To get the community going, what’s your favourite way of preparing coffee? Any tools you can’t do without?
For me it’s a tossup between a fresh cup from my drip brewer (moccamaster) or a good americano. The americano is way slower to make though, so generally I prefer drip.
As the heat sets in though I also love an iced coffee, and for that, it has to start with espresso on ice. Not to diss cold brew, I love that too but never get around to making my own.
I’m probably speaking heresy here, but I’ve never had a french press I really loved. Used one for years when I was the only coffee drinker in the house, but it’s always tasted kind of “meh” to me. Like, not bad, just not anywhere near the hype.
I’ll also toss out points for a cup of disgusting tar boiled in a firetop percolator, because it’s June and I’ve been out camping, and nothing tastes better than a cup of somewhat gross, overbrewed camp coffee on a chilly morning.
I’m currently focusing on two things:
First, V60 as my work coffee. I enjoy bery fruity coffees this way and cannot do without the Acia Pearl and Fellow Kettle anymore. Always thought, these tools are unnecessary and too expensive, but now I find them indispensable.
At home, I enjoy my Xenia espresso machine (small German company) for darker roasts. Mostly cappuchino. I cloud not do without the aluminum funnel to fill coffee into the portafilter from my hand grinder. Still holding out on the acia pearl, my cheap 10€ scale still works 😉.
If I have time and my wife is wanting some, our moccamaster. In a rush, my single serve french press travel that you take the grounds with and clean out later. Summer time? Cold brew with a light bean and half vanilla almond milk.
For a single cup, it’s hard to beat the aeropress. I brew normal (not inverted), use 16g of a nice, freshly ground medium roast, 30 second bloom, fill, stir, insert plunger, 2:30 steep, & plunge. Same cup of coffee everytime.
Mrs. Boreal prefers more like 11g, so it’s nice we can both have our morning coffee how we each like it.
It’s my go to for travels thanks to the simplicity. At home I’ll usually go for a nice double ristretto to kickstart the day. My wife doesn’t drink coffee whatsoever, so I’ve got the full freedom. Minus getting budgets approved… ;-)
I do love a good ristretto… One of these days I’ll get an espresso machine. Pending budget approvals of course. Though, the Mrs. loves lattes, so there’s a good return on investment.
After that, the aeropress will love on for camping and travel.
I love my cold brew pitcher. I need my coffee grinder since it needs a much coarser grind for the cold brew method. But it comes out so smooth. My second favorite is a pour over drip brew.
Oh yes cold brews are amazing. Do you have a recipe to share? I’ve tried so many different varieties, I don’t even know where to start brewing it myself…
I have a pitcher with a filter basket made for cold brew coffee. Only tips I’ve got are make sure the beans are big enough not to fit through the filter. Otherwise it’s just add coffee, fill with water, wait about 20 hours. Cold brew sounds more intimidating than it actually is.
I’ve been converting from coffee to matcha. It gives me a lot more energy and focus without the coffee jitters and stomach issues
Due to the simplicity, I do often use and carry arround a vietnamese drip coffee filter. It’s perfect for a strong coffee.
I got one as well, friend of mine actually is Vietnamese and owns a coffee roastery there. Every time I use it, it gives me holiday vibes. The Aeropress is still my go-to travel set since I can’t lose part of it in my suitcase as they are all connected (usually I already insert a paper and screw it shut so I know it’s loaded for the next use), but the dripper is a great piece of equipment as well. And nothing beats Vietnamese coffee with a double shot of condensed milk if I need a sugar rush on top of the caffeine…
On the road today, so I’ve pulled out the travel Aeropress and it’s bringing me to life this morning in the hotel room.
Between this and the espresso thread I have some exciting new coffee methods to try~
I prefer drip brewing. I do it terribly and my coffee is grainy, but it’s comforting
I also have a french press that makes really smooth coffee, but it’s so hard to clean it isn’t worth it ;P
Aeropress has been my go to for a while. Otherwise, I like making pour overs
Moka pot + hand grinder. I love the process of brewing coffee using this method and the strong coffee taste coming from it.
