So I have drank coffee on and off since I was a teenager, and I recently took probably a 2 year break from it. When I was drinking coffee, it was usually because they had a pod system at work, and it was an excuse to get up from my desk and take a break. With that said, I have been watching this Netflix show Resident Alien recently, and there is a lot of coffee drinking in it, and I started craving a hot cup. On my way home from dropping my daughter off at daycare, I stopped at the local gas station\market and got a cup and was like “Man, I miss coffee, and this coffee is pretty terrible.”
So this got me thinking that I want to get back into morning coffee tradition, but I no longer work in an office, I work from home. I don’t want to go pod system because they are wasteful, weak, and a pain in the but to clean\maintain. My wife doesn’t drink coffee, so I don’t need to make a whole pot. So I was thinking of going French press, as that seems to be suggested in a lot of places for single-serve.
Do you folks have a suggestion on French press brands? I know it’s a pretty simple mechanism, but I’m not against spending a couple extra bucks to get something that will enhance my coffee making\drinking experience. Additionally, I am looking for something that will filter out as many grounds as possible. Are you guys for\against paper filters? Should I get a metal one? Do I need one of those things that goes on top of my mug to hold the filter? Where do I start?
I know coffee can get really mad scientist really quick, and I’m not trying to go that route (yet). My brother-in-law has one of those electric kettles that gets to an exact temperature, and he grinds his own beans and weights them, and does the whole swirly pour to get “the perfect cup” and while that seems cool, I am not ready to take it to that level.
So what is your suggestion on “starter builds”?
Also, what about beans? Do I grind my own? Do I start with store bought stuff (I always liked Cafe Bustelo)?
Any and all advice is welcome.
Edit: I also forgot to add - I have read about cold brewing being really smooth. How do I cold brew and heat it back up? Do people do that? Would love to hear more about it.
Edit2: Oh man, this community is awesome! I didn’t expect so many great responses. Pulling the trigger on an Aeropress after reading all the comments here and watching some James Hoffman videos about it. It definitely looks like the right fit for me. I’m not going to get a grinder quite yet, as I feel like I am just beginning my journey and I don’t want to go balls to the wall right out the gate. There is a coffee shop right down the street from me that sells\grinds beans, so that sounds like the best bet for trying different things.
Sxan mentioned the Toddy’s kit, and that also has my interest. Maybe that’s next after a grinder. I have a feeling I am about to go down an expensive caffeine fueled rabbit hole. Wish me luck. I will report back.
There’s been a lot of suggestions for an Aeropress, and I don’t want to retread any ground, but that’s a good suggestion. Since you said you didn’t want to rule out pour over though, I might recommend the Hario Switch, so that you can experiment with both immersion and percolation brews in just one brewer. It functions similarly to the Clever Dripper that someone else recommended, but since it’s the same shape as a V60 it has the added benefit of being able to leave the switch open and brew a standard V60.
On cold brew: I don’t recommend making it and reheating it, but some people do. At best, I would make a super concentrated cold brew (maybe 1:4 or more if I could really push it), and add hot water up to the final volume to get a hot beverage. Reheating coffee leads to it losing a lot of its volatile organic compounds that contribute to the interesting tastes and smells that you get from coffee. Cold brew is suitable for “meal prepping” your coffee though if you don’t want to make time in the morning. If you’re at all interested cold brew, I would even more strongly recommend either the Clever Dripper or Hario Switch. You can use them to filter your cold brew after it’s done steeping, which would be much more tedious in an Aeropress.