There are three basic, vital coffee brewing tips I’ll impart.

Find good, fresh beans: Great coffee starts with high-quality beans. Quality beans can make even cheap brewing equipment shine. High quality means fresh. Find a local coffee roaster in your area. For testing, I used beans from Jittery Joe’s Roasting Company in Athens, Georgia, specifically the Wake-n-Bake blend. (Disclosure: I worked for Jittery Joe’s for many years, it’s a favorite of mine.)

If you don’t have a coffee roaster nearby, you can order beans online from reputable sellers like Blue Bottle Coffee or try a wide variety through a coffee subscription service like Atlas Coffee Club or my new favorite, Trade Coffee, which works directly with local roasters. I also recently tested a low-acid coffee from Trucup. It’s made especially for people who have trouble with the acidity of regular coffee.

Get a quality grinder: Once you have good, freshly-roasted beans you need to grind them. You’ll want a burr grinder, which grinds your beans evenly rather than chopping them like a blade grinder. I recently upgraded to a Hario Skerton Pro ($65) hand grinder, but if you want to go electric I recommend the Baratza Encore $139. If you’re not sure which is right for you, be sure to read through our guide to the best coffee grinders

Experiment: Pick one of these coffee makers and start experimenting with it at home. If you want to have reproducible results, make sure you weigh out your beans and water using a good scale like the Apexstone scale with timer so you can track your pour-over pace, and take notes. It may sound nerdy, and it is, but after experimenting for a few days you’ll likely find something you love. If you have notes, then you’ll know how to make your perfect cup of coffee every time—no matter where you are.

You May Also Like

Google Chrome issues urgent warning as ‘high-level threats’ are targeting your web browser – here’s what you need to do

AN urgent Google Chrome warning has been issued as various “high-level threats”…

The Powerful, Complicated Women of Resident Evil

When Capcom revealed Lady Alcina Dimitrescu as a character in the upcoming…

25 Father’s Day Gifts for the Dependable Dad in Your Life

Dads are tough to shop for. When you ask what they’d like…

Huge asteroid bigger than 10 buses will make a close approach of Earth

A massive space rock bigger than 10 buses stacked end to end…