So I have drank coffee on and off since I was a teenager, and I recently took probably a 2 year break from it. When I was drinking coffee, it was usually because they had a pod system at work, and it was an excuse to get up from my desk and take a break. With that said, I have been watching this Netflix show Resident Alien recently, and there is a lot of coffee drinking in it, and I started craving a hot cup. On my way home from dropping my daughter off at daycare, I stopped at the local gas station\market and got a cup and was like “Man, I miss coffee, and this coffee is pretty terrible.”
So this got me thinking that I want to get back into morning coffee tradition, but I no longer work in an office, I work from home. I don’t want to go pod system because they are wasteful, weak, and a pain in the but to clean\maintain. My wife doesn’t drink coffee, so I don’t need to make a whole pot. So I was thinking of going French press, as that seems to be suggested in a lot of places for single-serve.
Do you folks have a suggestion on French press brands? I know it’s a pretty simple mechanism, but I’m not against spending a couple extra bucks to get something that will enhance my coffee making\drinking experience. Additionally, I am looking for something that will filter out as many grounds as possible. Are you guys for\against paper filters? Should I get a metal one? Do I need one of those things that goes on top of my mug to hold the filter? Where do I start?
I know coffee can get really mad scientist really quick, and I’m not trying to go that route (yet). My brother-in-law has one of those electric kettles that gets to an exact temperature, and he grinds his own beans and weights them, and does the whole swirly pour to get “the perfect cup” and while that seems cool, I am not ready to take it to that level.
So what is your suggestion on “starter builds”?
Also, what about beans? Do I grind my own? Do I start with store bought stuff (I always liked Cafe Bustelo)?
Any and all advice is welcome.
Edit: I also forgot to add - I have read about cold brewing being really smooth. How do I cold brew and heat it back up? Do people do that? Would love to hear more about it.
Edit2: Oh man, this community is awesome! I didn’t expect so many great responses. Pulling the trigger on an Aeropress after reading all the comments here and watching some James Hoffman videos about it. It definitely looks like the right fit for me. I’m not going to get a grinder quite yet, as I feel like I am just beginning my journey and I don’t want to go balls to the wall right out the gate. There is a coffee shop right down the street from me that sells\grinds beans, so that sounds like the best bet for trying different things.
Sxan mentioned the Toddy’s kit, and that also has my interest. Maybe that’s next after a grinder. I have a feeling I am about to go down an expensive caffeine fueled rabbit hole. Wish me luck. I will report back.
Lots of people have suggested Aeropress, and I agree that if you’re having a single cup, it’s a good fit. It the trick will be getting a good grind without sbending a lot on a grinder.
But I’m really responding to your edit:
At this point I’m starting to feel like a shill for Toddy’s, but if you think you’ll start drinking coffee daily, this is the path I’d recommend. The entire kit will cost you $50. You pour a pound of ground beans in the tub and fill it with cold water, and let it sit overnight; the next day, you pop out the bung and let it drain the brew into the glass decanter (that comes with the kit). What you end up with is 1.5L of concentrated brew that you keep in the fridge. When you want coffee, fill your mug 1/3 with the concentrate, and the rest with hot water. I drink about 2 cups a day, and brew coffee once a week. The cold brewing tends to prevent bitterness, but it can still be as strong as you like - there have been times I’ve gone 50/50 for a strong cup.
I have a not inexpensive Italian hand-press espresso system which I use a couple of times a week, for lattes & cappuccinos and such, but the Toddy is my favorite system. Cheap, easy to clean, easy to brew, it brews a bunch of coffee meant to be stored in the fridge, and it’s super forgiving on bean quality.
My only hesitation in recommending the Toddy to you is because it sounds like you might just be looking for a way to have a cup sometimes. If you can’t drink what the Toddy brews within a week or two - the equivalent of 4.5L of coffee - it may be too much. It’s perfect for 1-2 cups a day drinkers.
Nice and thoughtful post about cold brew and the Toddy! I did Toddy batches weekly for a couple years and enjoyed the smoothness and convenience you described. I had to purchase another container because of the dreaded crack near the stopper. Eventually I switched to the Oxo and haven’t looked back. Benefits are: no need to mess with sponge filters, no reaching under to pull out the stopper, looks great on the countertop, self-contained and packs up nicely for storage.
Same price range as the Toddy, so keep it in mind if your Toddy ever cracks. Happy brewing!
Oh heck, that looks great! Messing with the bung is my least favorite part of the Toddy system; I’ve always just forgiven it as part of an absurdly inexpensive system in a hobby where components can get expensive quickly. But if there’s a similar option that eliminates that? Fantastic!
The Toddy sponges don’t bother me much. Early on I bought a bunch of these unbleached cotton bags that work as inserts to the Toddy; they make dealing with the grounds easier, and I replace the sponge & bag once a year, just because; they’re so inexpensive, but I don’t see new ones make much difference except maybe the new sponges drain a little quicker. However, that isn’t to say I wouldn’t mind easier clean-up. Are those paper filters the same size as the Aeropress, do you know? They look pretty close. From what I can find, those are 2.3", and the Aeropress are 2.5". I’m curious, because I have a stockpile of about a million Aeropress filters.
Oh I forgot about the paper filters for the Oxo! I think you’re right about the slight difference in size. I stopped using the paper filters and only use the mesh screen, as I still enjoy the brews without them.
Do you not get too much sludge in that last cup?
Looks like a great system. I’ve bought three Toddys already (2 as gifts), so I feel as if I’ve been a good customer for them already; this Oxo looks petty nice, and I like the idea of a washable mesh. And, frankly, even if I do use the papers, they’re probably not much worse environmentally than Toddy’s reusable cotton ones.
Can you get extra glass carafes? We do both decaf and caff in our house, so I need two.
Yeah, I think you can buy the Oxo carafe separately if you want an extra, but I haven’t looked into it. We transfer the brew concentrate into taller carafes so they don’t take up as much space in our fridge (I think they’re the 1L Anchor Hocking carafes with lids).
By the time we are pouring the last bit of the concentrate, the small amount of sludge stays in the carafe and doesn’t impact the cup!
Well, thanks for turning me on to something new. I hate to be all consumerist, since I’m happy with the Toddy, but the Oxo does seem to have some improvements and it doesn’t break the bank.
👍