On my birthday back in October, my wife bought me the Marco Arment coffee setup.
I have never been a coffee drinker before that, but all the coffee talk on numerous 5by5 podcasts got me interested in coffee culture and all the tools / toys associated with making good coffee at home.
Two and a half months in, I now wake up 15 minutes early to make sure I get my cup of coffee before leaving for work. My current system is as follows:
- Beans: I have experimented with beans from Tonx, but have found their coffee to be a bit too lightly-roasted. So far, my favorite beans have been from Aroma.
- Grinder: Virtuoso Conical Burr Mill - as per Marco's recommendation.
- Scale: Hario V60 scale, which has a built-in timer that allows me to time more conveniently.
- Kettle: Bonavita Digital Gooseneck Kettle, which allows precise control over how hot the water is for optimal brewing.
I have found that I do not like drip coffee, because by the time the coffee is ready for consumption, the temperature has cooled and the acidity level has already risen. The way I make my coffee is with an Aeropress, as follows:
- Heat water to 203F
- Place filter into Aeropress cap and soak with hot water for 30 seconds
- Weigh 12g of coffee beans and grind to medium fineness (setting 12 on the Virtuoso)
- Pour ground coffee into inverted Aeropress
- Place Aeropress (with the ground beans in it) onto scale and tare
- Start timer and simultaneous begin pouring in 100g of hot water
- Stir - the timer should read 20 to 25 seconds post stirring
- Pour in an additional 110g of hot water (total 210g) - the timer should read 40 to 45 seconds at this point
- Begin pressing when timer hits 1 minute; when done, the timer should read 1 minute and 25 to 30 seconds
- Stir coffee with spoon briefly
(My brew method is a modified version of the winning recipe of the Northwest Regional Aeropress Championship.)
As much as I enjoy the coffee, I have found the above ritual to be very therapeutic and relaxing - a great way to start a day!