HN Explorer

Ask HN: How do you brew your coffee?

23 points by leonagano ↗ HN
With so many different methods and tools, what is your method and tool to make a good coffee? Pour over is my daily method of simple and good coffee.

Different methods and tools are also shown here on PH: https://www.producthunt.com/ask/946-how-do-you-brew-your-coffee

67 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 126 ms ] thread
R0otChiXor
i got Breville The Barista Express BES870XL machine that grind beans and makes super atomic strong coffee . Best coffee i ever had.
thebiglebrewski
I have one of these too and it's amazing if you can swing it!
sotojuan
Chemex, Aeropress, or Cafe Bustelo + Moka Pot. Really depends on how lazy I feel and how many beans I have left.
Slaul
Depends on where I am and what I feel like.

I have an Aeropress at my desk at work. I keep some freshly ground coffee there so I can make nice coffee instead of the random brew in the lunchroom.

I have a pour over and a drip machine at home. The drip machine is programmed to make me a pot of coffee that is ready when I get out of bed, it's not the best coffee I've ever had but it gets my day going.

The pour over is for when I want a single cup or if I feel like making a nicer coffee. Usually when I buy some nicer beans as a treat.

framebit
Coffee snob here.

At the office I keep my own stash of good beans. I use a manual burr grinder and a cheapo pour-over system with the hot water that comes out of the big BUNN coffee maker. I will say that I think an Aeropress makes some of the best coffee I've ever had, but it's just too much of a pain to do in the office.

Ever once in awhile I'll have the office BUNN coffee if I'm in it for quick caffeine rather than coffee experience. There is absolutely a time and place for bad coffee. For instance, I would be very sad if Waffle House started serving good coffee.

At home it depends. Sometimes a moka pot, sometimes a pour-over, sometimes a french press. Depends on the roast and what I'm in the mood for.

matchmike1313
I do the following: 1) Organic beans 2) Burr grinder 3) Bonavita Coffee Maker (This will brew at a specific temp for the beans and distributes the water evenly over the grounds.) 4) Post: add coconut oil for energy boost
jotjotzzz
Burr hand grinder, then brew using French press.
staunch
It's pretty hard to beat a French press. A $20 version will last forever and make coffee fit for a king.
falcolas
I'm with you on this one. My french press outperforms pour-over, Aeropress, Moka pots, and a bunch of other methods when it comes to properly extracting coffee.

I'm particularly sensitive to the bitter flavors in coffee, however, so I really don't like so many coffee making methods which produce bitter coffee.

gffrd
I'd love to hear the rationale behind what makes french press superior for properly extracted coffee.

I've always thought of each method as driven by preference and context, but if there's an argument to be made for “technical” best, I'd love to hear it.

falcolas
I don't know all the technical details, and I'm sure it boils down to "it's hard to get wrong" with a french press, but one scoop of beans ground down, half the press' volume in just-off-boil-water, and 5 minutes makes a perfect coffee. Perhaps it's in part due to stealing this "recipie" from Alton Brown, but it really does just work for me.

The Aeropress does a decent job, but the volume of coffee created is so small and very highly concentrated. As a result, the outcome is really easy to get wrong. The paper filters also tends to capture a lot of the essential oils, making for a different tasting coffee when compared to a metal filter.

As for pour-over, it feels like the extraction of the grounds is very un-even, with those near the bottom of the filter being over-extracted, while those nearer to the top are under-extracted. Since over-extraction tends to create more bitter compounds, pour-over is never that good to my tastes.

As for Moka pots - it's hard to catch them right when they're done, and so it's easy to get burnt coffee (small all-metal pots with small amounts of water and coffee). The extraction seems good, but as with the Aeropress it's a very small amount, so it's so easy to get wrong.

gffrd
Thanks for the answer. Strong point on the directness of the french press: fewer points of failure, and more uniform process.

French press was the first technique I used, long before I gave my coffee technique proper attention, so you've inspired me to dust mine off and give it the same level of attention I give to a pour-over.

Time for a side-by-side test this weekend …

ambivalents
I've also found French press to be the sweet spot wrt quality/time involved/kitchen space. However, I've gone through 3 French presses in the past 3 years. Do you recommend a particular brand/model? (2 of the aforementioned 3 were mid-level Bodums).
leonagano
When I'm on the streets, I always have espressos. Here in the UK, they have very good ones. When I was in Brazil I always had espressos and pour over. French press and Aeropress are not popular down there.
swah
Aeropress is the best coffee I can make at home, but only a single cup.

For some reason my pour over is never good as "the one grandma used to make".

mazelife
Seconded on the Aeropress. It beats the French press, which it most closely resembles, in pretty much every metric: you can grind the coffee more finely which gives you better extraction, and you can use less of it to get coffee of the same strength. It's also faster and easier to clean up. And to my palate, it just tastes better.
donatj
Bunn coffee maker. Makes a unbeatable pot in 3 minutes flat.

Same way they make drip dinner coffee - water is heated to just the right temperature, unlike a Mr. Coffee which is too hot and sours the coffee because it uses the steam as a pump.

DerfNet
Have been thinking about getting a Bunn to replace my aged Mr. Coffee. Have tried many other ways of making coffee and really just prefer the convenience of drip.

In the summer I make a gallon of cold brew at a time in a big jug on the counter.

donatj
My parents had a Bunn while I was growing up, I got a Mr, Coffee immediately after moving out. Had it for years. It just wasn’t the same. Couple years back I made the jump to a Bunn and have not regretted it.
silasb
Which Bunn coffee maker do you have? I'm looking to get one and they have many different versions.
rottyguy
started roasting our own coffee on the stove. best decision ever. takes about 10-15min 2x a week (1/2lb per roast). still experimenting with the 7lb sampler at happymug.

moccasmaster + baratza grinder

heptathorp
What do you put the coffee in when you roast it on the stove? And how strong is the smell when it's roasting?

I want to roast at home but I'm afraid neighbors may complain if the odor is too much.

rottyguy
I use a wok, an oven thermometer to get it to the initial heat (~200F), and a wooden spoon to stir. I try and finish my roast by 9-12min.

You get a little bit of smoke but nothing like what I read online. That said, I don't generally roast to expresso dark but have roasted to 30-60sec past 2nd crack with no problems (happymug gives tips on how much to roast in their green bean profile).

We live in an apt and no one has ever complained. Also, it's not foul smelling at all. Generally just a little burnt coffee smell. The beans and grind, however, smell superb!!

ddavis
At home I usually use a cheap electric grinder (I don't even know the name right now, I got it from the parents' place since they weren't using it) along with a gooseneck electric kettle for pour over[1]. Every now and then I use a moka pot. On the go I usually get macchiatos. I see others mentioning French press; I tried that for a while but I always ended up either too watery or too oily.

[1] 23 grams of coffee beans ground to sea salt consistency, 300 grams of water.

yoz-y
For me convenience beats the rest so it is whatever comes out of a Nespresso machine, I particularly like the Roma blend.
robotpony
Clean French press, fresh / burr ground beans (12:1, so usually ~60g ground), temperature controlled H20 (96C), 4:30 minute brew.
rogual
I like the cheap freeze-dried stuff. Boil the water, put the coffee in the cup, put the water in the cup, done.
sidjoshi
Chemex or French press on weekday mornings. On weekends, I like to indulge: sometimes I make a moka pot cubano, at others I'll make the Indian style super strong 'kaapi' in the steel coffee filter.
sidjoshi
Oh and if you are here in Seattle, Espresso Vivace 'dolce' fresh beans are the ones to beat.
timmonsjg
I stand by my percolator. I love it but you can easily 'burn' the coffee.
captaincrunch
Carefully crack a can of Monster open ensuring that none of the factory air escapes in a temperature controlled environment, usually 1:1 ratio. Drink it in about 5 minutes.
piinbinary
My go-to is a pour over.

I actually prefer the richer result of a French press, but I'm lazy and don't want to clean it out afterwards.

anthony_romeo
I'm of the opinion that the easiest and most important step one can take to make one's coffee taste better is to grind the beans before brewing. Better quality coffee obviously improves the flavor for sure, but preground gourmet coffee is about as competitive as freshly ground Eight O'Clock Joe.

I usually use drip coffee because I'm lazy, but prefer French press.

jcmoscon
I love french press but the problem is that the glass is so fragile that I gave up french press after the third time I broke it.
meestaahjoshee
have you heard of aeropress you might want to give it a try
JonahBraun
You can get a stainless steel french press. Typically they are vacuum insulated as well, which is nice.
peterwwillis
Most retailers carry plastic french presses now
keithpeter
electric grinder and mokapot in the morning.

Sometimes a cafetiere

netcraft
I've tried and loved a lot of different coffee methods over the years, but my daily drink is a knock off keurig with Newmen's Own coffee.

But to me, the most important ingredient in how well the coffee tastes is the water. Tap water with lots of tastes will make the best beans taste like junk. Filtered water can make mediocre beans taste much better. Plus if you use a machine, it means you dont have to descale :)

RightMillennial
I use my Keurig with its reusable coffee filter. Occasionally I'll buy a bag of beans to grind, but I usually stick to Folgers.
kpennell
Aeropress (95C water), ground with a hario conical burr hand grinder.

I like WholeFoods' Mocha Java. It's the best value coffee.