Coffee

This is an attempt to document some of the methods I use to brew myself coffee.

It’s worth noting that (like many things) coffee is subject to a lot of personal preference. Things I like doing may not be the best for you, so feel free to adjust as needed.

I mostly drink filtered coffee, using a v60, with a preference towards lighter, more acidic roasts. Almost all of the coffee I make at home I take black, but I’ll sometimes get oat milk with iced coffee at coffee shops.

Gear (updated 2021 Jul)

I’ve provided links to these products on Amazon, but if possible, consider purchasing from a local coffee shop to help support them!

If you have a good US-based distributor I can link to instead of Amazon, feel free to email me and I’ll update these links.

• Brewer: Hario v60, metal
• Kettle: Bonavita Electric Gooseneck Kettle
• Grinder: Baratza Encore
• Carafé: Hario Glass Server (there’s a slightly smaller 600ml version by Hario that would also work well)
• Insulated Carafé: Hario Double Walled Server
• Filters: CAFEC Abaca Coffee Paper Filters
• Scale: Apexstone Kitchen Scale
  • I’d recommend any scale that has 0.1g precision. A timer is nice too.
• Coffee Bean Storage: Fellow Atmos Vacuum Canister (1.2L size)

Overall I’m pretty happy with my gear. The only upgrade I’d consider is a nicer kettle, likely the Fellow Stagg EKG, but it’s not high on my list of things to get.

Beans

I use a variety of beans. If I buy locally I usually buy from these roasters:

• Blueprint Coffee
• Sump Coffee
• Coffeestamp
• Kaldi’s Coffee

I also have a Trade subscription, which sends me coffee from a variety of roasters. It’s about the same cost as buying local, which makes it a good way to try new beans easily. If you’d like to try it, I have a referral code that will get you a discounted first bag, and gives me a small kickback. I’m not sponsored by Trade or anything, I just like the service.

Methods

For my v60, I generally use one of two methods:

• James Hoffman’s Ultimate v60 Technique (video)
• Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 Method (video)

I’ll make my own written versions of these at some point, but you can watch those videos if you’re interested. The 4:6 Method has started to be my go-to in the mornings, it’s really interesting and can be easily varied to make the coffee taste quite different. If you’re used to “normal” v60 methods, I’d recommend giving it a try some time.