X
Table of Contents
X
Table of Contents
Contents
By
Ru Chen
Key Takeaways
Manual home brewing has become vastly popular in recent years as coffee enthusiasts look to create the best coffee at home. If you want a faster morning cup of coffee or a more interactive experience, manual coffee brewing is a wonderful choice. But between an espresso maker, an AeroPress, and the countless other brewing methods, how do you decide which equipment suits you best?
Let’s explore the different brewing equipment you can use to achieve delectable coffee at home, coffee making accessories, and other essentials needed for home brewing.
Each home brewing method can influence the flavor, aroma, and extraction of the coffee. Here are the most common home brewing options.
Drip coffee makers are the most popular choice for home kitchens. Drip coffee is convenient and fast, allowing you to quickly brew your morning coffee before work.
Drip brew typically results in a smoother, lighter flavor of coffee. It is less intense than espresso and pour-over, making it the favorite brew type of many drinkers.
Pour-over coffee involves pouring hot water over ground coffee within a filter. Gravity drains the water through the coffee grounds. The result is usually more robust and flavorful than drip coffee.
Pour-over sometimes gets a bad rep for being a type of manual brewing, but it offers the possibility of a richer, more enjoyable coffee experience. Plus, pour-over coffee machines are relatively simple to use, making them great for coffee brewing novices. You won’t need any electricity for pour-over coffee makers, so as long as you have hot water, you can brew a batch of pour-over coffee.
The French press (AKA cafetière) is a cylindrical pot for brewing coffee. It contains a plunger and a built-in filter screen, which create a concentrated, delicious brew. French press brewed coffee is usually creamier and more flavorful than other types of coffee.
Brewing coffee with a French press coffee pot is simple and doesn’t require any paper filters. However, some coffee drinkers do find the unfiltered French press coffee’s clean-up and brewing processes more time-consuming.
Invented in 2005, the AeroPress is a manual coffee making machine. It’s a cylindrical chamber that has a plunger with an airtight silicone seal. After you grind your coffee, the plunger is used to create a pressure seal in the AeroPress. This lets you easily add pressure without wearing out your hand.
With an AeroPress, it takes only 2 minutes to brew a batch of coffee of seven to eight ounces. This is fast and simple, ensuring you can make your cup of joe at home whenever you need one without delay.
Home espresso machines come in three types: semi-automatic, automatic, and super-automatic. Before automation was added to espresso machines, baristas had to use manual lever machines that required strength and endurance.
Semi-automatic espresso machines make brewing espresso more accessible. You simply push a button to pull the espresso shot. However, you will still need to grind the coffee beans, load the portafilter, and tamp the coffee. Many coffee drinkers enjoy this process since it makes brewing coffee more interactive.
Automatic and superautomatic espresso machines go a step further. They usually come with grinders and extra features, greatly simplifying your espresso-making process. However, an automatic or superautomatic expresso machine can be expensive, costing thousands of dollars.
To make drip coffee, you may want an automatic drip machine with a grinder. Higher quality automatic drip machines offer 24-hour programmability so that you can plan when you’ll get your freshly brewed coffee. Temperature control settings can also help you keep the coffee heated for a long time, letting you enjoy your brew warm throughout the day.
If you want to make pour-over coffee, you’ll first need a coffee brewer. The Hario V60 and the Chemex are popular options for pour-over coffee. A V60 pour-over coffee maker is convenient and produces bright, sweet flavors. Meanwhile, a Chemex can produce a more floral flavor profile with a tea-like body.
A water kettle is also required for pour-over. Ideally, get a kettle with a gooseneck spout for easier pouring.
As with other types of coffee, making pour-over coffee will require a scale to ensure accuracy. This allows for better control over the flavor and strength of your brew.
Some people prefer a coffee machine that includes a grinder for convenience. You can certainly choose a pour-over coffee machine that combines the grinder, brewer, scales, and kettle together. However, this will significantly raise the price of the coffee machine.
Other than buying the French press pot and plunger, you should also get a grinder for coffee beans. Any high-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans will work well in a French press, but some people prefer coarse to medium-coarse grounds.
When buying a French press, you will need to choose between a single walled and a double walled pot. A double walled cafetière will keep your French press coffee warm for longer.
If you want to Aeropress your coffee, make sure you have a good grinder on top of the AeroPress device. If you want the best AeroPress coffee in a short brew time, you will need a super fine grind. If you’re okay with a longer brew time, you can go with a coarser setting on your grinder.
Make sure to get a knock-box that lets you eliminate spent espresso pucks from your portafilter. These round discs of coffee grounds left behind after you make espresso can accumulate, interfering with your espresso shots. A cloth will also be helpful to clean the wand.
You should also obtain a scale specifically for weighing your coffee beans and water. A 0.1 gram accuracy scale should suffice, but more accurate scales like a 0.01 gram digital scale will ensure better consistency. Scales are necessary for consistent coffee brewing.
The tamper is essential since it allows you to compact ground coffee beans into a puck. Choose a high-quality tamper that enables you to achieve consistency when compressing grounds.
When purchasing home brewing equipment, take the time to evaluate different brands and models. Here are the main factors to consider:
Brewing capacity typically only affects heavy coffee drinkers or households with multiple drinkers. A standard coffee machine can brew between 10 to 12 coffee cups at once from a single batch of ground beans. Families who go through more than a pot a day or people who host coffee meet-ups should choose a machine with a large carafe.
Brew time depends on the equipment quality and type, and can affect the strength of the coffee. AeroPress devices can make coffee quickly, with the brewing process taking under two minutes. Brewing espresso can take as little as 20 to 30 seconds, but don’t forget about the time it takes to clean up any oily residue.
The temperature of the water used to brew coffee will affect the extracted flavor. If you’re looking for an automatic coffee maker, you might want to pick a machine that offers good temperature control, letting you easily control coffee water temperature.
Espresso machines come with different pressure control settings and capabilities. A more advanced espresso machine will let you enjoy increased consistency and ease when making your espresso.
New coffee brewers who aren’t sure about what brewing method they will prefer can hold off on investing in advanced, highly durable coffee machines. However, once you know what brewing method you enjoy, it’s recommended to pick a durable machine that can last you a long time.
What the coffee maker looks like can affect your coffee brewing experience. Most people prefer brewing with an aesthetically pleasing coffee maker made of a suitable material. Consider whether you prefer stainless steel, glass, stoneware, or plastic when it comes to coffee makers.
How much automation you want in your coffee machine will depend on your budget and individual preferences. Do you want a hands-off experience that gets you your morning brew ASAP, or do you enjoy brewing coffee with your own two hands?
Automatic machines cost much more due to their complex designs and components. An automatic expresso machine for home brewing can cost up to $1000. A manual machine usually costs under $400.
How much coffee do you want to brew every day? Choose a home brewing machine that suits your desired brewing volume. Automatic coffee machines also offer time control settings, allowing you to schedule when you want your next cup of joe brewed.
Consider the strength and flavor profile of the coffee you want to make. For example, French press coffee plungers can produce more robust, flavorful coffee. Espresso machines have concentrated flavors that are sweet and smooth, but also slightly bitter and sour.
A functional coffee maker can cost anything between twenty bucks to thousands of dollars. If this is your first time brewing coffee, you may want to choose an affordable coffee brewing model that lets you test out whether brewing coffee at home is for you.
Coffee machines come in different shapes and sizes. If you are operating with limited space, consider the coffee maker's dimensions before purchasing. Account for any lids and components that need to be lifted or moved to add water and beans.
Don’t forget to regularly clean and maintain your brewing machine and tools. If you use your coffee maker every day, it’s best to clean it at least once a month. Many coffee brewers find it beneficial to choose a coffee maker brand that is easier to clean, such as the CLEVER Dripper or the AeroPress.
You can use accessories and add-ons to elevate your home brewing experience. Good options include:
Single-origin coffee comes from a single known geographical location. The origin is where that coffee is grown and processed before it is roasted.
Coffee blends will have two or more different single-origin coffees.
Specialties and flavored coffee beans can be an exciting addition to your coffee brewing journey. These offer new coffee flavor profiles or mouthfeels that you might be unable to find in other beans.
If you want to find great beans for coffee brewing, check out coffee clubs. They source freshly roasted, high-quality beans directly to your doorstep. The best coffee clubs offer specialty beans, member benefits, a vibrant community of coffee enthusiasts, and great customer service. Here are some of our favorite coffee clubs.
Atlas Coffee Club starts its coffee subscriptions at only $9 per delivery. Each month, you get single-origin coffee that has been expertly curated from 50+ countries, along with a gorgeous postcard.
Trade Coffee offers flexible delivery options and a wide range of roasts, with over 450 ethically sourced coffees from small roasters around the USA.
Bean Box gives members exclusive access to unique, award-winning coffees that you can’t find elsewhere. If you want to try your hand at brewing specialty, new coffees, Bean Box is a great coffee club to join.
If you want to brew coffee at home, first decide on which coffee brewing method you want. Explore and experiment with various methods through research and affordable machines, from the French press to the classic espresso machine. After that, it’s cost-effective (and more delicious) to invest in high-quality home brewing equipment and accessories. A good coffee maker should align with your budget, brew preferences, and coffee-making priorities.
Picking the right coffee beans can greatly enhance your coffee experience. As you embark on this journey of mastering brewing coffee at home, consider joining a coffee club to discover new flavors and roast types.
Ru Chen
Content Writer
Ru Chen is a content writer with several years of experience in creating engaging and well-researched articles. She mostly writes about coffee, business, digital marketing, and law. In her free time, she can be found watching horror movies and playing board games with her partner in Brooklyn.
Ru Chen is a content writer with several years of experience in creating engaging and well-researched articles. She mostly writes about coffee, business, digital marketing, and law. In her free time, she can be found watching horror movies and playing board games with her partner in Brooklyn.
