The Espro Press makes an amazing cup of french press coffee. It has a double-walled steel vessel that is rugged and durable. After brewing you can leave the coffee in the pot and it will stay hot for over an hour. But the real magic is with the double micro filter. The Espro Presses uniquely-designed micro filter is designed to help keep…
If you had won the 2012 AeroPress World Championship then this is the grinder you would have received as part of your loot. The Vario-W grinder from Baratza weighs 9 pounds, has 230 steps of grind coarseness adjustment, and uses a 54mm ceramic flat burr that is manufactured in Switzerland. The bean hopper holds up to 227g of whole coffee beans, and…
This new-to-me, Austin-based coffee roaster, Summermoon, roasts their coffee beans over a wood fire. The Swinging Lantern blend is a "tri-roast" that literally includes three separate roasts: their dark French Roast, their full bodied Velvet Roast and their light cinnamon Roast. And, I know from experience, that the Swinging Lantern blend makes for an excellent cup of french press. (Thanks, Seth.)
There are two advantages to using a stainless steel coffee filter: (a) it's reusable; and, (b) it allows more of the oils from your brewed coffee to find their way into your cup. The Kone coffee filter fits 6-, 8-, and 10-cup Chemex coffee makers. It was designed by Coava (pronounced ko-vuh) Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon, and seeks to save you…
When you buy an AeroPress it comes with a pack of paper micro-filters. These work fine and are easily disposable. However, for something different, there is this stainless steel AeroPress disk. The disk is reusable and has ultra-micro perforations so that only water gets through the filter, even when brewing a super-fine espresso grind. Many people prefer the flavor that stainless steel…
I recently ordered one of these double-walled glass bottles as my new traveling coffee mug. In theory, it's designed to be a tea tumbler — there is a metal basket at the top of the bottle which holds a tea bag. You turn the bottle upside down to brew, and then flip it right side up again and remove the tea bag…
This thing has all the amazing benefits of an electric kettle combined with the great pourover usefulness of the infamous Hario kettle.
When I brew coffee each morning, the items I pull out onto the kitchen counter consist of a conical burr grinder, and electric water kettle, a bamboo stir stick, my coffee brewing device (such as the AeroPress or French Press), my coffee beans, and a digital scale. It may sound like a lot but it isn't really that bad. For years I…
Contrary to popular opinion, we are not anti-every-single-drip-coffee-maker-out-there. The Moccamaster is the exception. I once knew a man who took his Moccamaster with him whenever he went to a friend's house — he refused to drink coffee any other way. He once brought it to my home, and I will confess that the coffee was delicious. In addition to being regarded as…
This utility notebook has a singular purpose, or 33 singular purposes that is: to document the coffees you drink. Specially designed pages give you a place to write the name of the coffee, where you drank it, how it was brewed, how much it cost, and if it was any good or not. The Coffee Journal is an obsessive coffee nerd's dream…
Though I do not yet own one of the Hario kettles (I use an electric kettle), this is an item I'd love to add to my coffee shelf one day. The Hario kettle works great in any scenario, but it's designed especially for use with pour over coffee makers such as the Chemex or a single serving pour over option. What makes…
We boil water at least 3 or 4 times a day. Anna for her tea in the morning, me for my coffee, me again perhaps for my afternoon tea, and then the two of once more in the evening for our after-dinner tea or decaf coffee. In our kitchen have a similar version of this Breville that is made by Hamilton Beach,…
I have a pair of Bodum double wall glass coffee mugs, and they are fantastic. They keep the coffee (or tea) nice and hot for longer than a standard ceramic mug does, and they keep the outside of the glass cool enough to hold. And so this new-to-me double-walled french press sounds wonderful. I currently have a classic Bodum french press, but…
Brewing coffee with my siphon vacuum pot is a blast — especially when guests are over. The coffee is delicious and the process is enjoyable and gratifying. Most siphons come with a glass container with a wick meant for burning denatured alcohol to boil your water. This works, but it can be messy and dangerous, and is especially not wise for storage.…
I recently stepped into the world of home coffee roasting, and I may never go back. My home roasting journey is beginning with a 1970's WestBend The Poppery, which means I am currently air roasting my beans. However, word on the street is that if you're serious about home roasting then a domestic drum roaster is the way to go because they…
A double-walled porcelain coffee mug with its own drip filter holder so you can make a single cup of pour over coffee using the mug itself? This may be the most perfect travel mug I have ever seen.
Perhaps one day I will own an expresso machine. And but so, in the meantime I guess posting about them on Tools and Toys will have to suffice. I have it on good authority that as far as home machines go, the Rancilio Silvia is the best of the best for the price range. Don't waste your money buying something at Target…
We know that you know that the best way to keep your roasted coffee beans fresh is to store them in an airtight container that doesn't see any sunlight. Most coffee aficionados find the nearest jar with an airtight lid and call it good. But after you've closed that jar what about all the air that is still inside it? That's where…
You want to grind your own coffee, and you want to grind it with a conical burr grinder. What many people do not know is that there is a big difference between a plain burr grinder and a conical burr grinder. In fact, most inexpensive burr grinders do a worse job grinding your coffee than a cheap blade grinder would. With conical…
If you’re persnickety about your coffee and brew some every day then the AeroPress may be your cup of tea. I own a drip coffee maker, a Turkish coffee maker, two french presses, a stove-top espresso maker, a siphon, and an AeroPress. The latter makes a cup of coffee as delicious as you'll get from a french press or siphon, yet with…