Blade grinders (the type that sometimes you see doing dual purpose as a spice grinder or a coffee grinder) and while aeropress and French press can be more forgiving on inconsistency in grind if you ever get into anything like pour over it will create a pain point where getting consistent enough grinds will be a problem.
Think of it like this:you weigh your bean to the gram your water to the gram and you get the temp to a certain degree. A blade grinder will get you crushed up coffee beans but will not give the exact some size of those crushed parts. More expense spent on grinder will give you better consistency in that regard.
Now if you spend let’s just say 50 bucks on a burr grinder that’s manual more money is spent on the bits crushing your coffee and none spent on the motor spinning those bits.
I spent two years with a 100 dollar electric burr grinder I found at Best Buy on sale (I worked there) for 60 bucks and for aeropress, French press, and pour over it worked fine. There was times where if I was doing a v60 it would slow and stall for a bit but it was normally towards the end of the brew. If you ever up your game to espresso a grinder like that isn’t gonna cut it. The general rule of thumb is if you are kitting yourself out and your hard cap is 300 bucks I’d look at 100-150 for a grinder. I’d check for used Baratza Encores. A new model called the Encore ESP came out so depending on your area if people upgraded may be selling a good one for cheap. Also check YouTube. Kyle Roswell and James Hoffman have good grinder reviews and they range their prices.
If you are looking sub 75 bucks for a grinder I’d go hand grinder unless you can nab a discount or if you are brewing for more then one or two people
I think the biggest impact to start with would be a decent grinder so you can start buying whole-bean coffee and grinding it right before you use it… pre-ground coffee gets staler, faster, so by grinding it at home, you’re going to get a fresher cup.
An electric burr grinder is going to be more expensive than a crappy $20 “whirling blade” grinder, but your grounds are going to be more consistent is size, which is important for getting consistent results while you experiment with other factors like brew time, water temperature, etc.
If you can’t swing an electric burr grinder, there are some fairly affordable manual (hand crank) burr grinders that produce good results.
From there, French press or Aeropress are pretty low-barrier-to-entry ways to get started.
For travel, I take a hand grinder, mug and an Aeropress, and buy beans from a local coffee shop to grind. All you need is a way to heat water, and you can do good coffee anywhere!
Hope this helps, happy coffee-making!!
Thanks a lot! :)
As long as you have a way to boil water, you can start with the above gear, purchasing preground coffee. This will be miles past your instant coffee.
If you want to get deeper into the technique, you can continue with the following.
If you decide you don't want to crank by hand
6.Entry Level Electric Grinder
Feel free to ask any technique or coffee varietal questions.
Honestly the coffee is more important than the process.
If you want to jump start into some excellent and amazing coffee look no further than this:
COFFEE++ Super Specialty Ground Coffee - Medium Roast & Intensity Fresh Coffee Grounds, Unique Aroma & Flavor Gourmet Coffee - 84 SCA Score, 100% Arabica, 89+ Cup of Excellence Score - CLASSIC, 8.8 oz https://a.co/d/2k949SU
It is very smooth and less acidic so the flavor of the coffee really shines. You can stick some grounds of this in a basic single cup Keurig and it will taste amazing.
TLDR start with excellent coffee first, experiment with processes later
If you enjoy learning via youtube, I would say, check out James Hoffmann's channel for info on different kinds of brewing methods and how to get the best out of them. Hoffmann is a really good resource because he does a great job of breaking things down in detail in a way that's comprehensive but also digestible. (And funny.) Lance Hedrick's channel is also really good and informative, but a bit more nerdy and chaotic.
When looking at different brewing devices, the main category split is between immersion and percolation. Immersion means that the coffee is sitting in the water and steeping like tea. Percolation means that water is flowing through the coffee. Percolation is more efficient at extracting solubles from the coffee, which creates different brewing dynamics. One isn't better than the other, although immersion may be more forgiving.
Immersion or mostly immersion brewers:
- French Press: Pure immersion, no filter. This means that you will have a much thicker body as you're getting all the oils and some of the fines in your cup
- Aeropress: Mostly immersion, with a paper filter. The brewing part is similar to a French Press, but you'll get a cleaner cup because the filter is taking out some of the oils and fines. (If you don't want that, you can also get metal filters to use in the Aeropress.)
- Clever Dripper: Similar to aeropress, but I think probably better for doing large batches?
Percolation brewers:
- A drip coffee machine like a Moccamaster
- Pourover / manual drip, which is a huge category with lots of different kinds of dripper with different materials and shapes. Plastic brewers will have the best thermal retention. (I.e., your brewing water will stay hotter)
- Conical (cone-shaped)
- Hario V60 is the most popular enthusiast pourover dripper. It's known for emaphsizing acidity (sourness) and clarity of flavors. It's not the absolute easiest to get right, but there are a ton of detailed recipes you can follow.
- Kono dripper or Hario Mugen. These are similar to the V60 but have lower "bypass" meaning that less water is getting outside the filter and around the coffee. They are a little more forgiving than the V60 but there are fewer easy to find recipes. The Mugen is designed for single-pour recipes that are easy to do, and is intended to be more user friendly than the V60.
- Flat-bottomed brewers are supposed to emphasize less acidity and more sweetness/florals as opposed to conical
- Kalita Wave is probably the second most popular enthusiast dripper. There are several different models, I think the "Tsubame" ones are supposed to have the best flow rate and thermal performance but they're pricey. Easy to find recipes, but some of the models have a reputation for clogging
- Orea, Timemore B75, Fellow Stagg are more "modern" flat bottom brewers that are designed to have faster flow rates, less clogging, and better thermal performance than the Kalita. They tend to be a little pricey, although the Timemore B75 seems like a good budget option.
- "Zero bypass" brewers like the Tricolate, Next Level, and also heritage brewers like the Vietnamese phin and South Indian filter. These are sort of like a subclass of flat bottom brewers where bypass is impossible. The historical ones are normally used to create very concentrated coffee that is often consumed with sweetener, while the modern ones are meant to optimize efficiency. These often have very long brew times.
- Conical (cone-shaped)
Percolation/Immersion Combo
There are also now brewers that let you select between immersion and percolation, like the Hario Switch, Goat Story Gina, and the upcoming Next Level Pulsar. These let you use either all immersion, all percolation, or interesting combinations of both.
Espresso and not-quite-espresso
There's also espresso, which is a form of percolation brewing performed under pressure, resulting in a very concentrated beverage. Espresso is kinda complicated and expensive so most folks skip it unless they really love espresso in particular. If you want to get somewhat close to espresso without the expense, most folks go for a Moka Pot.
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