TLDR: Try your local specialty coffee shop or roaster. If you enjoy their coffee (which you will), consider buying an inexpensive grinder, manual brewing system, kettle and scale to try out home brewing.

Introduction

I love coffee! For those brand new to the coffee world, it can seem overwhelming with all of the different gear, types of coffee, roasters, techniques, etc. etc… I knew next to nothing about coffee just a few years ago so I will share what I have learned from the ground up. There are a lot of great resources online, in books and through local coffee shops and I will try to relay what I have learned from many of these sources. Note: This guide is intended to delve into the world of manual coffee and not into the world of espresso which is a HUGE world in itself.

Coffee is reaching a wine snob status because people are understanding better how to change the variables of growing, processing, roasting and brewing to produce different flavors. When you read a bag of coffee beans that has a “flavor profile” listed, just know that those flavors are not added and are just accentuated by the techniques used by the farmer, roaster and barista. Before learning more about coffee, I assumed they added artificial flavors or something to make the coffee beans taste differently. Different areas of the world have different flavors similar to how wines from certain areas have a specific flavor.

Note on Pretentiousness

If you go to a coffee shop or talk to people who are pretentious about their coffee, just feel bad for them. I hate that attitude so much and it amazes me how it continues to perpetuate in coffee shops. I remember ordering my first pour over coffee at a local shop and getting a sideways glance from the barista. “Which kind?” she said. I had no idea there were different types of coffee at that time and I didn’t really understand what she was asking. It was obvious I had no idea because I just looked down at the menu, pointed and said “I’ll have the Kenyan please”. She rolled her eyes and started to make it. My wife then tried to order a vanilla latte and they said “we don’t put any flavors in our espresso as it ruins the flavor”. Needless to say, we never went back there and avoid places that treat people in a similar way. (For the record, this place is no longer open) I could continue to rant about this but just know that most “coffee people” are like me and just enjoy talking, reading and writing about a great hobby that keeps getting better.

Beans: What beans should you use?

Coffee beans are actually the seeds from the coffee plant’s fruit called a cherry. Beans come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The color is generally dictated by the roast as the roast takes the green coffee to its finished color. Interestingly, the sheen on some dark roast coffee is not from an additive but just the shell of the bean breaking down and coating the bean. Anyways, the important thing to know about beans is that beans come from all over the world and each area/elevation/subspecies has a different flavor. It will take some experimentation to find the beans that you will enjoy the most. The best place to start is to find a local roaster who is willing to talk about the different bean options with you. However, you could just go and buy a random bag or order a pour over from the barista to try it out. Another option is to try out a coffee subscription. My wife bought me a coffee club subscription from Atlas Coffee Club which has been a lot of fun. I receive a bag a month with a detailed description of where the coffee came from and a few pictures. It has really furthered my understanding of coffee and makes me appreciate how far the coffee travels before being consumed!

Gear: Which gear is best to start out with?

If you decided you want to brew manual coffee at home, then you will need some gear! The gear that you use is important but remember nothing can replace good beans. If you start with bad beans, $50k worth of equipment can’t make it taste that much better! To start, I recommend budgeting around ~$100-150 for your initial coffee investment. The most important piece of gear when starting out is a grinder. Grinding your coffee fresh will make a huge difference in the flavor of your coffee!

Beginner Recommendation (Prices are approximate):

The easiest brewing method that yields the best results (in my opinion) is the Aeropress.

Here is a barebones setup for an Aeropress:

~$30 Aerobie Aeropress (Replacement Filters: Metal Filter or Paper Filter ) ~$24 JavaPresse Manual Grinder (nicer beginner grinder would be ~$40 Hario Skerton)

~$54 to start your coffee journey!

Optional but recommended for AeroPress: ~$20 Gooseneck Kettle (nicer beginner kettle that is electric would be ~$60 Bonavita Electric Gooseneck Kettle) ~$20 Scale ~$10 Thermometer

~$104 for a complete Aeropress set-up or ~$144 for an electric kettle Aeropress set-up (you will not need the thermometer with the electric kettle)

If you want to try out Pour Over coffee instead of Aeropress, you will definitely need to purchase a Gooseneck Kettle and a Scale (see above). There are several different types of Pour Over systems. I would recommend starting with a $20 Clever Dripper and then potentially going to the Kalita Wave from there. However, my favorite Pour Over methods are the ~$20 V60 (~$6 Paper Filters and $50 Chemex 6 Cup (~$20 Paper Filters).

If you purchased the complete Aeropress set-up, you would only need to spend an additional ~$20-70 to complete an Aeropress and Pour over set-up! These two set-ups really are all that you need to experience a range of coffees but you may want to consider investing in a nicer grinder if you want to continue with making your own coffee.

Higher End Setup:

Baratza Virtuoso for Automatic Grinding or Helor 101 for Hand Grinding (another option would be a Kinu M47 ) Acaia Scale (fancy scale that has some additional features that are integrated with an app) Fellow Stagg EKG+ Gooseneck Kettle (fancy electric kettle that can be started remotely using an app) Third Wave Water (adds additional minerals to water that accentuate the flavor of coffee) Kruve Coffee Sieve (allows you to hone in on the exact size of the beans for an even coffee extraction)

With the high end equipment listed above, you can basically do any manual coffee method you desire!

Techniques: How do I actually brew the coffee?

The techniques for brewing your coffee will vary depending on the gear that you have. Each variation of pour over coffee will have multiple techniques by different coffee experts. Some of the techniques are more “forgiving” than others while others take a bit more practice. I have created a visualization that goes through the different techniques that I have tested and I will list a few here as a starting point. I think it is important to stick with one method for a while until you feel comfortable with it. Then from there adjust things like your grind size or water temperature.