How I take my coffee

My default for making coffee for two is a cafetière. French press if you insist. It requires almost no thought, produces a consistent result, and has no moving parts to break. When I’ve got a bit more time and want a cleaner cup for two or more, I’ll reach for a Bodum pour-over instead. When it’s just me, I’ve been using a Clever Dripper more lately (it suits the days where I want slightly more control without committing to the full V60 ritual). The Hario V60 was my main single-cup pour-over for a long time before that.

I’ve been on AeroPress since 2011. I’m probably on my third or fourth one at this point, as the rubber seals don’t last and the hard plastic eventually cracks. Mine is a bit of a Trigger’s broom at this stage (replacement seals, a metal mesh filter, a Fellow Prismo cap). I’m not sure how much of the original unit remains.

For cold brew I have a Hario Mizudashi that I can never quite seem to get organised enough to use. By the time I remember it exists, the weather has already turned.

Medium roasts. South American as a default, particularly Colombian blends. I have a soft spot for single origin Guatemalan (Huehuetenango specifically, if I can get it).

Dark roasts are a hard no. French roast, Italian roast. Both taste like someone set fire to the beans and then bottled the smoke. Starbucks tastes like cigarette ash.

When I’m out I’ll go for a flat white. At home it’s black or with a small splash of milk depending on the method. I have a Lavazza A Modo Mio milk frother which I use mainly for the kids’ hot chocolates rather than anything for myself.

For the cafetière it’s about 3 scoops for two people, three minutes steep, then pour with a small splash of milk.

That’s it. I used to weigh beans to the gram, dial in grind size, track bloom times. These days, convenience wins. Life, work, kids. I mostly buy pre-ground coffee I can rely on rather than beans I have to think about.

Three to four mugs a day. More if it’s a bad sprint, less if it’s a holiday.

This post is in response to an IndieWeb thread that started with Hakkerman arguing that “buy me a coffee” links are a symptom of the internet’s rampant monetisation creep. Gordon McLean, Michael Harley, Gurupanguji, and Brennan Brown all weighed in. Then Nathan Ferrell wrote about his coffee habits and I decided that was the angle worth pursuing.

On the monetisation question: I’ve tried it. Google Ads, a Ko-fi link, a PayPal donate button at various points over the years. It was more hassle than it was worth. What I get from writing here is not money. It’s a bit of kudos, the occasional interesting conversation, and mostly just getting things out of my head. I write about things I find interesting because I want to document them, not because I’m writing for an audience. If you get something out of it too, great.