Newbie trying to take first steps into brewing

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
Mitch897
Posts: 7
Joined: 8 years ago

#1: Post by Mitch897 »

Hello All!

I am brand new to this forum and brand new to the different ways to brew coffee. I have been watching videos and reading online for a week now about different methods of brewing coffee. I am hooked, but I need some help making my first ever purchase! I am a college student and because of that I only can spend 150-200$ total. I also have only drank coffee out of the keurig and an automatic dripper. I enjoy my coffees black and pungent with a good body. That being said I was looking into french press's and pour-overs. Here is where my problem arises. I don't think I want an automatic grinder, since I don't have a high budget, counter-space, and I am trying to be quiet. I read online manual grinders have difficulty making a consistent coarse ground which you need for french press. Onto pour-overs however. I do not own a gooseneck kettle and really don't want to buy one. Reason being is I do have a breville one touch tea-maker, which I thought would be perfect for controlling my water temperature for brewing :!:. Of course the breville has a wider mouth at the top, which from what I have read isn't good for pour-overs since you want to control the flow. With all that being said I am wondering:
-What grinders do you recommend
-Which method of brewing would produce a good hit you in the face coffee
-What French press or pour-over do you recommend
And any tips or anything else would be helpful :D

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weebit_nutty
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Joined: 11 years ago

#2: Post by weebit_nutty »

Welcome to HB

Regarding your budget.. Does it take into account beans? They will be, by far, your biggest expense in the long run, because making great coffee is suprisingly easy and inexpensive. It all starts with good quality beans. If your experience has been limited to Keurig pods, then you're in for a treat :) You will soon discover how much better fresh roasted coffee is.

Anyway, this is a really basic question with many potential solutions.

I am going on the assumption that you just want great coffee with little fuss or work. You're a student and won't have time to fall into the coffee rabbit hole. Trust me it's a big time sink if you're just wanting great coffee. But if you're looking to get into coffee as a hobby, the recommendations will be quite different.

Anyway, here's what you'll want.
1. Aeropress kit ($60, $40 for AP, $20 for electric hot water kettle), or pourover kit (funnel and gooseneck kettle, $40-70 depending on which).
My recommendation: Aeropress for cleanest cup, and easiest workflow
Pourovers are a bit more involved but the process is kind of therapeutic :)
2. Grinder: Baratza Encore, $129 online. There are certainly cheaper options but Baratza is a respected brand with excellent customer service.
3. Last but not least, Fresh Roasted Coffee!! $15-25 depending on brand varietal, online/brick,etc.
Recommendation: Try one, try the next, stick roasters that work for you.

good luck .
You're not always right, but when you're right, you're right, right?

FirstBetta
Posts: 184
Joined: 10 years ago

#3: Post by FirstBetta »

Have you thought about an Aeropress. I personally don't like french press because I hate chewing my coffee. The french press filters don't remove much in the way of fines which can leave some mud in the bottom of the press/cup. I also have and used a Bonavita Immersion dripper and I don't find a large difference between the dripper and the aero press. The aero press is approximately $30 on amazon as is the Bonavita dripper. While I haven't used a manual grinder so I can't comment from personal experience the Hario Skerton is mentioned frequently by those who have used it and say it is good. So far we are at $60 to $70 dollars. I have and have used the Bellman steamer and it will work but you say you like your coffee black and pungent so there is little need for a steamer since that is for milk drinks.

I have no experience with the Breville appliance you mentioned and the aeropress doesn't require a gooseneck kettle and if you are careful you can regulate your pour so I don't see a need for a gooseneck.

The biggest requirement is for FRESH BEANS (< than 2 weeks post roast). Should you doubt that statemant go buy some supermarket beans and some fresh beans from a local or online roaster and compare.

I hope this helps. i personally don't care for the metal filters for the aeropress and dripper for the same reason I don't like the press so I use Melitta filters for the Dripper and the aeropress filters that come with the aeropress.

Mitch897 (original poster)
Posts: 7
Joined: 8 years ago

#4: Post by Mitch897 (original poster) »

weebit_nutty wrote:Welcome to HB

Regarding your budget.. Does it take into account beans? They will be, by far, your biggest expense in the long run, because making great coffee is suprisingly easy and inexpensive. It all starts with good quality beans. If your experience has been limited to Keurig pods, then you're in for a treat :) You will soon discover how much better fresh roasted coffee is.

Anyway, this is a really basic question with many potential solutions.

I am going on the assumption that you just want great coffee with little fuss or work. You're a student and won't have time to fall into the coffee rabbit hole. Trust me it's a big time sink if you're just wanting great coffee. But if you're looking to get into coffee as a hobby, the recommendations will be quite different.

Anyway, here's what you'll want.
1. Aeropress kit ($60, $40 for AP, $20 for electric hot water kettle), or pourover kit (funnel and gooseneck kettle, $40-70 depending on which).
My recommendation: Aeropress for cleanest cup, and easiest workflow
Pourovers are a bit more involved but the process is kind of therapeutic :)
2. Grinder: Baratza Encore, $129 online. There are certainly cheaper options but Baratza is a respected brand with excellent customer service.
3. Last but not least, Fresh Roasted Coffee!! $15-25 depending on brand varietal, online/brick,etc.
Recommendation: Try one, try the next, stick roasters that work for you.

good luck .
Thanks for replying so quick. I did look into beans and I am looking at one that only include the roast date. I have been looking on seattle coffee's website and counterculture. Actually I don't mind doing work to brew a cup of coffee. I like the old school methods, Like I personally shave with a DE safety razor and that can take awhile. I enjoy the idea of putting in time to get a great reward. Thats why I was interested in the pour-overs because it takes a little bit of effort. I will go check out the aeropress. From what I gathered already its really simple and quick.... might have to get an aeropress and something else :shock:
FirstBetta wrote:Have you thought about an Aeropress. I personally don't like french press because I hate chewing my coffee. The french press filters don't remove much in the way of fines which can leave some mud in the bottom of the press/cup. I also have and used a Bonavita Immersion dripper and I don't find a large difference between the dripper and the aero press. The aero press is approximately $30 on amazon as is the Bonavita dripper. While I haven't used a manual grinder so I can't comment from personal experience the Hario Skerton is mentioned frequently by those who have used it and say it is good. So far we are at $60 to $70 dollars. I have and have used the Bellman steamer and it will work but you say you like your coffee black and pungent so there is little need for a steamer since that is for milk drinks.

I have no experience with the Breville appliance you mentioned and the aeropress doesn't require a gooseneck kettle and if you are careful you can regulate your pour so I don't see a need for a gooseneck.

The biggest requirement is for FRESH BEANS (< than 2 weeks post roast). Should you doubt that statemant go buy some supermarket beans and some fresh beans from a local or online roaster and compare.

I hope this helps. i personally don't care for the metal filters for the aeropress and dripper for the same reason I don't like the press so I use Melitta filters for the Dripper and the aeropress filters that come with the aeropress.
Thanks for the info! If i can find a quiet electric coffee grinder under $130 maybe I will change my mind. I have read alot about the Hairo skerton. One thing that scared me about it was to get any sort of course grinds you have to buy a mod and when you put on that mod you lose the ability to make a fine grind. Like I said in my other reply. The chances are increasing of me getting and aeropress and maybe a pour over

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weebit_nutty
Posts: 1495
Joined: 11 years ago

#5: Post by weebit_nutty »

The nice part about either PO or AP is that they are both very inexpensive, so in the end you may end up getting both, and sticking with one you like best.

I started out with AP but ended up with PO, not because it makes better coffee (it doesn't they are both very good in their own right), but it is kind of therapeutic :)
You're not always right, but when you're right, you're right, right?

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happycat
Posts: 1464
Joined: 11 years ago

#6: Post by happycat »

Siphon is nice and yama stovetop versions are cheap. Easy to make diff size batches, no paper filters or pouring kettles needed.

Moka pot is another simple cheap option, again no filters needed or kettle.

I have an aero press with a stainless filter. Personally, I'm not a big fan. I use it on picnics and in my office. however I am no expert with it and use it mostly with a Hario mini mill which is not so great!

Encore is not a great grinder and can easily put an edge in your cup due inconsistent grind and lots of fine particles. You can upgrade it with a Preciso burr (the burrs are very different... Preciso has sharp edges and Encore has blunt ones). You can also compensate with sieving fine particles (collect them to make Turkish coffee once in awhile... Yum!), or grinding finer to get particles similar in size but then also using shorter brew times... You are effectively messing up your grind and brew times to compensate for the crappy grind. This can mess up your view of roasting and brewing.

Having better equipment that doesn't bring out the worst in a bean is a better way to go. A good grinder with a really simple brewer is a good way to start. I don't have a Lido but they get great reviews here. I do have a Pharos by the same guy and I love it for espresso. Grinder is most important...

http://www.oehandgrinders.com/OE-LIDO-2 ... _p_14.html

Cheaper equipment needs workarounds in grinding, brewing, etc. Some people suggest grinding twice to improve consistency.... Once at coarser level, then second time finer.

But I get the sense you're not looking for nuances... You mention black, pungent, hit you in the face coffee. That sounds like dark roasted Starbucks style to me. Many people on HB are looking for florals, caramels, sweetness, stone fruits and buy the equipment and use the techniques to enhance those origin flavours rather than produce a charred smack in the face or a caffeine delivery.
LMWDP #603

Nunas
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#7: Post by Nunas »

I enjoy my coffees black and pungent with a good body.
You've had some good replies but I'll put my oar into the water anyway. Given your choice in type of coffee, what you want will be determined in large part by the type of brewer. I have at least one of most types of brewers and the coffee from each is totally different, with the same bean.

Black and pungent would suggest to me espresso, which is out of your price range. As has been suggested the closest you can get to this is the Aerobie press with the metal filter. The paper filter might remove too much of the mouth feel, which I suspect is important to you. A mocha maker, such as a Bialetti...available everywhere, will give you a totally different cup. But, I suggest you borrow one and try it out...may do the trick. A French press has plenty of mouth feel and with careful control of the coffee/water ratio can produce a good strong coffee. The trick with them is a good grinder set to a really coarse grind. As has been pointed out, if you want mouth feel but don't enjoy fines in your coffee the grinder is key.

I'd stay away from any brewer that uses filters, as they generally produce what is often called a 'clean cup'. While the coffee can be brewed strong, there is little mouth feel, if that is what you are seeking. Examples I have include Chemex, one-cup and all vacuum brewers.

You don't need a goose neck kettle, although they surely do make doing pour-over coffee easier to fine tune. What you should consider is an electric kettle with temperature control. The temperature of the water used to brew coffee (and tea) is important.

My 2-cents worth...good luck!

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Kevinmj70
Posts: 28
Joined: 8 years ago

#8: Post by Kevinmj70 »

For the grinder I suggest a refurb Baratza Encore. http://www.baratza.com/cgi-bin/commerce ... egory=RFRB Great price. Gone over again by factory technician. Full warranty. Great grinder for the $$