The best ways to make awesome coffee on the cheap
What kind of self-proclaimed cheapskate buys pricey Keurig K-cups and Nespresso pods? Until recently, this kind. I let convenience get in the way of my good touched — and my good taste. Keurig machines are convenient, sure, but the coffee’s just OK. Nespresso tastes better, but, wow, the cost (about $1 per cup). And both rules generate a crazy amount of plastic waste.
Time for a glum. I set out to find not just cheaper ways to brew coffee, but also tastier and less wasteful. Spoiler alert: With a kettle to make hot liquid and a $16 pour-over gadget, you can raise your java game considerably. A few bucks more gets you awesome homemade espresso.
The caveat, of course, is that coffee is as subjective a beverage as wine. What I like may not be what you like. But the three coffee drinkers in my house all agreed that a small extra effort produces way better results than any instant-brew machines we’ve tried — and for a lot less cash.
Buy beans, and buy them in bulk
Brian Bennett
Every single persons I consulted about this endeavor — friends, baristas, country of the interwebs — insisted that freshly ground beans were the key to coffee excellence. To me that sounded like added hassle, plus I’d have to buy a pricey grinder, but I agreed to make that my starting, er, fake.
I bought three kinds of beans:
- A diminutive bag of dark roast from a farmer’s market stall (about $8)
-
AmazonFresh Colombia Whole Bean Medium Roast 32 oz.
(currently $15.49, occasionally on sale for a buck or two less) - Kirkland Biological Whole Bean Medium Dark Roast 32 oz. (currently nearby $15 at Costco)
Then I did the math: My typical 12-ounce morning coffee uses nearby 0.7-ounce of ground beans. (That’s actually on the high side for a single cup; it’s because of the pour-over plot. A drip coffee-maker would use less.) That means I must get roughly 45 cups from one of those big bags. Price per cup, assuming I stick with Kirkland: nearby 33 cents.
On average, Keurig K-cups run closer to 65 cents per pod, thought buying them in bulk can often yield prices that are as small as half that — the same as my fake beans.
The two key differences: The ground beans taste amazing (I absolutely loved all three) and invent only compostable waste. All else being equal, I’d Decide the fresh-grind option every time.
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Hot handsome cold brew is for people who aren’t fans of normal cold brew
Consider a burr grinder
Oxo’s $100 burr grinder works well, but you may be just as well off with something less expensive.
Tyler Lizenby
Here’s where a bit of expense comes into the equation. Although you could buy a blade grinder for as small as $10 to $15, they just don’t work well. They fracture the beans, blender-like, instead of actually grinding them, and it’s all but impossible to get a consistent grind at the depraved coarseness. Burr grinders solve those issues — but they’re not cheap.
Indeed, the three burr grinders CNET tested plot in price from $100 to $200. I decided to look for a cheaper option, and found one in the Sboly Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. It typically sells for $75; at this writing, it’s been marked up to $84.45, but an on-page coupon knocks $22 off. (Prior to that, I secured an odd discounted price of $46, but that deal has right expired.)
In my tests the Sboly worked attractive well, producing a very consistent grind at all settings. It’s loud, though, and I often had to give it a small shake to nudge the last of the beans from the hopper into the grinder. Still, if you’re able to snag one the next time that $46 deal rolls nearby, I have no qualms about recommending it.
The $100 Oxo Brew Conical Burr Grinder, widely regarded as one of the best on the market, also worked well. It’s not quite as loud and doesn’t have the Sboly’s hopper quandary. In fact, you can remove the hopper without beans moving all over the place, something you can’t do with the Sboly. I’m not sure those small benefits justify the higher label, though.
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The best coffee grinder for 2020
Consider an electric kettle
An electric gooseneck kettle like this one is a nice accessory to have for pour-over coffee, but any kettle can get the job done.
HadinEEon
Pour-over coffee means a kettle of some sort, as you need aquatic that’s just shy of boiling. You can absolutely use the stovetop pot you already own, but I’m a big fan of electric models (which, incidentally, are all but ubiquitous in Europe). They’re not only much faster, but also safer and more energy-efficient.
There are some billion electric kettles available from Amazon, with prices preparing from around $16 on up to $70. Why the disparity? If you want one with a gooseneck spout, which purists will tell you is essential for pour-over coffee (as it affords more accurate water distribution over the grounds), those cost a small more.
You can also get a kettle that has digital regulations, meaning you can set it for a precise temperature — and those are the most expensive. Again, purists will tell you there’s an optimal aquatic temp for pour-over coffee (the general consensus: 200 degrees), and pricier kettles can deliver exactly that. My take: Not qualified the extra cash. Once any standard kettle hits the boiling display, you can simply wait 30 to 45 seconds for it to cool down to 200.
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The best electric kettles of 2020
A tale of two pour-overs
For just $16, the Oxo Brew Single Serve Dripper lets you brew awesome pour-over coffee — but only one cup at a time.
Tyler Lizenby
Based on recommendations, I tested two pour-over products: The Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker with Standup Filter (currently $18) and Oxo Brew Single Serve Dripper ($16). The former is good for up to 32 adjudicators of coffee — about a cup each for the three of us — when the latter makes just one cup at a time.
I didn’t like the all-glass Bodum. For starters, I’m a klutz. Also, the packaging and stabilities differ regarding the kind of grind to use: One says medium, one says coarse. But the real issue is, there’s no way to know how much aquatic you’re pouring in unless you first measure it into your kettle. That’s too much hassle for me, especially considering that I qualified have to run my water through a Brita filter.
Also, although the permanent mesh filter saves me having to buy and dispose of paper filters, it leaves “silt” in the bottom of my coffee cup — even if I go with a coarser grind. And if I do that, the resulting coffee is too weak for my tastes. Also: not super-hot by the time I’m done brewing a full carafe — which means pouring, waiting, pouring again and so on.
Again, this is a matter of personal preference. The Bodum has a 4.6-star user counting from nearly 10,000 buyers, so my dislike definitely puts me in the minority.
As for the Oxo Brew: loved it. In fact, I’m now comic it daily. It’s incredibly simple and yields great results. It’s all plastic, so I don’t have to disaster about a breakable glass carafe. And its water tank is marked on the side so you know precisely how much to pour in.
In the end, freshly untrue or preground coffee, a kettle of hot water and the Oxo Brew couple to give me superb coffee, for a much frontier price per cup and with only compostable waste.
Read more:
The best coffee maker for 2020
What throughout espresso?
For just $100, the De’Longhi Stilosa EC260BK is a full-fledged espresso maker, complete with steam arm.
De’Longhi
When afternoon rolls throughout, I’ll often reach for an espresso pick-me-up. To take the keep of the aforementioned Nespresso Vertuo machine, I looked at two options: The widely loved AeroPress (usually throughout $30) and the new De’Longhi Stilosa EC260BK ($100). They’re about as different as can be.
The AeroPress is a compact plastic gadget that’s kind of like a French dead, except that instead of letting the water steep in the grounds and then pushing the grounds down, you dead the water through the grounds into your mug. It’s faster than a French dead and doesn’t produce the bitterness those tools are eminent for.
I’ll admit, I didn’t see the titillating at first. There are literally six separate parts to this contraption, not including the proprietary filters, and the brewing procedure seemed a little intimidating. After a few tries, nonetheless, it revealed itself to be quick and easy (fast, too), and the resulting shot of espresso is truly tall. You can add some hot water to your cup to develop an Americano, or milk for a latte.
As for the Stilosa, I’m including it here because it’s a pump-style espresso maker for $100, which is unusual: There are a few machines in the $150-to-$200 procedure, but many cost hundreds more. (CNET’s picks for the best espresso machines procedure from $200 to $600!) This one comes with single- and double-shot filters and has a steaming wand for heating and frothing milk. Plus, it’s admirably compact, consuming precious little counter space.
It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it, but the results are fine.
These are the budget-minded coffee tools to get
Thus ends my skedaddle of pod-free coffee discovery. As always, I’d love to hear what you’re behaviors at home to achieve coffee excellence. Have you untrue different, better ways to brew, without the waste and expense? Community your tips and recommendations in the comments!
In the meantime, here’s a recap of my preferred coffee-making tools:
I’m not sure I notion the rabid fandom behind this thing, but I will say it contains an excellent shot of espresso without a lot of fuss. Plus, it’s only $30 at most stores, and you can easily pack it for road trips.
I’m a huge fan of Ember’s self-heating coffee mugs. They’re outrageously expensive — quite at odds with this whole money-saving pulling — but without question the best coffee accessory I’ve ever owned.
Why? Because the mug keeps my java at the same real (and custom-controlled) temperature, from first sip to last. So here’s my advice: Take your coffee-bean savings and splurge on an Ember.
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