The Ultimate Coffee Setup
How to brew and prepare the perfect cup at home
Making good coffee is all about the ritual—putting in the time to do it right, bringing that first steaming cup to your lips and inhaling the rich aroma of a brew that's prepared just the way you like it. Whether you take it black or with steamed milk or require all-natural stevia sweetener and a splash of almond milk, there are plenty of ways to upgrade your experience.
After all, why treat coffee as merely a tool to cure your sleepiness when you can follow the advice of experts for the ultimate coffee setup? And the upside of investing in quality home gear is that you end up saving all that coffee shop money. These pieces will practically pay for themselves in a few months. The key is to stick to your routine. Practice makes perfect. Leave the experimenting to the baristas ... but follow their tips below for the perfect cup.
Ultimate Home Coffee Setup
Brewers
With 6 unique brewing modes, including ultra-fast and cold brew
Precision brewer with thermal carafe,$419 / $299.95 by Breville
Stagg pour-over set,$99 / $84.15 by Fellow
Plug iced coffee jug,
$32.99 by Kinto
uKeg Nitro Cold Brew,
$199 by GrowlerWerks
Accessories
Pro Tips
More coffee doesn’t make a stronger brew.
You’d think it would, but that’s not how brewing works—the flavor comes from dissolving soluble compounds in the ground beans. The “golden ratio,” as it’s known in caffeinated circles, is one part coffee to 16 parts water. That ensures a deep flavor, but if you want stronger coffee, you’re better off buying dark-roasted beans.
Want extra hot coffee?
Preheat your carafe by “brewing” plain water while you prep and/or grind your beans. If your machine has a timer function, you could also set it to run a water cycle when you wake up so the carafe is already preheated when you’re ready to make coffee.
Keep it fresh.
The key to maintaining those fresh vibrant flavors of your brew is to protect your beans or grinds from air and light. Choose a cool, dark, dry place, such as in a pantry or cabinet away from the stove to store your coffee. And keep it out of the freezer—the humidity can cause moisture to infiltrate the packaging.
Mind the water.
If the water you brew with doesn’t taste good to begin with, it won’t taste any good with coffee added. Use filtered or bottled water and you’ll instantly notice a difference in the taste of your brewed coffee.
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