Better Coffee At Home - Why You Should Drink filter Coffee
We sometimes drink too much bad coffee. We may not be aware of it, and worse, we may be getting too used to it!
This may sound familiar: Gulping down our coffee and wincing through the bitterness has made us accustomed to bad coffee. It has lowered our expectations of coffee, letting us resign to bitterness and astringency instead of natural flavours and comforting notes that leave pleasant experiences.
“Is this torture? Is it really that bad?”, you may ask. It’s all in the name of convenience.
For sure, we live in a fast-paced society where everything is quick. Capsules and super automatic machines have aided us in the pursuit of speed. However, technology is not answering the desire for great flavour as much as we have hoped (Not yet, anyway. We’re seeing crazy new things for capsules from great roasters, but we’ll talk about those another time)
For those of us that are visiting our local coffee shop/cafes for great brews and espresso, it’s great that you’re supporting! But what about stay-at-home days or days where you don’t have the time to head over? What about days where espresso-based coffee isn’t accessible?
Enter the art of brewing filter coffee. It’s making a comeback: Good coffee is more available, easier to execute, and more accessible now than ever before.
Coffee Is Not Just Black
With a myriad of great local roasters to choose from, honestly the typical home brewer is spoiled for choice for tasty coffees to bring home for their daily coffee ritual.
Everything from sweet and silky to fruity and juicy, most roasters have coffees curated to a wide range of coffee drinks
Here are some reasons why you should be thinking about brewing and drinking at home
- You don’t need a machine
Everyone’s first impression or first question when it comes to making coffee at home is “Hey, do you have a machine at home? Do I need one too?”
No.
Brewing good coffee only ever needs 2 things
- Good roasted coffee, preferably from your local roaster
- Good water
- Good Preparation
That’s it. You could even stick them straight into your cup if you wanted to, and let the grounds settle to the bottom. Think of it like cooking: You don’t need the finest equipment, and good ingredients make all the difference
It only requires the most basic gear, and a little bit of participation
- Ease and Convenience
Come on. It’s at home. Why can’t we drink better coffee at home? Brewing devices out there don’t require you to make a mess and heat up a machine just for ONE cup of coffee.
There are so many ways to prepare a cup of coffee, and it’s all down to not just what kind of results you want, but what your life has time for. It can be a part of your morning routine with minimal effort and technique, and it would revolve around the device that you choose
Of course, there’s no best device out there. The question is “What is the best device for me?”
If you enjoy standing there and being fully committed in the brewing process, you may enjoy a pour over style method of brewing like a V60 or Kalita dripper.
But if you’re the kind of person, like me, that likes to throw coffee and water together so I can have it ready without much thought, you might enjoy something like a Clever Dripper or French press that doesn’t require the participation
- Control & Consistency
Brewing it yourself gives you control over the flavour of your coffee. If you’re fed up with your office’s espresso machines messing up the beans you bought from your favourite roaster, maybe it’s time you can consider brewing your own. You get to decide what’s the easiest way for you to brew that gives you the best results!
Consistency is a debatable topic when it comes to manual brewing. A majority of pour-over devices require some technique that isn’t hard to learn after a little practice. If you’d like to eliminate the variable of technique, you can opt to use an immersion device such as the French Press and Clever Dripper that makes brewing extremely simple!
But once you’ve nailed down a recipe that you can use across most coffees, your results won’t be too far off
We’ve developed an easy, consistent V60 recipe that needs minimal practice and works across a lot of coffees! Check it out here
Getting Started
Here’s a list of popular brewing devices out there. They can be found at many shops in town
Pourover Methods
- Needs more technique and participation
- Great for playing with variables and adjusting coffee to taste
- Pretty therapeutic
- V60
Popular cone-shaped dripper. Highlights complexity and acidity, easy to find filter paper everywhere
2. Kalita
Flat bottomed dripper. Great with sweetness, highlights aroma. Personally not a fan, but I respect it
- Origami
Accepts both cone shaped and flat bottomed Kalita filter paper. Offers a lot of flexibility in choosing your brew style
- Drip Machine/Batch Brewer
Okay, you actually don’t have to participate in this. Batch brewers are a nice compromise for a lazy person like me. They don’t give you control over variables, but I’ve found ways to hack it to make great coffee (Stay tuned for guide)
Immersion Methods
- Less technique required
- Not entirely fire-and-forget: Remember to extract and pour out
- Needs a little bit more waiting time
- French Press
The quintessential immersion brewer. Probably what you see very often out there. It’s a no-brainer - add coffee and water, pour out after 4 minutes. Mega consistent
- Clever Dripper
Immersion dripper that uses paper filters for an extra clean cup. Pretty fun to use also
- Aeropress
Probably the most popular one here because there are a ton of ways to brew the aeropress. Right side up, upside down etc. Makes a great travel brewer
Other things to note
Good Coffee is everywhere. Just ask your roaster
Your morning cup is only going to be as good as the roasted coffee you buy. Ask your barista or roaster to help you find a coffee for your preferences
Many roasters have subscription services that send you bags of coffee every 2 weeks or every month, so you don’t have to think about buying your next bag of coffee when you know it’s going to be sent to you. Sign up for one today!
Try to grind your coffee as and when you need it, especially if you’re not drinking that quickly. By grinding fresh, your coffee’s natural flavours can remain
A little effort for maximum results. Enjoy the process
For sure, it needs a little bit more effort. But if it adds to drinking better tasting coffee everyday, why not take 5 minutes to brew yourself a good cup? You know you deserve it