(Part 2) Top products from r/Coffee

There are some very affordable burr grinders out there, and it's worth the investment. You'll use it pretty much everyday. Hand grinders can be very cheap, and work great. Hario Skerton is a popular choice (I've seen it around for cheaper, but this is at least what's on amazon). Plenty of options, all varying in price. There's a pretty decent burr grinder from Kona I've used before, which I got for like $20.

But manual grinding can take some time. And if you're like me, and you want some quick coffee in the morning, then it's worth investing in an electric. There are some pretty decent electric burr grinders out there. You really don't have to pay a fortune. Here are a few cheap options:

Capresso Infinity

Bodum Bistro

Baratza Encore

But you can get far snobbier than just grind...

What kind of water are you using? Hopefully filtered, not tap. And definitely not distilled, since you want some of those minerals for flavor. Now, if you want to get even fancier, try using these mineral packets. I think each packet mixes in with 1 gallon of distilled water. I haven't tried it myself (I just use a brita) but I've heard good things. The quality of water makes a huge difference. This was the first "eureka" moment for me, when I moved from tap to filtered.

Next, how are you making your coffee? There are some great, cheap equipment out there. In this sub, here are some pretty cheap and popular choices:

Aeropress

Chemex

Pour-over

French press

We're getting pretty deep in the rabbit hole, right? Not yet! How about measuring the weight of the coffee? Consistency is important. You need the same, proper coffee-to-water ratio for the best cup. You can find people debating over the best scales, some costing hundreds. I'd just get a cheap one if I were you. You can find some decent cheap ones from like $10 to $30. If you want the best bang for your buck, look into American Weigh Scales.

I guess I can mention temperature of water as well. You can get thermometers or even electric kettles with built-in thermometers (like this). I think temperature matters so much more for tea than coffee, but it's something you need to keep in mind for coffee as well.

Here's probably the most important thing, in my opinion: where are you getting your coffee? What is the roast date? Unless you're buying your coffee directly from the roaster, you're probably not buying freshly roasted beans. It makes a world of difference. Try finding a local roaster and getting your beans from them, freshly roasted.

I'm sure there's plenty of other ways you can splurge money on coffee, but I'll let you figure it out!

(edited to fix the links)

My favorite thing about coffee as a "hobby" is that, like some have said, it's a hobby that isn't just a waste of money. Fresh beans are a huge 1st step, they really just have tons of flavors that change almost as you work through the bag, and sometimes I feel like the first sip of a french press is different than the middle, etc. For me the different methods I use just work better for different beans, I'm still figuring that out myself. I prefer to french press african beans, pour over on more typically "harsh" beans, and I'm still dialing in aeropress, but I feel like it takes a lot out of the coffee so it seems to work best if I'm like "hmm I'm not sure I like this bean", aeropress... oh nevermind it's great.

You could buy:

Good grinder ~$140

Scale $15

Kettle $25

And three interesting and different types of brewers:

Aeropress ~$30

V60 ~$20

French Press ~$20

That's all the gear for now, you're SET until you become a crazy coffee nut, but for me 90% of the coffee I make is in one of those 3 methods. I have a moka pot, and they're cool too. But that's $250 for gear, and you could probably save a bit with different grinder options but plan to drop the biggest amount of that.

Add in $20 for some high quality beans (S&W is great and their reddit discount is on this page somewhere) and you're around $270 to be brewing great coffee a few different ways. Now you have 4+ different coffees, 3 ways to make it, and the equipment to make sure you're doing it "right".

Okay that's a lot and I hate this "if you buy a cup of coffee a day" crap, but let's just say you drink work swill most of the time, but get a cup of coffee out 3x a week. At $3/cup maybe you tip a quarter each time, you pay off this stuff in 6 months and these things pretty much last forever.

The point is, yes, some of the costs of entry (specifically the grinder) can be a little daunting, and sometimes we get carried away, but overall, the cost of making great coffee at home is significantly less than going out. You're actually getting BETTER coffee too, trying different ways to make it, and enjoying yourself. Wow, okay rambling there. Good luck!

I think this is a milestone hurdle in any coffee quest. I went through a bunch of coffee mugs trying to find the one for me. Here's a few things that I ran into, and my final decision in a neatorama bullet point list:

• They will always be bigger than they look online
  
• The Contigo is amazing but a pain in the butt to clean
  
• You get the best length of heat and spill proof from the screw on top kind, but they aren't easy to drink "on the go"
  
• Handles are LOL at first, but sometimes very useful and dignified
  
  Anyway, I submit for your approval, my "perfect" travel mug. At least until something better comes along. Bask it in.
  
  I use this everyday, it's amazing to me. Keeps coffee hot for hours and makes an awesome "thuk" when you release the heat compression. 100% spillproof, with one small caveat. Sometimes a drop or two will stay past the seal point when you take a sip. Not a problem, just want to give you all sides. Super duper easy to clean as it divides totally down into component pieces so you can be a weekend warrior and pretend you're breaking down your rifle. There's an awesome indention all the way around that you can use to customize the mug. I wrapped mine with the guts from a piece of 550 cord and threw a S-biner on it and it looks awesome. I would very seriously consider weaving a friendship bracelet to wrap it up with, I like it so much.
  
  No matter which mug you buy, always pre-warm with hot water to keep coffee hot almost indefinately.
  
  Keep me posted!
  
  tl;dr Buy This one

I think to best answer this request, we'll need a bit more info. Are you ok with a manual grinder, or do you prefer an electric grinder? Do you want a drip brewer or a pour over set up? Are you looking to get into espresso? And, what is your actual budget in your local currency?

And now for a guess at what might work for you...

A [Melitta Plastic Pour Over Dripper](https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Single-Coffee-Brewer/dp/B0014CVEH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527536804&sr=8-1&keywords=mellita) $5 to $6 (a lot of grocery stores carry these in stock)

A box of #2 Cone filters at your local grocery store $2

If you want an automatic drip brewer, and you are making smaller amounts for just you, the [Bonavita 5 cup](https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537674&sr=8-4&keywords=bonavita+brewer) is wroth a look. it runs about $66. I have the 8 cup for the wife and I and we love it.

Filters can be purchased, again, at your local grocery store for about $2.

[Brewista SmartPour Kettle w. Thermometer](https://www.amazon.com/Brewista-Variable-Temperature-Kettle-BKV12S02NA/dp/B01CFBBUVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537033&sr=8-1&keywords=brewista%2Bsmart%2Bpour&th=1) $40. There are cheaper ones, but I personally have this one and have loved it.

[Scale](https://www.amazon.com/Jennings-CJ-4000-Compact-Digital-Adapter/dp/B004C3CAB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537139&sr=8-1&keywords=Jennings+CJ4000) This is a must. $30

[Bratza Encore](https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1527537371&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=baratza+encore&psc=1&smid=A302OQK4GZWXCC) Grinder is the default recommendation around here, and for good reason. It's high quality, and easily serviceable. New they run $139, but you can save $40 and pick up a [refurb](https://www.baratza.com/product/encore-refurb/) (still with the 1 year warrantee) for $99 direct from Baratza.

If you want a cheaper option, and don't mind a manual hand grinder, there are a few options, but the [Hario Skerton Pro](https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Grinder-MMCS-2B/dp/B01MXJI90S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527537536&sr=8-1&keywords=hario+skerton+pro) is about the lowest cost / still decent quality grinders, grinder that most would recommend. It runs about $60, and personally, I'd spend the extra $30 on an Encore refurb.

Happy Mug Beans are a pretty great option. I really enjoy the Big Foot Espresso blend (despite it's name) as a pour over, and even like it in my drip brewer. The Inspirational Artist Blend is a great option too. But really just try them out and see what you like. Their bags (for 1lbs of whole beans) run $11 - $13

Hope that helps.

Broke college student here, I'm also a barista that's use to having amazing, freshly roasted coffee. So far, no one has lied. AMAZING espresso IS expensive. But can you make a latte as well as your local cafe? With a little practice, time and money, yes.

My current home setup consists of a Delonghi EC155, this is a true espresso machine, it's not steam powered and with a little modification and practice makes good espresso. Modification wise the only thing I'd recommend is depressurizing the portafilter basket, which is easy. If you ever want a better machine but don't want to spend the money you can modify it even more. They're vary popular machines and can be modified to pull amazing shots. They go anywhere from 70-130, however, occasionally things get repacked or the packaging gets damaged in the warehouse. They'll offer them at a hefty discount, I just got mine "reboxed" from amazon for 47 dollars, wait a few days and one will come up. If you use your student email you can get Amazon Prime for free, take advantage of that.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396498476&sr=8-1&keywords=delonghi+ec155

I also got this tamper, works well, it's a little light for my tastes but for home use it's fine. The EC155 has a 52mm basket, if having a 50mm tamper bothers you then pay the extra few bucks for a 52mm tamper. Personally doesn't bother me, and it was only 7 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Espresso-Tamper-Sizes-Alloy-Coffee/dp/B0001XRNEM/ref=pd_bxgy_k_text_z

Here's a milk frothing cup, you'll need it to properly froth milk. You can poorly froth milk in a microwave but why do that when you can spend an extra 8 dollars and do it properly? I personally got mine for a dollar from a thrift store.

http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-EP-12-Stainless-Frothing/dp/B000MR6I9I/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_text_y

I got one of these grinders years ago for around 20 dollars. I've seen them used, repackaged, and refurbished for about that much. Wait around and a deal will come up. You can also get a Hario Mini and a number of other hand grinders. But this one does just fine. Now out of the box it won't grind fine enough for espresso, however, with about 20 minutes worth of work you can shim it and it'll grind perfectly for espresso. It's not hard and anyone can do it with a screw driver and some tin foil.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1396498766&sr=1-1&keywords=cuisinart+grinder

At this point if you're willing to wait for a deal on the EC155 you've only spent 107 dollars. Even less if you're willing to wait on a deal for the burr grinder as well. If you want AMAZING coffee you can spend another 27 dollars and get an Aeropress, or wait for a deal and get it for 20 dollars. It will make a coffee concentrate which will taste "okay" for a latte.

At this point, I cannot recommend going to your local coffee houses and asking if you can buy green beans. They typically sell green coffee for 5-8 dollars a pound. You can roast your own coffee with a skillet and a whisk, or a popcorn popper, there are hundreds of ways to do it cheaply and it easy. You'll save money and you'll be drinking tastier coffee.

Don't let these people get you down, good espresso doesn't have to be expensive. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Like you, I was a newbie to gourmet coffee, in the summer of 2017. I tried a French press first, which as easy and inexpensive and made good coffee but a messy cleanup.

Then I went with a Clever coffee maker. https://www.amazon.com/Clever-Coffee-Dripper-Large-Ounces/dp/B00EOM5RN0 Easy, inexpensive, but coffee wasn't as good as the French press IMHO. OTOH I have a colleague who's a coffee nut who swears by the Clever. It's about the easiest way you can make good coffee.

I finally settled on the Aeropress, and have been using that for a year. Inexpensive, easy to use, and easy to clean up. HOWEVER:

For me at least, the instructions were intimidating at first. Eventually it becomes muscle memory but at first it's confusing. AND you're using it without the benefit of having coffee first, which makes it even harder. Funny but it's true!

Also, you'll find a lot of fussy AeroPress recipes on the Internet. Weigh PRECISELY such and such amount of beans in grams, add PRECISELY this amount of water, at PRECISELY such and such temperature, brew for XX seconds, stop, stir YY times, then brew some more for ZZ seconds...

Ignore those recipes at first. To start out, just follow the recipes on the Aeropress site.

https://aeropressinc.com/use-it-now/getting-started/

Watch the videos, which only take a couple of minutes, to see what you need to do.

The Aeropress site says you need to use water at 170 degrees. To estimate that, bring the water to a boil, then leave it off the boil for about 30 seconds and pour.

Once you've got the hang of using the AeroPress, you can start trying some of the more complicated and precise recipes, if you want to go down that path. Many people enjoy that a great deal. I'm not one of them but if you are, you have my blessing. :)

And the AeroPress makes fine iced coffee. You just make the coffee as usual, press it over ice, and add more water to taste. (I live in San Diego East County, where it gets up to the 100s for weeks at a time, and I still prefer to drink hot coffee then. But it's lovely to have the occasional iced coffee after I've slept in on the weekend during high summer, and I'm waking up in the hottest part of the day.)

Enjoy your new hobby and the great coffee you'll be drinking!

The Wave is good. Other easy methods for beginners would be the Aeropress or the French Press.

More importantly I would find a local roaster from which to get fresh beans. Quality beans will be a huge difference in flavor for you regardless of brewing method (though drip maker is still not recommended over other methods mentioned). I know you said you are frugal, as am I, but I found myself drinking LESS coffee when I was spending more on quality not because it was more expensive but because the flavor was so much more intense and fulfilling. I savored it more and instead of drinking 1200mL of store bought drip I was enjoying 700mL of Chemex (similar pour over method) tremendously more.

If you are anything like me you will take your time to build your equipment and slowly buy more. I enjoyed doing it this way because I could move as my tastes evolved. As you mentioned, investing in a good burr grinder should probably be the most important thing. I think my Baratza Encore is worth its weight in gold. After that I slowly added more brewing methods and this Hario scale. The weighing of your water and coffee is so much simpler when it comes to make a consistently great cup of coffee.

I know this is a long reply and a list of stuff but it is three years worth of accumulation, mostly thanks to Amazon gift cards at Christmas time! Most importantly, just enjoy yourself and your coffee! If you like a method others don't or don't like weighing things then don't. Your taste is yours, enjoy it.

To answer your question, the strength of your coffee is mostly influenced by how much coffee you're using versus how much water. For a strong cup with your Keurig, go with the setting with the smallest amount of water. The Keurig is by no means the "best" method to make coffee, but it will make coffee. If you decide to get a manual brewer (French press, Aeropress, Kalita Wave, etc.) the brew time has some leeway, but I'd recommend just using more coffee than trying to push the recommended brew time too far. Coffee can/should be strong without being bitter, and keeping the water and coffee together too long will create bitterness.


What follows is everything you need to know about making great coffee. Warning, this may be overwhelming:

1. Freshly ground coffee is going to taste better. Consider coffee like bread. A loaf left on the counter will get stale faster if you slice it up. Freshly roasted is better, but it might be more expensive/harder for you to find and you might not want to dive that deep yet.
   
2. Conical burr grinders are better than blade grinders. The problem is that a decent automatic burr grinder is going to be ~$100 and that's a steep price for someone just getting into coffee. Many people will recommend the mini mill, Skerton, or something along those lines that is hand-crank. (Good non-name brand options: 1 and 2) Those are your best bet. Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, you can get an automatic blade grinder if you might have an issue with manual grinding/don't want to drop a lot of money. I will mention that darker roasts are easier to grind manually so there's less worry for your wrist. The problem with blade grinders is you get a bunch of differently sized bits, which makes it more difficult to get consistency and figure out a grind size/brew time you like.
   
3. Each method of brewing calls for a differently sized grind. This is pretty important. If it's too small, you'll get a bitter cup. If it's too big, you'll get a sour cup. The same goes for brew time. Too long will make a bitter cup, and too short will make a sour cup. However, there's some leeway on both of these to your taste.
   
4. There are a bunch of ways to make coffee that change how it tastes. Methods that involve filtering through paper make a cleaner cup, but you lose most of the oils in the coffee. Metal filters leave in these oils, but can also leave a lot of sediment/mud in the bottom of your cup. You might drink this if you drink that last sip, and it isn't really nice.
   
5. Weighing your coffee is much more accurate if you want to make a consistent cup. A tablespoon of a darker roast might be 5 grams while a tablespoon of a lighter roast might be 7 grams.
   
6. You'll need something to boil water in. If you have a kettle, great. If you don't, you can use a pan or you can buy a kettle. It doesn't need to be a fancy/expensive gooseneck-style one (1 and 2), but you might want one of those if you get into pourover methods.
   
   I would recommend a French press (1 2 3 4) or Aeropress for someone just getting into coffee. They're much more forgiving than pour-over methods, meaning you're less likely to make a bitter cup. They each have their own drawbacks, too. An Aeropress is easier to clean up, but can only make one cup at a time. A French press takes more time to clean, but can make about 3 cups at a time. (By cups I mean a standard 12-ounce mug.) Definitely get a grinder, too (see above). A scale (1 and 2) is optional but recommended. For beans, seek out a local roaster/coffee shop, but there are tons of online options available, too.
   
   Welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes crazy) world of coffee!

I started getting into coffee nearly a year and a half ago, and here is what I did to start:

I bought

• A Hario V60 02 Pour-Over Dripper ~$20, with filters, ~$30
  
  
• A Hario Buono Gooseneck Kettle ~$50
  
  
• A Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder ~$150
  
  
• A scale ~$25
  
  
• Freshly, locally roasted whole beans ~$10/lb. Dark roasts tend to be less acidic, sweeter, and have less caffeine (when brewed correctly); light roasts are the opposite: acidic, fruity, and more caffeine.
  
  Now, bear in mind that I knew that I loved coffee before I invested all this money into it; you should obviously really consider your situation and really get into "good" coffee before splurging on all of this equipment. I now have a French press, a moka pot, and am going to invest in an Aeropress soon, but I still prefer the pour-over method to any other coffee that I've had, thus why I recommend you go that route. It can take some definite getting used to and has a bit of a learning curve, but it is easily worth the effort (tutorial videos will help immensely.
  
  Keep in mind, you needn't buy exactly what I did. Shop around, see what you like and what is in your price range. I will say this, however: if you do go the pour-over method, go for the V60 or the Chemex, they are both easily the best on the market, and the same goes for the Buono kettle, though if necessary you can purchase a different kettle, just so long as it is a gooseneck (which is required to finely control the flow of water).
  
  Many other people will tell you to go with a French press. This is good advice as it has a very slight learning curve in comparison to pretty much every other method (besides maybe the Aeropress, depending on who you talk to): it is literally grinding the coffee coarsely and letting it sit in water for X-amount of time. It also does not take filters, is easy to clean, and is a relatively cheap initial investment (~$20). I like the Brazil model that Bodum makes.
  
  No matter which method you choose to brew with, there are three things that you should not underestimate the importance of (and thus should not skimp on):
  
  
• Freshly ground and roasted beans are a must. The fresher, the better.
  
• A blade grinder will always do a worse job of grinding than a burr grinder. It is worth it to spend the extra cash for a burr grinder right off the bat, as, if you get at all serious about coffee, you will eventually purchase one anyway, rendering your blade grinder useless and a waste of money in hindsight. Blade grinders make it nigh impossible to control how fine or coarse the grind is, which is one of the biggest variables in coffee brewing. There are absolutely cheaper models out there than the one that I linked to, especially if you get a manual one rather than the electric one that I own.
  
  
• A scale is essential. Coffee brewing is very much an exact science. Making sure the ratio of water to coffee is exact and being able to fine tune down to the gram/milliliter can create some of the biggest deviances between batches next to grind size. This cannot be overstated.
  
  Best of luck. There's a lot of good knowledge on this sub, on this sub's How to Coffee: A Primer, and on the Internet in general. Check it all out, pick your path, and enjoy the ride!

<--- Barista here! I second the Moka suggestion. Unless you have thousands to shell out on a shop quality espresso machine, this is the next best thing. A good grinder is key, and burr grinders are best. This is mine. Also, steaming wands on cheaper machines never work very well and are horrible to clean. All you really need to get that nice foam easily is one of these nifty milk frothers.




Most retail coffee "machines" aren't built to last and make mediocre drinks. Low-tech almost always produces a superior tasting beverage. I have a Chemex(for normal coffee), a french press(for stronger coffee), a Toddy(for iced coffee) and a Moka(for espresso).


Also, if you can, seek out a roaster that is local to your mother. They will direct you to their best beans for espresso, and it will most likely be very fresh. All the roasters I have worked with are always happy to help customers troubleshoot and tweak to their tastes as well. It's a really worthwhile relationship for a coffee enthusiast.


So, Moka, burr grinder, frother wand, a pound of beans, and you're set. She'll love it. If you have some extra cash, and she likes normal coffee, throw in that Chemex. 10 times better than an auto-drip, and uses less beans as well. :)

It sounds like you're busy, but willing to spend a little bit of time and money to feed your new addiction. This is a good place to start!

To consistently brew good strong coffee, follow these steps:

1. Buy fresh coffee. Good roasters will put the roast date on the bag. Look for bags roasted within 1-2 weeks.
   
2. If possible, purchase an electric burr grinder like the Baratza Encore or Bodum Bistro because fresh ground coffee is always going to taste better. If not, just ask the coffee shop to grind it for you.
   
3. Buy a coffee maker certified by the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) like the Bonavita or Wilfa. These machines make sure you'll get a consistent brew.
   
4. To make strong coffee, simply use more coffee per pot. The SCAA Golden Ratio is 55g of coffee (just over 3.5 tablespoons) for every liter of water. I would start with this ratio and adjust to your liking.
   
5. That's it! Enjoy

The answer to your question is really dependent on budget. A quick perusal through the sub will show you that the Aeropress is a popular option because it is one of the least expensive ways to get a solid cup of coffee.

If you have some cash to part with, it might be worth looking at setting yourself up with a pourover setup - I'd probably suggest the v60. You would need the v60, the hario buono, and you'd probably want a scale to weigh coffee (there are a LOT of options, many cheaper than what I've linked). You would also need to get a reasonably good grinder - check out the sidebar for a list of grinders. Yes, it's a lot of capital to get started, but the coffee is fantastic and the equipment is very durable. This equipment, properly cared for, could potentially outlast you in many cases.

There's also the standard drip coffee maker, but from my experience if you go that route you ought to just invest in the cheapest one. The quality coffee from most drip machines is pretty similar. A better question is what grinder to get - that will improve your brew quality across all methods. Again, sidebar has great advice, but a really popular grinder here is the[ Baratza Encore] (http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00LW8122Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459250167&sr=8-1&keywords=baratza+encore+coffee+grinder) which you can sometimes find on their refurb page for discounted prices.

No matter what you choose - good luck and happy caffienation

$150 is a good amount really, much more generous than other people who are like "I have $30, how do I make cafe-grade espresso at home???"

My list for you:

• Baratza Encore grinder - this is a very capable grinder that will suit brew methods from French Press to Aeropress and Pourover. It won't work for Espresso however, although you're probably not going to be venturing that far just now. You'll want to grind your beans fresh for best results - if you buy your beans from Starbucks and have them ground there, they'll be very stale by the next day.
  
• Aeropress - honestly it's a weird contraption, but in the views of most people here, the best bit of kit for brewing coffee at home. It's a cross between a French Press and a paper filter machine, in that you immerse the coffee in water, and then plunge it through a paper filter to separate the grounds and the liquid. I think the reason people recommend the Aeropress to many is that it's basically fool-proof. As long as you're using good coffee, you can't really make a bad cup.
  
• Hario V60 - another brew device, this is a pourover, so very similar to drip coffee but you have far more control. You'll get best results using a gooseneck kettle, although if you have a normal kettle with a fine spout you might just about manage.
  
  I won't explain WHY these are really good kits for getting started with, you can just search on this sub and there will be hundreds of articles on that.
  
  And I should stress again, good beans are important. As a Starbucks Barista I am 100% coughing up to the fact that most of our coffee's are charcoal. Use them if you like them, but if you can get something better then you should really be doing so.

I'd go for an aeropress. It's what got myself, and later on my girlfriend, into coffee, and it's pretty cheap. It will make a strong, small batch of coffee each time, somewhere between an espresso and a french press (in my opinion).

I'm guessing the macchiatos your fiance is talking about is the Starbucks variety. Macchiatos are supposed to be an espresso shot with very little milk added.

Anyway, continuing on the assumption that the drink she likes is 1-2 shots of espresso and a mug of foamed milk (and flavoring), I would start by making a copy of that at home with the aeropress.

The way I did that is I'd warm up a mug of milk while I'm boiling the water, and use a handheld frother to froth the heated milk. (This won't create the same caliber of foamed milk as you'd get from an espresso machine/steamer but I'm guessing you don't want to drop the cash on one quite yet)... Once the milk is frothed and the water is heated I'd add freshly ground beans(important that they're fresh!) to to the aeropress, and then water, and brew the coffee right into the mug of frothed milk.

At this point you have a pretty close replica to a latte. Since you are newcomers to coffee, you might want to add some sort of flavoring to it. I rarely do, but when I did, I'd just add a little vanilla extract and sugar.

Tips:

• 
  You're going to want to grind your beans at home. Buying preground beans almost guarantees they're going to be stale.
  
• Following what I said above, freshness is key. Try to buy freshly roasted beans.
  
• A lot of the process of coffee making is tinkering to your own taste. If you make a cup of coffee and it's way too strong, don't give up. Try something else untill it's good for you!
  
• Once you get used to the milk-laden coffees, try to broaden your horizons. There are a wide range of coffee types, and they all have their bonuses.
  
  Gear:
  
  
• Aeropress $25.95
  
• Milk frother $2.00
  
• Hario Skerton Hand Grinder $48.50 (Ceramic burr grinders are the best type of coffee grinders, but they run around $300 on average, this one, however is $50.00 but requires some work. I own one and it's worth the effort in my opinion)
  
  Beans: (Places I've tried)
  
  
• Intelligentsia
  
• The Roasterie
  
• Klatch Coffee
  
  Mugs:
  
  
• Great mug
  
• Also great mug, but pretty large
  
  If you have any questions, or if I'm wrong about something let me know! I think this is all for now.

Mmk.

Let's ignore the espresso machine route, and go for something that will give you strong coffee. Either a moka pot, or maybe an aeropress. (I personally recommend the aeropress.)

As for the milk, the cheaper route would be to heat it up (microwave?) and then use a milk frother to blend air into it. You'll get these big bubbles as opposed to microfoam like you'd get at an actual coffee shop. OR. You can go for a stovetop steam wand like this. You'll need to invest some time/money into this to learn how to make microfoam, but the results will be worth it. I'm actually about to embark on this step :/ (Note, you don't HAVE to foam/froth your milk. It just makes it a little tastier.)

NOW. Back onto the coffee. So we have your "machine/maker" figured out. Let's talk about the ACTUAL coffee. Depending on what you've picked from above, you're in $30-$100+ deep. If you have a local roaster, that's great! Buy beans freshly roasted from them. Learn from them. Ask them to make recommendations. If not, there are a few online sources good for buying roasted coffee. Remember, buy what you can use in about 1-2 weeks. Longer than that and you'll have stale coffee.

If you can, you should buy whole coffee beans, and grind them yourself. The cheaper method is to buy a hand grinder. The Hario Skeleton/Skerton is always highly recommended. A few drawbacks to this, but you'll learn about them on your coffee journey. (Don't want to bombard you with too much information for now.) The Hario Mini Mill is also a great option, especially for travelling, but grinds less.

As for electric grinders, the Baratza Maestro is a good entry level burr grinder, but at a pretty steep price :/ Note: always buy a burr grinder, and note a blade grinder. Bear in mind that using the hand grinders is actually quite a lot of work, especially if you're not a morning type of person. The entire Baratza line of grinders are all highly recommended, but as always, the better the grinder, the higher the cost.

The blade you have will be easier to use, but you should find you get better coffee using the burr grinder. I started out with this guy because they had it at Kitchen Kapers, and I needed something quiet (manual-only) and burr.

I wouldn't recommend that one. The Kyocera doesn't have a lid, so you have to be careful to keep it upright and not grind too fast or beans fly out. Looks like the Hario version of the one I bought has a lid so it would do better, but I see the one you linked as many people's preference, so I'm sure that'll be great.

I stopped using my hand grinder because I'm lazy, and I just ordered my coffee ground for the last couple years, but then last month I bought an Baratza Encore and have been quite happy with that so far and think that will keep me satisfied for as long as it lives.

If you're like me and having to hand grind your coffee results in you not making coffee when you would have otherwise, then just buy it pre-ground and save up for a nicer electric burr grinder.

Were you thinking of buying a filter coffee machine or an espresso machine?

If your GF is as knowledgable as you think, she will know that there isn't a viable option for espresso machines in that price range.

Good news, coffee machines (certified by the SCAA) are well within that price range!

My friend recently bought this guy:

http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1380671500&sr=1-1&keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker

It's pretty nice and simple. Also, it is a thermal carafe so there is no heating plate destroying your coffee. If you want to go that route, that machine will be fantastic.

Other options: $200 could get you a pretty serious coffee subscription to some damn good roasters!

Check out: Intelligentsia
Counter Culture Coffee
Verve Coffee Roasters
SightGlass Coffee Roasters
Heart Coffee Roasters
Madcap Coffee Roasters
Handsome Coffee Roasters

All are very well known and produce consistently delicious coffee. ( I should say roast consistently high quality coffee). But really, if my SO got me a subscription to one of those roasters....lets just say I'd be a pretty happy fellow!

Hope that helps!!

Alright, I'll lay out two set ups for two different price points.


Cheap Set Up

Hario Skerton This is the most basic entry level grinder possible, grinds enough for one person pretty easily, and gets "good enough results for a poor college student

Aeropress You can make full cups of coffee or pseudo-espresso that you can mix with milk for a pseudo, its easy to clean, and probably the most forgiving coffee making tool.

And then any kettle and any scale. Look for cheap on both, were going for cheap here, and were not doing rocket science, should be another 25-30 total for both of these, which lands you just under $100 total for this set up. You don't need to bother roasting beans yourselves, and if you're in a college town theres probably a local roaster around that you can get good quality roasted beans from and be happy with. For cold brew just throw grounds and water in jar in you fridge for a day in a 8:1 ratio, then strain the goop the next day for a solid cold brew concentrate



The pricier beginner college set up


Baratza Encore. If you can afford this, then get it. The things great, does everything but espresso grind really well, and because its not manual its doesn't take that long and it doesn't require any real effort on your part. I love mine, but the $140 price tag could be steep (I wouldn't have bought it when I was in college, I was poor as shit).


Brew Methods: I still recommend at least an Aeropress, but pair it with a 1LFrench press too for when you want to make a lot of coffee at once, or coffee for friends. you can also make cold brew in a French press instead of a jar, and you can use it to strain it out. Also, if you really want to make the closest thing to espresso that you can without blowing $300 dollars, get a 3-cup moka pot. You can find a cheap one at your Ross or Home Goods equivalent.



For kettle, you can get a variable temp one if you want to spend the money, people recommend the Bonavita Variable Temp Gooseneck but I still just use my cheap 15 dollar kettle and am doing fine.


As far as scales go, I still just say find a cheap scale that works well enough.



Bits and Bobs


Hand held Milk Frother for frother hot milk for lattes. Sounds like something you would like.

I took this review from Amazon for when I purchased my first moka. This is the only way I ever use my moka and it is delectable!

1. In Italy this is NOT called an espresso machine, but a Moka machine. An espresso is what you would drink in bar made with a steam or high pressure machine with the crema on top.
   
   
2. Smaller size Moka machine tend to make better coffee.
   
   
3. Never wash the Moka with detergents, just rinse it under tap water
   
   
4. You've gotta use it often for a good coffee.
   
   
5. If you haven't use it in a while, make a weak coffee ("lungo") and discard
   
   
6. DO NOT put the MOka in the dishwasher.
   
   
7. Use drinking water. Avoid tap water especially if very chlorinated
   
   
8. Never compress the coffee.
   
   
9. For a strong coffee fill the filter with ground coffee and make a small cupola that slightly protrudes beyond the rim. Do not press down.
   
   
10. For best coffee, heat at very low heat. It's ok if it takes 10min.
    
    
11. As soon as coffee reaches the top, remove from heat
    
    
12. Do not let the coffee boil
    
    
13. Use good quality coffee, not too strong, medium grind (try Illy for a good commercial brand)
    
    
14. Sip while still hot, enjoy!
    
    
15. (Added Nov 2012) - Wait until all the water has reached the upper chamber before removing from the heat. You will be able to tell by the sound (takes some practice) or simply visually. As soon as no more coffee reaches the upper chamber remove from heat. Do note let the coffee boil. With practice, you may remove from the heat even sooner, by just using the residual heat in the lower chamber.
    
    
16. (Added Nov 2012) - Some times you may put too much coffee, or the coffee is too finely ground, or it's been packed too hard. In all of these situations, the end results is typically that the coffee struggles reaching the upper chamber. You can tell by the spouting noise occurring too early, the foam occurring too early, and how slow the whole process is. You can try increasing the heat if that helps. However, you will likely end up with a coffee that is too bitter and tastes burned. Back in the old days, this was dangerous business with many machines exploding (they had no safety valves). Regardless, your coffee is ruined and I would suggest removing it frmo the heat immediately, let it coold down and starts all over.
    
    
17. (Added Nov 2012) - What kind of coffee should I use? Experiment, experiment, experiment! Here are some tips I have learned by experimenting. Until you become confortable with the operations of the machine, you can use a good commercial brand like Illy (although it's quite expensive). I wouldn't want you to blame the machine, just because you happened to use a bad coffee. Then start trying different varieties from different roasters. If there are independent roasters near you, why not giving them a try? I haven't had good experience with roasts marketed towards Espresso machines (I find the roast too excessive). Try to buy whole beans and grind them yourself. I find the cheap and popular brands pretty bad for Mokas, even if they happen to make good American style brews. I have had pretty good luck with small roasters and Colombian varieties (or Costa Rican). I have also had outstanding African coffees (Ethiopian). Unfortunately, I found they are seldom consistent.
    
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B000CNY6UK/RAK1DGKYEF0GQ/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=1&qid=1408335688&sort=rd&sr=8-5

Wow! With a $500 budget you can actually do so much, and to be honest I don't think that kind of investment is really necessary, especially since overlooking your choices, you seem to be spending way too much for things you can get for a lower price. My setup is only ~$100, and I can get a great brew (though I use a hand grinder). I use a Kalita Wave 155 (this is the smallest size, but feel free to opt for the 185 size if you brew 2+ cups in one sitting). $22.50. The filters are quite pricey at $10.95, but worth it in the long run (for a one cup drinker a-day like me, it will last 3 months+ per pack). A French press from Bodum will only set you back $27 - double walled doesn't really do much because I find temperature loss isn't really a problem. The size I recommend for this one is only suited again for a 1-cup drinker, because my personal experience is using a 1L size for a single or even 2 cup drinker in one sitting will result in extremely sludgey cups. As others have suggested, if looking for a nice electric grinder, spring for the Encore. A good scale is this one for $39. I don't even use a true dedicated gooseneck kettle for this setup, just an adequate tea kettle but I do advocate the variable temp Bonavita you're thinking of. So this all amounts to $313.20. Happy drinking.

Great: most on this sub would say to get a Hario Skerton, but you could probably get a much cheaper hand grinder and get good results with an immersion brew method. So, I'd get a cheap ceramic burr grinder, a clever dripper and the cheapest electric water kettle you can find.

<$50 with tax, out the door (with coffee filters).

As a casual drinker, you may want to consider buying small batches of whole beans form places that sell bulk beans (fill your own bag style), but, of course, buying from a local roaster is best, but it's also twice the cost per lb.

To use the grinder, your best bet is to find a medium setting where it's relatively consistent, and then play around with your brewing time to get to right taste. Too acidic: brew longer, too bitter: brew faster.

Edit:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Yescom-Stainless-Steel-Ceramic-Burr-Manual-Coffee-Grinder-Portable-Hand-Crank-Adjustable-Bean-Mill-for-Espresso/120527988

Clever Coffee Dripper, Large, 18 Ounces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOM5RN0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MG0FAb8BNF1BF

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Proctor-Silex-1-7-Liter-Cordless-Electric-Kettle-Model-41003/55469141

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Melitta-4-Natural-Brown-Cone-Coffee-Filters-100-Ct/21686016

Edit 2: I should preface that I don't think a Hario Skerton is not worth the price, being as it's $40, and you can get an electric conical Burr grinder for $80 and the consistency is much better

Dépends on your budget and how badly you want good grinds. Of course, a burr grinder is an absolute necessity in making coffee. See which of these questions apply to you:

> I like to slow down and enjoy the process, spending a few minutes of continuous hand grinding is a joy in the morning! However, I’m a student and my budget is $30.

The Hario Skerton with a couple modifications. Get this to decrease burr wobble and put a 1/4 inch split lock washer under the top nib.

> I like to slow down and enjoy the process, spending a few minutes of continuous hand grinding is a joy in the morning! I’m ok with spending up to $300 to get that perfect cup every morning.

Any of:

• helor 101
  
  
• kinum47
  
  
• lido3
  
  
• commandante C40
  
  
• knock feld2
  
  > yeah, fuck that I’d rather press a button and get good consistent ground coffee in 12s or less,
  
  Get the Baratza encore and replace the burrs with a set from the virtuoso.
  
  
  
  

Honest opinion, the most important thing to good coffee is freshly roasted and freshly ground beans.

Get a good grinder and a nice pack of fresh beans (not from a grocery store) find a local coffee shop if you can or order online. Even in a cheap coffee maker this will make a huge difference.

With that in mind here are my recommendations:

• 60-100$ The bodum bistro burr grinder, more budget friendly than the baratza encore.
  
  
• 27.96$ Mokapot Great if you want a more espresso type coffee. I'd recommend this since your SO drinks Mochas.
  
  
• 2.79$ Milk frother great for getting a nice foamy "cappuccino"
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This is not the exact one I ordered as Amazon no longer has the one I bought listed. However this is close enough. The filter is smaller but honestly sometimes I think my coffee is REALLY strong and I wish the filter was smaller. I do wonder if I'm going through beans unnecessary quickly in exchange for super effective coffee. So there's that.

The one I purchased came with an extra filter and was only $16. I see nice looking ones for $30 but like... Why? I dunno. You leave coffee soaking in the fridge. Does the container make a difference if you're achieving a good extraction? Maybe someone will tell me.

As always, filtered water. Really notice a difference in my cold brew with sink water. Not happy.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I7JKAQ0/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1510139098&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=cold+brew+coffee+pitcher&dpPl=1&dpID=41TaCy70X-L&ref=plSrch

You say "coffee" and not espresso, so luckily that means you can spend more money on the grinder! Bang-for-your-coffee-loving-buck, the Virtuoso is one that's often recommended. It's good enough to make espresso grinds with, if you ever decide to do that. On the less pricy side, the Encore gets a lot of recommendations. Lower end electric, but still perfectly functional for coffee, are the bodum bistro and the capresso infinity. Check Craig's List for used of any of these.

For manual grinders, the Lido 3 is the higher end, then the Porlex and Hario Skerton are common.

Non-electric devices to check out are french press, aeropress, chemex and other pour overs (v60, kalita, melitta), and moka pots. Also wondering if you're interested in "cold brew" coffee.

Devices for automatic drip are varied. The devices on this page are certified to get the water hot enough for proper extraction, but may be overkill for some folks.

To me, the most important parts for coffee are fresh beans, reliable grinder, good tasting hot water, CLEAN coffee making devices, digital scale, and taking notes. The particular method I'm using isn't as important in the long term. If you pay attention to the above, a $2 melitta dripper and the melitta filters you can buy in nearly any grocery store will give you tasty results once you get the grind size and water temps down. Just look at pictures and videos of people demonstrating devices on a site like Stumptown, maybe, or youtube, and ask yourself what coffee-making process looks like something you'd want to do every morning and how much coffee you need to make at once. If you're just making one cup of coffee for yourself, you might buy something different than if you need to make 10 cups at once.

For full disclosure, my current most frequent coffee-making methods for myself are pour over and my Moccamaster.

Cool! Burr grinder is just as important as the machine in terms of espresso making. If you are going for small form and good value, check out the Saeco Aroma and the Gaggia Classic. I recently went through the entry level machine research phase and the overwhelming consensus was that these are the two best value entry-level machines. I ended up going with the Gaggia Classic (I found it used for $270 shipped) and am super happy with it. It doesn't take up a ton of counter space. It seems that the Saeco Aroma is significantly more compact though, if you look at the dimensions.

Good luck and congrats on the wedding!

Seattle Coffee Gear are just an operation aimed at shifting lots of machines. I wouldn't necessarily trust their advice (or at least I wouldn't rely on it wholly given that their main aim is to get you to buy, not necessarily buy the right thing). The grinder is not really espresso suitable, and to suggest it "matches" the machine it is embedded in is slightly disingenuous of them.

$600 is not a bad budget for setting yourself up. Buying used would get you a very decent set up for that money (check my recent post history for a link to a long ramble on how to do that). But if you are buying new, I'd look seriously at my grinder first (its the most important bit of your set up) and aim for something like this as a grinder - the Lelit P53 is a really decent entry level espresso grinder and currently exceptionally priced http://www.1st-line.com/store/pc/Lelit-PL53-Fred-Espresso-Coffee-Grinder-doserless-stepless-12p1979.htm An alternative might be the Baratza Preciso, which sells as a refurb on the Baratza site for around $249 when they have stock in. Baratza have a reputation for excellent customer service, so you can buy refurb from them with a lot of confidence.

That would leave $350-370 for a machine, which would get you this http://www.amazon.com/Gaggia-14101-Classic-Espresso-Stainless/dp/B0001KOA4Q/ and leave you some spare change for some coffee beans. Or you could buy the original Classic model for a few $$ more which some coffee geeks seem to rate slightly more than the 2015 model - there are some here http://www.amazon.com/GAGGIA-CLASSIC-ESPRESSO-COFFEE-MACHINE/dp/B0000C72XS

The Classic is a...classic. Its a massively known and understood machine, with a huge user community able to advise and help on its quirks and foibles. Its capable of being hacked and modded to improve its performance, and even unpacked is a pretty decent bit of kit to start out and learn on.

Having said ALL of that, if what you want to do is to make caramel lattes, espresso quality and upgradeability may not be your primary concern, as milk and sugar mask espresso pretty well, which may mean that - in fact the Barista Express is indeed the best option out there for you :-)

Consider getting a small french press as well. I tend to use the aeropress a lot more for convenience, but I really enjoy a good cup of french press coffee, especially in the morning in lieu of food... nice and thick.

They produce two very different cups of coffee, so it's worth having both.

I use a small hand grinder, which is fantastic, the only downside is the lack of measurements for grind size. It's cheaper than an electric burr grinder, and easier to clean. You wouldn't want to use it to make more than a single cup for yourself though.

Edit: also consider a Chemex or similar pour-over for making large batches... but then you'd want an electric burr grinder.... oh my, the stuff to buy.... and I haven't even talked about home roasting yet :)

Budget the grinder first. Since you're OK with used, I recommend the Coffeegeek Buy/Sell/Trade forum. The Silvia is a very nice machine, but I think the price has gotten a little high. I've tasted and enjoyed the output of a Le'lit PL041, which is a very similar machine. I can't speak to its durability, though. I owned a Gaggia Classic for a long time and it was a great machine. It was modified with a PID controller for better temperature control.

I think either of those is a better deal than a Silvia and leaves more budget for a grinder, which is far more important than the machine. All the machines at this price point are a little finicky; a great grinder will make a much bigger difference than any of the differences between the individual machines.

I brought my aeropress home to my parents for the first time about a year ago - a coffee proselyte venturing deep into "2 pots of coffee in the morning from the same basket of 6 scoops of storeground" land. They were in too deep for full conversion, but they remarked (without prompting!) on the difference in strength (both in the taste and caffeine feel) from a single cup of aeropress, even though it was much less volume. I think you're onto something with your last point! Though there is definitely something about just having a volume to drink, I completely understand that.

Could you consider something like the Clever Coffee Dripper? I use it on mornings when I don't want to make a pourover and it easily makes 16oz of coffee. Intuitive and simple (really, less steps and effort than the aeropress, though it takes another minute to brew each time), but a well-balanced and clean cup. If you're willing to branch out a little bit, the Clever is pretty cheap and may suit your desires better. And you always need more coffee stuff!

We can help you out a little better if you had some sort of budget. When I was 13 I got about $5-10 a week from my parents but I knew others that received more or even nothing at all. I'll try to aim for what a typical intro to coffee setup would look like.

So with any method you use the first and most important step is the beans. They should ideally be whole bean and roasted semi-recently (a couple days to weeks ago). This is going to be a reoccurring purchase for you/your parents depending on how often you drink coffee. Price could be anywhere from $7/lb to $15/lb.

Setup 1: You can buy the $8 reusable keurig pod and grind your own coffee. With this method you could get away with using a regular bladed grinder probably. Or you can step it up a bit and buy $25 this hand grinder that gets recommended on here a lot. I have it, it worked pretty well when I was first getting into coffee. You just grinder your beans, fill the pod, and use as normal. Cost for parts: $8-$34

Setup 2: If you get the same $25 hand grinder you can then get either a $24 french press (give a more oily cup, there will always be particulates in your mug, you can also make ~8 cups of coffee with this method) or you can go with the very often recommended, and my current favorite way to make a quick cup, the $26 aeropress. This only makes 1-2 cups at a time but it's hard to make a bad cup with it. Cost of parts: ~$50

You should look of reviews for both the french press and aeropress methods on here or online to figure out what meets your needs better. If these are still to expensive then you can try goodwills or garage sells.

My best tips:

Fresh beans + fresh grind + good water = great coffee pretty much regardless of your brewing method.

The 4 ways you can increase the quality of your coffee is to focus on improving these things: beans, grind, water, brewing method.

This is my set-up:

Beans: I get whole beans sent to me in the mail every two weeks from Moustache Coffee Club. This ensures I always have fresh beans on hand.

Grind: I use this Porlex hand grinder and really like it. I used to use this Hario hand grinder, which was cheaper. I haven't yet splurged for an electric grinder. Maybe some day.

Water: I use a kitchen thermometer to make sure my water is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the optimal range for brewing. I also use this Bonavita kettle for heating the water.

Brewing method: I started off using a Melitta pour-over cone. I've since moved to the AeroPress. I also have a French press. The AeroPress is what I use almost exclusively. I also have a kitchen scale to measure out the water and beans. I use a 16:1 ratio of water to beans. For the AeroPress, 16g of beans and 256g of water fits perfectly. When I measure the water, I aim for between 256 and 260g. I'm not so obsessive that I make sure it's exactly 256 every time.

This sounds like a lot (and there's more, but this is a good start), but I built up to this over a period of a few years. Take your time. Keep learning and exploring and have fun.

I know you're looking for something under $500, but if you could save a little more, this would be an a great espresso machine to get. The steam wand would be stronger, which would allow you to get micro foam for latte art. Also, it has a decent grinder for espresso, which is SUPER important. You don't just want a "decent grinder", you need a grinder that will grind good for espresso.

https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BES870XL-Barista-Express-Espresso/dp/B00CH9QWOU/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1524237611&sr=1-2&keywords=brewville

The general consensus here seems to be to aim for a Gaggia machine as the absolute minimum. Preferably a Gaggia Classic (~$388).

I've heard people recommend the lower priced Gaggia New Baby (~$300) to try out espresso and to help decide whether "to get a real espresso machine".

A step up from that, the recommendation seems to be the Crossland CC1, but that's in the $600+ range.

To save some money, you might do better finding a used machine or see if they're on sale at different sites.

If you want to go cheaper than that, people have recommended the MyPressi ($170), but I have not seen that in stock anywhere recently. There's some buzz regarding the MiniPresso (Preorder at $39), but that won't be out until 2015. So there won't be any reviews regarding it for a while.

As for grinder, if you're looking for cheap, you might have to make do with a hand grinder, either Hario Skerton (~$35) or Mini (~$26) or Porlex (~$43). The cheapest acceptable electric grinder seems to be the Baratza Preciso at $300.

This is the information I've gathered anyway. I don't have any personal experience with an espresso machine, but I hope this helps. If you decide to go with something, post your experience and help some people out.

Personally, I'm thinking of saving up for the CC1 and Vario (~$1000) combo...

You've got a few options. But first, you need to figure out if you like specifically iced americanos or if you're just looking for some really good iced coffee.

If you're just looking for really good iced coffee, I'd buy a Toddy. I know, it doesn't do espresso, but you can brew large batches of concentrated coffee and water it down and add ice and you've got some really great iced coffee. It's worth a shot if all you're wanting to make are iced americanos.

There are also a ton of other ways to make iced coffee but I find the Toddy is my favorite.

If you really want specifically iced americanos, I'd look into a Breville machine. They are cheaply priced and can give you a ton of options if you ever want to try doing lattes and stuff at home. There are better machines but I'm not sure what your budget is. This one has a grinder and a steaming wand as well and it's only $600. It's a good machine for home use especially if you've got a tighter budget.

I've had an Encore for 2 years now and I love it.

There is a pretty good Bodum grinder that i've heard some great things about.

We stock Hario v60 grinders at work to sell retail, so i back those pretty hard as well!


Just take good care of your grinder, clean it regularly and it should last for years!

I'm with you (recently started drinking coffee after leaving Mormonism and spouse not excited about having a coffee maker in the kitchen). We just visited my wife's friend while on vacation and she made me a cafe au lait that was delicious and easy to make without expensive equipment. In fact, I'm about to invest in the following two things:

• A Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CNY6UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9AyBzbA35C50N
  
• A Bellemain Stainless Steel Hand Pump Milk Frother https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010E1ZQVC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yGyBzbGC2QH3P
  
  It takes a few minutes but that is part of the fun.
  In fact I came here looking for advice from experienced coffee drinkers. I know this combination is great for making strong coffee or a latte, but can I easily water down the coffee to make coffee well suited for a thermos? i.e. Can I use a Bialetti to make something more comparable to brewed coffee?
  

Are you looking for convenience and the ability to make a lot of coffee at once, or do you want to get the best cup of coffee you can for the money, even it's just one cup at a time and you have to do a little work?

If it's the former, then a basic coffee machine is your only option based on your budget. If it's the latter, then I think an Aeropress is the way to go. I'd recommend it over a pourover cone + filters (like the Melitta or V60) because it's going to be easier to consistently produce a good cup of coffee without a scale and gooseneck kettle.

You could also get a French Press which isn't much work, but a scale would be a good idea. Fortunately you have room for both in your budget. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-French-Press-Coffee/dp/B000KEM4TQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1543210385&sr=1-8&keywords=french+press

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Food-Multifunction/dp/B01JTDG084/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1543210468&sr=1-5&keywords=kitchen+scale

$25 total, and you don't really need to invest in anything else. A coffee grinder would be ideal, but that won't work with your budget.
EDIT: On second thought, I think this is your best bet!


You also have to consider how much you're willing to spend on coffee. Freshly-roasted beans are going to be a lot more expensive than something like Folger's; anywhere from $8-9/lb at the cheapest to $20+/lb. If your budget doesn't allow for that then I don't think it makes a lot of sense to go the pourover/French Press/Aeropress route, as they won't enhance low quality coffee very much.

$130 used. This is a technivorm, which gives you all of the ease of use of a drip coffee maker but without all of the issues present in a drip coffee maker. Basically the best you can go for here without completely wrecking your budget and everything it loves.

That said, you could convince her to use an easier method of coffee procurement like The Coffee Fool. It's not awfully expensive, they'll send it to you pre-ground if you're into it, and it's a shit-load better than you'll get at a supermarket unless your mother happens to live in Portland.

I almost missed it! I've got a few upgrade from my last post! Here is my gear.

From left to right:

• Bodum Bistro - Got this guy at the famous JCP Bodum Sale. For the price, I've been very happy. I'd like to upgrade but can't justify the purchase at the moment.
  
• Hario Skerton
  
• Aeropress
  
• Bialetti Moka Pot - 3 cup
  
• Melitta pour over
  
• Grosche York 350 ml french press
  
• 2 Oxo pop airtight containers - I love these and recommend them highly
  
  What's next you ask? Well with my neck paycheck, I'm buying the following:
  
  
• Bonavita Variable Temp Gooseneck
  
• Chemex
  
• This Digital Scale
  
• Clever Dripper (maybe)
  
  Any recommendations for other gear? Specifically, scale recs?
  
  Edit: Added Amazon links for anyone interested.

The bonavita gooseneck variable.... again (sorry :) )

I woudl say either use your basic kettle and a thermometer (cheap one like this Weber instant read) for minimal money or get the gooseneck variable.

The variability will be great for your aeropress and pourover is super cheap and fun to try (the plastic hario v60 02 is under $8) for which the gooseneck is key. No point spending $50 on the variable normal then spending another $100 later on the gooseneck. Likewise gooseneck metal kettles are also $50. The $100 one really is the best upgrade, better to save longer for it than buy an interim and end up spending more.

The Bonavita is also on massdrop a lot (bookmark this) as while it ended for now it comes up all the time.

I don't really understand your question: you want a hot cold brew? You want a cold brew but want it warmer than it currently is?

If you're looking for a solid cold brew, I have the 1000ml Hario Cold Brew pot and this recipe is golden:

Pour 108g of coffee into the filter then place the filter in the pot. Pour filtered water through this filter until it reaches about a quarter inch from the top. Let it sit for 12-18 hours in the fridge. Remove the filter and discard the coffee. You now have a good concentrated base for iced coffee.

I plop a square ice cube in a glass, pour the concentrate and filtered water into the glass at a ratio of 1:1. I drink mine black but if you add cream/milk/flavoring, then change up your water with a whatever mix you want. Add sugar in at the end. Since this is cold, I recommend syrups over crystal sugar as you may find the crystal sugar settling at the bottom.

Been doing this for a year and have settled on this recipe being my fav. Good luck!

The Aeropress is inexpensive, versatile, compact, and durable. For people who want quality coffee and are low on budget, low on space, and low on need for volume, the Aeropress is great.

That being said, mine sits in the cabinet and makes an occasional appearance to show new 'coffee people' an inexpensive interesting little brewing device. Meanwhile, my Kalita Wave, Woodneck, Technivorm, espresso machine, and Yama tower get used to death.

The Aeropress does offer more versatility in brew techniques than an immersion dripper because of the ability to press the brew through fine grinds which would plug a dripper's filter. Many extractions can be created with the Aeropress which wouldn't be possible when relying on gravity to drain the brew through a paper filter.

I have a Clever Coffee Dripper (a lower cost plastic version of your Bonavita) which I spent quite some time experimenting with, but it sees little use now. For new 'quality coffee people' who own poor quality autodrip brewers, an immersion dripper is an inexpensive, simple method to introduce them to better quality brews. Due to the decreased demand for attention and time, immersion drippers would also be great for production-line style individual cup brewing in a shop.

However, I pretty much just look at it as a labor saver. It's convenient and easy, and it regularly produces above average results, but never anything I would really call special. Personally, I would rather put more effort into a great pourover or a French press which I am really going to enjoy, than drink an average immersion drip. No offense intended, just my opinion. There is such a myriad of brewing devices out there & they all have their place.

I bought this guy as a cheap machine a while back. Twice the price as your Mr. Coffee.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347649968&sr=8-1&keywords=delonghi+ec155

Delonghi EC155. It was an okay machine at first, espresso okay with its pressurized basket and steamed okay milk with its little plastic attachment. I bought a non pressurized basket and changed the steam wand out along with chopping off the bottom where the basket goes.

NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE especially with the new basket. It made okay espresso before with fake crema but NOW IT DOES IT FOR REALS.

Also my grinder wasn't cutting it much anymore (bodum burr grinder) so I just hooked up my power drill to my kyocera hand grinder and that works like a charm until I can afford a better grinder

Edit: For anybody interested in the new basket it is this basket: (MP68) La Pavoni Europiccola/Professional - Millennium Model Double Shot Basket

Also steam wand is (R_1054) Rancilio Silvia Steam Wand I don't recommend if you are not mechanically inclined, I had to basically take apart the entire unit to swap it out.... but the pressure now is AMAZING.

Getting a burr grinder, a decent brewer, and freshly roasted (within two weeks) coffee is a great place to start.

This is a quality brewer. There are cheaper brewers, but if you want a solid investment in a brewer I recommend this. They also offer an 8 cup model. Bonavita 5 Cup brewer

Capresso makes great grinders. Most of their “infinity” models are very efficient and won’t completely break your bank.

Messenger Coffee from Kansas City offers a wide variety of coffees from many origin countries. This coffee is expertly roasted to bring out the best in each coffee. If you want to try a variety of different ones, they have a subscription plan where the roaster selects a different coffee every week. You also get 10% for subscribing. Messenger Coffee Roaster Choice Subscription

Ok. There's been some great advice in this thread and I don't want to step on anyone's toes. But I went through a similar process when I wanted to stop drinking shit coffee a couple years ago, and this is my current setup.

The Grinder. You want a conical burr grinder. You can do this without breaking the bank: I got a Breville for less than $100 and it kicks ass. Grinds like a boss, whisper quiet, and it looks like a robot.

But why, you ask, should you splurge on the grinder? You could get a little Krups grinder for $15. And that would be great -- if all you wanted, ever, was to drink french pressed or drip coffee. But if you ever want to make espresso, then you need a conical burr grinder. And it sounds like you are going to want to do some experimenting.

The Brewer. My personal thing is this: I don't brew coffee through anything that plugs in. There's just no reason to.

Get yourself a kettle for your stove - I like this one, because you can see that there's nothing growing inside. And you avoid the mineral-y crust that you would have to scrape off of an electric kettle.

Use filtered water. It makes a difference.

Get yourself a simple drip cone or, if you want to be a little fancier, a Chemex carafe. You put a filter in the top, you grind the beans, you put the beans in the filter, you pour hot water over the top of it. The beans get thoroughly steeped and you end up with an even, smooth coffee with little to no bitterness.

Because you've saved so much money on coffee makers, splurge a bit. Get yourself a French press for when you want something with more oomph. And get yourself a little Italian stovetop espresso maker. You put fine espresso grinds in the top, you put water in the bottom, you put the whole thing on the stove - voilà.

There. If you wanted all this shit to plug into the wall you would have spent $1000. But you can get all of this for less than $200.

The Beans. Here's the dirty little secret about coffee beans: freshness matters more than brand. You could get the finest quality beans shipped to you from halfway across the country if you like - but they're going to be stale by the time they get to you.

Here's what you do instead: find a cafe that roasts their own beans and buy from their cafe. They'll have been roasted within the last few weeks. The beans will have this great oily sheen to them - that's how you know they're good. Buy them one package at a time and keep them in an airtight canister. And for christ's sakes, never freeze coffee beans.

There you go! With this setup you can make almost any type of coffee drink available at your local Starbucks, for cheap. There'll be no gunk to clean out of the musty interiors of a complex drip coffee maker. And a lot of this stuff has a great aesthetic, so your kitchen will look fantastic.

Edited for spelling.

For strong/bold coffee get a French Press or Clever for your office. They're super easy to use and you can choose how long you brew your coffee for to get the right level of boldness.

I actually got a friend the above mentioned Clever with a Hario Hand Grinder for the office and he loves it.

Oh and here is a good site to learn about different brew methods: http://brewmethods.com/

I strongly recommend a Porlex Mini hand grinder.

Porlex Mini Grinder

I cannot stress enough how great it is compared to every other grinder I have ever come across. The stainless steel construction and the compact size were key points for me. As a bonus, it works perfectly for camping and travelling too!

It is the ideal size for Aeropress and for 3 cup Moka pots.

https://imgur.com/a/Vom8lPv

This is what the current set up looks like. I have some saucers/cups from a great company out of Los Angeles NotNeutral. They're designed wonderful, it's been hard finding a consumer maker of more modern designed espresso cups and they've got some great design. After that is a Breville Barista Express. I'm pulling an espresso blend from a UK roaster called Redemption Roasters. Aside from the quality beans they have an amazing ethos and company vision, highly recommend all coffee lovers read up on what they do and how they do it.

Also pictured is the Behmor 1600 Roaster. I have been learning how to roast and the folks over at r/roasting have been an incredibly help. I am usually pulling single origins that I have roasted myself but I'm leaving for vacation soon and a friend was kind enough to gift me the Redemption beans!

Found an Amazon review of the Hario Skerton suggesting a mod for French Press:

> I bought this for my husband, a coffee connoisseur. Buying a good quality electric burr grinder was well outside what I could afford, but he loves this one. Here's the key though, if you, like my husband, use a French press regularly: get the lower bearing modification from OrphanEspresso.com. On the coarse setting needed for a press, the Skerton, without the modification, will give you an inconsistent grind. Adding the lower bearing modification gives you an incredibly consistent very coarse grind. My husband says he's never been able to get a better coarse grind with any other grinder. And, even with the additional cost of buying the modification, this is still a very affordable option to please any connoisseur. One potential issue though is that, once you put in the modification, unless you remove it (which would be heart-breaking since it's a pain to install), you won't be able to get a super fine grind like you would need for espresso.
>
> Tip: The Skerton is pretty much exactly the same as the Kyocera CM-50 (only perceivable difference: one has slightly more opaque plastic). The price of each varies occasionally, so, if you want this grinder, check them both out to find the cheaper one (here's the Kyocera CM-50: http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-CM-50-CF-Ceramic-Grinder/dp/B003S9XF7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357940693&sr=8-1&keywords=kyocera+coffee+mill).
>
> Check out these videos about the Hario Skerton, Kyocera CM-50, and the lower bearing modification for both:
> [...]
> [...]
>
> If you decide to buy the modification, a 10mm combination wrench works for installing it (they don't say in the video). It can be hard to install and Orphan Espresso's website is hard to navigate, but it's all worth it.

I started with an OXO and had it for years. it was spill proof, kept my coffee hot for hours and hours, the spout was comfy, but the lid mechanism didn't break apart for cleaning. Eventually this became a problem... seals stretched and I would have to find creative ways to keep the breather hole clear of coffee particulate.
g

About a year ago I replaced the oxo for a Thermos.. The lid breaks apart for easy cleaning, and it certainly keeps the contents hot. So hot, in fact, that It took a while to get used to how much hotter the coffee was. after a year or so, its the only complaint I have. Coffee is too hot to drink sometimes.
Both mugs are stainless inside, but the thermos is unibody and the oxo had a plastic top portion.

Good luck!

Wait...what is your budget? Are you willing to spend £150?? If so, we could probably put together a great beginners setup for your boyfriend.
I'm thinking:
Aeropress
And Baratza Encore but that's a little over 150. Instead of an Aeropress, a Clever would work, too, but you would also need #4 filters.

Actually, if you want to give him a lot of options for 150, you can get him the Aeropress (23), Clever (18), #4 filters (4), Hario Hand Burr Grinder (22), and a Mocha Pot (23) for a grand total of ~90 quid. I'd also add a .1 gram digital scale for 15 extra. So 105 for quite a good introductory setup for coffee (and I'm assuming you have a kettle for boiling water).

What electric kettle do you have? Does it have variable temperature controls and/or a gooseneck spout?

The main ways to improve your setup are a better grinder, better coffee beans, and possibly a better kettle (I'd say, in that order). The other thing to think about is trying out some other brew methods, at least so you can learn about the differences and find out what your preferences are.

If I had your setup and up to $200 available to improve it, I think I'd look for a refurbished Baratza Encore ($99), a $10 - $15 electric scale accurate to within 0.1g, a clear plastic Hario V60 for $6 (along with filters for another $6). That's around $125, leaving extra to try out some nicer coffee beans. For example, Happy Mug has good quality coffee for $11 - $13 per pound plus $3 shipping.

About a year and half ago I went from 0-60 with this setup:

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-VKB-120HSV-Buono-Drip-Kettle/dp/B000IGOXLS

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-Dripper-V60-Clear/dp/B001RBTSMM/ref=pd_sim_k_6

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-White-Filters-Brewer/dp/B001U7EOYA/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1349906139&sr=1-1&keywords=hario+v60+filters

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MSS-1B-Mini-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B001804CLY/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1349906080&sr=1-2&keywords=hario+hand+grinder

http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1349906101&sr=1-5&keywords=kitchen+scale

Here is a video I found about how it all works:
http://vimeo.com/34182806

The big thing is to use FRESH roasted beans (we're talking ~3 weeks old or less). If you are buying beans that don't have a date on em, try again. Hopefully there is a coffee shop around you that will sell their own roast (usually comes in a 12oz package). If not you can try the grocery store or order online (http://ceremonycoffee.com/ is a good start), it really depends on the city you live in.

I had always liked the aroma and taste of coffee in other things (ice cream specifically) but it wasn't until I got into beer that I really started to appreciate it. Hopefully this finds you well, feel free to send a message my way if you have any specific questions!

Are you specifically looking for a pod machine? The total cost of ownership of them can be quite high and the end product does not justify the cost in most cases. Additionally, they are not meant to be maintained and are essentially "disposable".

I think the Lavazza one was targeted towards restaurants and so you might be able to take it apart and replace parts on it, but after reading some Amazon reviews, it appears the newer models are built as disposable machines. There may be a very good reason why the machine hadn't been used in five years.

Also, buying used means that you are buying someone else's problems unless you are intimately familiar with the machine's history.

It looks like you are looking for something simple to use and less than $1,000. You could could buy a Breville Barista Express brand new for $600.

My brother-in-law won't shut up about how great his is and those that own them appear to be quite taken with them. It's a super-auto so the grinder is built in.

It will get you by until you save up for a nice borderline professional machine and grinder.

posted this earlier.

I bought a Toddy last weekend. I know you can do basically the same thing with mason jars and whatever, but this just seemed quick and idiot proof.

I really enjoyed it. I liked that it was able to make a lot at a time, (lasted me pretty much all week) and could just keep a jug of it in the fridge. (the waiting was the most frustrating part of the process)

I just put it over a ton of ice and then added milk or almond milk.

Since I was just doing it for the first time I used some french dark roast beans from trader joes. Not sure what the best to use are.

I've only done it one time, so I'm obviously not very experienced. But yeah, that's my experience. I'd say it was easily worth it, I thought about going the more thrifty/crafty way, but the convenience seemed worth it to me.

This may get some down votes but I've heard great things about the De'Longhi EC155 and it's only $90. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F49XXG I don't personally own one but the reviews on it are worth at least considering it. And if you look hard enough, you can even find a few others recommending it in this sub. I do agree with everyone else, it's all about the grinder (and IMO, more importantly the beans). Look into getting the baratza encore or the capresso infinity, $130 and $80 respectively. And if you're lucky, you can score a refurbished baratza encore on their website. Check every Thursday, that's when the post their refurbished items.

If you want true Espresso the first one you list isn't gonna do it.

I think one of the cheapest useable option is the Gaggia Classic. You can get it with a hand grinder and are all set to go. This one is pretty good.

Want to spend more? The Rancilio Silvia is beloved by many, from beginners to advanced. Here it is with a matching electrical grinder.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of those devices, because my kitchen is way to small for more than an AeroPress but I have friends who own this stuff and they make great coffee.

For me, fine grind and good beans made all the difference. As for espresso machine, I have been using older version of this machine for years. As for the grinder, I had to hack this Mr Coffee burr grinder to make it finer (a hack similar to this). If you don't want to mess with the machine, better to get a good grinder. As for the beans, I have tried a lot of things form Starbucks brand to 100% Kona coffee beans. So far, the best tasting ones were freshly roasted beans from a local coffee company (roasted 1-2 weeks before I purchase). If you have good fresh beans, finely ground, then I wouldn't worry about getting an expensive machine too much because they won't magically enhance the taste.

By "coffee bar" do you mean you're looking for something pretty to look cool next to your other gear? If so, I don't have a recommendation for that. But if you're looking for something that just works and is very budget friendly, I'd recommend an AWS Blade pocket scale:

https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-Digital-BL-1KG-BLK/dp/B0012N1NAA

I've used it for over a year with my Aeropress, Kalita Wave, and Bonavita immersion brewer and haven't had any issues. I've even once accidentally drowned it with water but after popping out the batteries, shaking out the water, and letting it dry out for a day, it continues to work like a champ. And really, at 11 bucks, I'm not too worried about it dying as it would be easy to replace.

Give this a shot and save your money for more coffee gadgets. ;)

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421873498&sr=8-1&keywords=espresso

On sale. The cheapest true (pressurized correctly) espresso machine that I know of, has a decent enough frothing tip for foam, and it pulls some great shots. I have a friend who has had one for a couple of years, and his is still running great- if you're starting out or even pretty knowledgeable about coffee, I recommend this. Plus, it's almost 50% off!

Clever Coffee Dripper - It's not automatic, but it's great for making great coffee without any need for technique.

Put in ground coffee and appropriate water, wait 3-4 minutes and set on your mug.

In less than 5 minutes you have a great cup of coffee with very minimal input. All for $22.

I keep roasted coffee in an AirScape like this: https://www.amazon.com/Airscape-Coffee-Food-Storage-Canister/dp/B00167XN14

I dont really vacuum seal per se like I would for freezing items but this works pretty well. This was before Fellow came out with their vacuum storage system which looks awesome. Id be interested to know from people on here that have them how well they work. Link to product here: https://fellowproducts.com/atmos/

Air scape is cheap and has a very solid construction and one way valve system has help up for around 3 years no problem. It's not as effective as the Atmos would be in theory but it's more effective than re-sealing the bag.

I can’t refrain from commenting on this since I’ve been having the exact same thought process. As of now I cannot afford an actual espresso machine and other proper gear, and since I only have a French press, I’m considering the Moka pot. Here’s my take on this:

I’m very much a coffee nerd and I love espresso-based drinks, particularly a latte or a cappuccino. To make a good espresso shot with lovely ‘crema’ on top, you’d need around 9 bars of pressure, which can only be supplied by a proper espresso machine. Even certain ones (worth, say, $100) advertised with more than 10 bars of pressure are not very good because they lack the pressure regulation to maintain 9 bars throughout the whole 20ish second shot. The Moka pot, of course, cannot supply such pressure either. Most Moka pots gravitate around 1.5 to 2 bars of pressure, which is significantly lower than what you need. That being said, I do recommend getting one until you can have a professional setup because:

• Moka pot coffee is still delicious and much richer/stronger than other types of homemade coffee;
  
• You can make your coffee slightly stronger (to get closer to a proper espresso shot) by changing the coffee - water ratio in favour of the coffee;
  
• You can buy an inexpensive ($10-15) milk frother or use a French press to froth the milk for your tasty lattes (to use the French press to froth, pour warm milk inside and pump the plunger up and down rapidly);
  
• The pot itself isn’t too expensive and can be maintained easily.
  Without doubt, I would recommend to go for a Bialetti such as these:
  
  Bialetti 6-cup stove pot espresso maker
  
  Bialetti Venus Induction coffee maker
  
  Happy coffee making!

Did you have the Chambord? My particular gripe with the Chambord is the fact that the steel frame isn't attached to the beaker. Unfortunately, I can't find any decent alternatives to purchasing the carafe from outside sources.

If you want to continue using Bodum's French Press line, I'd highly recommend their Brazil French Press. Not as aesthetically pleasing to some, but I personally favor it over the Chambord. The base and bottom inch or so is ringed in plastic, and so is the handle and the top. It's also a one-piece beaker + handle, so you don't have to worry about it slipping out as you pour. It's also much more forgiving when you wash it as there's less of a chance of shattering the beaker when you tap it against the sink walls. Best part: it's cheaper than the Chambord.

There are other non-Bodum French Presses out there. The Espro Press I hear mentioned a lot lately on this sub is an all-stainless steel container so there's no more dealing with fragile glass containers. Also more expensive though.

the V60 is perfectly fine, some may suggest the Chemex, others Kalita, just pick one and stick to it. i personally recommend a V60 clear plastic server for several reasons:

1. it's cheaper
   
2. it won't break when you drop it (to some extent)
   
3. it retains less heat
   
4. the clearness helps you see if you have grounds stuck to the sides
   some other things to pick up are a scale and a kettle (gooseneck if you're slightly more serious about the game). picking the right grinder will depend on your budget and whether or not you'd like to work out those arms of yours (auto or manual). i'd recommend watching this to get a good idea on the whole brewing process
   
   good luck!

$750 is alot of money to spend if they only drink coffee out of tradition than for taste. For that kind of reasoning i wouldnt spend all the budget!

I agree with the comments about buying baratza encore grinder. Those are reliable and well in the budget. For the coffee machine i would recommend the [bonavita dripper]
(https://www.amazon.ca/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=bonavita&qid=1559008848&s=gateway&sr=8-4) easy to use, realiable, beautiful chrome. Not bad,not the best,but better than the average coffe brewers. See it in action And buy some good coffee with the rest of the money.

The cheapest you could do to make "good" coffee would be to get a Bonavita BV1800. They are about 150 or so online and then get a Baratza encore refurbished for about 100.

that is the PC answer on this sub.

In my opinion if you want a good (not great) coffee. Get the Bonavita but then grind your beans fresh (even if that is a blade grinder). Burr grinders are really essential if you want a great cup of coffee but it seems that it isn't too essential to you.

ps. i think mcd's coffee is the best non-third wave coffee out there

Edit: http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415508290&sr=8-1&keywords=bonavita
it's actually 130!

I'd argue that it is an issue with the aeropress, it's just less noticeable due to the brewing method. Because you apply pressure to press out the coffee you dont notice the fines clogging up the brew the way you will with a gravity fed pourover. The fines are still there, and you will notice a difference in flavor in your aeropress once you upgrade your grinder. The uneven grind causes an uneven extraction in any brewing method. Some are just more noticeable.

The Skerton Pro is an upgrade from the original skerton (and the knockoff/ kyocera) but how much of a difference, I couldnt say. I havent seen any side by side comparisons on the two.
SCG has a video that will give you an idea about how the Skerton Pro functions.
It's going to be better than the bistro, but IMO you're better off saving up for an encore or better.

There is a bearing stabilizer for the skerton that might fit your knockoff version (assuming you have the Kyocera cm-50) that only costs around $10 and might hold you over for a bit while you look for a more permanent solution.

It depends on what you’re looking for, at your price point I’d recommend a French Press or one of the many pourover options. A French Press is probably going to be your easiest entry, cost and skill wise, as it’s pretty straightforward and hard to mess up, but the issue comes with that it is a bit more oily/gritty and not everyone loves that. For pourover, I’d recommend a Clever dripper, as it can act as a pourover and an immersion brewer (same brewing method as a French Press). The issue with that is pourover can be a lot more finnicky and typically people recommend getting a kettle if you don’t already have one so you can pour with the right technique. The benefit of it being that typically it’s going to be a lot cleaner/smoother to drink.

EDIT: I’ve also heard really good things about the Aeropress, but don’t know enough about it to say whether or not you should get it, just something to look into.

I use the Hario Mizudashi pitcher but you can buy these pretty neat socks from places like HappyMug that are perfect for occasional drinkers of the deep, cold black. As /u/Shoeshiner_boy pointed out, you can just dial back the brewing time to compensate for the smaller grind.

(I'm sure others here can offer up solutions that use cheesecloth or something similar.)

​

Bro if you can spend 1500CAN rancilio isnt worth it.. its great build but alot of wait between each action..

here is a few options i gathered for you.. browsed alot to get best rates and sale prices for you.. all prices in CAD

Espresso

• Breville Barista Express $600 (comes with buildin Grinder)
  
  
• Breville Dual Boiler espresso 1300$
  
  
• La Pavoni Europiccola $1060
  
  i have selected afew grinders for you, u can adjust your budget accordingly and what suits you..
  
  Grinders:
  
  
• Breville SmartPro $240
  
  
• Gaggia MDF $400
  
  
• ROK GRINDER $400
  
  
• Barazta Preciso $400
  
  
• Barazta Sette $530
  
  P.S if you can spend upto 2500CAD than u can get really awesome setup.. Rocket Appartamento $1900 with Baratza Sette 270 $530

I'd recommend buying a clever dripper ($22):

https://www.amazon.com/Clever-Coffee-Dripper-Large-Ounces/dp/B00EOM5RN0

An Encore grinder ($130):

https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00LW8122Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1466017902&sr=8-1&keywords=encore+grinder

And a hot water urn ($114):

https://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-CD-WBC40-TS-4-Liter-Boiler-Warmer/dp/B00M0GOI78/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1466017943&sr=8-5&keywords=hot+water+dispenser

Total: $266. You can grind a day's worth in the morning. Any time you want, put a filter in the Clever, pour the always-hot water over from the urn, stir, wait 3-4 minutes, set on your cup, it drains, enjoy. It brews a world class cup at a time, the urn keeps you from having to heat water each time, and great coffee really doesn't get easier!

Hario Skerton - $32
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2O5VOM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LxDHzbJQNV9DR

Skerton ring upgrade - $11
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012HDKKQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IyDHzbJWM7A4G

Gooseneck kettle - $35
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IGOXLS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kADHzb5K0P63V

The kettle isn't nearly as necessary as the grinder upgrade but it would help with pourover. I would definitely recommend getting a burr grinder though, I had a similar setup to yours for a long time and the skerton totally blew my mind. I also haven't tried the ring upgrade personally but I have had issues with the skerton in coarser settings and that's exactly what it's for so I thought I'd mention it.

Edit: I just noticed you didn't have a scale there. I would definitely get a scale instead of the kettle, [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FSHPNO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oDDHzb5FS147N) is $20 and works really well.

Short answer: you can't. Cappuccinos require espresso and a steam wand, which, in turn, require an $80+ grinder and a (bare minimum) $100 machine.

Long answer: You kind of can. But not really. But sort of.
If you get one of these, you can make a rich, concentrated coffee that resembles espresso for a fraction of the cost. If you have a french press, you can 'foam' milk in that, although with much poorer results than a true steam wand. I've also heard of people putting hot milk in a small container and shaking the hell out of it, but I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this. You could also try a milk foamer, but I doubt you'll be able to get a stiff enough foam to make a capp.

The bottom line is, you can make a thick coffee with foam on top with a sub-$40 budget, but it won't be a cappuccino, and it won't be nearly as good as one. Your best bet is to find a good coffee shop near to where you live, and get cappuccinos there. Hope that helped!

I used the Toddy system, but that's just because it was given to me by a friend. It worked out pretty well, but you can easily re-create the setup with a large mason jar, just pour through a pour over cone at the end.

Another tip which may seem obvious but I didn't think about at the time: don't be afraid to do some test brews before committing to a batch of coffee. I had never brewed coffee this way before and it came out a tad over-extracted, which came through in my stout.

There are some good pieces of advice in this thread on how to get something like a latte from your French press. But I want to take a moment to explain why you can't get a true cafe latte without an espresso machine.

There are three basic categories of coffee brewing methods:

1. drip—things like auto-drip machines, V60 pourover, Chemex, and the like, where hot water is added to the grounds and allowed to flow through impeded only by the grounds themselves and a filter
   
   
2. immersion—things like French Press and the Clever brewer, where the coffee sits in hot water until extraction is complete, and then the brewed coffee is separated from the grounds
   
   
3. pressure—primarily espresso, though Aeropress and Moka pots fall here too (Aeropress actually straddles pressure and immersion brewing)
   
   Each style of brewing results in a signifcant difference in the character of the resulting cup; a difference that's much greater than the various methods within each category.
   
   Since most familiar milk drinks use an espresso base, it's going to be extremely challenging to approach the same sort of flavor and richness from a non-pressure brewing method like a French Press. In fact, espresso is such a high-pressure brewing method that even other pressure methods can't really duplicate its flavor, which is why a true cafe latte really needs a true espresso.
   
   But you can get close. If you're on a budget (since decent home espresso doesn't come cheap), you'll probably want to use something like a Moka pot. It won't quite be the same as true espresso, but getting into the same "family" of methods will help a lot.
   
   This Bialetti is a good balance of price and quality—cheaper Moka pots are available, but it's a bit of a crap shoot whether you'll get decent quality or something that either can't build pressure and/or doesn't last.

I have the DeLonghi Ec155 and love it. I still only have a blade grinder because the espresso machine was a birthday gift and I haven't saved up the money for a good burr grinder yet, but it still tastes great. It does have a milk frother, but its a bit awkward to use because the stem is so short, so I sometimes just use the AeroLatte milk frother.

I have had it for a few years now and I think it makes great espresso. It has 15 bar pressure, not just pump driven like some of the espresso machines out there. I did mess my first one up by leaving it on milk frothing mode for 2 hours, and fried something. That was a problem with the newer ones and they fixed that issue and sent me a new one for free.

The only problem is finding a correct size tamper. It does have a plastic tamper on the upper right, but I wanted to get a free standing one. I had to settle and get one that is slightly too small.

Sure!

This is the popcorn popper I'm using to roast (not pictured)

This is the Sweet Maria's sampler pack (4 lbs of green coffee for roasting). Mine specifically came with these four coffees:

• Java Kopi Sunda
  
  
• Sumatra Toba Batak Peaberry
  
  
• Ethiopia Sidama Deri Kochoha
  
  
• Colombia "Dos Payasos de Tolima"
  
  Now on to the equipment:
  
  
  Bonavita BV3825ST 1-Liter Stovetop Kettle
  
  American Weigh Black Blade Digital Pocket Scale, 1000 by 0.1 G
  
  Taylor Classic Instant-Read Pocket Thermometer
  
  Chemex Coffee Maker 8 Cup Classic
  
  Chemex Coffee Filters - 100 Chemex Bonded Unbleached Filter Squares FSU-100
  
  Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill Slim Coffee Grinder
  
  
  I also have a bodum french press and an aeropress. The scale is big enough to measure coffee, but not big enough to brew on, so keep that in mind if you are thinking about getting one, but it was pretty cheap and I don't mind pre-measuring the coffee and water rather than doing it while i brew. I also have already had some issues with the thermometer head rotating, throwing off the measurement, but it's not really a huge deal because it's easy to rotate it back and I usually just bring water to a boil and then let it drop 10 degrees regardless of what the temp actually says. Overall, loving all my new goodies!

I've got the same grinder! It's definitely great for the price point. Also, have you considered purchasing a Clever Coffee Dripper? From my experience it takes most of the guesswork out of making a solid and consistent cup of coffee. Best of luck!

College student here!
I personally use a French press in my room with a hot water kettle (I live in a dorm). For my grinder I use a Khaw-Fee HG1B Manual Coffee Grinder with a Blue Horse upgrade kit. As far as beans go, I recommend going around to local rosters and try one bag at a time; the only way to find out what you like is to try as much as you can.
When I have a little extra time I use my Rok Espresso press, which I have found to work great in the dorm. It's easy to use and clean, pulls a decent shot, and is nearly indestructible.

Grinder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01A6CP1HI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517663256&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=khawfee+grinder&dpPl=1&dpID=41-m2sv1nxL&ref=plSrch
Blue Horse Upgrade Kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012HDKKQ6/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Rok Espresso Press: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AV1E0GI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1517663717&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=rok+espresso&dpPl=1&dpID=41J1GlEZmpL&ref=plSrch

(Sorry for like/lack of hyperlinks, I'm on mobile)

> if you want something close to an espresso with crema.

It's not going to make you an espresso, but it'll be darn close for pretty much the cheapest price. I do plan on getting something like a Gaggia Classic some time in the near future. But for starters, the Brikka is definitely better than the traditional drip coffee.

I think the french press would be the obvious choice but, by far my favourite brewer is the clever dripper which also comes in large. It doesn't seem to get a lot of love on this sub compared to other methods, but it's easily the simplest to use and clean, arguably the fastest, and I think makes a better flavour than the aeropress.

I'd recommend the Clever. It is easy to use and like it says, it will make ~18 oz. Make it a little strong and dilute with 2 more oz of water for your 20 oz mug. This sub plugs the Hario mini mill or skerton for hand grinders as well.

/u/phawtnawsty:

To me, the important parts of pourover with manual grinding is more in the experience for the user compared to the exactness of everything.

Get whatever products you feel good about getting, and be sure they fit budget--ya gotta be able to buy coffee to make coffee.

I saw that the hario VKB 1.2 liter was on sale through amazon link

A higher end model is the Bonavita, but that is really just because it comes with an electric, less than exact, heating base. link to amazon

In reality, you can find fanboys of both, and there are benefits to "dialing in" your temperature; however, using a manual grinder, and doing stove top until the water boils is all that is really necessary, and electric heating pads are almost never very accurate.

Eventually, ie 2 years, you'll need to replace the 6 USD v60. I recommend using the 20 USD ceramic amazon.

Similarly, I have heard very few complaints about the Hario Skerton Mills amazon and you can get an official upgrade kit that stabilizes lower burr to produce a more consistent coarse grind amazon link.

A price breakdown would lend itself to the following for this setup:

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
Grinder | Hario Skerton | $39.37 @ Amazon
Kettle | Hario VKB-120HSVV60 Buono Pouring Kettle, 1.2 litre | $33.89 @Amazon Saving 49%
Coffee Dripper | Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper (size 02, white) | $19.46 @ Amazon
Grinder Upgrade | Blue Horse Products Hario Skerton Upgrade Kit | $10.99 @ Amazon
| Total | $103.71


You'd have about a hundred dollars left in budget, so you could buy an encore refurb from Baratza.


I hope my table worked :D
edit: fixed my table

I travel for work too. My set up: Porlex mini + Kalita Wave 185 Stainless + Bonavita Travel Kettle + Lee Valley Precision Pocket Scale. Works well for me and is very portable. I know the porlex mini fits inside the aeropress but the aeropress doesn't save me any space compared to the Wave to be perfectly honest. And I can make a better cup with the Wave than I can with the aeropress.

I bought a $500 espresso machine and it sits unused in a closet. What we're saying is that good home espresso machines are very expensive.

Now, if you want espresso like coffee, you might try a Vietnamese Coffee Maker.

You can try an aeropress, which I don't particularly care for, but makes small, strong coffees.

Now, I've heard good things about the mypressi, but haven't had a chance to try one. This is probably the cheapest decent espresso shot puller you can find.

For a true espresso machine, /r/coffee recommends the Baby Gaggia. I haven't tried this one, either.

I wish I wasn't so late to this conversation, so I'm sure I'm just a repeat comment, but my boyfriend and I have the same problem except (when) I make cold brew in the Toddy he refuses to cut the concentrate with water. Our pitcher will last two days. I don't like Starbucks coffee unless the Kati Kati blend is in season. Freshly ground on the courser side. Mhm.

Anyway, maybe you could entice him with the Toddy and a cool reusable cup? Spend a little up front and commit to a 15 minute weekly prep should help with over all savings.

Side note: I've also seen the infuser bottles (The ones for fruits and tea) work just as well, nightly prep but pretty easy and convenient.

https://www.amazon.com/Toddy-THM-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=toddy+cold+brew&qid=1566996393&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Get yourself a Toddy cold coffee maker and then hit a local grocery store and grind up a pound of their darkest/greasiest beans on the absolute coarsest grind then let that steep in your fridge for a at least 24 hours. Cold brew coffee is bright and the dark beans are the least bitter. The resulting concentrate should last you for a good week. Treat it like a strong liquor and mix a shot or two with some cold milk, ice and maybe some sugar or flavored syrup.

https://smile.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1499652642&sr=8-4&keywords=toddy

Khaw-Fee HG1B from Amazon. It's reasonably priced at about $28 and works well.

https://www.amazon.com/Khaw-Fee-HG1B-Grinder-Conical-Ceramic/dp/B01A6CP1HI/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1518701663&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=khaw-fee&psc=1

If you prefer/require a more coarse grind, you may want to look at this $12 "upgrade". If you prefer a finer grind, like I do for my Aeropress, it's pretty much perfect as is:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Horse-Products-KI-100-Skerton/dp/B012HDKKQ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518701542&sr=8-1&keywords=skerton+upgrade

Edit: Judging from the downvotes, I'm apparently the only one that read that the part where OP stated they are new to coffee. I seriously doubt he/she has developed a taste for coffee than can tell a blindfold taste test dark roast from a medium from a light. So, yeah, a $100-200 custom Bocote wood hand grinder is obviously EXACTLY what OP needs right now...! /sarcasm

Ok. So I found this. Maybe I should save up for an electric grinder for now, but I can get a Kyocera Ceramic coffee hand grinder. Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003S9XF7K/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

I'm thinking this might work for a while in place of a more expensive electric grinder. As long as this one will give me a good, clean cup of coffee.

So, here's a consideration. A Keurig requires less than 10 seconds of effort. Anything else you hear in this sub will require from 4 minutes upward of manual effort or concentration, in order to prep and brew. Do you think he is willing to go through with that just for a cup of coffee, since it's quite new to him? If not, either stick with Keurig, or get into the hobby together and make the coffee together. You'll be the one driving for the first few days I'm sure - so then the question becomes are YOU willing to go through the motions, until he gets into it?

If you are I'd say a porlex mini hand grinder, a stainless steel simple French press, and some nice beans (plus some of those single serving chocolate flavoured creamer) would be a perfect starter kit for beginners. Aeropress and chemex can come later when you actually know how to taste the difference - not being snarky, just realistic :)

Hi,

Awesome present idea. A couple of small points:

• Pick up a cheap electronic kitchen scale. Doesn't have to be fancy, something like this is fine, but if you're using an Aeropress a scale is incredibly useful to get consistency (and follow the various recipes)
  
  
• It might be obvious but no-one's said it yet so I will - don't buy the beans until right before xmas. You want them to be about 2 weeks post-roast when you use them ideally, but anything within a month should be fine.
  

You'd be better off getting a cheap pump driven machine IMO, even with a sub $50 budget - for example, Amazon Warehouse has a used EC155 for $41.99 in "Like New" condition (linked below). It is no Gaggia Classic but it will get you in the ballpark so you don't feel like upgrading 2 weeks after you purchase. If you can get an unpressurized portafilter for it, use fresh roasted beans (beans roasted less than ~15 days before grinding), and ideally grind right before you brew you'll likely be more than happy for the time being - especially if you are making milk based drinks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000F49XXG/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all&qid=1549859440&sr=8-13

​

​

​

Are these not available stateside?

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/B001VPXEBU/ref=dp_change_lang?ie=UTF8&language=en_JP

It's just a Hario pitcher with a nice filter, but it makes pretty darn good iced coffee from cold water. (I'd guess it's lower caffeine as well, which may be a good thing in summer, or not.)

Not sure if it was clear - but I already have the Encore. It's served me well for the last ~2 years. I'm only needing to buy the espresso machine currently. Would it still not be worth it to try for a bit with the encore? My girlfriend's tryin to put me on a budget, so at least if I buy the espresso machine first, and I can't pull good shots from it, I could then convince her I have to buy a new grinder. She drinks and enjoys coffee as well so I'm sure I could make that purchase easily.

edit: how are the incorporated grinders in machines? i.e. Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine While being slightly above budget for new, I wouldn't have to buy a grinder for it potentially.

Honestly depends on priority: time/laziness vs coffee quality.

• Quality: get the Hario Skerton and grind it before you make it.
  
  
• Time / laziness: Getting the local roaster to grind your coffee will give you a better grind, BUT it will go stale over time. Since you're still developing your palate / just upgraded from grocery store (which is all stale), this should be fine for now. I suggest an air tight canister, like this. It won't stop it from going stale, but it'll slow it down. You'll notice the first cups will taste better than the last, but the last cups will still be better than what you were getting from the grocery store. This is how I do. #coffeesnobposer
  
  Edit: If you get the airtight canister, every time you open it, the grinds are exposed to air = goes stale faster. So you'll want to put a couple days to a week's worth in a separate container. Then you're only opening the large canister once or twice a week, vs. every day.

Hmm okay I just want a starter espresso machine I know realistically I won't find one that's the same quality from the coffee shop but definitely want to save money on drinks etc . I am an addict lol. Would this be better?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F49XXG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1452457798&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=delonghi+espresso+machine&dpPl=1&dpID=41RTKD7SAVL&ref=plSrch

It says its semi automatic than 100% automatic

If you are looking for an automatic coffee maker this one seems to get recommended often. I have never used one myself though.

https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1500TS-Carafe-Coffee-Stainless/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1517883812&sr=1-6&keywords=bonavita+coffee+maker

For a grinder this one is recommended often as a basic electric model. If you want to save some money and don't mind a little effort than a hand grinder like the Hario might be a good option.

https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1517884047&sr=1-4&keywords=baratza+encore+grinder

https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B01LXZACFB/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1517884146&sr=1-3&keywords=hario+skerton+pro

Yeah, the skerton is known for having poor performance when trying to grind coarse, but I'm pretty happy with how it performs when doing a finer grind. There's a mod you can get for it, i got this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012HDKKQ6/. I've actually not installed the mod yet, because I'm still trying out the finer ground coffees. Aeropress is my goto coffee method, but I'm still mostly an espresso drinker (I don't use the skerton for espresso, I have a dedicated espresso grinder)

On another note, I'm used to seeing aeropress coffee ground much finer, usually in between drip and espresso. That's what I've always done, so it's interesting to see different methods. I may have to try that some day to compare.

Haha yeah as you can see I've been avoiding a scale for a long time. I only brew for myself, so I haven't cared much about consistency and it's fun that it tastes a little different every time. Would you recommend a scale on a budget? Like would this be good enough?

And I'm really open for any new brewing devices, I just want to try something new and different and I collect gear anyways.

I went with this Kyocera Grinder. It's been pretty good in my experience, although I've only had it for a few months so I don't know how durable it would be. I use it mainly for fine grinds, though it definitely can take a while. It's also been fairly good for coarse grinds, although it can be somewhat inconsistent. But orphan espresso sells a do-it-yourself add-on kit to increase stability if you're willing to go that far.

Stumptown, Coava, and Water Avenue are all award winning roasters out of Portland. A good burr grinder will run you about $120. For my brewer I have been using this powerhouse for the past 5 years. Excellent brewer.

My simple guide for UK beginners.

• Hario Mini Slim grinder
  
• Aeropress
  
• Decent coffee roasters house blend
  
  Don't waste your money buying fancy AA single estate small batch beans because you just won't get the best out of them. You want a reliable and inexpensive blend that doesn't need a chemistry degree and £300 worth of equipment to achieve good results every time.
  
  I would go as far as to recommend new comers just pick up some decent supermarket branded beans to practice your technique and figure out what type of coffees work for you. The when you become more confident with your method feel free to start exploring more luxury beans.
  
  

Well, I just moved for the first time in 7 years... I had been getting coffee at my local shop EVERY morning since they opened over the 4 years ago.

So, I am relatively new to brewing my own coffee-- around 2 weeks actually. I went out and bought the stuff for Father's day.

My setup.

Black & Decker Grinder - Not great, but it really works. I got it at a local store new for $22.

[Chefman Water Kettle] - Fucking amazing and quick - $39.99 same local store.

[Boodum French Press 8cup] - I love this thing - $21 at Target.

Wooden spoon for stirring & hand painted mug.

Wanted to get some feedback on mysetup. Apparently the grinder is not amazing, but it seems to be working just fine for me on the coarser setting.

I use this brewer:
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Iced Coffee Pot/Maker (1000ml, Brown) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I7JKAQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Ri9BybSC24YXV

It's pretty easy to use, just put about 100 grams of coffee in the filter, fill it up with water, stir, and put it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. To make my iced coffee I use a cup of cold brew, a cup of whole milk, and two tablespoons of either chocolate or caramel syrup. I've also mixed honey and caramel, it's pretty awesome.

I’ve never used a bean to cup machine, but Breville makes one that is pretty popular and has good ratings. Plus, it has a steam wand! It’s called the Breville BES879XL (amazon link: Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CH9QWOU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Wph4AbW65HSPC)

I like my Hario Mizudashi a lot. Makes about 1000mL per batch. Really easy and delicious. I do a coarse grind, cold bloom, and 36 hours in the fridge. I've done 12/24 hours batches and they are very good too, I just prefer the 36.

https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Mizudashi-Coffee-Maker-1000ml/dp/B001VPXEBU

Very informative, thanks. Is there a better manual grinder than that Skerton that isn't as expensive as a good automatic, or is that going to be as good as I'd need?

Edit: I just noticed an upgrade kit for it, would I want that too?

Thank you. I started experimenting a couple years ago before school started, thinking I’d be all about the hands-on method because I’m a tea snob and am picky about proper looseleaf tea quality, brewing methods, and temperature. However, I didn’t realize that (for me, at least) making good coffee is way more complicated than making good tea. Now, with the demands of school, I need caffeine more than ever, but have no time to figure it out.

I live in the US, and my max budget is probably $500ish. I already have a Baratza Encore. I would also be interested in automatic regular coffee makers if you have a recommendation (budget $75ish), because a $500 espresso machine would be a Christmas present for me and I’d love to start making coffee again sooner than that. I think I’ve seen this one recommended on here, and might get it if it seems okay: Bonavita 5-Cup One-Touch Coffee Maker Featuring Thermal Carafe, BV1500TS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RVoMDb5R0G098

I got recommended the porlex mini and the porlex JP-30. Both are the same expect for size and use burr grinders. Got the JP-30 and I think its great. Also heard the Hario Skerton and Hario Mini are pretty good.

I have the cheap an inexpensive De'longhi

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395839459&sr=8-2&keywords=delonghi+espresso

You make an excellent point. So I guess its get the coffee that tastes good and mix it with the espresso shot. Thanks for the info :)

Even though I am a pretentious asshole, I'll try not to be one. If you're on a tight budget I would suggest a hand blender like the kyocera http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003S9XF7K?pc_redir=1407223857&robot_redir=1 (I'm on alien blue or else I'd link that shit to words) and if you want to try a press pot, bodum makes great cheap ones http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00008XEWG?pc_redir=1407268458&robot_redir=1. Hope that helps :D

This is the cheapest and best coffee (burr) grinder you can get for your money. By best I mean most consistent grind size, especially at extremely fine espresso settings. The problem with hand grinders is that the time it takes you to grind the beans can affect the flavor.
http://www.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0044ZA066

You could look into a French press (I like bodum but all brands work). I also recommend getting a melitta brewing cone, for the $3-$5 it costs it makes insane coffee for the price. Also if you can, never go with pre ground beans, you can actually get a grinder for pretty cheap on amazon or at the least go to your local coffee shop (non Starbucks) and buy a bag of beans from them and ask them to grind it for you. Hope this helps! Excited for your coffee journey!

It's pretty sturdy glass, but regardless, it's glass and it's relatively tall. I'd wager that unless you guys are playing catch with it, you'll be fine, but if there's many rowdy nights, I'd steer clear of it and get something like a plastic V60 instead.

i have replace my Aeropress for a clever dripper. So much easier to make a full 16 oz in the morning with the large clever. The large clever is $22 on amazon right now, so right about the same price of the Aeropress.

Here's the OE one. There's a link to an installation video on that page too. Basically I had to grind down a socket to fit in the burr and getting the burrs aligned takes a while.

Amazon has an upgrade kit that looks like it might be the same, but I don't know anything about it.

EDIT: I eventually bought a lido 3. If I was going to do it all over I'd just buy the lido to start. If you don't have/don't want to spend the money and are mechanically inclined, skerton + upgrade kit is pretty good bang for your buck.

I think you get the best home results with a pour over, which is just a cone that holds a filter over your cup while you pour water in slowly. You can get the whole setup for about $100. $45-55 for a hand grinder (Porlex or Hario), $20 for the cone (V60), plus V60 filters from Amazon and a kitchen scale that measures in grams. You'll need a kettle with a fine spout too but you don't truly need the special goose neck kettles they sell.

You can find youtube videos of how to do the brewing but basically you use a lot of beans per cup (25g), pre-wet them, then add water slowly in phases up to a full cup (360g).

As for beans, Stumptown is a good bet for premium beans if you're mail ordering.

Making espresso at home is much harder and takes expensive equipment to get right so stick with the shops for awhile.

Not gonna get much kcup or similar love here. They are common for this use but make overpriced weak bad coffee. Have to mention it as it is the mass market solution.

French press is good work kit, but can be messy http://amzn.com/B000KEM4TQ

Aeropress (http://amzn.com/B0047BIWSK) is my work setup.

I used an electric moka pot at work for a while but it was awful loud for a cube, easy though, and moka is somewhere between coffee and espresso. Good conversation piece also. http://amzn.com/B000TDDVL8

Grinder also? Highly recommended to grind right before brew, http://amzn.com/B001804CLY

Good luck!

Hi and welcome. We call this your first step into the rabbit hole. Like Alice, if you decide to go in this is just going to get deeper and deeper.

The two grinders you've linked are both electric and neither are particularly good. Assuming that you want to go with an electric grinder (and I would if you're drinking 5 cups a day) then then Baratza is the least you want to buy. The difference between this and the ones you have mentioned are the burrs - the cutting edges - that are in the machine.

Next, you say you start with a latte. Latte is espresso and steamed/textured milk. You are not going to get espresso anywhere close to your budget but you can get a good moka pot and then a milk frother will get you that drink.

For your coffee through the day then a french press will be fine - they're very simple just relying on a metal mesh screen to keep the used grinds out of the end drink or, if you are just making coffee for yourself one at a time then consider the aeropress.

Automatic machines are more complicated. You have to read very carefully as most on the market do not heat the water properly (they start dripping cold water into the coffee bed and, when they finish, they are putting boiling water and steam into it). Also, most will drip water through the middle of the coffee grounds which means that you get bitter tastes from the coffee that gets most of the water while the rest "under extracts" giving tastes of grass and moss. Unless you are willing to go to something like the Wilfa I would stay with manual coffee makers for now.

Bienvenue a r/coffee et bonne chance.

I have the Hario Mizudashi and I love it! Recipe is pretty simple too, I just add 80g of coffee and brew. Once I remove the filter basket with grounds, I just add water until I hit the black plastic to dilute and it's drinking strength (roughly 1:2 water:concentrate).

The general tradeoff is taste for ease of use, a keurig you'd just pop in a capsule and get mediocre coffee, with some other brew method you'd get better coffee but you would have to work harder. A common starting setup which is quite quick and easy whilst providing a good cup of coffee is an Aeropress, Hario Mini Mill and any decent scale.

I just ordered a Takeya cold brewer. There's also the Hario.

Both are Japanese companies, but they make a submerged cold brew, rather than a drip. Submerged is stronger and more robust, while a cold drip is "brighter" with enhanced flavor clarity.

I love this guy. I accidentally left him on the top of my car, took off and and he flew right off! A few scratches and a bump I undid with a hammer but he's still sexy. Also, these vacuum guys almost work too well. After years of getting used to Newton's Law of Cooling, I'm always surprised when my coffee maintains its temperature.

this airscape is the best product I've seen for keeping beans fresh. I think after two weeks, it's practically impossible to keep your beans as fresh as you' d like, but I've had good luck with these things. It has a vacuum/ pressure seal.

I use a Mizudashi and make cold brew every week, good for those hot mornings/aftys when you want a nice cold coffee. The other option is to brew espresso over ice then add your or water to it. Personally prefer a cold brew as I don't get any comedown from it, and it tastes great!

Generally for a Moka Pot, the Bialetti 6-cup is touted as the standard here. Spotted that there will be a "lightning deal" on it on Amazon tomorrow (in 17 hours). Just dropping the link here so if someone is interested in trying it out, it may be a good time to do so.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000CNY6UK

Hopefully this doesn't clash with bullet #4 as I don't want to make a thread about it. Otherwise, feel free to share Moka recipes.

I have this grinder : Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder and love it, I have had it for about 5 years now and it has worked flawlessly. I recommend this. I do not weigh my beans, I know exactly how much by site, I've been pressing (aero press) my coffee now for 5+ years, it has become routine :)

Buy a Bonavita. They're expensive, sure, but they look like a standard coffee maker and they'll make pour-over standard cups. They're excellent, and they won't intimidate the unitinitaed among you.

http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1408090393&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Bonavita

Another foolproof method you can try is the clever dripper. It's a pretty neat contraption. Will give you "immersion" brewing like a French press or Aeropress.

Cold brew at home is pretty easy to tackle.

There are a number of cold brew contraptions you can buy to ease and simplify the transition between steeping and drinking.

• Filtron
  
• Toddy
  
  Alternatively, if you own a french press, then the results from that are just as good. Throw the grounds in, add water, plunge after X hours.
  
  General steps:
  
  

1. Medium coarse grind of beans - a middle of the road coffee is fine (even a few weeks out), here you don't need your most expensive or freshest free-range cage-free single origin.
   
2. Ratio of water:coffee - experiment here as you do your batches, but 4:1 (by weight) is a decent starting point for a coffee concentrate that you can then dilute with water/milk and syrups as desired.
   
3. Pour measured out water over grounds.
   
4. Stir the mixture a bit to even out the coverage.
   
5. Let the container sit for 12 hours at room temperature. (24 hours if done in the fridge)
   
6. Strain, dilute to taste and serve.
   
   
   
   ---------
   
   Resources:
   
   See the comment from /u/dreamer6 - on how to create the vanilla cream and syrup
   
   Blue Bottle - guide and recipe
   
   Stumptown - guide and recipe
   
   NYTimes - blurb article and recipe

I own a Moka pot and love it, but I'm kinda a noob to the whole coffee thing and don't have a lot experience to compare it to. I can tell you it makes very strong coffee. I mean, I think it would be fair to call it espresso, but probably not the same consistency as an expresso from a machine due to using less pressure.

This is the one I own. The picture can be deceiving as it is pretty small, and this is one of the larger ones they sell. It makes 12oz of expresso which I have found is about enough for 2 cappuccinos or lattes.

I got this one. I'm still relatively new to the specialty coffee scene, but I've been using the clever for about a half a year with much satisfaction. It presents a fuller body while still maintaining the cleanliness of a pour over. I also have a French Press and Chemex, so I can't compare it much to personal experience with a V60 or Wave, but I can say that for $20 you can hardly go wrong. It's an excellent brewer. As for filters, Melitta #4 bleached.

Hario Iced Coffee Maker? You can be happy you don't have to grind 120gr of coffee by hand. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VPXEBU/ref=psdc_367222011_t1_B008R4XMJ2?th=1
Incredible cheap and makes pretty good tasting iced coffee. No need to dilute it afterwards or anything. Only downside: You have to fill it every time you use it, otherwise the immersion filter isn't immersed.

I've been using a french press for my morning coffee and it's very consistent. Easy enough to make 450 or whatever amount. A quality grinder makes a huge difference. I have the Bodum Brazil 8 cup (http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-French-Coffee-34-Ounce/dp/B000KEM4TQ). Only 26.25 on Amazon right now, and you don't have to worry about buying filters.

I still use my chemex on the weekends when I have a little more time. The french press is nice because you pretty much just dump the grinds and the water in the press, wait a few minutes and press. I can set it up and make a quick breakfast at the same time, where as the chemex requires adding more water every minute.

You need a grinder as well, the grinder is more important than your machine. The closest acceptable set-up for your budget IMO would be a Baratza Preciso and a Gaggia Classic (a fantastic machine once you get a Silvia steam wand which is not hard to install at all).

The Silvia is a great machine but it isn't worth almost twice what the Gaggia costs, unless you have lots of money laying around, in which case you should probably still get the Gaggia and just get a nicer grinder.

save more and get honestly you will want to spend the majority on the grinder https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%80%90%E4%B8%A6%E8%A1%8C%E8%BC%B8%E5%85%A5%E3%80%91Breville-BES870XL-%E3%83%90%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF-Express-Espresso-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%BD%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC/dp/B00CH9QWOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510030616&sr=8-1&keywords=breville

https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%87%E3%83%AD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AE-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%BD%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AB%E3%83%97%E3%83%81%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8E%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%BD%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B7%E3%83%B3-EC152J-%E3%83%96%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%C3%97%E3%82%B7%E3%83%AB%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC/dp/B0047C8856/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1510030796&sr=8-8&keywords=delonghi%28%E3%83%87%E3%83%AD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AE spend rest on good grinder

They're both immersion methods, so in that sense they're similar. But the Aeoropress makes a much stronger, more espresso-like beverage because of the pressure of the water through the grounds. So you may want to dilute it with water. I do, because it's too strong for me otherwise. But I don't really like it -- it's more like an Americano -- so the Aeropress isn't my favorite.

A couple months ago I got a Clever Coffee Dripper, and I absolutely love it. It's an immerson method as well, but then at the end there's a drawdown through a Melitta #4 style filter. You get all the body and flavor and smoothness of a French Press, but without the gritty texture. I highly recommend it.

I use a Hario Mizudashi and it's super easy. Pretty much just fill everything to the top and let it brew 16-24 hours.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I7JKAQ0/ref=asc_df_B00I7JKAQ05136004/

The only downside is cold brew requires a higher coffee to water ratio so if you're buying premium coffee already it will cost more.

That's a really great deal. Purchase that and if you're not on a super tight budget grab a grinder like the Baratza Encore or something similar. If you are on a tight budget then grinder wise you could pick up a Hario Skerton for cheap and most people will recommend you this scale as it's very affordable and very accurate. Also has the option to plug into the wall so you're not burning through batteries all the time but I would recommend just picking up a set of rechargeable batteries.

I love the porlex. Grinding 80 grams isn't terrible, I like the burn in my arm! and I really like this thing Hario Mizudashi it looks like they even have a 600ml model. I have the 1000mL and make a pot for the week and just leave it in the fridge.

Look, if you're a beginner, you really can't do better than a french press and basic coffee grinder. The coffee you'll get, while not as good as consistently ground coffee, will still be delicious. I think it's a great place to start and you can eventually graduate up to a higher quality grinder.

I know there will be plenty of differing opinions, but I used a basic coffee grinder with my french press for four years, and the coffee was still excellent.

French Press - Bodum Brazil

Basic Mr. Coffee Grinder

https://www.amazon.ca/THERMOS-Stainless-Travel-Tumbler-Midnight/dp/B002PY7AYS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=thermos+travel+mug&qid=1549632307&sr=8-3

I have three of these. I use one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and there is a spare in case I leave one somewhere or want to share.

They are easy to clean and they keep drinks hot all day. They keep my black coffee so hot I have to leave the lid off for 15 minutes before I go. Well worth the $20.

Can you order from any other places? If so, I'd get a porlex mini and an aeropress. Aeropress produces a clean cup and is super quick to clean up.

Although the best deal would be the Hario Mini Mill, I've heard great things about the Porlex Mini.

Check out Cold Brew. Everyone here will give you their favorite method, but this is what I ended up with.

I bought the Hario, and cannot compliment it enough in the short time I have owned it.

Cheap cheap cheap investment. I spend my money on whole beans, get them ground, and go. I recommend steeping beans with room temp water for 8-12hrs, then remove grounds and chill. I mix 1/3 cup coffee "concentrate" with 2/3 cup water, over ice. This produces a strong, but not bitter black cup for me, reliably.

A pour over set up can be had for quite cheap.

Hario V60 Plastic Coffee Dripper, Size 02, Clear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RBTSMM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WcZ5AbRMPN9JG

Bonavita 1.0L Electric Kettle BV3825B https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0GDA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TeZ5AbY1C3CZG

Hario V60 Paper Coffee Filters, Size 02, 100 Count, Natural https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O0R46I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_yfZ5Ab8GY8NBT

$5.67 + $6.21 + $29.34 = $41.16

I realize you’re using euros so it will be slightly different. And honestly if you got a different kettle you could cut out 10 or more dollars to get you into the ~30 USD range which from what I can tell would be saving you money. Just make sure it’s a gooseneck and keep in mind the fewer times you have to rebuy something the likely less cost efficient it is.

Making coffee outside is the best! I highly recommend the AWS Blade BL-1KG-BLK for your portable coffee kit. I have two and they’ve served me well for weighing beans and making aeropress or pour over while camping and elsewhere.

https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-Digital-BL-1KG-BLK/dp/B0012N1NAA/

While I can't speak to the plastic getting soft, I found that the plastic model usually have other plastic components too.

When I had the Bodum Brazil - and I can't stress enough how much to steer clear of it. The construction of the unit itself was great, but the linchpin was the plastic locking piece that holds the plunger down when pressing. Since the Brazil uses a plastic piece for this, the threads strip out and in about 2 months you can't plunge because the plunger doesn't lock down any longer.

You can see on the Amazon page where the customers post their pictures, two of them show the black piece right above the plunger - that's plastic. (Link)

Otherwise - I completely agree with the Chambord recommendation. Have 2 now (bought 1, other was a gift) and use them as often as I can. After a quick cleaning, they always look brand new.

A French press is going to be cheaper than a Nescafé machine, short term and long term. With a pod machine, you'll be spending lots of money on pods. With a press, you'll be spending a lot less. Cost-wise, a press is a lot cheaper than a pod machine.

Yeah, a press will take longer to prepare than a pod machine, but it makes worlds better coffee if you use good beans.

Would you mind linking which one you have? Or are they all safe bets? I was looking at these two mainly:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SK5IXPQ/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_11?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O9FO1HK/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_12?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Are they like significantly better than other drip coffe machines? Or about the same?

For the best value, get a hand grinder. Electric you are paying for convience and the motor. Hand grinder usually has better quality to warrent the price. I recommend Lido 3 (best but a little expensive, $200), Porlex Mini, or Hario Skerton

https://prima-coffee.com/equipment/orphan-espresso/lido3

https://www.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0044ZA066

https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill-Skerton/dp/B001802PIQ