Jeannine Skelton
Feb 21, 2023
My Favorite Coffee Tools
Have you grown to love coffee more and more? Have you considered your taste for coffee to be more fine tuned? Some of you, like me, may have grown up with the tastes of Folgers and Maxwell House. As you know, the brands and specialty coffee business has grown. Everything from the brewing hardwares of the perculator, drip coffee makers, K-Cups, Espresso machines, burr coffee bean grinders, coffee makers with built in bean grinders and the list continues to grow. The market has grown and continues. Specialty coffee is now on the rise. Coffee is no longer just enjoyed as a hot beverage, now there is iced and cold brew.
And then there's the beans - are they robusta or arabica? The robusta beans are considered for mass production for large scale retailers, club stores, coffee shops and more. Arabica beans are a higher quality bean and by and large used for specialty coffee such as espresso, cappuccino and filter coffee. They are less acidic than a robusta bean and much more flavorful with fruity and nut undertones. Definitely my preference as it seems the likes of coffee from fast food restaurants just don't hit the spot and I find myself passing them up.
Now to some of my favorite hardware I have recently discovered in the past year:
Aeropress - This tool is a wonderful, low price tool to brew a cup of coffee within a few minutes, its portable for travel; you can buy a metal filter for reuse and its more sustainable than the paper filters. This brewer has a nice low price comparably to other coffee brewing methods. It is growing in popularity, is high in durability without compromising the flavor of the bean. The Aeropress is easy to clean and extremely versatile. You can adjust how strong or weak you want your coffee brewed by the amount of coffee you add to it. I am a primary user of the Aeropress as I am the only coffee drinker in my household. You can find the Aeropress on Amazon and other sites to purchase from. Check out this review: https://coffeeaffection.com/aeropress-review/
Chemex - This method of brewing is a pour over. Never really understood that much until I was at a Starbucks and watch them make a pour over when the Blonde roast I wanted was not available. In my first try of a Chemex in 2022, I absolutely fell in love with the clean taste this device provides. It works great when you want more than a cup or having guests since you can easily make 8 to 10 cups of coffee. It works even better if you already own a burr grinder and you can adjust the size of your bean grind. The paper filters are a bit thicker, but they have tips to get the most flavor from the coffee bean. The taste does differ from a French Press or the Aeropress.
Electric Gooseneck Kettle - If you don't spare any expense when it comes to coffee, then you may want to consider an electric kettle. Why? Well believe it or not, coffee has an ideal temperature for brewing coffee. For those of you who prefer the rounded, sweet, and bitter notes of coffee, you will be better off sticking within the 155–175°F range. But if you more enjoy a brighter, sharper, and more acidic cup, aim within the 120–140°F range. Here's a link to a great article explaining why a gooseneck electric kettle works great. And I can personally claim, yes I agree with them. However, an electric kettle is truly just an extra for most of us and is a luxury when it comes to making coffee. If you find it expensive, search for a lower price point model or save up for this item, I highly recommend it.
https://www.craftcoffeeguru.com/gooseneck-kettle/
This Cosori brand kettle provides that option to you or other brands that allow you to select the option for Coffee. Perhaps consider one as a gift to the coffee lover in your life. However, you may find you absolutely love it yourself. Works for heating water for coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more.