4 ms·

Or do whatever you enjoy! I've done the whole list (including roasting beans in a popcorn popper! when living in an area where good beans weren't available), an

Or do whatever you enjoy! I've done the whole list (including roasting beans in a popcorn popper! when living in an area where good beans weren't available), and what I've settled on for myself is a hand burr grinder and a small french press. I have an aeropress (with a separate hand grinder set finer), but I don't like the idea of brewing in plastic. I have a pourover, but I don't enjoy the flavour as much. I have a large french press, but I find it gets a thinner filter bed and ends up grittier (plus I'd rather just make two small press pots and have them fresh). I've tried espresso, but I always end up making an americano anyway so why bother? I've used cotton filtered pourover, but the filter kinda grossed me out. I've used automatic drip pot and they aren't bad sometimes (but most people who use them buy cheap pre-ground, which sets you up for failure). I've used vacuum pot (they're a neat gimmick but not an everyday thing in my opinion). I've tried making turkish coffee, cowboy coffee, electric percolator, manual percolator... always wind up back with the small press pot.

ndsipa_pomu 4y ago
I enjoy the process of using a vacuum pot, but I also found the cloth filter was hard to keep clean and non-mouldy. Hand-burr grinders are great - I can highly recommend the Knock grinders and the Aergrind is my favourite for travelling as it's sized to fit partially inside an Aeropress. I usually aim for somewhere closer to french-press grinds and use the inverted method to give total control over the brewing time. Edit: A small press pot is going to work in a similar fashion to an Aeropress, though the Aeropress has the advantage in making just a single cup of coffee and completely separating the grounds from the water so that the coffee doesn't keep brewing after being made. I'd love to see a glass version of an Aeropress made.
- SECProto 4y ago
  My small press pot actually makes around 12 us fluid ounces of coffee at the strength I like, with a fairly thick filter bed. Almost identical shape and dimensions as an aeropress, so it works interchangeably in that regard. I agree, would be great to get a glass aeropress cylinder - though what makes me most hesitant to use one is actually the plunger/seal. I had one that I bought about 10 years back that sat for a couple months without use and it got very tacky and sticky, and it was very difficult to clean off. I'm not sure what that material was, but the fact that it isn't there when I used it regularly told me that whatever it was, it was going into my cup. Now when I use (my new aeropress), I wash the plunger first and I don't brew inverted - ensuring that my beverage doesn't come in direct contact with the rubber part.
  - ndsipa_pomu 4y ago
    I've had the sticky plunger happen to me when my work aeropress was sat unused for a few months. I thought it was the sunshine/UV degrading the rubber and didn't really think about whether it puts contaminants into the coffee - I just bought a replacement rubber bung for it (they do wear out over a few years usage as well). Edit: Just looked it up and the plunger is made out of thermoplastic elastomer (food grade) Edit2: Found a discussion about a glass aeropress and there would be a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, the glass would likely need to be pre-warmed due to the increased heat capacity. Secondly and more importantly, glass wouldn't be strong enough to survive daily usage and I know I've certainly dropped my aeropress onto the floor enough times to know that indestructible plastic is definitely better for me.
    - SECProto 4y ago
      They actually changed the seal material to silicone in 2018[1] - that's why I got a new one to try. So far so good! [1] see the fourth last answer in their faq https://aeropress.com/pages/faq https://aeropress.com/pages/faq
zemvpferreira 4y ago
If you're inclined to futz more with your gear you might really enjoy a Hario Switch. It's an immersion + percolation brewer that takes paper filters and is made of glass. I have almost your exact preferences and settled on this as a great middle-ground between futsiness and taste. I do a sort of vietnamese coffee that's clean, strong, forgiving to brew time and grind, well-extracted and easy to clean up. Can't recommend it enough!
- SECProto 4y ago
  Sounds like a good candidate for next time I want to try something new, thanks!
  - zemvpferreira 4y ago
    My pleasure! I guess I wrote all that without really explaining what the difference would be: a much cleaner cup from the paper filter vs the french press mesh.
    - SECProto 4y ago
      If I use my large french press (which tends to have a thinner filter bed), I sometimes will pour it through a paper filter set in my ceramic pourover to accomplish the same thing.
AlbertCory 4y ago
Wow, you've tried 'em all! This is awesome. Instead of listening to some "expert" tell you what to do, just try it yourself. Like I said: I know I can taste bamboo vs. paper filters, so I don't need to care if other people can.

ndsipa_pomu 4y ago

I enjoy the process of using a vacuum pot, but I also found the cloth filter was hard to keep clean and non-mouldy. Hand-burr grinders are great - I can highly recommend the Knock grinders and the Aergrind is my favourite for travelling as it's sized to fit partially inside an Aeropress. I usually aim for somewhere closer to french-press grinds and use the inverted method to give total control over the brewing time. Edit: A small press pot is going to work in a similar fashion to an Aeropress, though the Aeropress has the advantage in making just a single cup of coffee and completely separating the grounds from the water so that the coffee doesn't keep brewing after being made. I'd love to see a glass version of an Aeropress made.

SECProto 4y ago
My small press pot actually makes around 12 us fluid ounces of coffee at the strength I like, with a fairly thick filter bed. Almost identical shape and dimensions as an aeropress, so it works interchangeably in that regard. I agree, would be great to get a glass aeropress cylinder - though what makes me most hesitant to use one is actually the plunger/seal. I had one that I bought about 10 years back that sat for a couple months without use and it got very tacky and sticky, and it was very difficult to clean off. I'm not sure what that material was, but the fact that it isn't there when I used it regularly told me that whatever it was, it was going into my cup. Now when I use (my new aeropress), I wash the plunger first and I don't brew inverted - ensuring that my beverage doesn't come in direct contact with the rubber part.
- ndsipa_pomu 4y ago
  I've had the sticky plunger happen to me when my work aeropress was sat unused for a few months. I thought it was the sunshine/UV degrading the rubber and didn't really think about whether it puts contaminants into the coffee - I just bought a replacement rubber bung for it (they do wear out over a few years usage as well). Edit: Just looked it up and the plunger is made out of thermoplastic elastomer (food grade) Edit2: Found a discussion about a glass aeropress and there would be a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, the glass would likely need to be pre-warmed due to the increased heat capacity. Secondly and more importantly, glass wouldn't be strong enough to survive daily usage and I know I've certainly dropped my aeropress onto the floor enough times to know that indestructible plastic is definitely better for me.
  - SECProto 4y ago
    They actually changed the seal material to silicone in 2018[1] - that's why I got a new one to try. So far so good! [1] see the fourth last answer in their faq https://aeropress.com/pages/faq https://aeropress.com/pages/faq

zemvpferreira 4y ago

If you're inclined to futz more with your gear you might really enjoy a Hario Switch. It's an immersion + percolation brewer that takes paper filters and is made of glass. I have almost your exact preferences and settled on this as a great middle-ground between futsiness and taste. I do a sort of vietnamese coffee that's clean, strong, forgiving to brew time and grind, well-extracted and easy to clean up. Can't recommend it enough!

SECProto 4y ago
Sounds like a good candidate for next time I want to try something new, thanks!
- zemvpferreira 4y ago
  My pleasure! I guess I wrote all that without really explaining what the difference would be: a much cleaner cup from the paper filter vs the french press mesh.
  - SECProto 4y ago
    If I use my large french press (which tends to have a thinner filter bed), I sometimes will pour it through a paper filter set in my ceramic pourover to accomplish the same thing.

AlbertCory 4y ago

Wow, you've tried 'em all! This is awesome. Instead of listening to some "expert" tell you what to do, just try it yourself. Like I said: I know I can taste bamboo vs. paper filters, so I don't need to care if other people can.