Which Brewer Is Best?
When you’re into something, is there anything more fun than looking at all the gadgets you can buy for it? It seems to be an integral part of the enthusiast experience. Into bikes? These aero wheels might make you a little faster, and they look so cool… Into computers? You could probably use a RAM upgrade. Into baking? How about a mini mill to mill your own grains into flour? And on and on. Coffee is no different, of course.
So you’ve got ABC brewer. Should you buy XYZ brewer? Will it make your coffee better?
The short answer to “which brewer is best” is simply the one that you are the most comfortable with, which really boils down to the one that you’ve used the most.
There are some differences between brewers of course, but there are really only two things that matter…
Espresso 201
It only took us four years, but we’re finally sharing the second part of our espresso-making blog! In our Espresso 101 post, we mentioned that when making modern espresso with lightly roasted coffee, it’s best to have outrageously long shot times (40, 50, 60 seconds or even longer) in order to get shots that are sweet, fruity, and full of character and complexity. Now, we’re focusing on pressure and flow rate to actually make that happen.
Espresso 101
It is perhaps the most difficult and most misunderstood method of turning ground coffee into a delicious liquid. Historically, a single espresso shot was 7 grams of ground coffee producing 25 milliliters of liquid espresso in 25 seconds with very darkly roasted, low quality coffee beans. At best, this would give a rich, chocolatey flavor, but generally just tasted very bitter and smoky. Most espresso drinkers added sugar and/or milk to cut down on the bitterness.
