Minimalist Coffee

[Ready]

I would pay more attention to the brand and type of coffee you are using rather than the brewing system. Drip coffee is drip coffee. There isn’t much to it. Some brewers might get a little hotter or steep the coffee a little longer. But the selection of beans you start with will make the biggest difference.

And as much as you will get advice on which beans to buy from others, the best coffee is the one that taste best to you. I personally can’t stand the taste of Starbucks coffee, but obviously a lot of people like it or they wouldn’t have a gazillion locations around the world serving it.

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, me too. We used to call it "charbucks" as we thought it over roasted. I import fresh roasted medium roast from New Jersey. For the last seven years -

 

[SnowballCamper]

French press. Don't use boiling water (190F is good). Four minutes, and pour it out. Easy Peasy. Try the coffee variety at your local grocery till you find what you like.

 

[Koolau]

Talk about Minimalist Coffee - I cut WAY back on coffee. We have a Keurig, but we rarely use it - except for company. I have found that I actually (occasionally) like a cup of - wait for it - Folgers instant coffee crystals. About 30 seconds in the microwave heats a cup of water to the right temp. Add crystals to taste. Add sugar (blecccch!) or 1/2 and 1/2, etc.. stir, enjoy.

If you are not a gourmet coffee drinker and have not yet achieved the educated coffee palate of the folks here, you might be surprised how good instant can taste. Experiment to find YOUR favorite. Not at all for everyone - especially for those who enjoy the ritual of grinding and brewing. But some of us with less sophisticated tastes enjoy instant. YMMV

 

[triangle]

My vote would be a Melitta style pour over dripper for the minimal effort involved in brewing and cleanup, easy storage, low purchase price, all while providing a good cup/pot of coffee. Cone filters are widely available and you could start with "fresh" pre-ground coffee from a good shop to experiment what different coffee origins and roasts.

With a pourover you could probably get by with one of those inexpensive electric whirly/propeller grinders, but if you are thinking of brewing more often or thinking of experimenting with other brewing methods I would encourage you investigate the various hand grinders to decide which features you are willing to pay up for. Medium-to-darkly roasted coffee beans are relatively easy to grind by hand, while lightly roasted coffee can be difficult depending on the grinder you choose or whether there are any physical constraints (e.g. injured shoulder, arthritis). You don't have to spend hundreds on a grinder, but it can make for better coffee.

 

[Surewhitey]

We use our Aeropress for camping or if we know our destination will not have proper coffee. I let it brew 2 minutes and then add some hot water to bring it back to temp. Quite tasty, but more "work".

Our daily is a burr grinder with a Bunn with carafe. The 3 minute brew keeps it from getting bitter and has always been our go to. We drink 2 cups each daily...therefore the carafe. The Bunn keeps a pot of hot water at all times, so you don't have to wait for the water to heat.

We had a blade grinder for years and when it finally bit the dust, got the burr. I'll never go back to a blade...big difference and grind control is a big part of it.

Bean is definitely a big variable. The absolute best we've had returned with DW from Costa Rica at $20 / 12 oz. Our every day is Costco or Sam's medium bean. They're not bad for a budget bean & about $13 / 40oz.

 

[Jerry1]

Thanks for all the information. ERD50 made a good point that I will follow up on. I’ll ask the place I had the coffee how they do their coffee. Given how smooth it was, I’m wondering if it wasn’t cold brewed. Of course that would change things a bit.

Of course Robbie gets the prize for his minimalist machine coming in at just under $800. If I drank coffee every day I might go that direction, but I’m now where near there yet.

As for the Keurig recommendations, thanks but no thanks. I actually have a Keurig that we use on holidays and such for company. I don’t like it. Basically, anything with a heating element sucks imho. They scale up and unless they’re great quality, you can’t control the heat. Then there’s the k-cups. Some how, hot water and flimsy plastic just don’t seem to mix. If I used one, I would certainly go for the multi us brew basket.

My quest for minimalist comes from wanting to start with a low cost point so I’m thinking about a hand held burr grinder and a pour over set up. It also comes from the fact that I’m a tea drinker. I’m good at getting my water temp right and brew time correct. I use loose tea and make it one cup at a time. No problems there.

So, I’ll go back and have breakfast in the interest of more research and see what that yields. Again, I think the cold brew may be what I’m after. I’d never had coffee that smooth. Not bitter at all.

 

[target2019]

Wondering if anyone has, or can advise, on a minimalist coffee set up.

Background is that I’ve never really drank coffee. Sometimes at work when it was cold, I would grab a cup for something to warm up with. Frankly, I preferred a Coke. However, the other day, I went to breakfast with a friend and when I got there, there was already a carafe of coffee at the table, so I poured some. I was surprised how mellow it was and that I enjoyed it. So, I’m thinking about getting a coffee set up. Not willing to blow that dough but am looking for a system that will produce really good coffee. No way do I want something like a Keurig. I’m sure the best coffee will come from a fresh grind and a simple brew system.

Any suggestions? Looking at Amazon, there are plenty of hand burr grinders for under $50 and plenty of drip systems for $20. Still not cheap, but again, looking for great coffee and a minimalist system. A manual hand grinder and the AeroPress system looks like a good place to start.

Note, I’d only be looking at one, maybe two cups of coffee every now and then. Of course if I really got into it, I might need something different, but minimalist is where I want to start. Kind of a new hobby for the winter.

Thanks.

An AeroPress and hand grinder will get you started. This is the best solution for occasional use.

Below is my setup after years of trying different grinders and brewers. I'm making 9-10 cups for two.
- Beans come from StoneStreet, and sometimes from roaster at Reading Terminal. Maybe a bag of Starbucks here and there.
- Oxo grinder is the latest addition.
- Smaller glass containers to hold different beans.
- Measuring spoons
- Filtered water makes a noticeable difference.
- Unbleached basket filters in the drawer below.
- Mr. Coffee maker. Good enough for me.

 

[Lakedog]

My vote would be a Melitta style pour over dripper for the minimal effort involved in brewing and cleanup, easy storage, low purchase price, all while providing a good cup/pot of coffee.

+1
Started using the Melitta single cup pour over for the RV years ago and still use it at home sometimes if I want just one cup of coffee.

 

[Music Lover]

At home I have a good burr grinder and grind beans every morning. The coffee tastes good.

At the cabin it's very simple....a $20 drip coffee maker and store bought ground coffee that I keep in the freezer to keep it fresher. The coffee tastes almost as good.

 

[Trailwalker]

My quest for minimalist comes from wanting to start with a low cost point so I’m thinking about a hand held burr grinder and a pour over set up. It also comes from the fact that I’m a tea drinker. I’m good at getting my water temp right and brew time correct. I use loose tea and make it one cup at a time. No problems there.

You will be able to find several well-reviewed hand burr grinders to choose from. My go-to is an antique Zassenhaus knee grinder that I found on ebay for $40. It was in excellent condition and probably stored for many years without use. Is easily adjustable from coarse to fine. Not quite up to espresso, but I have a Mazzer Super Jolly for that.

 

[4legsgood]

... I have found that I actually (occasionally) like a cup of - wait for it - Folgers instant coffee crystals. About 30 seconds in the microwave heats a cup of water to the right temp. Add crystals to taste. Add sugar (blecccch!) or 1/2 and 1/2, etc.. stir, enjoy. ...

Instant works for me too, though I use Mount Hagen organic instant. About half the time I drink it iced and it's so easy to make the right strength. This, after years of trying various brewing techniques. Plus, mix instant into vanilla ice cream and it makes a great coffee ice cream.

 

[Koolau]

Instant works for me too, though I use Mount Hagen organic instant. About half the time I drink it iced and it's so easy to make the right strength. This, after years of trying various brewing techniques. Plus, mix instant into vanilla ice cream and it makes a great coffee ice cream.

Oh yeah! Love coffee ice cream and it's so easy to make to taste. YMMV

 

[kevink]

OK so if you TRULY want to be minimalist these new offerings from my old alma mater Starbucks are quite worthy of consideration:

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/new-starbucks-premium-instant-elevates-multi-serve-instant-coffee/

To be clear, these are NOT the same as their well-known Via Instant coffee packets. The coffee comes in a recyclable tin and is far cheaper per serving as well as much better in flavor. I personally recommend the light ("Veranda") roast which in typical Starbucks (or Charbucks) fashion is not light but in fact a medium or "full city" roast. Their medium roast is quite dark and roasty tasting, while their dark roasts are of course Kingsford Charcoal briquets in liquid form - i.e. ick.

But the Veranda instant is simply a very good cup of coffee - certainly better than anything you can buy by the cup in their stores (a low bar I realize). My MIL who lives alone and used to brew good-quality preground coffee in a Clever dripper has switched to this coffee for her morning cup and is very happy. If nothing else, great to keep in mind for travel. Far superior to any other instant coffee out there with the exception of a couple of Nescafé products sold only in Europe.

 

[brett]

We have been married for 47 years. Used Melita type drip filters since day 1. French roast coffee, European style. Grind our own beans each time.

In the past we made expresso and caps on our stop top boiler. Still do if we have the time.

Went into a Starbucks store a few years ago. The clerk told us they had a new method for on off drip coffees (near closing).

She looked at us like we had two heads when we told her we had been doing this for 47 plus years. And with a much better versatile plastic filter holder instead of the breakable ceramic one that she was flogging.

 

[Koolau]

OK so if you TRULY want to be minimalist these new offerings from my old alma mater Starbucks are quite worthy of consideration:

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/new-starbucks-premium-instant-elevates-multi-serve-instant-coffee/

To be clear, these are NOT the same as their well-known Via Instant coffee packets. The coffee comes in a recyclable tin and is far cheaper per serving as well as much better in flavor. I personally recommend the light ("Veranda") roast which in typical Starbucks (or Charbucks) fashion is not light but in fact a medium or "full city" roast. Their medium roast is quite dark and roasty tasting, while their dark roasts are of course Kingsford Charcoal briquets in liquid form - i.e. ick.

But the Veranda instant is simply a very good cup of coffee - certainly better than anything you can buy by the cup in their stores (a low bar I realize). My MIL who lives alone and used to brew good-quality preground coffee in a Clever dripper has switched to this coffee for her morning cup and is very happy. If nothing else, great to keep in mind for travel. Far superior to any other instant coffee out there with the exception of a couple of Nescafé products sold only in Europe.

Thanks! I'll have to try it. I couldn't get to the article. Is the Veranda available - in tins - at Starbucks stores?

Agreed that Charbucks can be a bit TOO dark though I like a very flavorful coffee. A couple of times, back in the day, I had to pour out about a 1/4 of a cup of my Venti and refill w/half and half. Not good for the ol' arteries, but it tamed the burnt flavor down to drinkable. YMMV

 

[ncbill]

Signed up for the monthly coffee plan at the new Panera around the corner.

First 3 months free, cup of hot/iced coffee/tea every 2 hours.

 

[Lsbcal]

OK so if you TRULY want to be minimalist these new offerings from my old alma mater Starbucks are quite worthy of consideration:

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/new-starbucks-premium-instant-elevates-multi-serve-instant-coffee/

To be clear, these are NOT the same as their well-known Via Instant coffee packets. The coffee comes in a recyclable tin and is far cheaper per serving as well as much better in flavor. I personally recommend the light ("Veranda") roast which in typical Starbucks (or Charbucks) fashion is not light but in fact a medium or "full city" roast. Their medium roast is quite dark and roasty tasting, while their dark roasts are of course Kingsford Charcoal briquets in liquid form - i.e. ick.

But the Veranda instant is simply a very good cup of coffee - certainly better than anything you can buy by the cup in their stores (a low bar I realize). My MIL who lives alone and used to brew good-quality preground coffee in a Clever dripper has switched to this coffee for her morning cup and is very happy. If nothing else, great to keep in mind for travel. Far superior to any other instant coffee out there with the exception of a couple of Nescafé products sold only in Europe.

Kind of pricey but how much do you need per cup measure?

 

[Janet H]

The first thing I recommend is to peruse and bookmark the website Sweet Marias (.com). They cater to home roasters but also have a carefully-curated ........

Thanks for the link - good resource.


I've had all sorts of coffee making devices over the years from electric drippers to french presses and pressure pots. When the last one leaked it's mornings output onto the counter and then incinerated a few years back, I got my folding silicon pourover dripper out of my camper as a fast replacement. I've been using it ever since. It's inelegant but dead simple. No. 4 filters are cheap and the clean up is easy.

This thing: https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-Gourmet-Pourover-Java/dp/B07NS7BNXR/

The grinder stays in the camper as it's pretty small for home use.

 

[kevink]

Thanks! I'll have to try it. I couldn't get to the article. Is the Veranda available - in tins - at Starbucks stores?

Agreed that Charbucks can be a bit TOO dark though I like a very flavorful coffee. A couple of times, back in the day, I had to pour out about a 1/4 of a cup of my Venti and refill w/half and half. Not good for the ol' arteries, but it tamed the burnt flavor down to drinkable. YMMV

I found these new instant coffees for $7.98 per tin at my local Walmart. Each tin makes up to 40 cups, so 20 cents a cup. And no, these coffees aren't sold at Starbucks stores, as far as I know. They'd just be cannibalizing Via instant sales not to mention letting the $5 a day (+) latte-swillers know they could stay home and save a couple hundred bucks a month. Bad for business!

 

[Koolau]

I found these new instant coffees for $7.98 per tin at my local Walmart. Each tin makes up to 40 cups, so 20 cents a cup. And no, these coffees aren't sold at Starbucks stores, as far as I know. They'd just be cannibalizing Via instant sales not to mention letting the $5 a day (+) latte-swillers know they could stay home and save a couple hundred bucks a month. Bad for business!

Thanks! I should have known it was something like that!

 

[Chuckanut]

Oh yeah! Love coffee ice cream and it's so easy to make to taste. YMMV

Mix the ice cream with Cheerios. Crunch, cold, coffee and sweet. Very good.

 

[Gremlin]

Mix the ice cream with Cheerios. Crunch, cold, coffee and sweet. Very good.

Oh my gosh. That sounds amazing!

 

[Koolau]

Mix the ice cream with Cheerios. Crunch, cold, coffee and sweet. Very good.

I'm outta Cheerios. I'll try grape nuts first.

 

[nash031]

The first thing I recommend is to peruse and bookmark the website Sweet Marias (.com).

I recommend either the Clever dripper or the Aeropress. The Clever is a full-immersion brewer that combines the excellent extraction of a French Press (aka plunger pot) with the grit-free clarity of drip, while avoiding the many problems of singe-cup pour-over drippers (forget about them!). Maximum yield from the Clever is 14 fl. oz - i.e. a very large mug+. Easy, simple, cheap.

And while a good burr grinder is nice to have (Capresso Infinity is the least expensive one I recommend - Baratza otherwise) a plain old $20 blade grinder is just fine to get started with.

Wanted to thank everyone for this thread, but in particular KevinK here. My old automatic drip brewer crapped out on me last week, but as I'm leaving full-time out of home work here next Friday, I decided I could upgrade my home coffee station as I'll have time to make and enjoy a really good cup of coffee. (Maybe someday I'll roast my own beans, but we're not there yet).

Specifically, the recommendation about Sweet Maria's was good. I learned a lot reading their blog for about an hour...

I have a stovetop kettle, two french presses, and a rotating blade grinder already, but wanted to step my game up...

I bought myself a small 1L electric kettle with six temp settings and a temp hold off Amazon for $60. This was a gift for both me and my tea-drinking wife who often laments she doesn't "have time" to boil the kettle, or wants to do it while she's getting ready, but doesn't like to sprint from the bathroom to stop the whistling. She was skeptical, but tried it and after one use is convinced... convenience you don't NEED, but man... it's nice.

I bought a Capresso Infinity off of the recommendations here ($99 on Amazon). Very nice and an obvious difference-maker relative to my spinning blade.

And I went with the Clever Coffee dripper... I'm making the best cups of coffee at home in my life. As people have said, you get the flavor of the french press without the bitterness or acidity (or sometimes just straight grounds)... and there's not as much faffing about with the pour-over... cleanup is super simple. Overall, the process takes less time than my french press, and not much more difficult/time consuming than the auto drip machine.

The only drawback I can see so far is that if I want a second cup I'm using a second filter everyday, but the quality of the coffee is far superior to my automatic maker, and significantly better than the french press as well. FWIW, I tested with the rest of my Trader Joe's beans I had been using on the old setups... Can't wait to see how higher quality beans come out with this.

I was considering a Technivorm Moccamaster prior to this thread, but those are $315 (and not including a new grinder!), and I ended up with this setup for less than $200. Someday I'll probably get an Aeropress as well to make some other things, but for a simple, great cup of coffee in the morning, I am all set.

Thanks for the thread and recommendations!