There's nothing quite like brewing your own coffee, especially if you love a delicious cup of joe in the morning or a pick-me-up later in the day. There are a ton of different methods you can use to brew coffee at home, and we're going to go over the six most popular ones today.
Whether you prefer a smooth and creamy espresso, a bold and full-bodied French press, or a crisp and clean pour-over, there's a brewing method out there for you. So grab your beans from your favorite vendor (Monte Rosa Gourmet Coffee ☺) and your brewing equipment, and let's get ready to make some seriously delicious coffee!
First Things First – A Word on Weighing Your Coffee
You’ve sourced high-quality coffee from your favorite online roasters. Now what?
The first trick to brewing the perfect cup of coffee is ditching the coffee scoops, spoons, and measuring cups. Instead, whip out your trusty digital kitchen scale and weigh your ground coffee for the best results.
Use roughly 15g (about a tbsp.) of ground coffee for every eight-ounce cup of joe as a rule of thumb. And if you're making enough coffee for a whole group, that's about 60g (about 4 tbsp.) of ground coffee for four cups. I am not asking you to become Bill Nye The Science Guy about it…but if you want a perfect cup, this is my suggest for the perfect brew. It’s simple…easy peasy. Now go forth and follow the steps of your favorite brewing method below.
Side Note: remember to use filtered water. Hard water and unfiltered water can change the taste of your coffee. So, if you are the purest like me, opt for the filtered water. Trust me…you will thank
1- Coffee Cone
Looking for a quick, cheap, and easy way to brew coffee? Look no further than the drip method! All you need is a coffee cone, some paper filters, and hot water, and you'll be sipping on a freshly brewed cup of joe in no time. Just pour the water evenly over the coffee grounds in the filter and let gravity do the rest.
The brewed coffee will drip slowly and directly into your cup or pot, ready for you to enjoy. And with coffee cones made of all sorts of materials, from plastic to stainless steel, you can pick the one that optimally matches your style (and your taste buds). Classic brands to keep an eye out for include Bee House, Kalita Wave, Hario V60, and Melitta.
2- AeroPress
Get ready to have your mind (and your coffee) blown by the AeroPress - a relatively new brewing method created by Alan Adler, the mastermind behind the Aerobie Frisbee. This is for the gadget mongers amongst us. This plastic wonder comes in three parts: a coffee basket with a filter at the bottom, a brew chamber for your coffee grounds, and a plunger to extract the coffee.
Add hot water to the brew chamber, let the coffee steep, and then press down on the plunger to create air pressure and force the brewed coffee through the filter and into your cup. It's a quick (1-2-minute brewing time), easy, and efficient way to brew a delicious cup of coffee - and it's a lot of fun to use too.
3- French Press
You know what they say - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And when it comes to brewing the perfect cup of coffee, the French press method has been a tried-and-true favorite since it was invented way back in 1929. It’s fairly quick, delivering up to eight cups of coffee in about 4 minutes.
Widely considered the best and easiest way to brew superior and consistent coffee, this method extracts all the good stuff - antioxidants, caffeine, and flavorful essential oils - from your beans, leaving you with a luscious, expressive, and complex cup of joe. So if you're a coffee drinker who craves a little something extra in your brew, give the French Press a try. You won't be disappointed. I know because it is one of my personal favorites.
4- Chemex
Looking for a pour-over method that's equal parts beautiful and effective? Meet the Chemex - a glass flask that's as elegant as it is efficient. Invented by the stylish Dr. Peter Schlumbohm in 1941, this pour-over device uses a special Chemex paper filter 20-30% heavier than other filters, ensuring a delicious and consistent brew every time.
Just pour hot water over your coffee grounds (about 42g for six cups) in the filter, and the brewed coffee will drip into the bottom of the flask, which also serves as its own carafe. It's a win-win situation for your taste buds and your kitchen decor.
5- Siphon
The siphon is the ultimate showstopper of coffee makers - it's flashy, fancy, and guaranteed to impress your friends. Add some goggles, a white lab coat, spike your hair and VOILA!!…instant mad coffee scientist!!! But be warned – brewing with it can be a bit of a fussy process. Ensure you've plenty of time (and patience) to spare before you try it.
Invented in Germany in the 1840s, this method uses vapor pressure to force the hot water into the upper vessel, immersing the grounds from your preferred coffee shop near me. Once the heat is removed, gravity takes over and pushes the brewed coffee back down through a filter into the bottom vessel. Bodum, Yama, and Hario are some popular siphon brands.
6- Stovetop Moka Pot
Get ready to boil, baby, boil - with a stovetop coffee maker, of course! Originally patented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti, these pots use steam pressure from boiled water to pass through the coffee grounds in the middle chamber, creating a delicious and flavorful brew. The great thing with no filtered brewing devices is that you get the added flavor of the bean oils that give your coffee character and a rich taste. It’s extremely popular in Europe and it is the type my grandparents used in Spain.
The brewed coffee then sits in the upper chamber, waiting for you to enjoy. And with well-designed pots that create optimal pressure, you can trust that your coffee will be top-notch every time. It’s the equivalent of espresso maker minus the expensive equipment. The Italian Moka pot pictured above is my recent Christmas present and I love my new toy. Some popular brands to try include Kabalo, Pedrini, and Bialetti. So why not add a little old-school charm to your coffee routine with a stovetop pot? Your taste buds (and Instagram followers) will thank you.
Wrapping up…
Making a tasty cup of coffee at home is both an art and a science, but your choice of brewing method will make or break your endeavor. A trusty drip coffee maker is a fail-proof option, but the French press and pour-over coffee are easy favorites. And let's not forget the AeroPress, Stovetop Moka Pot, and siphon, which have regained some traction in the past few years. Especially, with more and more fans of at-home coffee brewing due to more people switching to working from home. So, next time you Google “coffee near me,” you’ll be sure to see your name on the search results. Enjoy the process it will be well worth your time. 😊
