In addition to being a professional computer geek, I’m also something of an armchair coffee connoisseur. I roast my own coffee at home and have a pretty respectable collection of preparation/brewing tools that get some pretty heavy use. I also managed a coffeehouse for a spell when I was younger, so I’ve got some experience with the whole espresso deal, as well. All that is to say that, in my opinion, I’m fairly qualified to offer advice on this topic. Are you tired of buying a cup of coffee for what amounts to 2/3 of a gallon of gasoline (or well over that, if you’re a fan of the espresso-based drinks)? Is coffee merely a vehicle for caffeine instead of a fine beverage that you truly savor? Then read on…
Going from drinking garbage brew to respectable nectar isn’t a big jump, believe it or not. There’s only one really big purchase that should to be made (around $200), though it’s not absolutely necessary. The rest of the supplies you’ll need can be picked up on the web for less than $20 (much less, in some cases). It’ll mean a bit more planning on your part, but not much else.
First, the (mostly) necessary equipment – are you ready?:
- Grinder – This really is the most essential of all of the tools. A quality grinder will result in a more consistent grind, and subsequently a better cup of joe. A quality burr mill grinder will start at around $200 and can easily skyrocket from there. Personally, I use a Solis Maestro Plus – pretty much the bottom-rung grinder you can get away with and still call yourself a purist. Of course, a mid- to high-end grinder isn’t a requirement for making coffee, but it’ll certainly go a long way toward improving your coffee experience. Read more about the different grinding methods here.
- Fresh Coffee – Contrary to what you may believe, just about any coffee you buy that’s already been roasted (or worse, ground) is not fresh. Not even close, really. Once they come out of the roaster, you’ve got about 2 weeks to grind and brew before they start to go stale. Yes, this also means that the beans you buy at Starbucks (and even the beans they use to make the drinks in the store) are, in fact, stale. But there is hope – there are online retailers that will roast coffee and ship it the very same day (the two I know of are Sweet Maria’s and Intelligensia). It usually takes a couple days to arrive, but does so quickly enough to give you more than ample time to consume it before it goes to pot.
Brewing is obviously the next step. I’m assuming anybody reading this has a $20 Mr. Coffee on their kitchen counter at home. These are not optimal for brewing a great cup of coffee, but they’ll do if it’s all you’ve got. But, if you can scrap together a few bucks out of your couch cushions (or more, depending on what you choose), you open yourself up to several other brewing options:
- Pour-Over Brewer – This is very similar to brewing with the aforementioned Mr. Coffee, but you have more control over the distribution of the water and the temperature of the water itself. You can pick up the brewer and paper filters at most grocery stores for under $10. CoffeeGeek has a great article on using a pour-over brewer here. This method is great for brewing a single cup, but it doesn’t scale well, as us software dorks would say. For multi-cup brewing, see the next item.
- Press Pot (a.k.a., French Press) – This is one of my favorites brewing methods, for sure. Grind up your coffee, add hot water and let it steep for a few minutes. Then, lower a large plunger down through the mixture, filtering out the coffee grounds and pushing them to the bottom, leaving you with a delicious cup of coffee. You can get a mid-range press pot for about $30 at many specialty stores like Cost Plus, or you can order them online for about the same price. Bodum makes several different sizes that are reasonably priced. Depending on the size of pot you purchase, you can comfortably serve up to 8 cups from a single batch. Again, CoffeeGeek has the winner article here. A burr grinder is important here because the grind needs to be especially course – so keep that in mind.
- Aero Press – This is my brewing method of choice as I write this. Extremely easy, very fast and produces an outstanding cup of coffee. You can check out the instructions for use here. You can get one of these babies for about $25, which includes a year’s supply of filters. Again, great for making single cups, but the speed of production can make this a viable candidate for your next dinner party. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.
So, as a recap, you absolutely must have fresh coffee. A decent grinder would do you well, but it’s something you can save up for (but, I implore you, please get one). There are many cost-effective options for brewing your own coffee instead of using the counter-top coffee maker you got for your wedding.
Hopefully, with these simple tips, you’ll turn your morning cup from a necessity to something you actively look forward to (I know I have)!
Written by Brett Kelly
Hacking Life