My Favorite Coffee Brewers
More coffee nerd-ery to help you get the best cup
This is a follow up on the Substack I put earlier this week detailing the (3) biggest factors affecting the coffee you make at home…
Most people obsess over their brewer and leave little thought for, arguably, the biggest factors that influence your coffee at some. So if you missed that drop, definitely worth going back for some condensed alfa to help you quickly.
I had promised to finish that drop with my favorite brewing methods at home but the Substack ran a little long for all the info packed in so decided to stretch it out and give you a weekend bonus drop. 🙌
Below is a list of my current favorite coffee brewers and why. One important topic discussed below is the idea of water bypass during brewing and how this can alter the flavor of your coffee.
I’ve been deep in the coffee rabbit hole for a long while, and tried a ton of different brewers, so this could save you a lot of time and energy. Feel free to drop your favorite in.
Favorite Consistent Wake-Up ⏰
Made in Japan, Kono drippers have become very popular in coffee nerd circles for a few reasons.
Primarily, the Kono dripper has channel ridges that come up from the base of the cone only partially.
This little detail is pretty important when it comes to brewing a consistently good cup of coffee.
When compared to the very popular Hario V60 (which we will discuss below) you’ll notice the V60 has channels that come from the base to the top.
By having ridges that only come up partially, the filter with coffee grounds and dripper can form an airtight seal which means that the water you pour over has to go through the coffee before passing through the dripper.
With the Hario, the channels running from base to top can allow “bypass”, which means water that can along the wall of the cone by the channels without coming into contact with your coffee.
I just remembered that one of my fave coffee guys made a video on this years ago so instead of me writing more… check this video out (Lance is a complete coffee autist and I’ve learned a lot over the years from his work.)
As you can see, this is why the Kono dripper is my go to first thing in the mornings and allows me to spread out my caffeine intake (if I want to)
Favorite Thoughtful Brew 🧘♂️
You may be saying, how can you recommend the Hario V60 when you just mentioned bypass issues.
Because sometimes (as Lance said in video) a little bypass can actually bloom and accentuate more flavor aromatics and acidity… as long as your pouring technique is correct.
In fact, when I’m cupping Octopod Premium coffees to choose for the next month release, I use the Hario V60 first.
It’s my go to when I want to really sit down and be able to experience all facets that the coffee brings to the table.
Why not Chemex?
I see single ppl brewing Chemex, posting pics and wondering…. why?
A chemex is made for 3-4 people so if you’re making coffee for 3-4 ppl it’s great… however for single servings the vessel is far too large so your coffee will cool very quickly and you’re wasting larger filters unnecessarily.
Great for groups, frivolous for single pour overs
Favorite Nerd Brew
This brewer has been a ton of fun and I absolutely love it.
The Tricolate brewer is a flat bottomed cylinder with a diffuser top. The flat bottom and straight cylinder walls mean there is zero water bypass which means you can max out coffee extraction.
The makers also made a diffuser top so you can just pour your water in the top and it will disperse the water evenly for you so you don’t have to putz around with making small circles with a gooseneck kettle like on other pour overs.
This is definitely for the nerds… it’s a higher price point but if you want to learn more and experiment with coffee this is the ticket. Hint: the more you manipulate the grind the size of your coffee, you can immediately taste the difference in extractions.
For full info check the designer website for a full walkthrough of the brewer
Favorite Caffeine Jolt ⚡️
Cold Brew
This method of making delicious coffee is the most “hands off”. Room temp/cool water is poured over coffee grounds then left for 18-24 hours in your fridge to extract.
The result is a smooth, round, intensely aromatic and low acid coffee that is high in caffeine.
These are all results from steeping the coffee slow, gradually and with no heat.
Before you say “I’ll just go thru the StarYucks drive-thru…” Stop 🛑
I promise what you make at home will blow the StarYucks and BRCC crap out of the water… as long as you use great beans. I know you wouldn’t be using mediocre coffee at home by this time 😉
There’s a ton of different cold brewer options out there now and the original is still the best.
If you’re an occasional cold brew drinks consider the Toddy Small Batch , it’s small and compact and easy to store for occasional use. If you drink a lot of cold brew (esp in the Summer, like me 😉 ) get the Original Brewer. I get about 5-7 days of cold brew per batch. It’s great to have on hand.
Note: The Original pictured on right is not stored that way; that is showing the straining process which only takes a few mins. The white hopper goes in fridge for brewing, then the coffee is strained into the decanter and the decanter (which has a lid) is then stored in the fridge with the coffee concentrate.
One more point to note. The recipes I use (and Toddy includes in the packaging) make a cold brew concentrate that is meant to be diluted with water or milk/cream if that’s your jam. So you can expect 50-100% greater volume than what you are brewing.
These are my favorite brewing methods currently and I hope you give them a try
Drop any coffee questions below
I've been big into coffee about 8 years. Currently have an Ode Gen 2 w/ SSP and brew single origin light roasts with v60's (sometimes mess with the Stagg brewer as well). Curious if you have a good consistent recipe/technique for ~30g doses. I use the Hoffmann technique but find it's not consistent. His 15g dose recipe is great but I typically like to brew once a day not twice.