You can choose a brewer based on style, ease of use, or even get picky on a technical design basis. The fun part about brewing coffee is that it can become a life long hobby in which you constantly strive for perfection. We put this guide on gear and brewing together to get you started, so you can figure what works best for your lifestyle.
Pour-Over or Hand Brew
Using pour over vessels as your method of brewing coffee is a great way to make 1 to 2 cups of coffee at a time. You will be able to control the variables such as grind size, flow rate, and temperature since this is a manual process. Because you’re able to control the process by hand, this method may allow for more nuance and complexity in your final product. It’s as simple as it sounds! This is when you pour hot water of grounds through a filter help by your vessel of choice. Here are recommendations for the coffee world’s favorite pour-over gear.
The V60
The Hario V60 is one of the most tried and true methods of hand brewing in specialty coffee. They feature a 60 degree angle cone and utilize paper filters to produce clean, sweet, and complex cups of coffee. You can find them in several different stylistic variations such as ceramic, glass, plastic, and in infinite color variations depending on your preference.
A matte pink size 02 Hario V60 coffee dripper
The Chemex Coffeemaker
Invented in 1941 by inventor Peter Schlumbohm, the Chemex is the only piece of coffee gear to be featured permanently in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The sleek design is undeniable and it looks great in any space through the eras. As aesthetically pleasing as it is, it also makes great coffee. The benefit of a Chemex is the fact that it is an all-in-one brewing vessel and carafe. The patented thick Chemex paper filters sit in the top half of the brewer, and the coffee drips through to the bottom. When finished brewing, you can pull the filter and spent coffee from the top and serve!
An 8-cup Chemex coffeemaker with wood collar
Origami Dripper
One of the newer brewers on the scene is the Origami Dripper. This new favorite is popping up in hip cafes and among coffee competitors. A product of Japan, the design features twenty vertical ribs that allow for more airflow between the device and filter. This feature allows for less choking or stalling in the brew process and more clarity in the cup. Another benefit of the Origami Dripper is that you can use both flat bottom and cone style filters. There is a wide palette of colors available and interchangeable bases of different styles including wood and resin.
Brewing with an Origami Dripper
Full Immersion Brewing
Immersion brewing involves completely submerging the coffee grounds in water for all or most of the brew time. The result is usually a bolder, fuller bodied cup of coffee. This can be an easier method of making coffee, requiring less measurement and the ability to eyeball things. All you really need is a vessel, coffee, and hot water.
French Press
Everybody recognizes the French Press. It is a staple among kitchen countertops in movies and television throughout history. The French Press is like the wheel; there is no need to reinvent it. It is simply a vessel you add coffee and hot water, followed by pouring the final brew out through the metal filter attached to the plunger and lid. Sometimes it’s best to keep it simple! There are many different variations of this brewer, so I recommend something that retains heat well. Fellow makes a very stylish vacuum-insulated version called the Clara.
Fellow’s Clara French Press in Matte Black + Walnut
The Aeropress
There is a trend of engineers and inventors venturing into coffee in order to solve common problems. When searching for a solution to get coffee to his liking, American inventor Alan Adler decided to take to his garage and make something that combined several of the ways you can make coffee. The outcome of this venture was the Aeropress. This brewer is a combination of ideas, where you add coffee to the cylindrical chamber, add water to fully immerse the coffee grounds, then use the patented plunger to for the brewed coffee through a paper filter at the bottom of the chamber. It is part French press, part espresso, and a little bit pour over as well.
The Aeropress was my introduction into brewing specialty coffee in a way that was different than an auto-drip maker. In my opinion, the best part of this vessel is the fact that a brewer does not need additional tools in order to make coffee consistently. You can measure via the markings on the vessel chamber, so no scale needed if you do not have access to one. Lastly, the Aeropress is great for travel, as they are impossible to break and easily packable. Take a deep dive into the Aeropress here.
The Aeropress now comes in many colors, including Clear Green
Auto-Drip Makers
Sometimes convenience is king for all of us on the move. Luckily, we live in an era of very advanced technology in the coffee industry. The Auto-drip machine is a classic, easy, and automatic way to make coffee. In the modern day, we now have machines that are designed with quality in mind as well as ease.
The Fellow Aiden Precision Brewer
One of the most advanced home auto-drip makers on the market, Fellow debuted its Aiden Brewer at SCA Chicago back in 2024. It is sleek, low profile, and billed as pour-over quality in an automatic machine. You can control every variable via the digital interface such as bloom, temperature, time, and even how many brew pulses in the cycle. Along with these features, you can also connect the Aiden to Wifi to use expert presets, customize your recipes, and download brew profiles from your favorite roasters.
Fellow’s Aiden in Matte Black
Moccamaster
If you seek great coffee without all the bells and whistles, it is definitely understandable. Great coffee can still be made automatically via the flip of a switch. The Moccamaster KBGV Select is the perfect choice for someone who wants a simple, elegant design without compromising quality. Since 1968, Technivorm has been making these brewers by hand in the Netherlands.
One of the lesser known secrets about quality in auto-drip coffeemakers is the ability to maintain water temperature during the brew cycle. Most cheaper machines cannot heat water consistently to the proper temperature required for uniform extraction. Moccamasters feature a copper boiling element that rapidly heats water to around 200 degrees and shuts off automatically when the reservoir is empty.
Along with the retro design and ease of use, the Moccasmaster is great conversation piece on a counter that can also handle brewing enough coffee for hosting gatherings.
Moccamaster KBGV in Juniper green
Seeking the Perfect Cup
The best part of coffee is the constant ability to discover. Here we have listed just a few of our favorite ways to draw the best flavors out of coffee via different brew methods. Once you perfect one method, move onto another! If you’re content with the solution you’ve found, it is also fine to stick with it.
