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This article attempts to delve into the world of hand-brewed coffee, which became a trend in the professional barista world after Starbucks acquired the Coffee Equipment Company for its Clover Machine in 2008. The Clover was an $11,000 coffee maker that allowed for the precise digital control of every aspect of the brewing process. When Starbucks yanked the machine from the market for exclusive use in their stores, the coffee industry rebounded to more analog brewing methods that relied on the art and craft of the brewer. By providing pourover bars with $12 ceramic funnels in place of $50K espresso machines or $10K brewers, baristas strived for perfect coffee through individuality, as they highlighted method, bean, and flavor. What this article attempts to highlight is the fact that this hand-brewed coffee equipment is both accessible and affordable, thus allowing home brewers the opportunity to appreciate the effects of coffee freshness, grind, temperature, and proportion during the brewing process.

The article could be drastically improved by highlighting the bisection between immersion and pourover brewing methods in hand-brewed coffee. Immersion methods, like the French Press, leave all coffee beans in the full quantity of water for the brew time, and by using filters that remove only coffee grounds, produce a flavorful, full-bodied cup of coffee with natural oils. Pourover methods, such as the Chemex or the V60, generally combine the use of a paper filter with a specific coffee grind to limit the rate at which water flows through the coffee, generally in a cone-shape, which results in a "clean" (less oily) cup of coffee with more fruity and citrusy flavors. The line between immersion and pourover coffees is blurred by hybrid brewing methods such as the Aeropress or the Syphon, which mix ground beans and water for the full brewing time, then extrude through a filter that extracts oils from the coffee.

To get started in the world of hand-brewed coffee, I suggest the Aeropress and a burr handgrinder (total <$40). This combination allows full experimentation into the effects of grind size and extraction time on coffee flavor. The next step would be acquiring a scale, to perfect the proportion of coffee and water. A thermometer would then provide insight into the variable of water temperature, which generally is about ten degrees Farenheit below boiling. Moving forward, the brewer learns about the benefits of preheating the device, the speed of extraction (here, plunging) and its effect on flavor, and about the freshness of beans based on the bloom period of the coffee.

I don't get all this fanfare over coffee with respect to all these processes and equipment etc. In a blind taste test, much like wine, I reckon a lot of it is the knowledge and observation of the process rather than flavour or the outcome.

For me, a dirty knackered Bodum french press bought in a charity shop in 1997 for £1 and the cheapest value brand ground coffee the supermarket sells works. Sometimes I can't be bothered with that and just instant.

Perhaps I'm sad but I've spent the last decade playing a game with people. When I lie about the coffee's heritage just to see, they remark that it's good. If they do know the genuine story, they make no remark. I've even thrown some instant in a cup or two next to people drinking pressed as a control and there is still a consensus.

YMMV but I think it's mainly hokum.

Suppose I better tell them all now :)

> The article could be drastically improved by highlighting the bisection between immersion and pourover brewing methods in hand-brewed coffee.

Did you miss the chart about 2/3 of the way through labeled "spectrum of body and flavor clarity" and accompanying discussion? It goes into exactly this and even uses the same examples of a french press vs pourover. They also recommend a burr grinder, scale, and thermometer as you do in the your last paragraph.

I'm forced to wonder if you read the article before returning here to critique it.

I can understand how people can read an article like this and think it's too much work or money to get a good cup of coffee. And many folks, including lots of programmers, view coffee as a utility beverage and are okay drinking anything that's drinkable. It's for these people that I wrote "The Coder's Guide to Coffee," [1] aiming for the sweep spot of cheap, easy, and pretty damn good.

Although I wrote it in 2002, the recommendation hasn't changed:

1. Buy only whole-bean coffee roasted within the last few days.

2. Grind it fresh, just before brewing. (Yes, a cheap "whirly blade" grinder is fine.)

3. Brew it in a French press or a pour-over filter using fresh water, off the boil.

That's it, in a nutshell.

I've gotten criticism for claiming that a cheap blade grinder is fine, but it's true. You can make better coffee using a better grinder, but just using any grinder lets you ditch pre-ground coffee, which is almost always stale, and switch to brewing with fresh coffee, ground on the spot. That one change produces a huge jump in quality. And I'd rather you experience that jump, even if you can't justify more than $10 on your grinder.

The other thing I'd add is that if I had written the Guide today, I probably would have included the AeroPress. It makes really good coffee, but there's a bit of a learning curve before it becomes an easy, reliable brewing method.

[1] http://blog.moertel.com/posts/2002-04-25-coders-guide-to-cof...

I don't even think you need the french press. My method for making fantastic coffee is simple Buy fresh-roasted beans Grind, then immediately.. Throw in a standard drip coffee-maker. Have my morning shower. Enjoy
I drink enough coffee that I've been working on finding better ways to prepare it.

Good beans matter a lot. I typically like medium roasts, since dark roasts often taste burnt, while light roasts end up tasting too weak. I also tend to not like Indonesian beans, since they tend to have too much peaty taste for my liking. That said, I've been drinking Kicking Horse dark roast[1] lately and it's quite good. Lots of flavor, nice oily beans, no burnt taste.

I boil water, then grind my beans after removing it from heat, which means that the water has cooled to around 195 by the time I pour it. The brew happens in a thermally insulated French press, which maintains the water temperature while it brews. It makes a remarkably smooth, flavorful cup of coffee.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027Z8VES

I think you'll find that dark roasts are popular now because they have a more robust, classic coffee flavor that stands up to the fat of milk. Lighter roasts seem to come off as citrusy and less flavorful for two reasons. First, roasters tend to use V60s to profile their beans, and the V60 disproportionately removes citrus flavor. The second reason is that many people drink their coffee immediately after brewing, when in fact the flavor completely opens up after the coffee cools down to about 140 degrees (about the temperature of a hot water faucet in a home).

Try a darker roast if you put cream and sugar in your coffee. If you have a lighter roast, be sure to let it cool down to appreciate its benefits. If you buy a medium roast, keep in mind that each type of bean is unique, and certain beans have unique qualities that are highlighted by their roast, so don't assume that the flavors you enjoy are particular to the "medium" roast.

Finally, keep in mind that lighter-roast coffees actually have the most caffeine. This is because heating the coffee breaks down the caffeine molecule, so the longer the roast process and the darker the roast, the more caffeine is broken down.

I don't know if it's perfect, but you can do far worse than an Aeropress. It will make a really good americano with ordinary supermarket coffee, and an awesome one with good coffee.
I've been using areopresses for a few years now and absolutely love it. I still make cafatiere (french press), stovetop and occasionally vacuum-pot (usually if we have a lot of guests) but areopress is extremely good, and somehow makes even cheaper pre-ground supermarket coffee taste many times better.
The article actually goes into depth about what brew methods produce what results. On the scale of more body to more clarity, an aeropress is near the middle, but slightly more body-oriented. So if you prefer flavor clarity, you can do far better than an aeropress too!

Then again, this article is primarily about brew coffee, not espresso, so how it brews an americano is worthwhile contribution.

The Aeropress stands as the best $25 I've ever spent. It's amazing how good the coffee is from that (and I've tried nearly every other means of making coffee out there). It's also very travel friendly, I generally take it with me on trips with a little pre-ground coffee.
I used an Aeropress for quite some time. I stopped using it because it wastes a lot of coffee. I used to need a lot more grounds in an Aeropress for the same strength and quantity of coffee. And it was a pity to waste good coffee beans.
Everything you said. Also, the simplicity of the device and the preparation are appealing to me.
You want to know how to make a perfect cup of coffee? It's easy. Make yourself perfect and then just brew naturally.

EDIT: Jeez, downvoters clearly have never read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

I can't downvote you, but I would if I could.

Here's why: http://blog.bumblebeelabs.com/social-software-sundays-2-the-...

TL;DR:

Witty comments might be funny but promoting them is anathemic to serious discussion (in the long run). You can always go to Reddit if you're out to be witty and funny. I realize this sounds harsh and dismissive, I apologize for the tone. (Interwebs and all.)

Grinders are so important with hand crafted, I've not dropped the $350+ on a Mahlkonig, and I go through a bag a week, so I'm happy to have the store grind. I do have a porlex hand grinder for times when I order a bean based pack from somewhere online, but it's time consuming.

One simple 'hack' for using a french press, as I prefer, is that when pouring the water over only pour enough to cover the grounds. Then stir/shake this around and let it sit for 30 seconds. Then pour over the rest of the water and leave for 4 mins without stiring.

I don't know the science behind it I'm afraid as I read this tip a long time ago, but that inital absorption rather than drowning - leads to a smoother cup. (in my opinion.)

Oh, and support your local roasters! I'm lucky that in my small city there is half a dozen independent companies knocking out great quality beans. For all the staff in their shops may look like the kind of people you don't want to ask a question of, do it, they probably really love coffee and will be able to help your home brew immensely.

--Edit : Beans from Peru are my fav at the momement, give them a shot. :)

My guess: Less water means less heat energy, meaning you don't "overheat" the coffee as badly. It tends to bring out the bitter taste. You find similar things with (proper) tea -- I suppose most infusions.

If you only have one french press it might be difficult to experiment; but like the top comment says; if you want to find out why, getting a thermometer might help (or a timer -- boil water and leave it to cool for x minutes before pouring -- would be somewhat harder to replicate with different ambient temperatures and different vessel, though).

Coffee is a drug and an obsession.

It affects mood & brain function rather strongly compared to other legal non-prescription drugs (alcohol for example being another). I am not surprised there are quite a few people who shell out thousands of dollars on hand crafted espresso machines.

It is pretty interesting. I can see why. I drink coffee and tea and I find myself day dreaming about my next cup of coffee. That is pretty weird. I never did any drugs so I guess that must be a one of the "signs" of addiction? ;-)

Speaking of perfect coffee, there is this latest craze out there and that brewing cold coffee. Not ice coffee as in brewing coffee with hot water and pouring over ice but instead let coffee steep in the refrigerator for 8+ hours with cold water. This is nothing new but I feel I keep hearing about it more lately. I tried it and it is actually pretty good. It is like a completely different drink. There is minimal bitterness and just a different taste profile. Try it the next time, put the grounds in your french press with cold water, stir it, but don't press it, put it the refrigerator for 8+ hours and then pour it over ice.

The best coffee I've been able to make at home is with a red plastic #4 cone filter holder and a large mason jar, slowly pouring boiled water over the grounds until the jar is full. Now they have those fancy looking chemex ones for $60 and I'm sure they make good coffee as well. I was seduced by the inferior coffee of a coffe maker because, well, it can have coffee ready for me when I wake up.
Forgive my ignorance, but a mason jar can withstand temperatures of 200+ without shattering?

I kind of feel bad asking this bc I have lived my entire life in the south (Dallas, Texas) so I feel like I should already know the answer; yet I don't.

Interesting article, but they overlooked (or at least downplayed) what I think is the most important part of good coffee:

> They should be whole beans, sustainably farmed, and roasted within the past few weeks.

Roasted within the past few weeks? How about the past few hours? Seriously, if you haven't had coffee on the same day it was roasted, you don't know what you're missing. All the other variables of preparation method fall by the wayside in the face of the freshness of the roast.

Of course, roasting yourself is not really an option. Still, if you can find someplace that roasts their own on a regular basis, go for that. (For my part, I've been spoiled by the fact that almost every dry goods store where I live roasts their own, usually right in the shop...)

Actually according to Tim Wendelboe (a former world barista champion) you should rest fresh roasted beans for a few days to allow it to degas.

From http://timwendelboe.no/coffee/finca-tamana-espresso/ "When the coffee is roasted it develops a lot of CO2 gas inside the beans. This gas will make the coffee taste smokey and ashy immediately after roasting. It is absolutely crucial to let the coffee degas and rest for a while before use to ensure maximum flavour."

He gives a great talk on sourcing high quality beans here: http://vimeo.com/69487909

>Of course, roasting yourself is not really an option.

Why do you say that? I've been meaning to try it after I saw Michael Johnston describe it as his hobby[1]. He bought a 300$ machine[2] that by his math will pay for itself since green bean is cheaper than roasted. Amazon also seems to have a few cheap and well reviewed home roasting machines[3].

[1] http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photogra...

[2] http://www.roastmasters.com/behmor.html

[3] http://amzn.to/1d9OvOB

I roast with a popcorn popper I bought at Walmart. They only last a few roasts before they "die" - that is just a heat fuse that is set too low. Buy a new, higher rated one from Radio Shack, and you are good to go. 25 bucks total including the surgery. This does require you to have an outdoors place to roast - if you live in an high rise in a city it's a no go.

By and large you'll want to wait a few days. I find it depends on the bean - some are great just out of the roaster, some are pretty bad. Some take a day or two, some take 5 to really come into their own. Or so I perceive, with non-blinded tasting.

I split a $300 Behmor purchase with my friend. My $150 contribution will pay for itself in 4 months. Green coffee beans are significantly cheaper.
This was a great read. I am not prepared just yet to deal with the inconvenience of buying, storing and grinding my own beans, but our household gets through a small packet of vacuum-sealed preground stuff each week. It's a workable compromise.

I've prepared coffees with french press (we call them "plungers" in Australia) and a mini espresso machine. Recently I've been playing with cold brew as well. Like the article suggests, different methods bring out different notes in the coffee.

For the next 10 days I am on decaf-only, so cold brewing has made life more tolerable. Decaf in the espresso machine is like liquid dirt. As a cold brew it has revealed surprising tastiness.

For what it's worth, grinding your own beans is not really any more work than pre ground. I think it's actually easier, since I don't have to carefully measure - I just know that I have to cover the blade with beans, and that turns out to be perfect for my size pot. I just keep my beans in a zip lock in a cabinet, so they stay dark and cool and air sealed. As a bonus, you can decide how fine a grind you like per pot.
Peter Baskerville has the most detailed coffee writeups on Quora http://www.quora.com/Coffee/What-are-some-tips-for-making-a-...
I didn't know that cold brew even existed until I moved to Seattle, but its upended my world -- especially on hot, lazy mornings where I'd rather sleep the extra thirty minutes and grab a to-go cup from my fridge than go through the morning routine.
I have an AeroPress and a Bodum conical burr grinder. Buy beans from local, independent companies. Grind on medium-fine setting, 200 degree water, 1 AeroPress scoop of ground beans, fill up cylinder, stir 30 seconds, fill up again, place plunger on top to steep coffee for 30-60 seconds. PRESS SLOWLY AND GENTLY. Should take approx another 30-60 seconds to press the coffee out.

I freeze my beans, grind 5 days worth at a time, but keep in a extremely air tight container during those 5 days.

Edit: What I love about AeroPress is that I can buy it from many, local, independent retailers. The girl I bought it from didn't even know what it was, or that her store sold it!

I use an AeroPress when car-camping, and often show it to other campers if they complain about the difficulty of making decent coffee in the field.

A surprising number (1/3..1/2) glance at it and ask: "How do you make coffee with a breast pump?" I should start replying: "Follow the instructions: press slowly and gently."

I think a large part of making better coffee is a matter of iteration, or trial and error. If you do something and it tastes better, you keep doing it. But you're never sure if there's some patch of the search space that you missed, that's even better.

If anyone wants to make splendid coffee, and doesn't fear learning a significant new art I'd suggest roasting your own beans. You can do it with a heat gun or an air corn popper, modified. It's not simple and it's a bit of a fire hazard, but you can get satisfying results blasting some hot air at beans in a pot. Roasting can be more fun and aromatic than making coffee. It is amazing.

For a brewer you could get a sock pot aka woodneck (or just the sock without the pot -- or just muslin cloth if you want to make your own); or, a ceramic cilio-freiling cone, or an inexpensive melitta plastic cone. Both sock & cone are considered pour over methods but they taste different.

For a grinder there are too many choices to pick just one, and the good ones are expensive. For the grinder it may be safer to avoid mass-market products, just because it's too easy to make a mistake and buy an inadequate product.

[Edit: there is another effective trick to get better at brewing. Coffee brewing competitions. It is surprising how effective these are at improving the art. Watching videos of what the contestants are doing is one important tool for improvement.]

Even though I lived years drinking coffee brewed with a moka nowadays I think that If the coffee is not ristretto it is not coffee.

It's not hard to get nor to operate a small espresso coffee maker, and as a bonus you get to make not only perfect coffee but wonderful cappuccios. They go for about €120 on amazon, and for €20 more you can get a reasonably good electric grinder.

That's it for the hardware, now the coffee beans. As others mentioned, it's very important you get the good stuff. My taste is 100% arabica medium roast, yours may differ. BTW, what's your favorite coffee beans?

Anyway, no matter what beans you choose you have to grind them thin otherwise you won't get out of it those incredible flavors you're expecting due to lack of pressure.

After all this talk I'm having the need for a ristretto... So it's coffee time! :)

Arabica is a species of coffee; coffee changes from place to place depending on where it's grown.

I'm currently working my way through a perennial favorite, Tanzanian Peaberry, with occasional changes to Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and sometimes Kenyan.

Yeah, I like East African coffees. Although I'm less thrilled by a bag of Rwandan I picked up -- it's not great hot, but it does reasonably well cold-brewed.

Two teaspoons of Taster's Choice. That's my perfect coffee. It's quick, affordable and gets the job done. Doesn't taste bad either.
This was a great read, thank you for the post. I recently purchased a La Pavoni, I am not pushing any particular brand, but these types of machines, the manual type, honestly make the best Espresso, which in my view is the best way to enjoy coffee. I have tried every contraption out there over the years, by far a manual pump machine is the best.
As an outsider looking in, meaning I don't drink caffeine, this guide seems like something only an addict would create.
Addiction may be a secondary effect, but I'd say the appreciation of good coffee flavor is the primary motivation. You can be addicted to caffeine and not care about good quality coffee. In fact, I'd say most coffee drinkers fall into the latter category.

To me it's simply the equivalent of a foodie's interest in preparing good food.

I think I would prefer tips from their marine days on how to get maximum caffeine into it. Currently I just get three espressos in one coffee cup, but could use a more powerful technique. I don't really understand their chart with perfect in the middle between weak and strong, isn't perfect what comes after strong?
Just a heads up:

"How Unfiltered Coffee Can Cause Heart Attacks"

http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/8241.html

The original study:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/2/480.full

I'm liking my cowboy coffee right now. Made with whole beans, crank grinder, and camping pot. Boil water, dump in the grounds, cover and remove from heat, sit for ~ 5 min.
I just like really really strong coffee. What's with this "perfect" stuff? I want my coffee to be very flavorful and bitter.
An article entitled 'How to Make Perfect Coffee' is probably going to be as popular as 'Why Vim/Emacs/Nano is The Programmers Editor'.

There's at a certain stage a level of subjectivity, the perfect cup of coffee is the one that makes you smile. There's a similar argument made in photography that a perfect photo conforms to rule of thirds/perfect whitebalance/correct exposure triangle/tripod shot, but it's not always got enough soul to work.

What? 17.42 units of water to 1 unit of coffee? This is not perfect coffee, this is slightly flavoured water!
too much work.. need coffee in under 5 minutes of waking up
Don't forget to drink perfect tea[1] while you're making this.

[1] See upcoming articles about how to make a perfect tea (involves drinking a perfect coffee).

I'm sorry but there's no way a French press has more body than a "Moka Pot". (also wtf with the gun comments/pic?)
Pretty good article. I'm glad that it mentions freshly roasted and light roasting as the most important factors. This is true, but most people have never experienced it. Roasts a few hours old are the best!!

Article does not mention types of bean. Beans are themselves also dried in different methods. The most expensive coffee in the world is scooped up from poo after digesting in an animals stomach.

Also getting different types of air to blow over the coffee after roasting can change the taste a lot.

Finally... what you drink as 'coffee' is mostly water (and milk for many). Better quality water goes a long way. Your tap water probably tastes very different to mineral water, or rain water. Different types of blends mix well with different types of milk too. With milk, you can usually get away with a more bitter coffee.

The pour and grind are important I guess... it's what lets people make a ristretto for example. But not as important as the roast.

Finally, what many of these coffee articles fail to consider are asian methods. I guess it is either racism, or ignorance. Try Viet, and turkish styles for example :)

Coffee snobs! There is no 'good' coffee, just different methods and tastes.

ciao! xo

useless article, like disecting a frog. nobody brews good coffee this way. It hardly even mentions roasting, goes into trivial details the will have negligible or no effect on the final product, doesn't even mention bean sourcing. A technical distraction; don't waste your time reading it.