June 24, 2021
The Basics: What Do You Need To Brew Good Coffee?
Good Coffee
Use good coffee. The simplest way to brew better coffee is to use better coffee beans (given that you'v e landed on our website, we're going to assume that you already have some good coffee bought from us). No matter how you brew your coffee, or what tricks you use, your brewed coffee will only ever taste as good as the coffee beans that you use!
It's great to explore the world of coffee! Find a good roaster and try their different offerings, paying attention to the origins and processes. Figure out your own tastes and preferences and start to intentionally taste your coffee, looking for what you like about each brew and what you dislike. Do you like the citrus and berrys of a light roasted Kenyan coffee or perhaps you prefer the florals and peaches of an Ethiopian? There are the chocolates and nut forward flavours of a natural Brazilian, the tropical pineapple flavours of a natural Honduran or blueberry funk of a Natural African Coffee (obviously, we're painting origins and processes with very broad strokes here). Exploring coffee from good coffee roasters will not only make your coffee better, it will change how you see and experience coffee.
Check out our full range of single origin specialty coffee here.
A Grinder
At this point we sound a bit like a broken record player. The truth is, without a grinder, there is very little you can do to improve your coffee. It is single handedly the most crucial piece of coffee making equipment you'll ever buy.
We feel so strongly about this, that we wrote an entire blog post on the topic. If you want to read more about why a coffee grinder is the most important piece of coffee equipment you'll ever buy, check out the blog post here, but we've also listed some options for you below.
- Beginner Grinder: Hario Mini Slim Plus
- Advanced Grinder: Timemore C2
- The Best Manual Grinder In The World (Probably): Comandante C40MKIII
- Beginner Electric Grinder: Wilfa Classic
- Advanced Electric Grinder: Fellow Ode
- Espresso Grinder: Eureka Classico
Measuring Tools
Measuring is one of the fundamental concepts of good coffee brewing - especially when it comes to brewing high quality, specialty coffee. Sometimes, you just brew a perfect cup of coffee - it's rich, sweet and full of all the complex flavours you were going after! By measuring what you do in each brew, you can take notes and, over time, you will begin to figure out exactly what it is you are doing that makes the coffee so great. Coffee is very subjective, we like different things and we're all after a slightly different flavour profile, but by measuring your variable and taking notes, eventually, you will learn precisely how YOU like to brew YOUR coffee.
When it comes to measuring, you can go pretty far down the rabbit hole, so take this guide with a pinch of salt and decide how far you're willing to go. We recommend using a scale to measure your ratio of coffee to water, a timer to time your brew, a grinder that allows you to adjust grind settings and a kettle / thermometer that allows you to measure the temperature. Check out some of our favourites below.
A Brewer
Lastly, it goes without saying that you need a way to brew your coffee, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you need anything fancy - in fact, we would go as far as saying that the brewer is the LEAST important part. If you use good coffee, a good grinder, and a little bit of technique, you can brew incredible coffee, cowboy style! Having said that, we are all coffee nerds here and we do love playing around with different coffee brewers. Every brew method has something unique to offer, from the delicacy of a pour over to the versatility of an AeroPress and simplicity of a French Press. Listed below are some of the main ways we love to brew coffee and why what makes these brew methods special.
- French Press: Simple. Easy to use. The perfect coffee maker for someone who wants good coffee with no fuss.
- AeroPress: The ultimate beginner coffee brewer. The AeroPress is for someone who wants to learn more about coffee and coffee brewing. It is incredibly versatile, virtually unbreakable, and relatively easy to use.
- Pour Over: Although less versatile than the AeroPress, it is a favourite amongst home brewers for it's ability to highlight complex and delicate flavours in coffee. It's a little more difficult to master than the AeroPress, but well worth the effort.
- Espresso: The ultimate way to brew coffee! For many years, this was only available in cafes, but the world of home espresso has exploded in recent years! Mastering espresso is complex, requires high end equipment but when you get it right it is incredibly rewarding.
Putting It All Together
At the end of the day, it comes down to two simple things: good coffee beans and repeatability. Begin paying attention to what you're drinking and the little details in your brew method and you'll start to notice subtle differences in your brews. Coffee is all about incremental improvements and the power of making small changes is huge - if you manage to do something better by 1% every single day, you will be 37 times better at it after a year! Make small changes, try make your coffee a tiny bit nicer every day... It adds up!
Most of all though, enjoy it. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the time spent brewing your coffee. Enjoy the smells of freshly ground coffee in the morning. Enjoy learning to brew better and to taste better. Enjoy the coffee you love, brewed the way you like it, every day!