Better Your Brew Series || Volume 1 Ch. 1 of 3 || Getting Started: Must Have Gear

Welcome to Volume 1, Chapter 1 of a series of articles focusing on everything you need to know to brew better. I honestly have no idea how many volumes this series will end up being—every time I think I’ve covered it all, some new idea sneaks into my brain. So, we’ll just take it one cup at a time and see where it goes. For now, let’s dive into our first big topic: coffee gear.

There’s a ton of equipment out there—some of it essential, some of it just nice to have, and some that’s... let’s just say, a bit over the top. This volume is all about helping you make sense of it all. I’ll be sorting through the tools, gadgets, and accessories that constantly show up in our feeds, forums, and coffee shop chats, so you can figure out what’s actually worth your time (and money).

To make it more digestible, I’m splitting this volume into three chapters:

• Chapter 1 is for beginners—what you truly need to get started brewing good coffee at home.

• Chapter 2 covers the gear that helps you level up your skills and join the ranks of true coffee enthusiasts.

• Chapter 3 dives into the ultra-nerdy stuff—gear you probably don’t need, but might want if you’re curious, creative, or just really into experiments.

  
  

I’ll keep the language simple and approachable in the beginning, especially for those just getting started. Things might get a little more technical later on, but don’t worry—I’ll guide you through it.

GETTING STARTED || Chapter 1. Must Have Gear

There is definitely some gear you need when starting from scratch, and then you build from there. This section outlines what you need to start brewing specialty coffee, and what to prioritize, with each thing mentioned in the order of significance.

Coffee

Yeah I know, this isn't gear. But I'm still going to put it here for the beginner. There are a million articles on what specialty coffee is and where to find it, including on this site. So I will simply state, you need good beans to start with or no amount of gear will give you good coffee. PS "good" = what you like. Well, unless you have a coffee nerd like me try it, and then we will judge you so hard. I'm kidding, a little, it really is about you because you are drinking it. You can look at some roasters (coffee) that I personally recommend here if you want somewhere to start. But to start right now, I wouldn't look for specialty coffee at the grocery store or Amazon. Specialty coffee should have the date roasted on the bag at a minimum. Not best by, this really means nothing with no reference to when the coffee was roasted. You need to know when it was roasted because that starts the timer, and at a certain point it is not so "special" coffee any longer. You can dive deeper into coffee freshness here when you are ready, but for now, look for coffee that is whole bean and says when it was roasted. Before we move on, I just want to say that specialty coffee is more than just drinking better coffee, it is also about sustainability, fair pay, and fair treatment of everyone involved in the process. So buying form small, local, or specialty roasters helps to support this movement and move away from the commercialized coffee industry. You are doing more than just buying a better product, you are joining us in a movement to improve humanity.

Brewing Device

So this could just simply be an espresso machine if you go that route, or even a drip machine or one of the newer brewing machines that are meant to mimic pour over style for specialty coffee (Fellow Aiden, XBloom, Ratio 8, etc). It could also be an AeroPress, French Press, or numerous other brew styles. But for the sake of this section, we will need a pour over brewing device. I discuss a limited handful of them in this post, but there are endless to choose from, seriously, two more just released while I was writing this blog. Anyways, find yourself a brewer, and buy it. At this point in time, I suggest you consider the Hario Switch ($40), and maybe grab a flat bottom brewer as well; personally I like the Orea V3 or V4 ($45+).

I suggest the Hario Switch because it can be used as a regular V60 conical brewer, a full immersion brewer, or a hybrid. This means you can focus on acidity and getting tea like bodied coffee as a V60, focus on a bold, round, and sweet cup with the immersion setting, or get the best of both by using it as a hybrid. The traditional conical brewer can be difficult and very unforgiving for those new to pour over, but by having the option to use immersion during the brew it can be much more forgiving as you learn. I recommend the Orea, mainly the Orea V4, because it is an easy to use flat bottom brewer, which can be easier to repeat coffee you love compared to a a conical. The Orea V4 has the bonus of having four interchangeable bottoms, which completely changes the flow and flavor potential. But for an easier start, just grab the V3 if you want.

Grinder

You need a decent grinder or you will not get decent coffee. This is not a Mr. Coffee blade grinder. Those will bash the beans into a million different sizes, and each particle you just got from obliterating your beans will give you too sour or too dry. Water extracts form the coffee particle, it is a solvent. So if you have large pieces it will struggle and under extract the coffee. This tends to be watery and sour in the cup. For the small pieces, the water will over extract and this tends to taste bitter and dry (astringent) in the cup. So you want a particle sizes that is relatively close in size (uniform). So if you are brand new to this, you will cement this new knowledge into your brain; you must get a burr grinder. You will see conical and flat burr grinders, both work just as well. When you get deep enough, you will be able to tell the difference between flat burrs, conical burrs, and even based on the size and material of the burrs. For now, get a steel burr grinder (avoid ceramic burrs).

For your first grinder I recommend a hand grinder, especially if you plan to do pour over and not espresso. I say this because you can get a hand grinder for $75-$150 that will grind as well as a $500 electric grinder. But if you want to do espresso, be aware that you have to grind much finer than most other brew methods, so you can get tired if you drink more than a couple a day or at a time. Also, ask around because if you want a hand grinder only for one brew method or if you want one for multiple, this will change what grinders you consider. For a hand grinder, I personally recommend a Timemore Chestnut C3 ($75) for the lower end, a 1Zpresso K-Ultra for middle range ($250), or a Commandante C40 for top end ($275+). I personally use a 1Zpresso ZP6 Special, because I like the clarity it gives me. It really focuses in and targets a clear flavor. But I wouldn't recommend it for starting out.

If you are saying "hell no..." when you see me say hand grinder, then do not fret. I wouldn't leave you without electric options. For electric grinders you can get a grind that is just as good or better than any hand grinder, but you will pay. Electric grinders can go into the multiple thousands of dollars, but there are a some good options sub $500. For electric grinders you will want to be aware of retention, which means how much of your precious coffee gets stuck inside the grinder when you use it. You should also really consider a single dose grinder, which means it does not have a hopper that you fill with beans. You can learn more about why if you check out my post on coffee storage. Again, there are electric grinders that can work for pour over, espresso, or both, so keep that in mind. For electric, I would recommend the DF54 ($250+) if you want to focus on espresso, but have an option for pour over. I personally have the DF54 for espresso, and got my ZP6 for pour over because I did not like the grind size options for pour over with the DF54. I would also look into the Baratza Encore ($150), a long time staple for pour over, and if you can spend a little more I would look at the newer Baratza Encore ESP ($200) or ball out and get the new Baratza Encore ESP Pro ($300) for both pour over and espresso abilities.

Bullet points, get a burr grinder, blade grinders are the devil, you get more for your money with hand grinders vs electric, make sure the grinder will grind fine or coarse enough for the type of coffee you want to make, focus your coffee cash on the grinder before all other gear.

Scale

If you are reading this, you are no longer allowed to measure coffee by spoonfuls. You will feel bad, knowing you are cheating yourself of joy. Coffee can be very fickle, meaning if one thing is slightly different from one brew to the next, you can go from a cup of coffee that is great to undrinkable, literally. Having a scale allows you to eliminate two variables that are very inconsistent, your coffee and water, which make up your ratio. You will now use ratios to brew your coffee, like 1:15 or 1:18, and such. This means for every 1 gram of coffee grounds you use, you would use 15 grams of water with a 1:15 ratio. So if all other variables remain equal, if you brew a cup of coffee at 1:15 and it is an 8 out of 10, next time you brew it will be an 8 out of 10, and again the next time. Specialty coffee brewing and espresso are all about controlling every variable as much as possible to get repeatable results. Basically, you are now a scientist. So find a digital scale that can measure to at least .1 grams. Yes, water is in grams too, not milliliters or ounces. In specialty coffee we stick with weight across all variables to make things easier. So please, please do not do a 1:15 ratio with coffee in grams and the water in ounces. Or do, so you learn your lesson. One cool thing, 1 milliliter = 1 gram, if that helps you out. You want the scale to measure down to a tenth of a gram because 14.2 grams of coffee can taste a lot different than 14.8 grams of coffee. You do not need anything fancy, just get a scale for $15-$25 that measures weight in grams. You can upgrade later to scales that are more precise, have auto start when it senses liquid being poured, and even ones that can measure ratio and flow rate and connect to your phone to collect and analyze data.

Kettle (Pour over)

You need something to pour water out of, obviously, so you will want to get a kettle if you plan to do pour over coffee. You can start with a basic, old-school kettle that you can put on the stove to heat up your water. This is the most affordable option, and it can work just fine. You will see people with the fancier kettles, the electric ones where you can dial in the temperature and maintain it exactly where they want. You will also often see a gooseneck kettle with any enthusiast you watch. This would be a good investment when ready. For a more budget friendly option you can use a temperature gauge in a basic metal kettle on the stove.

If you plan to focus on AeroPress, french press, and Turkish coffee, any kettle is fine (and nothing for espresso of course). If you can afford it, I would not discourage you from getting an electric kettle that has a gooseneck if you plan to get into pour over coffee brewing. You can find a decent one online for around $30. The temperature of your water each time you pour over is very important, so having such precise control with a digital temperature gauge is useful. And a gooseneck, as oppose to a typical pour spout, helps to control the flow of water. This is also important because agitation is one of the variables that control the resulting coffee. If you happen to have a kettle lying around already and don't want to buy another one yet, you can also get a Drip Assist, which I discuss later in the next chapter.

Carafe

Technically you could brew into any vessel that can hold liquid, so a carafe is not vital for good coffee. However, it can have an impact on your coffee based on it's size, shape, material, etc. For now, just make sure you have a dedicated carafe or vessel that you only use for coffee. Not for milk, sweeteners, juice, pickles, or anything else. You do not want the carafe absorbing flavors that will impact the nuanced flavors that coffee has to offer. Later, you can look into a fancy carafe that enhances your coffee by influencing temperature, mixing, and managing volatile compounds that create the aroma that smells so amazing. I know any beginners reading this may be thinking "more proof coffee people are psychotic". But this is just the start, and you will notice nuanced changes at some point if you keep going. And honestly, if you do not have a single vessel that you haven't put pickles in yet, then you need to find a different blog.... weird pickle person.

Alright, make better coffee! You have everything you need to start brewing better, specialty coffee. The next chapter will introduce tools and concepts that can make your coffee even better! We haven't even dove into water yet, which is more than 98% of your cup of pour over (yes, only about 1-2% is actual dissolved coffee solids) and even espresso is about 90-92% water. See you for the next one.