First of all, here’s the I-can’t-be-arsed-reading links –
Brewing Methods
Filter/Batch Brew
Pour Over
Aeropress
Coffee
Cafe Suggestions
Coffee. Squeezed Beans. Bean Juice. Joe. Brew. Go Juice. We know it by many different names, but one thing is always the same. Coffee is awesome!
I’ve always been a lover of coffee and over my years of appreciation I’ve dipped my toes into the world of brewing, learning some of the basics of being a barista, how to do some latte art and even roasted some coffee in a popcorn machine once. Well twice, the first batch ran a little too long and filled my entire flat with smoke. It was a bit of a disaster.
In 2015 I moved to Melbourne, the coffee capital of Australia, and potentially the world. I know a lot of people who would fight you over that too. We do it so well here. Honestly it’s hard to find a bad cup of coffee in Melbourne. I’ll link to a few of my favourite Melbourne cafe’s at the end of this blog, if you’re local, go check them out and support some small businesses.
Brewing Methods
There are so many ways of brewing coffee and they all have their own pros and cons and a huge variety of entry points to get involved with them. Some you can start for a few bucks, others you can spend a hefty sum on. I’m going to talk about a couple here, but honestly I’m no James Hoffman, I’m going to give it to you as simply as I can, because that’s how I’d like to hear it. These are my favourite methods and ones that I enjoy on a regular basis. I’ll include links for each if you’d like to give any of them a shot. I really do encourage you to explore the world of coffee, it can be a delicious adventure!
Also I’m not delving into the world of espresso coffee here which is even more vast and intimidating than just regular coffee. Maybe another time.
Filter/Batch Brew
First and foremost, my favourite way to brew coffee, and the way I usually do when I have the time to sit and enjoy it for a while is with the Technivorm Moccamaster. Not only is in an absolute thing of beauty to look at, it produces such a consistent and delicious cup of coffee each and every time, it’s really hard to mess it up. Here’s my Moccamaster sitting next to where I stream, ready to brew at a moments notice.
Hand built in The Netherlands, the Moccamaster has the tick of approval from a bunch of coffee organisations and is heralded as one of the best batch brewing machines out there. It’s designed to brew at a perfect temperature between 92 and 96 degrees Celsius. There’s no noisy vibration motors used to push the water around, so it’s extremely quiet, and is made from sustainable and recyclable materials.
There’s a range of different models available, including the classic glass carafe model, one that brews into a thermal carafe and even a single cup model for those who are absolutely in love with the look of these machines and the ritual of brewing a great cup of coffee.
Want to check them out and grab yourself not only a design classic but a bulletproof coffee brewer? Here’s some links for you (as always, these are Amazon affiliate links, so if you pick one up from one of these links, it helps your boy out!) –
US – https://amzn.to/48yhgTN
UK – https://amzn.to/48xq0JO
AUS – https://amzn.to/3voTc7k
GER – https://amzn.to/3H57I6S
CAN – https://amzn.to/3vmWN68
Pour Over
Now people will argue till they’re blue in the face about the best way to do a pour over coffee, what the best recipe is in terms of grams of coffee in, to grams of water in and output volumes, bloom times, grind size. For such a simple bit of coffee brewing gear, the complexity and range of ways you can do it are so vast. But essentially you’re talking about a cone (usually either plastic or ceramic), with a paper filter in it, sitting on a cup. It’s as simple as that.
Hario are probably the most popular brand of pour over equipment, the V60 being the flagship pour over cone type device. They make a plastic, ceramic and metal version in different cup sizes, as well as carafes to brew into and a whole range of accessories.
The basic V60 paired with the appropriate filter just sits on your cup, you dose in some coffee and slowly pour water over the grounds, letting it brew through the filter into your cup below. You can get fancy kettles with noodle necks to pour the water in a super controlled way, clockwise, anti-clockwise, from a great height, as theatrical as you like, as long as the stuff that comes out of the bottom tastes good to you, you’re golden.
Here’s a link to the basic entry level Hario V60 pour over cone if you’d like to give this method a go. Don’t forget to grab filters while you’re there!
US – https://amzn.to/47n6ajo
UK – https://amzn.to/41IBB6o
AUS – https://amzn.to/3vjVPHP
Of course there are so many other brands available and you can even pick them up for a couple of bucks from some discount stores like Daiso.
And if you want to get super fancy, you can check out the Chemex pour over system which is all glass and wood and looks incredible.
US – https://amzn.to/3TPqwP0
UK – https://amzn.to/3TGG1sy
AUS – https://amzn.to/3TGFQNU
Aeropress
I mean…if you want to talk about classic and portable coffee brewing, Aeropress is like the OG. The Guv’nor. Yet again another device that has sheer simplicity, but the coffee community has assigned all sorts of methods and madness to it’s use that it’s become almost a science. The basics are, coffee goes in, water goes in, you press and it squeezes coffee into your cup. Good coffee. Reliable coffee. I used to own two of these, one for home and one for work and they both got a great regular workout. How do you do your Aeropress? Classic? Upside Down? Stir? No Stir? Soak time? Double filter? Steel filter?
Everyone’s way of doing it is the best way, however you chose to do it, just enjoy it.
US – https://amzn.to/48fJTp2
UK – https://amzn.to/41ECQUi
AUS – https://amzn.to/3RZA9t9
Coffee
OK so it would be remiss of me to not mention the amazing Golden Day Coffee here (this is a direct link to my page mentioned below) . Based in Isanti, Minnesota in the United States, Golden Day is run by the absolute legend Matt, or as he’s known on Twitch, RoadrunnerGDC. GDC is a one-man operation working from his home to roast a great selection of coffee blends and ship out all over the country (and the world…but beware, post-Covid postage costs SUCK).
I am lucky enough to be a Golden Day Partner and have received a lot of support from Matt over the years and he is the supplier of coffee to a whole load of people in my online community and many other Twitch streamers. So please, especially if you live in the US and it’s cheaper for postage, head to Golden Day Coffee and check out his awesome range. While you’re there, check out my partner page (link above) and order your coffee in my bag! That’s right, you can get your rich and delicious coffee delivered in a bag adorned with my artwork!
If you use the code SALT when you checkout you can also get 10% off your order and help support an independent business all at the same time!
If you’re more local to Melbourne and can’t spring for the delivery costs there are literally a billion local roasters here in Melbourne (and around Australia) who you can source amazing coffee from. Most of the cafes below will use local small batch roasters from here in Melbourne and you can pick up bags of the stuff in-store.
I will make a special mention here of a Queensland coffee roaster called Extraction Coffee Roasters, based in Ipswich. Run by Alex Milosevic who I first met while he was roasting for another company in Brisbane, he branched out and opened his own business a few years ago and is going strong. Here’s little video about their vision and business if you’re interested –
Cafe Suggestions
In Melbourne? Looking for a great place to grab coffee? I won’t bang on about each place and wax lyrical about why these places are awesome, just know that they all have my personal tick of approval and you’ll never get a bad cup of coffee at any of them! Also, it’s Melbourne so most of them are probably in some funky heritage building with a cool funky interior and ultra hipster baristas, a sign of quality.
Auction Rooms, North Melbourne
Seven Seeds Coffee Roasters, Carlton
Code Black Coffee Roasters, North Melbourne, Brunswick (HQ), South Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
Industry Beans, Various locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane
Proud Mary Coffee, Collingwood
You know what? And coffee snobs can cancel me all they want, but here in Melbourne at least, and I assume across Australia, McCafe at McDonald’s and 7Eleven, for what they are, will get you a bloody decent coffee if you’re just needing a hit and that’s all you’re close to. I won’t hear otherwise.
Honestly though, go out in Melbourne and throw a stone and you’re likely to hit a great coffee spot. These are just some that I frequent and really enjoy.
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