You can make hand-brewed coffee at home, please keep the equipment list

Finally, I have launched my favorite "hand brewing equipment list"!

Watching the coffee swell, moisten, exhaust, and emit a charming aroma under the soaking of hot water, and finally dripping out a perfect cup of coffee, the process is really wonderful.

Image source: food.imoshan.com

Before that, let's use the simplest words to popularize coffee knowledge. On the market, 90% of the coffee shops you see actually serve Italian coffee , the espresso extracted by machines at high temperature and high pressure, as well as fancy coffees such as latte, mocha, cappuccino, etc., are all prepared on this basis.

Today, I will mainly introduce the brewing of single-origin coffee. After I got to know those single-origin coffees named after "origin + processing method" (for example: Yirgacheffe washed), I refreshed many stereotypes about coffee.

Coffee does not have to be bitter; you can taste the fragrance and fruitiness of different coffee beans just like tasting wine; the simplest hand-brew method, without adding milk or sugar, is the best way to bring out the true flavor of single-origin coffee.

Now I will introduce you to my favorite hand-poured coffee equipment according to the steps of making a cup of hand-poured coffee.

▎Liszt’s List

• Portlex Grinders

• Hario Digital Scale

• Hario V60 Filter

• Melitta bleach-free filter paper

• Kalita Stainless Steel Pourover Kettle

• Dretec Electronic Thermometer

• Bodum French Press

• Bialetti moka Moka Pot

❶ Bean grinder

If you have ever been mesmerized by the aroma of coffee filling the house, you will have no doubt that freshness has an important impact on the taste of coffee. The freshness of coffee depends on the roasting time, storage method and whether it is freshly ground. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to grind it at home. When you are dripping and steaming for the first time, you can clearly see the difference.

Porlex Hand Grinder

• It has a small and light appearance, the stainless steel exterior material is very textured, and the internal spring mechanism can all be cleaned directly with water.

• The ceramic gears can adjust the coarseness of the powder. Generally speaking, the finer the coffee powder, the more bitter it is, but too coarse will lead to insufficient extraction.

Although the grinding capacity of Porlex is very good among hand-crank machines, according to my personal test, if it is a cup of coffee, about 15 grams of coffee beans, it takes 60 turns to grind relatively coarse powder, and 100 turns to grind relatively fine powder. A full grinder is only enough for 1 to 1.5 people. If you don't have a certain amount of patience and arm strength, it is recommended to buy coffee powder directly, or choose an electric bean grinder.

About 270 yuan

❷ Electronic scale

If you go to a boutique coffee shop to drink coffee, you can see that the barista will precisely control the amount of coffee beans selected according to the flavor of each coffee bean, and the entire extraction process is completed on a scale. Because the water-to-powder ratio can be accurately calculated, don't underestimate the weighing step.

Of course, the taste can be adjusted according to your own preferences and preferences for beans. Usually the amount for one person is between 15g and 18g of coffee beans.

Hario Digital Scale

• High precision, weighing range from 2 grams to 2000 grams, the minimum scale value is 0.1g, much more accurate than ordinary kitchen scales.

• With a stopwatch function, you can accurately grasp the proportion and time of coffee brewing. Generally, the second water injection should be started 15 seconds after the first steaming (that is, the first water injection to allow the coffee powder to exhaust). The recommended time for the entire extraction process is 2 to 3 minutes.

The response speed is a little slow, but it doesn't affect the operation too much.

About 420 yuan

❸ Filter cup

• The selection of filter cup mainly considers the differences in three dimensions:

• Material: The filter bracket is made of glass, resin, ceramic, stainless steel and other materials. Personally, I think glass is the most beautiful, ceramic has the best thermal insulation performance but is heavy, and resin is very practical, light and not easy to break.

• Holes: The holes below the traditional oval filter cup are divided into single hole, double hole and triple hole. Among them, the single hole filter cup extraction has the fastest water flow and extraction speed, which requires the brewer to have a more precise grasp of the water flow and time.

• Grooves: Don’t underestimate the concave and convex grooves on the cup wall. The design here is also quite knowledgeable. The gap between the filter paper and the inner wall of the filter cup is artificially formed to facilitate air circulation and improve the extraction quality.

Hario V60 filter cup (available in ceramic, glass and resin)

Ceramic texture

Glass texture

Resin texture

Hario is the inventor of the filter cup, and V60 is the most widely used hand-drip filter equipment in the world.

• The most classic and best-selling ones have already been mentioned, so I won’t expand on them. The V60 conical filter cup has a relatively large round hole directly below it, and the cup wall has spiral grooves. This design has obvious advantages over traditional filter cups - it not only greatly increases the thickness of the coffee powder layer, making it easier to pour water in a circle, but also improves the extraction balance of the first water injection and steaming.

• With improved permeability, the channels for water and air flow are smoother, making the coffee taste closer to flannel filter cloth, balanced and layered.

• The equipment is simple, easy to maintain and has low purchase cost.

Because the coffee is fully exposed to air during the drip filtering process, the aroma of the coffee will be lost. This is probably the only regret of the drip filtering method.

The price varies depending on the material. The price for ceramic and glass materials alone is around 100 yuan, the price for resin is around 40 yuan, and the price for a set is around 150 yuan.

❹ Filter paper

So what’s so special about filter paper?

• Material: Generally divided into flannel cloth and ordinary filter paper. For the final extraction taste, because paper is more likely to absorb grease, flannel cloth can retain more coffee oil taste, but it is more troublesome to clean and needs to be replaced frequently. Filter paper is disposable, cleaner and more convenient, and is recommended for home use.

Flannel cloth

• Shape: Just pay attention to the compatibility with the filter cup you purchased. First, choose the size of the filter paper according to the size, and second, choose flat-bottom filter paper or pointed-bottom filter paper according to the shape of the filter cup.

Flat filter paper

Pointed filter paper

Melitta filter paper (unbleached is recommended)

Always keep in mind that the filter paper should be selected to match the shape and size of the drip filter equipment.

Melitta is the world's first brand to invent coffee filter paper, with a history of more than 100 years from 1908 to now.

• Made of patented Aromafleece aromatic wool paper, the entire surface is perforated to retain the essence of coffee and completely filter out the residue.

• There is no pulp smell, which is a significant advantage over most filter papers on the market. (Here is another little trick. When pouring water, do not let the water pour directly on the paper. Make sure the water is always on the coffee powder, which can also reduce the pulp smell.)

Not yet discovered.

About 15 yuan

❺ Hand Pour Pot

Is there a particular requirement for this? Can I just use a kettle? Of course I can... But a dedicated hand-pour kettle has several advantages: the slender spout design makes it easier for you to control the water flow and pour water in circles more smoothly; if the water temperature is too high, you can add cold water to the kettle to adjust it, which is better than adding it directly to the kettle!

Kalita Colorful Stainless Steel Narrow Mouth Pourover Kettle

Kalita Pour-Over Kettle

As long as it is a coffee brand's hand-pour kettle, in fact, they are basically the same. When you buy it, just choose according to your own aesthetic taste. I still use Hario stainless steel more often, but here I would like to recommend a Japanese coffee equipment brand Kalita. Its hand-pour kettles come in many styles and colors, and are deeply loved by those who love utensils.

Hario Pour-Over Kettle

• The advantages of the slender spout have been introduced before. Although the entire body is made of stainless steel, it is cleverly designed and will not burn your hands when pouring hot water.

• Compared with the ceramic model, this stainless steel kettle is not heavy. Of course, the weight of water must be considered when operating it. It is not recommended to fill it with water to operate it. Of course, practice makes perfect.

There really isn't much of a downside, but if I had to point one out, it'd probably be that it's a bit expensive, right?

About 500 yuan

❻ Electronic thermometer

Once when I visited a barista and opened his "treasure box", I was shocked by the device with several wires sticking out. This multimeter, which was used to measure voltage and current in high school physics experiment class, now functions as a thermometer!

The multimeter used as a thermometer is in the lower left corner...

Of course, you don’t need to buy such an accurate thermometer at home, as long as it is an electronic thermometer (more accurate than a pointer thermometer). The water temperature for brewing specialty coffee should not be too high, 85~90 degrees is enough.

Dretec / Dorico Japanese kitchen cooking food thermometer

Dretec Electronic Thermometer

Accurate to 0.1 degrees Celsius, it can also meet other purposes such as kitchen cooking and baking.

It depends on what you need. Some hand-brewed kettles come with a small thermometer on the lid. Although it is not very accurate, it is quite convenient.

About 140 yuan

Having said that, if you really want to be classy, ​​ice drip coffee and syphon pots are actually more pleasing to the eye and high-end hand-brew coffee equipment.

Image source: http://www.dzcj.com/

Cold Drip Coffee

Image source: http://pic.66wz.com/

Siphon pot

There is also the Moka pot , which works on a similar principle to the siphon, but simplifies the operation by allowing boiling water to be extracted through distillation in the direction of anti-gravity. Currently, you can buy electric ones, while others require an open flame.

The coffee made by the moka pot is stronger than the drip coffee, but not as strong as Espresso, and it is still troublesome to clean. If you want to buy a brand, you can consider Bialetti moka, the inventor of the moka pot.

Bialetti moka Moka Pot

Perhaps Liszt is still an office worker who pursues efficiency. He does not recommend the above advanced equipment as daily hand brewing tools at home. Especially the siphon pot, which requires an alcohol lamp and glass bottles, is really time-consuming and laborious. The ice drip pot is usually only seen in some coffee shops.

Having said so much, if you still find it troublesome to buy so many devices to drink a cup of coffee at home, then I would recommend you the simplest hand brewing device - French press. Just put in coffee powder, add water and filter, and you're done. However, because French presses have metal filters, some coffee residue will inevitably be left behind, making the taste less delicate and the flavor difficult to control accurately.

Bodum French Press

In summary, compared to all other coffee equipment, hand pouring is the operation that requires the highest technical skills from the maker, and all the equipment listed at once are basically necessary. Hand pouring is also the most time-consuming and labor-intensive, and details such as temperature, water flow rate, shape of coffee powder, quality of filter paper (or flannel cloth) will affect the taste of coffee.

When we are alive, we should be happy. For those who truly love coffee, what do these troubles matter?

Special thanks to: Yadaco Coffee Roasters for providing coffee expertise