When it comes to the best ways to make coffee, many people have forceful opinions about how it should be done, what gadgets are indispensable and what isn’t, and what exactly makes a good cup. We’re here to tell you — let’s all take a deep breath. “The perfect cup of coffee is the one you like,” says Areli Barrera de Grodski, co-owner Little Waves Coffee Roastery AND Cocoa Cinnamon coffee shop in Durham, North Carolina. We could spend all day comparing French presses to drips and debating which method is better, but the truth is that most baristas agree that you can make great coffee with any method and any tools you have on hand. Whether you love the ritual of making coffee by hand or adore your automatic espresso machine, there’s no wrong method—but each has its pros and cons. We spoke with Barrera de Grodski and other coffee experts about their favorite ways to make coffee at home and how to improve your morning cup of joe, no matter how you like to brew it.
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Drip coffee maker
If you have a lot of coffee in your household, or you just want something convenient and basically reliable, Barrera de Grodski thinks a solid drip coffee maker is the way to go. “I love the idea of pressing a button and making a good cup of coffee that’s well-balanced, slightly sweet, and so good that it doesn’t need milk or sugar,” she says. “I can easily achieve that with my drip coffee maker.” The flavor of your cup, she explains, will depend on the water you utilize, the ratio of ground coffee to water, and, of course, the type of coffee itself. For better coffee, start with freshly roasted beans and filtered water and utilize a scale to measure a coffee-to-water ratio of 1 to 16, or 16 grams of water for every gram of coffee. Note: This is a great starting ratio, but you can (and should!) adjust it to your own preferences.
When it comes to making coffee at home, Sarah Elisabeth Huggins, co-owner Daughter in Brooklyn, Recent York, is also on the automatic coffee machine team: “I love my Moccamaster and I’m not ashamed to fill it Bustelo Cafe.” Baristas also recommend Bonavita 8-cup coffee makerwhich Barrera de Grodski particularly appreciates for the dripper in the shower head, which evenly distributes water on a flat layer of coffee and allows for even extraction.
French Press
If you like opulent, full-bodied coffee, then French press is for you. This brewing method involves steeping ground coffee directly in scorching water—without a filter—instead of passing water through the ground beans. Aki Yaguchi, head barista at Migrant Coffee from Melbourne, Australia, likes this method for its bold flavor: “Because the water is in contact with the coffee longer without a filter, the results are more balanced and have a richer, bolder flavor,” he says. “It’s creamier and less watery.”
Here’s how it works: Pour the grounds into the jug, fill it with scorching water, and stir to make sure all the coffee is properly soaked. Wait four minutes, put the lid on, and slowly press the plunger to isolate all the grounds at the bottom of the jug.
