What is the best set-up to get started with coffee brewing?

To start with a roasted coffee for espresso, a very simple and economical method is to use the moka or Italian pot. One stove and you're done.

If you want to go further and make espresso like in the coffeeshop, you will have to invest in a good machine for the house and acquire the basic knowledge in extraction. And above all clean the machine regularly.

 

For a coffee roasted for the filter, i.e. less dark than for espresso, you will need to invest in a good kettle with a swan's beak in order to regulate the temperature to the exact degree and to control the flow of water that you pour into the coffee. You will also need a scale to know exactly how much coffee you are preparing to add the right amount of water, this is called the ratio. For the filter, a ratio between 14 and 16 is generally used. Let's take the example with a ratio of 15, this means that for each gram of coffee you will add 15g of water, so if you prepare 15g of coffee, you will pour 225g of water, because 15gx15=225g. Then choose the method you would like to test first, is it the V60 one of the leading methods, the aeropress very useful when hiking or travelling, the chemex which gives a very clean cup?

 

The most important thing is to invest in a good grinder, whether it's for espresso or filter. Whether it is electric or manual, it is important to avoid a propeller grinder but to use a grinder with conical or flat burrs. All this to have the most homogeneous particles possible to have a good extraction.