You’re Brewing It Wrong: 10 Experts Rank the Best (and Worst) Ways to Make Coffee
Coffee is personal, and it’s rare that two people do or take it the same way. You might want the punch of a dark roast or lean toward something subtle and complex. Some people take it iced, espresso style with a drop of foam or warm with skim milk (please, no).
Ultimately, the best cup of coffee is the one you enjoy, but brewing coffee is all about chemistry, and some brewing methods objectively extract more nuanced and rounder flavors than others.
Almost every coffee professional I consulted was aligned.
So, what is the best device or method for brewing? According to the coffee professionals I spoke with, there is a definitive answer. In total, I asked 10 coffee experts, including roasters, cafe owners, educators, barista champions, and a former president of the Specialty Coffee Association, to rank seven popular methods of brewing coffee.
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The contenders (listed alphabetically): AeroPress, automatic drip machine, espresso, French press, K-Cup, mocha pot and pour-over.
The Best Way to Brew Coffee, According to Experts
Pour secured first place by a good margin.
Even if it was not unanimous, the pour-over emerged as the big winner in the overall average ranking. The good news is that pour-over is among the least expensive coffee brewing methods available, requiring little more than a portable kettle or other pouring device and a funnel dripper equipped with a cone filter that sits on top of the cup or carafe to collect the coffee. (You can certainly spend more money on a serious pour-over kit.) On the other hand, well-executed pour-over coffee can be difficult and is not a set-it-and-forget-it type of method.
Naturally, pour-over is the sort of thing that true coffee lovers will happily subscribe to, requiring precise timing and temperature, not to mention the patience required to supervise the brew in progress. However, this can be complicated for those who must first take caffeine to worry about these details.
Ranked scores:
(1 = Best and 7 = Worse)
- Pour: 1.625
- AeroPress: 2,375
- Espresso: 3.5
- French press: 3.75
- Moka pot: 4,625
- Drop: 4.75
- K-Cup: 6,625
Another method very popular with coffee pros
AeroPress earned high marks from the coffee experts I spoke with.
Although pour-over had the highest overall ranking, it wasn’t the only method ranked #1 by a professional. AeroPress — an analog method that combines the agitation of pouring, the immersion of French press and the pressure of espresso — had a few acolytes and came in second place overall.
Marwyn Garcia, owner of Headcount Coffee, ranked it as the number one option available (although noting that other, less common methods, like an immersion coffee maker or coffee siphon, are also worthy contenders). AeroPress brew time is an adjustable variable that allows you to customize personal brewing preferences. He also highlighted the quality of the beans, emphasizing the importance of any given method.
“The overall flavor depends more on how fresh your coffee is,” he says. “As is the roast level, as it may require a longer brew time or a longer brew time to achieve the desired result.”
Of those who placed it second after pour-over, Howard also notes that AeroPress has a definite advantage: “It has great clarity and versatility,” he says, “especially for travel or a quick cup.”
The espresso and French press methods have merit
Espresso and French press are virtually tied for third place.
Espresso and French press have also received top rankings from some coffee professionals, and actually rank tied for third in terms of trust among c.
Heather Perry, CEO of Klatch Coffee, two-time U.S. Barista Champion and former president of the Specialty Coffee Association, notes that it is espresso that is used to measure barista performance.
“It’s true that you need specialist equipment and time to get the best results from espresso, but once you get your machine set up, the characteristics of great espresso really shine through,” she says. “Wonderful, intense flavor, lovely creaminess and great aroma too. The sweetness, sourness and bitterness are all balanced in harmony.”
Those who preferred the French press cite its ritualistic nature and ability to easily brew more than one cup.
“I’m a fan of the French press method because it really captures the relaxed, hands-on ritual of making coffee that I love,” says Bernadette Gerrity, vice president of Café Aroma. “I always preferred old-fashioned brewing methods to new gadgets because you can control everything from proportions to flavor without any waste,” she says. “It’s very easy to compose your perfect cup with a French press. Plus, it’s quick, simple and satisfying: just coffee and water, no special buttons or pods needed.”
“It’s true that you need specialized equipment and time to get the best results from espresso, but once you get your machine set up, the characteristics of great espresso really shine through,” said Heather Perry.
“The French press accomplishes all the goals and allows you to brew multiple cups of coffee at once, allowing others to enjoy it,” says Dave Linari, former professional coffee roaster at NewSylum Brewing.. “I find that the coarse grind of the bean and the coarse filter allows all the flavors and aromas to come through the way the bean intended,” he says. “The filter allows the natural oils and fine particles of the coffee to remain in the cup, which creates a richer texture and taste, and the whole system is a very simple and affordable piece of equipment, which you can also use to froth milk.
Why coffee pros love pour-over
Consistency
Pour-over brewing encourages control of specific variables, including temperature, flow rate and agitation.
“With pour-over, slow, deliberate pouring allows control over precise variables including temperature, flow, and agitation,” says Theo Chan, coffee critic and editor-in-chief of Coffee Roast, “ensuring even extraction and revealing a coffee’s sweetness, acidity, and nuanced aromas.” (Agitation refers to the ability of water to circulate among the coffee grounds during brewing.)
“Maximum control over variables equals consistency,” says James McCarthy, roaster and head of training at Colombian coffee brand Devoción, who specifically recommends a origami pour dripper. “Since you’re using your own kettle, you can choose the water temperature and vary the flow rate to your preference.”
“For a cup of black coffee, I would say pour-over coffee is my go-to,” says Joe Howard, co-founder of YAWN Brew. “With a pour-over, you can really highlight the unique characteristics of the coffee. It’s a clean brewing method that gives you good precision of the coffee.”
Suitability for roast preference
One coffee expert I spoke with praised pour-over for its ability to bring out the delicate flavor of certain roasts.
Michael Cramer, founder of Cafe Larderanotes that the level of roasting is also an important factor in determining which method is favored. “I prefer lightly roasted beans, and pouring water by hand produces a more even extraction, bringing out their complex flavors and delicate aromas,” he says. “It requires more time and attention than other methods, but if you care about coffee, it’s a worthwhile investment. You’re giving up ease for consistency and flavor, which seems like a trade-off worth making.”
Filter Considerations
The type of filter used by various methods was also considered in the ranking. “The pour-overs use paper filters that remove oils, resulting in a cleaner, more delicate flavor profile showcasing the subtleties of a coffee while still being able to represent any roast level well,” says Megan Biolsi, head of coffee education and training at Coffee in glass. “They generally require a little adjustment to get a great cup, but allow for complex adjustments for those who want to experiment and perfect their morning brew.”
Least Favorite Methods: Mocha Maker, Drip Maker, and K-Cup
Moka makers have a certain charm, but coffee experts rank this brewing method low on the list.
While the Moka pot – a stovetop method of making espresso – and the automatic drip machine both received middle-of-the-pack votes, the K-Cup was unanimously voted as the least preferred method by coffee professionals. While Howard generously noted that it was “quick and clean,” the consensus was that it “sacrifices flavor and texture,” allows for no adjustments, and produces unnecessary waste with every cup.
