Very few legal things are as addictively pleasurable as a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Here I share the different ways I like to brew mine, and my personal views on them. Before getting to the brewing techniques, let's first cover some of the foundational constituents that can make the difference between a good cup of coffee and a great one.
More than 99% of brewed coffee is water (by volume) and impurities in water can interfere with the sacred flavors.
Tap water is not too hard or chlorinated where I live, so for most brewings I simply use filtered tap water.
However, for my espresso machine I use distilled water, primarily to prevent any internal scale build ups.
The beans aren't gonna grind themselves! My espresso machine (Breville BES870XL) has an integrated burr grinder with adjustable grind size settings.
I also keep a manual coffee grinder (JavaPresse) for when I am away from the espresso machine and it has adjustable grind size settings as well.
High quality beans are a must for that perfect brew. Freshness and roast type are also some aspects to keep in mind. Speaking of freshness, buying whole beans (instead of ground) goes without saying.
My go-to is the Peet's Espresso Forte dark-roasted bean which has a rich, complex, and full-bodied flavor profile, and is also pliant for drip, immersion, and pressure brewings.
How to brew the perfect cup every single time? Consistency is key, and my digital weighing scale is here to help.
It's not everyday that I make specialty coffee, but when I do, I go wild with all the different flavors of syrups.
Sugar-free syrups do trade-off some flavor to cut down calories, but that is definitely acceptable to someone with a desk job.
I prefer my coffee dark and black. But when I fancy a specialty coffee, milk often becomes a part of the flavor profile.
As most coffee pundits recommend, I use whole milk in my specialty coffees.
I also keep a can of powdered dry milk for when I am away from the refrigerator.
When I bought my espresso machine (Breville BES870XL), little did I know about the immensely versatile applications of an espresso shot. In fact, I am still learning about new espresso-based drinks, and a menu of classic espresso recipes hang in my kitchen for reference. It may be atypical, but my espresso shots are most frequently used in making the unpretentious Americano! Pulling espresso shots is a pressure brewing technique, which is great for extracting a wide range of flavors from the ground beans.
Taste Score: 10/10 (Americano)
Amount of Beans: 18 Grams
Drink Size: 12 Oz. (Americano)
Ground Size: #3 on BES870XL
Water Heating Time: ~2 Minutes
Brewing Time: ~30 Seconds
Cleaning Difficulty: Hard
My Espresso Menu
The Machine (Breville BES870XL)
Ground for Espresso (#3)
Caffe Americano
Caffe Latte
Cappuccino
Coffee brewed in a moka pot as Italian as pizza.
Taste Score: 9/10
Amount of Beans: 25 Grams
Drink Size: 2x 10 Oz.
Ground Size: #12 on BES870XL
Water Heating Time: ~2 Minutes
Brewing Time: ~2 Minutes
Cleaning Difficulty: Easy
AeroPress Setup
Ground for AeroPress (#12)
AeroPressed Coffee
Nothing can possibly beat the convenience of single-serve coffee pods, right? Nothing can possibly come close to the taste of my Americano, right? So I thought until I came across the AeroPress coffee maker, designed by Alan Adler. AeroPress is so easy to use and easy to clean, I very seldom use coffee pods now. Yay for the environment, and great tasting coffee on the go! AeroPress is also unique it is in essence a hybrid of drip, immersion, and pressure brewing techniques.
Taste Score: 9/10
Amount of Beans: 10 Grams
Drink Size: 10 Oz.
Ground Size: #12 on BES870XL
Water Heating Time: ~2 Minutes
Brewing Time: ~2 Minutes
Cleaning Difficulty: Easy
AeroPress Setup
Ground for AeroPress (#12)
AeroPressed Coffee
French press coffee is like a middle child, mostly overshadowed by other siblings. However, I do appreciate the French press coffee's quiant flavor profile which is unique to this brewing process. French press is a combination of immersion and pressure brewing techniques.
Taste Score: 7/10
Amount of Beans: 30 Grams
Drink Size: 3x 10 Oz.
Ground Size: #16 on BES870XL
Water Heating Time: ~2 Minutes
Brewing Time: ~4 Minutes
Cleaning Difficulty: Medium
French Press (Bodum 34 Oz.)
Ground for French Press (#16)
French Pressed Coffee
As the name suggests, drip coffee is a drip brewing technique. Obviously.
Taste Score: 7/10
Amount of Beans: 40 Grams
Drink Size: 8x 10 Oz.
Ground Size: #16 on BES870XL
Brewing Time: ~5 Minutes
Cleaning Difficulty: Easy
The Machine (Keurig K-Duo)
Ground for Drip Coffee (#16)
Drip Coffee
I believe we can all agree that single-serve coffee pods are bad for the environment, and they taste mediocre at best. So why do I have single-serve pod brewing on this list?
Because as David Lynch once said, "... even a bad cup of coffee is better than no coffee at all."
Taste Score: 5/10 (Victor Allen)
Drink Size: 10 Oz.
Brewing Time: ~2 Minutes
Cleaning Difficulty: Very Easy
The Machine (Keurig K-Duo)
Ground in the Pod
Single-Serve Coffee