What's the best way to brew coffee?

What's the best way to brew coffee?

by Donald
(Abbotsford, BC, Canada)

QUESTION:

There seem to be so many different ways to brew coffee. Is there a best way? Does it matter what kind of brewer I use?

ANSWER:

The best way to brew coffee? That's a pretty big question! : )

It all depends on your interpretation of "best". Best as in getting the very finest flavor? Best as in fastest? Best as in the most convenient?

If you want to know how to get the best flavor from your coffee, here are my suggestions.

1. Try a French Press or press pot. This is a very simple method of making coffee.

Learn more on our French Press page...

2. Try a vacuum coffee maker. These are beautiful to look at, in addition to having a well deserved reputation for making wonderful coffee.

Learn more on our vacuum coffee makers page...

3. Try the AeroPress coffee maker. This is a rather weird looking brewer. The taste of the coffee it brews is getting rave reviews. In fact, we have one on order right now and can't wait to try it.

Once we have tried it we'll write a review. In the meantime, you can learn a little more and get your own through Amazon here...

As you may have noticed, these are all very simple brewers. And that seems to be a key to finding the best way to brew coffee. Keep it simple...and enjoy.

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What's the best way to brew coffee?

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Jun 07, 2008

Take a tip from someone who has tried them all.
by: Mark Paul

My parents loved to drink coffee......any coffee. Being scottish and financially strapped, my mother would by the cheapest brand and thow it into a percolater and ferment the toxic brew for hours.

When I was in college I drank tea and as a young adult I drank tea. While in Montreal I went into a Van Houte shop and smelled the intoxicating aroma of there coffee and with a bit of arm turning from my wife I bought a Coffee Latte which was served in a bowl with a handle. (To show you my skills in French, I thought Coffee Latte mean't: "A lot of coffee" since it was in such a big cup.) I loved it. This was flavorfull, strong, but not bitter. I soon wanted to drink coffee when I got back home. So I took a cup from the old percolator I made from my wife and suddenly I was brought back to my youth and the dark liquid which was for external use only that my parents made. I began a jounery which involved the purchase of every coffee gizmo known to mankind. (My father said you could sell me a bucket of sand on the beach) I have vacuum pots, french presses, auto drip machines, percolators, cold brew devices and some long copper pot from Turkey I bought at a tag sale. Keurig and Senseo machines and an old cast iron cowboy pot. So what is my opinion on the best way to brew?

Get a cheap Melitta manual drip pot or a chemex pot and use the manual drip method. Keep it in a thermos if you are going to drink it right away. I do have a Keurig machine and I often use it on mornings when I am in a hurry, if you also need to make a cup on the go you could look into this. But, if you are going to take the time to buy freshly roasted beans, grind them and savor them, look at a page on using a manual drip cone.
Save yourself from creating a coffee brewing museum in your kitchen.

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Jun 07, 2008
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Submitted by: Mark Paul

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My parents loved to drink coffee......any coffee. Being scottish and financially strapped, my mother would by the cheapest brand and thow it into a percolater and ferment the toxic brew for hours. When I was in college I drank tea and as a young adult I drank tea. While in Montreal I went into a Van Houte shop and smelled the intoxicating aroma of there coffee and with a bit of arm turning from my wife I bought a Coffee Latte which was served in a bowl with a handle. (To show you my skills in French, I thought Coffee Latte mean't: "A lot of coffee" since it was in such a big cup.) I loved it. This was flavorfull, strong, but not bitter. I soon wanted to drink coffee when I got back home. So I took a cup from the old percolator I made from my wife and suddenly I was brought back to my youth and the dark liquid which was for external use only that my parents made. I began a jounery which involved the purchase of every coffee gizmo known to mankind. (My father said you could sell me a bucket of sand on the beach) I have vacuum pots, french presses, auto drip machines, percolators, cold brew devices and some long copper pot from Turkey I bought at a tag sale. Keurig and Senseo machines and an old cast iron cowboy pot. So what is my opinion on the best way to brew? Get a cheap Melitta manual drip pot or a chemex pot and use the manual drip method. Keep it in a thermos if you are going to drink it right away. I do have a Keurig machine and I often use it on mornings when I am in a hurry, if you also need to make a cup on the go you could look into this. But, if you are going to take the time to buy freshly roasted beans, grind them and savor them, look at a page on using a manual drip cone. Save yourself from creating a coffee brewing museum in your kitchen.

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Jun 08, 2008

Mark - Thanks for the great feedback.
by: Nick (The Coffee Detective)

Mark, hi

Thanks for the great feedback! Seems like you have pretty much the same views on coffee making as we do.

Like you, we have a ton of coffee makers, including the super-convenient Keurig. But when it comes down to getting the best taste from coffee, we have always recommended the humble manual drip coffee cone, like you. (We have a page devoted to the manual drip coffee cone here.)

Just one thing. Mark, you need to try one more coffee maker...the AeroPress. It's a really, simple and slightly weird manual brewer. A bit like a syringe for an elephant! It has the simplicity of the drip cone, but offers a couple of advantages.

One, it makes it easier to immerse all the coffee grinds in hot water and stir them.

Two, you apply pressure with the "syringe". And that means you can make an espresso-like brew.

We haven't written a review of the AeroPress yet, but you can see a photo of it here.

Here's the amazing part...we have NEVER tasted coffee that's better than what we make with our AeroPress.

Mark, one last thing...if you have photos of your cowboy and your Turkish brewers, it would be great if you could upload them to our photos page.

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Jun 08, 2008
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Submitted by: Nick (The Coffee Detective)

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Mark, hi Thanks for the great feedback! Seems like you have pretty much the same views on coffee making as we do. Like you, we have a ton of coffee makers, including the super-convenient Keurig. But when it comes down to getting the best taste from coffee, we have always recommended the humble manual drip coffee cone, like you. (We have a page devoted to the <a href="http://www.coffeedetective.com/one-cup-coffee-maker.html"> manual drip coffee cone here</a>.) Just one thing. Mark, you need to try one more coffee maker...the AeroPress. It's a really, simple and slightly weird manual brewer. A bit like a syringe for an elephant! It has the simplicity of the drip cone, but offers a couple of advantages. One, it makes it easier to immerse all the coffee grinds in hot water and stir them. Two, you apply pressure with the "syringe". And that means you can make an espresso-like brew. We haven't written a review of the AeroPress yet, but you can see a <a href="http://www.coffeedetective.com/our-new-aeropress-coffee-and-espresso-maker.html"> photo of it here</a>. Here's the amazing part...we have NEVER tasted coffee that's better than what we make with our AeroPress. Mark, one last thing...if you have photos of your cowboy and your Turkish brewers, it would be great if you could upload them to our <a href="http://www.coffeedetective.com/coffee-photos.html">photos page</a>.

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