It’s one thing to buy good coffee, but making good coffee at home is a whole different story. That’s why it’s important you understand the ins-and-outs of your coffee appliances. Here we share with you our top coffee appliance tips to ensure you can enjoy quality coffee at home every day.
No matter which appliance you use, it’s important to use freshly roasted coffee that’s been ground just before use, as fresh coffee always tastes better.
AEROPRESS
History of the Aeropress
The AeroPress was invented by Aerobie in 2005. In terms of coffee brewing equipment, it’s relatively new to the speciality coffee game.
The Aeropress uses aerodynamics to brew fantastic coffee. It’s a manually powered three-piece coffee brewing device that allows you to create espresso-like coffee. It’s portable and durable and perfect for the office, travel or even camping.
Making coffee with an AeroPress is easy once you know how. When you’ve finished brewing your cup, you’re left with a rich, clean coffee, void of any coffee ground sediments – perfect for a solo drinker.
What coffee goes with aeropress?
The Aeropress is a brewing device that brews balanced coffee. Because of this, we recommend using with Colombian coffee to enhance the subtle flavours.
How do you brew with AeroPress? Step-by-step
- Measure 30gm of water and bring to a boil.
- Weigh out 15g of coffee depending on how strong you like it. If you don’t have a scale, you’ll want about 2.5 tablespoons.
- Grind coffee to a medium-find grind (you want it to resemble table salt.
- Add a clean and dry filter paper (or metal filter) in the Aeropress cap and secure it firmly to the body. Then, rinse your paper filter with water for 10 seconds
- Turn your Aeropress upside down. The rubber section should be just below “4”. Add your ground coffee to your Aeropress (make sure the plunger is at the bottom). Give the Aeropress a little shake to level off the grounds.
- Add half your hot water. Make sure all the grounds are wet and saturated. Stir the mixture to make sure. Once you’ve stirred a few times, add the remaining water.
- Wait 2 minutes then add the filter and cap to the Aeropress. Make sure it locks into the grooves properly and tightly.
- Put the Aeropress onto the cup and press down slowly (30 seconds should be enough). When you hear a sharp hissing sound, stop pressing.
- Put the Aeropress onto the cup and press down slowly (30 seconds should be enough). When you hear a sharp hissing sound, stop pressing.
- Unscrew the cap, take out the filter.
- Enjoy
What you'll need
- Aeropress
- Boiling Water (250g)
- Aeropress filters
- Coffee grinder
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Coffee cup
- Coffee beans (15g)
- Aeropress stirrer
- Aeropress paddle
How long it takes
From bean to cup
4 Minutes
Aeropress Brew Guide - FAQ
- Make sure your Aeropress is dry before you use it. Otherwise you risk ruining the device’s seal with residual moisture.
- When adding your ground coffee, be sure to not spill any of the coffee grounds into the gutter at the top of the Aeropress
- If the pushing feels too easy, your ground coffee is too course
- If the pushing is too hard, your ground coffee is too fine
- If you press too quickly, you’ll release all the bitterness in your coffee
- To clean your aero press, unscrew the filter, push the filter into the bin and rinse.
FILTER (POUR OVER)
History of the V60 Pour Over
The V60 pour over is a versatile simple machine – great for people just getting into drop brewing. It’s an inverted cone shaped funnel that drops coffee through a filter. It’s a single cup brewing device perfect for solo use.
Where to buy a v60 Pour Over?
link
The best coffee for a v60 pour over...
You can use any coffee with your Hario v60, but we recommend using lightly roasted coffee or washed coffee to highlight the complexity and character within the coffee.
How to make coffee with a V60 Pour Over Step-by-step
- Place your filter in the cone and put the cone on a mug or whatever device you want to drink from
- Pre wet the filter by pouring warm water over it. This will help remove the paper like taste from the filter paper.
- Pour away that hot water and you’re ready to go.
- Pour 18g of coffee into your cone Start your timer
- Pour a third of the water slowly and stir the coffee gently making sure all the grounds are wet and saturated.
- Keep pouring your water slowly.you want to pour slowly in a circular motion so as to not weigh down the coffee. You want to make sure the water is never more than a few mm above the coffee. So pour slowly. Once you’ve added 300ml of water gently stir to ensure coffee against the walls of the filter gets extracted too.
- Enjoy
What you'll need
- Aeropress
- Boiling Water (250g)
- Aeropress filters
- Coffee grinder
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Coffee cup
- Coffee beans (15g)
- Aeropress stirrer
- Aeropress paddle
How long it takes
From bean to cup
4 Minutes
V60 Pour Over Brew Guide - FAQ
- Make sure your Aeropress is dry before you use it. Otherwise you risk ruining the device’s seal with residual moisture.
- When adding your ground coffee, be sure to not spill any of the coffee grounds into the gutter at the top of the Aeropress
- If the pushing feels too easy, your ground coffee is too course
- If the pushing is too hard, your ground coffee is too fine
- If you press too quickly, you’ll release all the bitterness in your coffee
- To clean your aero press, unscrew the filter, push the filter into the bin and rinse.
The chemex is a timeless piece of brewing equipment invented in 1941. It’s made of non-porous borosilicate glass. For those of us who aren’t scientists, what that means is that it doesn’t absorb odors easily and you can clean it easily. Not only is it super easy to use, but it’s appealing on your shelf too.
There are a range of different types of chemex, but most commonly, you’ll find they come in a range of sizes to suit the amount of coffee you’d like to make and all consist of a wooden handle around the neck.
What type of coffee for chemex?
As your Chemex removes the natural oils in coffee, it works well for all roast types - especially dark roasts as it makes them less bitter.
How to make coffee with a Chemex Step-by-step
- Grind your beans to a course sea salt type consistency
- Boil your water
- Get four layers of filter paper. You want to put three layers on one side and 1 layer on the other. Place the filter into the Chemex so that the three layer sections is on the spout side. Make sure it’s not obstructing the spout.
- Fully saturate the filter and then pour away any excess water
- Now add your ground coffee and shake lightly so it’s level. This will give you a much more even pour.
- You’ll want to add a small amount of water (75g) and wait for anywhere between 30-50 seconds. This is your pre infusion. You should notice the coffee expand. This is known as the bloom
- Give it a light swirl during this time to agitate the grounds
- Now pour in the rest of your water (try to avoid the edges.allow the water to drip through the grounds.
- Wait for the entire process to drain. It should take around 4-5 minutes.
- Enjoy
What you'll need
- Chemex
- Boiling Water (250g)
- Chemex filter
- Coffee grinder
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Coffee cup
- Coffee beans (15g)
How long it takes
From bean to cup
4 -6 Minutes
Chemex Brew Guide - FAQ
- To make this coffee in the best way we recommend starting with a whole bean and grinding your coffee just before you brew. This way you’ll keep the natural flavours and aromas within the coffee.
- If you can, use a scale to properly measure how much coffee you’re using as it makes for a more even brew and removes any guesswork.
PLUNGER (FRENCH PRESS)
French press was invented in 1929 and is a low-maintenance and easy-to-use brewing method. When you know how to use it, it offers a really consistent brew. If you buy a big enough plunger, it’s a great brewing device for making multiple cups of heavy-bodied coffee in only 4 minutes.
The best coffee for a French press..
We recommend going for a lighter roasted bean and ideally a course grind to use in a plunger. If your coffee tastes too acidic, try grinding it a little finer.
How to make perfect coffee with a plunger. Step-by-step instructions.
- You’ll ideally want to use 65-70 grams of coffee per 1 litre of water. Be sure to adjust these measurements based on the size of cafetiere you have
- Pre-heat your cafetiere by pouring hot water into it. Then pour this water away
- Grind your coffee beans to a course grind (similar to filter coffee).
- Add your coffee to the plunger, it’s helpful to stir a little to make sure all the grounds are wet.
- Add the lid but don’t press down.
- After 4-5 minutes, slowly press down.
- Once you’ve done that, pour immediately otherwise the coffee will continue to extract and will become bitter.
- Enjoy
What you'll need
- Cafetiere
- Boiling Water (250g)
- Coffee grinder
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Coffee cup
- Coffee beans (15g)
How long it takes
From bean to cup
4-5 Minutes
STOVETOP (MOKA POT)
History of The Moka Pot
A Moka pot is an Italian coffee machine that made its way around the world. They were originally popularised during Mussolini’s reign in Italy. It’s made of metal. Usually aluminium or steel with chambers.
The premise is simple. Add water to the third bottom chamber which heats up and sends steam through a tube into the ground coffee in the upper chamber which forces thick, espresso-style coffee to come out of the top chamber. The beauty of this piece of equipment is you only need two things. You don’t need fancy equipment or even electricity really – it’s ideal if you want to brew right on an open fire while cooking.
The best coffee for a moka pot...
If you want to brew your coffee in a moka pot, we recommend a full-bodied coffee with light acidity.
How to make coffee with a Moka Pot Step-by-step
Grind your coffee beans to a coarse grind. (Think caster sugar). You want to grind enough to fill the filter basket.
2. Use freshly boiled water to fill the pot base just below the level of the pressure valve
Fill the top basket with your coffee grinds and give it a gentle shake or tap so the grinds are even and level. Don’t tamp the coffee when placing it in the filter basket. The coffee will expand while it’s on the stove, so it needs some room to percolate properly
Place the coffee maker on a medium heat on the stovetop
When it’s done you’ll hear a hissing almost gurgling sound. Remove from the stove as soon as the upper part of the pot is filled with coffee
Run the bottom valvular under some cold water to stop it from brewing further (to avoid your coffee going bitter).
What you'll need
- Coffee
- Boiling Water (250g)
- Moka Pot
- Timer
- Grinder
- Coffee cup
- How long it takes
From bean to cup:
5 Minutes
Moka Pot Brew Guide - FAQ
- When the coffee has been brewed, avoid leaving any excess in the Moka pot otherwise it’ll become astringent.
- Grind your coffee just before you want to brew to ensure it’s fresh and full of flavour
- To reduce bitterness in the coffee, use fresh boiling or warm water as this reduces the time the pot is on the heat source.
- If your coffee erupts like a volcano through the nozzle. You have your heat on too high. If it comes out too lethargically, your heat source is too low
ESPRESSO
History of Espresso
There’s one simple truth you need to know which is making espresso in the traditional way is much harder than other brewing methods. But it all falls down to patience, practice and perseverance. Realistically, you’ll need to experiment with your equipment until you find the perfect sweet spot for your espresso. With that said, we’ve outlined the basic beginner steps to give you an idea for how to use this coffee brewing machine.
Specific procedures for using an automatic or manual espresso machine will vary from model to model. However, there are some universal tips that will assist you in getting the most out of your machine:
The best type of coffee for espresso...
We recommend using a dark roast if you want to make great espresso
How to make coffee with an Espresso machine Step-by-step
- Twist the group handle on the espresso machine from right to left until it dislodges from the group head.
- Flush your group head properly with hot water.
- If you want a double shot, you’ll need to grind between 18-21g of coffee.
- Empty the portafilter for any excess residue
- Put your coffee into your group handle. Distribute and level it with a light shake.
- Using a hand tamper, you’ll want to firmly compress your grounds. Place your group handle on a flat surface and apply pressure downwards.
- Position your group handle in the group head and lock it in by twisting from left to right.
- When your espresso is poured, stop the waterflow
- Put your cup under the spout. Once all is in place, start your water flow.
- Clean and descale your machine regularly, at least once a month
What you'll need
- Espresso Machine
- Boiling Water (250g)
- Coffee grinder
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Coffee cup
- Coffee beans (15g)
- Tamper
How long it takes
From bean to cup
4 Minutes
Espresso Brew Guide - FAQ
- Whole bean coffee is always best
- Finer grinds will give you sweeter coffee
- Over extract your coffee and it’ll taste bitter
COLD BREW
Cold brewing doesn’t require any more skill or effort than regular brewing, but it does require quite a bit more time. Here are the simple steps to follow for the best results…
What you will need?
- Grind 90g of beans on a coarse setting.
- Add the grounds into a plunger (in this tutorial we are using a 1 litre plunger).
- Slowly pour 887ml of room temperature water into the French press in circular motions to fully immerse the grounds.
- Use a spoon to stir and push the grounds down as you don’t want them to float at the top.
- Cover with the plunger (or anything else that will cover the top if it doesn’t fit on the shelf) and leave in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
- Press the plunger down, but not all the way as you don’t want to release the bitter flavours.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy.
A vital part of cold brewing is the grind size, here are some tips for achieving the perfect grounds…
Which grind size should I use for cold brew?
If you’re spending 12+ hours making this beautiful cold brew, you need to make sure you’ve got the basics right first. Grind size plays a huge roll in the end result and can either make or break your refreshing concoction.
A coarser grind size is best for a cold brew
Cold brew vs iced coffee taste – are they the same?
In short, no. Iced coffee is brewed with hot water and then cooled down. This means it has pretty similar flavour and characteristics of a normal cup of coffee, but it’s cold and served over ice.
Cold brew is made in a completely different way, so yields completely different results. As I mentioned previously, it has a more subtle and mellow flavour profile.
Iced coffee (depending on the blend you choose) may have a bolder acidity and richer flavour