Recommendations for a beginner
I am a complete noob at coffee making. Which device should I get? I keep reading about stuff like French Press, Aeropress, etc but idk which is good and easy to use for a beginner. If it helps, until now I have only drunk instant coffee (with either milk or sugar or both). Thanks in advance!
Edit: Thanks a lot for all the replies guys!
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Aeropress, a grinder, good coffee roasted 3 days, and a way to make water hot.
The aeropress is a little more expensive then some cheaper French presses I’ve seen BUT the Awropress is way WAY more versatile and makes a better cup imho. Also the aeropress is more forgiving for a cheaper grinder then some other devices like a v60. The French press is forgiving as well but the coffee comes out sometimes with some fines and sludginess to it the paper filter with the aeropress makes a very clean cup meaning you don’t get any fines.
If you read “body” when referring to coffee that refers to a thickness, less body is more juicy/watery. The French press keeps more of those thicker body oils but that makes a cup that can sometimes but a lot for folks.
Thanks! I'll keep this in mind :)
Also does manual/electric grinder matter?
Manual grinders will generally be better for the price.
Okay. Thanks! :)
No BUT manual grinders price for price will have better burrs. The only thing I suggest is not to buy a blade grinder. In coffee one key is consistency. Blade grinders (the type that sometimes you see doing dual purpose as a spice grinder or a coffee grinder) and while aeropress and French press can be more forgiving on inconsistency in grind if you ever get into anything like pour over it will create a pain point where getting consistent enough grinds will be a problem.
Think of it like this:you weigh your bean to the gram your water to the gram and you get the temp to a certain degree. A blade grinder will get you crushed up coffee beans but will not give the exact some size of those crushed parts. More expense spent on grinder will give you better consistency in that regard.
Now if you spend let’s just say 50 bucks on a burr grinder that’s manual more money is spent on the bits crushing your coffee and none spent on the motor spinning those bits.
I spent two years with a 100 dollar electric burr grinder I found at Best Buy on sale (I worked there) for 60 bucks and for aeropress, French press, and pour over it worked fine. There was times where if I was doing a v60 it would slow and stall for a bit but it was normally towards the end of the brew. If you ever up your game to espresso a grinder like that isn’t gonna cut it. The general rule of thumb is if you are kitting yourself out and your hard cap is 300 bucks I’d look at 100-150 for a grinder. I’d check for used Baratza Encores. A new model called the Encore ESP came out so depending on your area if people upgraded may be selling a good one for cheap. Also check YouTube. Kyle Roswell and James Hoffman have good grinder reviews and they range their prices.
If you are looking sub 75 bucks for a grinder I’d go hand grinder unless you can nab a discount or if you are brewing for more then one or two people
Thanks a lot :) I'll check out the youtubers as well before making a purchase