There are a bunch of ways of brewing coffee. I have briefly described most of these in another post on this site. Here I will share with you what I have…
Bonavita Flat Bottom Filter Drip.
These days this is my go-to rig. Convenient and dead simple. No timers, no heaters, no bells and whistles. Although I have never measured it, it seems to heat the water to a decent temperature just below boiling. The only programming it does have is a pre-infusion feature that soaks the coffee to get a bloom started. Sort of mimicking a pour over. It is pretty fast as well, taking about 6 minutes to make a full pot. The thermal carafe keeps the brew reasonably warm, and will hold 8 cups.
Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine
This is my second most used coffee preparation device. This is a serious well made machine and has outstanding performance for the price. It features a built in grinder with controls for both grind size and amount. It has two filter sizes and machine settings for either single or double shot. It also features pre-infusion. I still have not mastered latte art however.
Bodum French Press
Classic, iconic and foolproof. For some reason French Roast always tastes better in a French Press. Probably without a doubt my favourite method of brewing.
Aeropress
For some reason I bought one of these things, and for a while I actually used it a fair bit, mostly at work. Easy to use and clean, and it certainly has it’s followers. I seldom drink a single cup anymore, so it mostly sits in the cupboard. For some reason (unfounded) I could never get around the fact that the whole rig was made of plastic.
Pour Over Rig
Another single cup brewing method I have, that doesn’t get used anymore. This was also an ‘at work’ device. It is fun to brew this way, because you really do feel that you are hand crafting your cup of joe. It’s hard to find the right filters, and it doesn’t sort of fit my lifestyle anymore.
Bonavita Kettle
For the last three methods to work, you obviously have to manually supply hot water. You know by now that doesn’t mean boiling water. This unit is precisely adjustable in 1 degree increments from 60C to 98C. It will also hold this temperature for 60 minutes. The gooseneck spout is indispensable for making pour over coffee.
Moka Pot
This is mostly a novelty item now, in light of all my other stuff. But it had its time, both on the kitchen stove and on the camp stove.
Capresso Grinder
Last but certainly not least is my grinder. This conical burr unit gets daily use. Although I have it mostly set for my flat bottom drip machine, it is fully adjustable and can produce grinds for Turkish, Espresso, French Press, Pour-over, Drip, and Percolator.