New to coffee
New to coffee
Hi, this sounds like a dumb question, but how should I "get into" coffee? Most of the time, I just use a Keurig and whatever pods I find at Costco. I know there's an entire world out there of people who know exactly what they're doing, but it's all quite confusing.
If I'm typically only ever making coffee for myself, what should my brewing method be? Nespresso? Pour-over? French press?
And should I be looking to try everything black, or are lattes and whatnot a good way to learn what my tastes are?
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In my opinion the cheapest, simplest way to experience a significant jump in quality from what you're currently doing is to buy an Aeropress.
You can get one new for only $30-40, and after trying a few times you'll likely be blown away by how much better the coffee it produces is than what you've grown accustomed to with the Keurig.
An electric kettle is another good purchase to go along with your Aeropress, and it generally comes in handy for plenty of other uses too.
If you start getting into making better coffee at home with the Aeropress, then the next step on your journey would be to invest in a grinder and make the switch to whole beans. That's really the last thing you'll need if you're trying to max out coffee quality at home.
As for drinking it black, that's totally up to you. Personally I like a little cream and sugar in my coffee, and I'm probably seen as a coffee snob by my friends. Don't let anyone tell you that black is the preferred way to drink coffee. It's all preference, and I like the heavier body that cream/milk gives the brew.
If you end up taking any of this advice, then here's my go-to recipe for the best Aeropress coffee:
- Set the Aeropress up inverted (you can Google this)
- Between coarse and fine grind (two scoops)
- Heat water to 195°F
- Pour water in until it just covers the grounds to let it bloom, then wait 30 seconds
- Fill the Aeropress up to the top with more water
- Stir for ten seconds
- Let brew for one more minute
- Press slowly into mug
- Add cream/sugar to taste
I hope that helps. Just be warned... Once you go down this path, you'll likely no longer be able to tolerate K-Cup coffee.
This would also be my advice. Aeropress has been my daily driver for many years. Such a simple satisfying process (especially ejecting the coffee puck), forgiving in nature and a really smooth cup of coffee. It's also extremely sturdy: I still use an old version with the blue markings.
My recipe is slightly different. I stopped doing the inverted method, as it felt clunky and caused a mess once. Didn't notice a change in flavor.
My recipe for light roasts:
- Boil water to 100c.
- Grind 15g of coffee quite fine (I have the Wilfa Svart and I usually go a few notches finer than its Aeropress setting). Feel free to start with preground coffee, but get it at a place where they grind it for you when you buy it (they'll ask which brew method you use, so they can adjust the coarseness). Make a cup the same day you bought it so you get the full flavor. Notice how the flavors deteriorate over time. This is when you probably want to get a grinder. When I was on a budget, I used a manual Hario.
- Set Aeropress on a cup, add coffee and 200ml of water right when it's done boiling.
- Stir a bit to let any clumps fall apart and let it brew for 2 and half minutes.
- Slightly swirl the cup with the Aeropress on top of it, like you'd do with a wine glass. This settles the bed of coffee evenly according to James Hoffman.
- Press, remove coffee puck, rinse the Aeropress parts and enjoy your coffee.
Light roasts are great with boiling water. Darker roasts are better with ~90c water. I rarely drink dark roasts, although recently I had a light to medium roast with an interesting flavor profile.
15g to 200ml seems to be my sweet spot for most coffees. I do experiment with the grind settings and brew time when I get new coffee, but my starting point is the recipe above.
Flair machines also have a low price point, and put out a good tasting espresso. It's also upgradable, so you can start with something cheap and add workflow improvements over time. They also don't need maintenance like electrics machine do. Overall very similar to an Aeropress.
I highly recommend the Flair Neo. I've been making coffee-shop-quality espresso drinks with it every day for years.