I have been asked by people looking to get into coffee brewing at home which manual coffee brewer they should buy. I usually had the same answer for them but thinking about it more, I realised perhaps I should recommend a coffee brewer that fits someone’s personality rather than how easy it is to use for a beginner.

So I thought it would be quite useful and fun to break down which manual coffee brewer might fit your personality.

Coffee on the go…

If you are a person who likes drinking coffee on the go and need to brew coffee somewhere other than your home, then the go-to brewer is the Aeropress. This popular brewer is easily the best manual coffee maker to have especially if you want to have speciality coffee on the go. You can brew with the anywhere including your workplace, a hotel or even outdoors. It helps because it’s small, portable and light to carry so perfect to travel with.

But even though it’s an easy thing to carry round, it’s also a great brewer that produces really tasty coffee with lots of body and juicy flavours. It’s very flexible with the number of ways you can brew with it and it always feel the methods are endless.

There are two version of the Aeropress; the Aeropress Go which is specifically designed to be compatible with travelling and comes with its own drinking mug and lid. But personally you can still get the regular Aeropress (which is slightly bigger) to take it anywhere with you.

So if you are a person on the go constantly and still need speciality coffee then get the Aeropress. I have done a couple of posts on the Aeropress including what you need to know before buying it and 5 reasons why you should buy it. If you want to know more about the Aeropress then check out the links above. Also, check the current pricing on Amazon by clicking here.

Aeropress

The Casual Drinker…

Sometimes people want coffee without the fuss. That’s why lot of people like to just press a button on a machine to get their coffee fix and that practice has become very popular. But you can still achieve an easy brew by just using a French Press/ Cafetierre.

I know lot of people who use the French Press on a casual basis as it is easy to use. I think you also get that pleasant surprise of manual brewing coffee without the need of some technical skills. As an effective immersion brewer it’s hard to really make a bad cup of coffee with it too. I have recommended it to friends and family members who are not coffee fanatics but want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee every so often.

I have also done a post on the French and why you should buy one, you can read that article here. The French Press is also available everywhere including larger supermarkets in the UK. If you want it quickly from Amazon then Bodum would be the safest choice. Check pricing here.

The Classical Type..

There are plenty of people who just want coffee to taste like coffee. Short and strong with some punch. Well it’d be great if those nice espresso machines were a couple of hundred pounds cheaper but there is a alternative and manual option which is the Moka Pot.

The Moka Pot is a stove-top brewer that is classical in design and enjoyable to use. It is associated with Italian coffee drinking where it’s still popular to this day as well as around the world. The Moka Pot has an ingenious way of working and is really rewarding to use especially if you like drinking stronger coffee. The coffee it produces is somewhere between Filter and Espresso coffee but more than that, it’s a coffee brewer with a very traditional approach to making coffee.

You will find there are many brands of Moka Pots but the classic version is the Bialetti one and it is available on Amazon. Check current pricing here.

Bialetti Moka Pot

When you want things to slow down…

I am this person. I am always looking to slow down, take a break and to just to find time in my day to relax. Now one of the best ways to get that a short break or long break is by making a pour-over coffee.

A pour-over coffee is a ritual that is thearaputic and satisfying for enjoying a flavourful cup of coffee. This has become the trendiest way to make speciality coffee right now. For coffee lovers, there is a treasure chest of amazing coffee from around the world that has been produced by famers in a specific way, or roasted to its best ability and the potential of experiencing unique flavours. Brewing coffee this way does require a little bit of skill and patience but people who get into pour-overs tend to enjoy it and keep at it.

There are also lots of different pour-over brewers to choose from. You have the culture classic Chemex, the pioneer V60, the reliable Kalita Wave and the trendy Origami Dripper to state a few. I also don’t think there is one type of personality who enjoys a good filter coffee from a pour-over. But I am sure they all love slow things down to brew a delicious pour-over to slow things down.

The Scientific Approach…

If you are into coffee and science then I can’t recommend anything other than the Siphon brewer to you. Alternatively referred to as Vacuum Coffee Maker, it looks like a bunch of parts put together from a Chemistry lab. Although the process of the Siphon brewer looks very complex it’s actually just a immersion brewer similar to the French Press. With the Siphon, it is broken down to heating up the water, then the immersion between coffee and water and finally the coffee being filtered from the grounds.

The Siphon is also known to make good coffee too. You can expect clean, rich and aromatic flavours. But unlike the French Press, the filter system is finer so you avoid lot of sedaments. There are different types of Siphon makers to from different brands like Hario or Bodum. Also, you can get it as a stovetop or standalone one too. So in terms of aesthictics, use and price there are plenty of options.

The Siphon Brewer is easily the coolest thing you can own and the most fun way to make coffee. Plus, if you were not good at science back at school then this is the perfect way to amend that and make delicious coffee.

The Cultural Drinker…

For the cultural or historical coffee drinker then you might want to try one of the oldest piece of brewing equipment called the Ibrik or Cezve (pronouced “Jezzve”). This brewer has been around since the 1400s and is used to produce Turkish Coffee although it has been used in many other countries too especially in the Arab world. A simple pot with a long handle made from either Brass or Copper, it simply involves water and super-fine coffee heated over a heat source to produce a small cup of strong coffee.

There are many reasons why Turkish Coffee has a strong cultural significance from the way it is served, the brewing process and the social aspect of meeting up with friends in coffeehouses. But it is also a simple, light, no fuss brewer to use at home too. From what I have seen, Turkish coffee is typically served with a glass of water and some baklava. Turkish coffee can be quite strong and bitter so sugar is sometimes added during the brewing.

Now, even older than the Turkish Coffee style which is associated with the Ottomans is the Arabian coffee method which uses a similar vessel. This involves lighter roasted coffee being crushed and mixed with ginger, cardamon and cinnamon which is very different to the dark roast style of Turkish coffee. I think there is a potential to bring back this brewer to use with speciality coffee and they even have a competition for it now too. So if you want to try your hands with some coffee history then get yourself a Ibrik.

Photo by samer daboul from Pexels

Conclusion

So what do you think, do the personalities match with the brewer I recommended? I know I have missed some coffee brewers out but I am already thinking of doing a Part 2. Maybe even a little spin-off on pour-over brewers because that’s a topic in itself. I do think matching a brewer to someones character, lifestyle and visual preference is better way to go then just saying get a French Press. So hopefully this post will be useful to you or someone.

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