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I have worked as a barista before, and also a pretty much life-long coffee drinker and lover, just a little bit of a snob and a seeker of quality. I know more
by forgotmypw17 5y ago
I have worked as a barista before, and also a pretty much life-long coffee drinker and lover, just a little bit of a snob and a seeker of quality.
I know more than 20 different ways of making coffee.
Here is the best coffee brewing method I've come up with.
First, I get some CLEAN water, and I boil it in an unfinished metal or ceramic-finished metal pot. I use a regular pot so that I can see inside. I also like to let a little bit of the water evaporate...
While it's getting ready, I get the best and freshest coffee grounds I can muster, it's better if I can grind them on the spot, but that's not always available.
I put the coffee grounds, as much as I think is necessary, into a glass or ceramic bowl, and pour the boiling water over them. I optionally cover and/or stir and let steep.
After about 5-15 minutes, I pour the coffee into another glass or ceramic bowl, letting the grounds stay at the bottom of the first bowl.
The coffee is now ready for drinking. To keep it warm, I cover it and leave it in the oven for insulation, or use an electric plate. It usually doesn't last long. It's good cold too.
The second best method I know is cold-brewing in a similar fashion, takes a number of hours I haven't tracked yet.
If anyone is interested in learning why this method is better than all the others, please reply with the method you think is better and I will explain why you're wrong. :^)
Edit: The method in the video is quite good, and my only complaint is that it uses disposable filters, which leads to unnecessary materials harvesting, human labor, biome squeeze, diesel use, waste output, and other artifacts of production.
- adenozine 5y agoHow does this compare in oil content? I used to be a big, BIG coffee drinker, and I've been using a french press for 15ish years, but I get heartburn now and it hurts more than it used to. What can be done to enjoy coffee, without so much oil?
- forgotmypw17 5y agoI know what you mean... I think I would make a more watery coffee, using less grounds. In order to make it still tasty, I would prioritize getting whole beans and smashing them up yourself not long before brewing. I would do this while avoiding plastic contact, e.g. a metal-bowl coffee grinder or one of those hand grinders (which I have not tried but assume work pretty well.)
- adenozine 5y agoOkay, I will try that. I actually have a commercial countertop grinder from a junk sale. I'll grind fresh and I'm seeing other people say use filters? I've had cowboy coffee like you described, boiling-brewing-pouring, it was tasty. I'm a bit lazier than you are, I think. Edit: thanks for sharing, btw. I love being able to hear from someone so knowledgeable.
- knlje 5y agoI have learned empirically during the last year or so that using darker coffee variants causes me less heartburn.
- forgotmypw17 5y agoI personally prefer darker roasts as well, because lighter roasts are more acidic and sour-tasting to me.
- ziml77 5y agoTo me, medium roasts sit in the best spot. I agree that light roasts can be too sour. The problem I have with dark roasts is that in many cases it means the bean has been nearly charred. That ends up making it taste bitter and overly strong (despite actually having a teeny bit less caffeine).
- forgotmypw17 5y agoYou're right, I agree and I can't think of anything to add at this time.
- ValentineC 5y agoI second this. You might want to try cold brew as well.
- TurboHaskal 5y agoThe French press is the reason. Switch to paper filters.
- ziml77 5y agoIf you want to reduce oils, use any method that takes a paper filter. You might even want to try doubling them up. I've done that with my aeropress before. I'd be interested to know if reducing that oil actually helps with heartburn though because I'm surprised there'd be enough there to cause problems. Or at least to cause noticably more problems than the caffeine and acidity of the coffee.
- nucleardog 5y agoIt definitely does help. It's still acidic, but for instance Aeropress says coffee brewed with an Aeropress and paper filter has about 20% the acidity of a regular drip brew (and about 10% of a french press). (As far as I know this is largely down to paper filters and lower brewing temperature, both of which you can emulate other ways.) Obviously only a personal anecdote, and for most people it'll never make a difference, but as your stomach becomes irritated it doesn't take much to make it worse. On a bad week, just drinking some black tea (ph~5) rather than green (ph~8) or putting a bit of black pepper on something can be enough to have me in pain for hours. Think like, normally it might not hurt to poke your arm, but if you've got a big bruise it doesn't take much to make it hurt. On a good week, drip coffee through a metal filter is largely fine. On a bad week, it's painful but coffee from the aeropress still sits mostly okay.
- ip26 5y agoYou could also try adding just a tiny pinch of baking soda to the water or grounds, that can buffer the acid.
- forgotmypw17 5y agoWhat an interesting idea! I'll have to try it, just to see what it tastes like. Thanks!
- joshdev 5y agoI had to switch back to drip for this very reason. I compensated by getting a good grinder and a solid whole bean subscription.
- ks6g10 5y agoI dont see how this differs much from using a french press.
- forgotmypw17 5y agoI appreciate the french press, and it has the following shortcomings for me: 1) Many parts which must be cleaned. 2) Often the parts are plastic, which is unacceptable combined with hot water (or any, really.) 3) The glass is very fragile, potentially leading to breaking and even injury. Usually top-heavy designs, too.
- ks6g10 5y agoI appreciate your reply, my experience 1) Agree, personally I am too lazy to clean it every time, just rinse it in water 2) Agree, though, everything in contact when brewing is metal or glass 3) Had my current french press for 6 years without issue. Nonetheless, guess the difference boils down to personal practicality.
- bokchoi 5y agoI have a stainless steel french press to after breaking one too many glass ones.
- cf100clunk 5y agoMine is a Stanley 48oz french press made of 18/8 stainless. It was not cheap, but it is quite durable for camping and travel. I use a manual grinder with it and I try to use filtered water for boiling.
- unethical_ban 5y agoI only clean my FP every third usage or so (that is, scrub down with soap to remove oils and residue). My FP doesn't have any plastic components in the filter area, only in the top. Yes, I have broken some FPs, one by juggling it out of a high cabinet and one by scrubbing it too aggressively while soapy. Like someone said, there are steel presses available as well.
- krono 5y agoMy Aeropress makes a very nice cup! Also uses an immersion technique, but produces a clean cup without coffee grounds and is slightly quicker. No inverted method but just doing as it said on the box, except I let it steep for a minute or so before plunging. Freshly ground beans, just using (Dutch) tap water from an all metal kettle.
- forgotmypw17 5y agoThe Aeropress is one of the best methods I know, and I concede that it makes a slightly better tasting cup than what I describe, because the coffee is boiled for a short while. (Same goes for Turkish method.) The downside for me is that it requires hardware I don't have already and is difficult to travel with. Metal pots and glass/ceramic bowls are available in most kitchens.
- domano 5y agoI find the aeropress to be especially good for traveling, since i cant take my V60 with me on planes.
- kaishiro 5y agoI've traveled all over the world with the Aeropress - Boston, NY, Iceland, Shanghai, Japan, Melbourne. My Porlex mini fits perfectly inside the plunger and all told it takes up less space then a rolled up shirt. I'm not entirely sure how it could be any easier to travel with.
- 5y ago
- evilhackerdude 5y agoCool technique! Wondering if there’s a low-bullshit reusable coffee filter medium to remove some of the oils. What I want to get sorted most right now is water. I use tap water, but I need to filter it because it’s really, really calcareous. Most filters are made of plastic, or at least plastic cartridges with the filter medium. I was thinking about using glass or metal instead and somehow machine a container for the filter medium and buy that stuff in bulk. I really don‘t want to buy bottled water to make coffee. Any thoughts?
- salamandersauce 5y agoYes there is. Cloth filters are a thing. Coffee sock is one brand I know of that make filters for V60s and others. Obviously you need to clean it and occasionally boil it remove oil buildup.
- timr 5y agoThese are what most of the old-school kissaten (the ones with the vacuum siphons) use in Japan.
- forgotmypw17 5y agoWhat a great idea! Thanks! Do you know what kind of cloth is commonly used? I imagine it's something like linen, cotton, or hemp?
- salamandersauce 5y agoI've only used the Coffee sock ones I mentioned and those are cotton.
- evilhackerdude 5y agoLeast alluring name for a thing ever, but love the concept. Will definitely check it out :)
- timr 5y ago
- antiterra 5y agoAvoiding disposable filters is a small lever for reducing negative impact compared to most consumptive behaviors by the average person. Any kind of subscription printed material will likely have significantly more impact, as well as napkins, grocery bags, paper towels, boxes, etc.
- fisherjeff 5y agoOr, say, coffee imported from another continent?
- karottenreibe 5y agoYou can save on both types of items, it's not either or.
- blockmeifyoucan 5y agoWhataboutism doesn't help here and paper ruins the coffee anyway.
- user68858788 5y agoI find that pouring boiling water into coffee grounds makes a bitter brew. Instead I pour boiling water into a metal container, which is enough to drop it a couple degrees, and then mix grounds into it.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- jxy 5y agoYeah, for those of you who like the simplicity, get a french press and a grinder. Grind the beans while you boil the water. Put both in the french press and wait for 5 minutes and you are done. In summer, use filtered water and let it sit in a fridge overnight, and you get yourself the perfect cold brew.
- dtmmax33 5y agoYep, my favorite setup as well, french press and grinder. Easy to make and very satisfying.
- SkyMarshal 5y agoAfter trying many methods, the French Press + grinder is my conclusion too. Quick, simple, makes good coffee. It also makes it easy to brew coffee with cinnamon, hot spice, or whatever else you like with your coffee. Blends it all together nicely. Cleaning is not quite as easy as it is with an Aeropress or other paper filter device, but it’s close.
- zikzak 5y agoI am clumsy so I am always terrified of breaking the press when I clean it.
- SkyMarshal 5y agoThere are a ton of models that are 100% steel and impossible to break, just search for "french press stainless steel plunger". For example: https://www.amazon.com/French-Coffee-Press-Espresso-Stainless/dp/B01G2CCWGY https://www.amazon.com/French-Coffee-Press-Espresso-Stainles...
- zikzak 5y agoI already have a million coffee things but I'll check it out. I do have a plastic one for camping but prefer to use a percolator pot instead.
- deleted 5y ago
- wcarss 5y agoI grind up some beans and put them into a portafilter on a small scale, to a rough ~16-17g weight, then tamp it down and run a no-fuss ~$100USD breville espresso machine on it until it's about 34-40g pulled, then pour in ~140g of water I boiled in an electric kettle. Your method sounds to me like it'd have some grounds and fines floating around in it, which is okay but I'm not a huge fan personally, and it'll also be multiple things to wash (though, they sound like easy washes). I also don't have nice coverable drinking bowls, or even very nice cookware for boiling water up in. My method's pretty easy twice a day, but it's not perfect either: I couldn't make this somewhere else, but... I do live here. :) That said, it did take a while for me to find a good grind size with my machine, and to find scales and cups that fit under my espresso machine's group head and had the right range etc required, and I've got to wash my little espresso cup I pour into, and I had to buy my own non-pressurized portafilter basket, so it took some real time to come together right. I'll have to try your way out!
- Elora 5y agoWhat is this $100 Breville Espresso Machine? The Bambino is $299.
- wcarss 5y agooof, good callout! I received it as a christmas present and must have lowered the cost in my memory: it's a breville café roma, which isn't listed on their site in the US these days, but is still in Canada? Which is where we ordered it! At the time I think it was actually ~$200 CAD, but it appears to be about $200 USD now when I view US Amazon. Sorry for the misinformation :)
- zikzak 5y agoI have the same machine and have learned I can get really good results but need to be precise. I even trained myself to do a consistent tamp (I mean I do my best). What I wanted to say is a year or so ago I started doing a pre infusion. Run the pump for about 5 seconds until the first drip comes out. Then turn it off and let it sit until the heating indicator turns off again. Now pull your full shot. I get a much better result doing this. Do you have a grinder that works well with it? I have just been buying Illy espresso as I find it gets the best result compared to any grinder I willing to buy (I love the cans, too). I'd like to get back into roasting and grinding but just haven't found the right grinder in my admittedly cheap price range.
- pkulak 5y agoCowboy coffee! Never tried it myself, but now I kinda want to.
- boringg 5y agoLike the detail. I used to put a lot more effort into coffee. Then I had two kids and we were in the pandemic. My no-effort method is to get a technivorm (not cheap, but not super expensive) and run that first thing in the morning with fresh grinds -> Super fast for 3+ people and good quality coffee. If I have the time - I'll do a pour over.
- baby-yoda 5y agoany opinion on pour over basket/filter types? kalita wave vs 102 vs v60?
- stinos 5y agoFor 'normal' coffee this is indeed super nice, but I'm into the taste of espresso so I like what my Cafelat Robot produces more. Fairly simple manual espresso routine. Kinda hard to explain me I'm wrong because a) it's a bit of an apple/oranges comparison and b) taste is subjective anyway :)
- hahahasure 5y agoYou know what is unnecessary material harvesting? Having coffee. But I suppose a disposable filter is slightly more.
- sizzle 5y agoAeropress rivals anything I can get at Starbucks or anywhere else. I use the expresso base to make any coffee drink I want (without any milk frothing). It cleans up quick, pop out the compressed spent coffee grind puck into the trash and rinse under water then you are done!
- 112233 5y agoWas using Aeropress, the coffee was great. However, I noticed that it irritates my stomach a lot more than the V60, so I switched back. I wonder if it is because of the added pressure getting small particles through the filter or something else. The same dark roast [edit, added same] from V60 is much easier on my stomach. I wonder what might be the cause.
- medstrom 5y agoYou use paper or metal filter?
- 112233 5y agoPaper only. I also tried using more than one paper filter in the aeropress, but it did not help with the irritation. Metal filter / no filter coffee usually is the most irritating, so I’m trying to aviod that.
- sizzle 5y agoReally interesting, I wonder if it’s irritating me as well. What materials did you use with V60 so I can experiment?
- neogodless 5y agoDisposable filters are my biggest conundrum. For years I would either use Aeropress with a metal filter, or French Press (metal carafe + press), or pour-over with something like the Bodum (metal filter). But I wasn't satisfied with my coffee. I went back to paper and it was like a breath of fresh air. I enjoy it so much more. I tried to tell myself I preferred the oils, etc. but in the end I greatly prefer the smoothness of filtered coffee. So that's where I'm at now, buying big packs of paper filters for my Aeropress and V60. I'm not sure how to move past it. I guess I just tell myself it's infinitely better than Keurig for less waste and massively better flavor.
- lobotryas 5y agoConsider that paper filters may be more environmentally friendly than metal ones. Just look at a comparison of CO2 emissions between reusable bags and paper ones as an example. You’ll probably have to use a metal filter thousands of times more past its expected life span to break even with how much CO2 making it released into the atmosphere.
- blockmeifyoucan 5y agoEven in case that is true - 1000 uses is about a year at 3 brews a day and my french press is still going strong after 15 years and I fail to see a reason why it wouldn't hold up another 15 years. Do you have any sources on paper vs metal? It seems highly unlikely to me, that paper filters could be more environmentally friendly.
- Robin_Message 5y agoThe paper ones are very reusable. At our current rate, the press itself came with more than a lifetime supply.
- cardiffspaceman 5y agoPaper-filtered coffee seems to taste of wood or paper (slightly). I have used the same metal filter since the 80's. It is the oldest piece of brewing equipment I have.
- bccdee 5y agoI quite like french press; when I'm not using one, I usually use a moka pot. What are your thoughts on moka pots?
- jptech 5y agoNo one here seems to have mentioned stove top espresso makers, like Bialetti. After ceramic V60 it's my second best way of making coffee. Not so conv much richer.
- twoknee 5y agoIt's a bit controversial to call moka pots espresso makers, tho I do adore them and their coffee.
- ValentineC 5y agoOh yes, the moka pot (poured on ice) has become my preferred method for daily preparation too. The funny thing is I've never really considered it before, since the whole process of starting up a stove and cleaning up carefully seemed like such a hassle, but I got a stainless steel model (Bialetti Venus) which is both induction-capable and soap-friendly. :)
- d13 5y agoCowboy coffee! I also tell everyone this is the best way to brew coffee but no one believes me.