# Kilo's Coffee Gear Recs! (Fancy light-roast)

*(I try to avoid Amazon links. Try to support coffee-focused online stores, such as https://new.seattlecoffeegear.com. Buy direct from the manufacturer where possible)*

## New to fancy coffee?

I will not be able to explain what good coffee tastes like, you will have to discover it for yourself.

Read the tasting notes, but don't expect "strawberry" to taste exactly like strawberries. (But heck, sometimes it does!) It's like wine: Tasting notes are directional ideas, not absolutes.

* Try single-origin pour-overs from the two or three *most expensive* (~$5+/cup) local cafes you can find.
* Trust me, spend $20 to find out if you've been missing out.
* Accept recommendations, but don't just trust people who say "this one is the best".
* If they don't have light-roast with tasting notes, find a place that does.
* Even if their lightest roast is "medium-light", try elsewhere.
* Order something African first.
* Especially Ethiopia!
* You will be tempted by "chocolate" tasting notes from the Americas, but you're here to try something new, so try a tea-like Ethiopian or a big fruity Kenyan.
* Leave it black! (no suger, no cream)
* Wait for it cool from very hot to barely hot or very warm.
* Very hot drinks will usually taste like nothing.
* The taste will change as it cools, which is one of the awesome parts of coffee!

## Starting out
* Grinder: 1zpresso Q Air ($69): https://1zpresso.coffee/product/q2/
* Alternative: Timemore Chestnut C2 ($69): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10000023195407.html
* I expect the 1zpresso to be better but I haven't done a head-to-head yet!

* Scale: AMIR Digital Kitchen Scale, 3000g 0.01oz/ 0.1g ($13): https://www.amazon.com/AMIR-Electronic-Functions-Stainless-Batteries/dp/B01LYYVJ71
* Or really anything you might already have with 0.1g precision.
* With only 1g precision, on 17g of coffee, that's error bars of +/-3%, which is enough to change the taste!
* Besides, if you don't have a kitchen scale for cooking already, get one!!
* Kettle (Gooseneck): Bodum Melior ($40): https://www.bodum.com/us/en/11883-259us-melior
* Previously I recommended the Bonavita temp-control kettle, but it's now $90+!
* For pour over, with good water, I no longer think you need-need a temp-control kettle. Just boil and let natural heat loss do its thing.
* Gooseneck is important though. You want to be able to control your pour.
* Dripper: Hario v60 (01 size) ($12 + $9/100 filters): https://www.hario-usa.com/products/vd-01t
* I recommend the 01 size. While the 02 size is more common, but it's bigger than you need (or want) for brewing one cup at a time. But if you want to brew double-batches, go for the 02!

* Distilled water ($0.50-$2/gal)
* Third Wave Water sticks ($15/12gal) https://thirdwavewater.com/products/1-gallon-classic-profile?variant=32477400694830
* If your tap water is anything less than soft and fantastic, mix your own water. It's so cheap, it's so easy, and you won't have to wonder if your water is holding you back.
* Also, your kettle won't fill with hard-water scale!
* Onyx Roaster Sample Box: Four fresh seasonal 4 oz bags, single origin ($30) https://onyxcoffeelab.com/products/roaster-sample-box
* TOTAL: ~$190 + ~$1.50/cup

### Kilo did you just recommend me $190 of coffee gear

Yeah, sorry! Thems the breaks, if you're brewing at home. This is why I emphasize trying out coffee at cafes first!

The good news: $190 is your baseline, but about $350 is about the most you'll end up with gear-wise, unless you get into the money-pit that is espresso.

### What do you use, Kilo?

* Grinder: 1zpresso ZP6 ($200): https://1zpresso.coffee/product/zp6-special/
* Dripper: Hario v60 01 Ceramic ($25): https://www.hario-usa.com/products/v60-ceramic-coffee-dripper-01
* Scale: Timemore Scale ($60): https://www.timemore.com/collections/coffee-scale/products/timemore-basic-2-0-electronic-espresso-scale-with-timer
* Smaller and for travel: Flair Brew Scale ($50): https://flairespresso.com/product/flair-brew-scale/
* Kettle: Fellow Stagg EKG ($165): https://fellowproducts.com/products/stagg-ekg-electric-pour-over-kettle
* It's totally unnecessary but it's nice to have nice things sometimes!

### An electric grinder? It's a trap!

* You will be tempted by electric grinders, especially because the Hario hand grinder that people gravitate towards (like all cheap grinders) is slow and takes some oomph. **Don't.** Better hand grinders grind much faster, and with less effort. **Electric grinders are roughly three times as expensive as hand grinders** of equivalent quality.
* While the Hario makes my arm tired during the two minutes it takes to grind 20g of beans, the 1zpresso grinds in ~20s and is pretty easy, depending on the beans.
* I did have someone smaller than me try my grinder and they did find it mildly difficult.
* I still recommend it, and you'll be coffee-buff in no time. :)
* Electric grinders are also much louder, which can be less than ideal for an early-morning ritual if anyone is still in bed!
* If you simply must get an electric: Baratza Encore: ($140) https://baratza.com/grinder/encore/

## Alternatives and Upgrades

* The last grinder you'll need: 1zpresso JX grinder ($130): https://1zpresso.coffee/product/jx/
* This will be your best upgrade. If you can swing the extra $80, and/or if you already like coffee and are just looking to start brewing at home, skip the Timemore and get the 1zpresso. You will end up here eventually. (Sorry!)
* Scale: Timemore Black Mirror ($60): https://www.timemore.com/collections/coffee-scale/products/timemore-black-mirror-basic-plus-coffee-scale-timing-black
* Much prettier design
* I wish it had physical buttons and a separate tare button, though.
* A nicer kettle: Stagg EKG ($150): https://fellowproducts.com/products/staggekg
* You really don't need this, but you might end up *feeling* like you do. I did. :)
* Alternative: Pour-over kit: Hario v60 ($25): https://www.hario-usa.com/collections/pour-over-sets/products/v60-craft-coffee-maker
* If you want something more traditional (but IMO more difficult than the Aeropress), this is a great choice.
* Alternative: French press: Bodum CAFFETTIERA "3 cup" 0.35L ($10): https://www.bodum.com/us/en/1913-361bsa-y20-caffettiera?___store=us_en
* Alternative: Reusable Aeropress filter: Altlura's The DISC ($10): https://alturahq.com/products/the-disc-stainless-steel-coffee-filter-for-aeropress-coffee-makers-washable-reusable
* Metal filter means more oils making it through the filter into your cup, which I prefer. (It's not "oily" though)
* Downside: it does let a little fine grinds through, like French Press.
* It's reusable, though Aeropress filters are basically free.
* If you're supposed to avoid espresso or french press because of your doctor's concerns about your particular cholesterol situation, no metal filter for you, so stick to paper filters.
* If your doctor hasn't explicitly warned you against this, don't worry about it. I only mention it for completeness, and because a doctor will probably not think to mention this.

## Beans

Fun fact: If it comes in a one pound bag instead of a 12oz bag, it's *probably* not top-shelf stuff! (Sorry!)

My favs: (alphabetical)
* Brandywine: https://www.brandywinecoffeeroasters.com/
* Devout: https://www.devoutcoffee.com/
* Madcap: https://madcapcoffee.com/
* Onyx: https://onyxcoffeelab.com/collections/coffee
* Vertigo: https://vertigocoffee.com/
* Verve: https://www.vervecoffee.com/collections/single-origin

Try the ones you haven't heard of first. Journey before destination!

## How I Pour-Over

1. Heat >300mL of water to 97C. (or boil it and wait ~20-30s)
2. Weigh 17.0g of coffee beans (+/-0.1g)into the output cup of the grinder.
3. Pour beans into grinder and grind!
4. Place coffee cup and (Hario?) dripper onto scale.
5. Grab a filter and fold the seam back flat (so that it doesn't push the filter away from the side of the dripper), and put it in the dripper.
6. Wet the filter with some of the hot water, let it run into the cup, and empty into the sink.
7. Put the cup and dripper back on the scale, and add your ground coffee, tapping the grind cup to free most of the clinging grinds to fall into the filter.
8. Zero/tare the scale, and if your kettle is set to keep-warm, turn it off. (I believe that we *want* the water to cool over the course of the pour, so that we extract more at the beginning, and less by the end)
9. Start your timer! (scale or phone!)
9.1. 0m00s: Pour 35g and let it bloom.
9.2. 0m45s: Pour til 100g.
9.3. 1m10s: Pour til 150g.
9.4. 1m30s: Pour til 200g.
9.5. 1m50s: Pour til 250g.
9.6. 2m20s: You're done! The dripper should be barely dripping, and I put it on a small mise-en-place bowl to drip dry for post-coffee cleaning. :)
12. ~220g coffee is ready! (The coffee will retain ~30g of the water)

For pouring, we pour *onto* the bed of grinds in a circular motion. (Don't pour down the sides of the dripper) Especially for the "bloom", you're not trying to agitate the bed, just adding water to wet it! For the main pours, your goal is really just to gently add water that will percolate down through the coffee bed, not to agitate into a slurry.

For the bloom, we use ~2x the weight of the beans. Ground coffee absorbs about 2x its own weight in water.

While it blooms, I wipe my grinder clean of any leftover grinds and put it back in its place.

I pour each 50g evenly over about 5s.

For water-to-coffee ratio, this is 14.7g/mL water per gram coffee, with a final yield of ~220g out for 250g in. (If you are splitting a cup with someone, you can measure out 110g into both cups)

## How I Aeropress

1. Heat water to 85C
2. Weigh out 20g of coffee beans into a small mise-en-place dish
3. Prevent static cling: Wet your finger slightly via the kitchen sink, and swirl through the otherwise dry coffee beans
* This tiniest bit of moisture severely reduces the static cling the fresh grinds will otherwise have
4. Pour into grinder and grind!
5. Assemble Aeropress
* Place paper filter in cap (Hoffman says don't bother wetting it)
* Screw on cylinder
* Place on destination mug
6. Pour grinds into Aeropress, place on scale, and zero out scale
7. Start stopwatch
8. 0m00s: Pour 40g of water onto the grinds
9. 1m00s: Pour another 120g of water (scale will read 160g)
10. Take everything off the scale, put the plunger in, and press gently, such that you start pushing air *roughly around* 3m00s
* You will get better at this over time!
11. Remove Aeropress from mug and clean out, put away.
* You're also done with the stopwatch
12. Put mug (which now contains coffee concentrate) back on scale, and zero out.
13. Add 140g of water to dilute into proper coffee
* This will come down to taste.
* 20g coffee to 300g water is a little stronger than usual (15:1 instead of the standard 17:1)
* If it's too intense, try adding a liiiittle extra water.
* 17:1 would be an extra 40g water, which I think dilutes it too much, but play with it!
* **You might think that water ratio affects strength and not flavor, but it affects flavor immensely!**
* Strong coffee flavors "clip" like playing loud music on too-small speakers.
* I mix ~80g hot kettle water and ~60g cold fridge water to bring the coffee to my preferred starting temp immediately.
14. Drink!
* *Except* if you used all hot kettle water to dilute it! It may not be too hot for some of you to drink, but it's too hot for the flavors you're here for. Give it a sec!