Back in your grandparents’ day, coffee was just a hot drink you had with breakfast to perk yourself up. The coffee itself came in a tin can, and you made it with a percolator or, starting in the 1970s, an automatic drip brewer. There were no coffee connoisseurs, and nobody talked about flavor profiles or origins. People didn’t put much thought into it. It was just coffee.
Obviously, things are different today. At some point somebody realized that if we put a little thought and effort into it, coffee, much like wine, can be so much more than a beverage. It can be flowery and fruity, or nutty and chocolaty, or smokey and spicy. It can be bright and clean, or it can be dark and mellow. The possibilities are almost endless, and they are so much fun to explore.
Unfortunately, a lot of people who love artisanal, handcrafted coffee think the only way to get it is to pay some pretentious barista $5 a pop. But that’s simply not true. With the right equipment anybody can make world class coffee in the comfort of their own home.
What kind of equipment are we talking about? Well, to make outstanding pour over coffee, which is the preferred brewing method of experts all over the world, there are just five things you need: a grinder, a scale, a water filtration system, a kettle, and a brewer.If you’re ready to take your home-coffee game to the next level, below you can find some recommendations from the experts at Prima Coffee.
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Every cup of coffee is produced by a series of timed chemical reactions between water and the various compounds inside coffee beans. To produce chemical reactions that extract the best flavors, you need a coffee grinder that can produce uni
form sized grinds without adding heat that alters their chemical makeup. And the Baratza Encore is a legend among hardcore coffee enthusiasts. This durable workhorse uses cone-shaped steel burrs and a specially designed motor to uniformly grind coffee beans without heating them. And with 40 different grind settings ranging from coarse to fine, it gives you total control over the chemical reactions involved in making the perfect cup.Jennings CJ4000 Scale
A perfect cup of coffee requires the perfect ratio of coffee to water. And one of the reasons coffee experts love the pour over method is that it gives you total control over this. By using a scale to measure both the amount of coffee and the amount of water you are pouring over it, you can guarantee the perfect ratio every single time. The Jennings CJ4000 has a high weight capacity, fast response time, and measurements precise to .5 gram increments. Also, the Jennings CJ4000 allows you to disable the auto-off function so the scale won’t suddenly turn off in the middle of the brewing process.
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Variable Temperature Pouring Kettle
The temperature and distribution of the water is incredibly important when making coffee. And the best way to control these factors is with a variable temperature gooseneck kettle like the Fellow Stagg EKG. This kettle’s variable temperature feature is essential for controlling the reaction between the water and chemical compounds inside the coffee, and its gooseneck spout delivers an accurate pour for even distribution and saturation. The EKG also has a 1200W heating element for incredibly fast heat times, plus an intuitive interface and clear temperature display that let you make micro adjustments to water temperature. Oh, and did we mention it will look amazing sitting on your kitchen counter?
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Peak Water Pitcher Starter Pack
Coffee is 98-percent water. Ergo, if you want the best coffee, you’ve got to start with the best water. The Peak Water Pitcher Starter Pack lets you control the quality of your water like never before. This kit comes with two test strips that allow you to test the tap water in your home. By comparing the results to the color-coded chart provided, you can determine what impurities you want to filter out and what minerals you want to remain. Then you can make adjustments to the filtration system using the knob on the top of the pitcher and experiment with different water for different roasts.
Chemex 8 Cup Coffee Maker
The last thing you need to make the perfect cup of pour over coffee is—obviously—a pour over coffee brewer. There are lots of different styles to choose from, but if you want something that combines both function and style, you can’t go wrong with the classic Chemex 8 Cup Coffee Maker. This hourglass-shaped brewer is made entirely from glass, so it won’t absorb any odors or chemical residues. It holds up to 40 ounces of coffee, and comes with either a glass handle or a polished wood collar. And with no moving parts, this thing could theoretically last the rest of your life.