In my breakfast post last week, I mentioned that I start nearly every morning with a mug of pour-over coffee. Brewing coffee at home is a ritual I look forward to at the start of each day, and I daresay I’ve got a method down that produces a deliciously smooth brew.

There are many ways to brew coffee at home. There are french presses, which are great if you like coffee with a little texture — some of the grinds invariably end up at the bottom of the cup, providing a silty surprise if you choose to take a final sip. Automatic drip coffee makers are convenient, but I haven’t yet found one that produces coffee to my liking — more often than not, drip coffee is bitter and over-extracted. There’s a plastic contraption called an AeroPress that many of my friends rave about, which presses a fairly concentrated cup of coffee, something between espresso and a regular drip. Many AeroPress users add hot water to the final brew, similar to making an Americano if you’re using an espresso machine. While I’ve heard great things about the AeroPress, I’m not too keen on pouring boiling water over plastic.

I like to go a little more old-school. I brew my coffee with a Chemex brand coffee maker, just like the one my dad used in the 70s. Consisting of no more than a scientific-looking glass flask with a stay-cool wood collar, it’s an entirely unplugged method of making coffee.

Before it’s time to start brewing the coffee, you’ve got to grind your beans. Freshly ground coffee beans produce the most aromatic and delicious cup of coffee. It’s just like grinding your spices fresh — think about the aroma of a jar of ground nutmeg, then compare that to the cloud of perfume produced when you microplane your own from a whole nutmeg seed. Coffee behaves in a similar fashion.

I like to grind my beans with a ceramic burr grinder. While blade grinders are much cheaper, they cut the beans randomly, producing unevenly-sized grounds that make a silty and bitter cup of coffee. Burr grinders produce a much more even grind, which in turn produces a smooth brew. They’re also infinitely adjustable, so you can tweak the coarseness of the grind. If you’re serious about your at-home set-up, go with a burr grinder. Ceramic ones are best, and they come in both manual and electric models. I use a manual grinder, which takes a little more elbow grease but costs about half as much.

I use a couple other pieces of equipment when brewing coffee — one is a Hario kettle, which is standard equipment for hand-made coffee enthusiasts. The small spout allows for a focused, easy-to-control flow of water, making for a painless pour-over experience. While not entirely necessary, it certainly adds to the enjoyment of the process. Rest assured that if you don’t want to drop fifty bucks for a Hario kettle, you can pour your hot water from a regular tea kettle to produce a comparable cup of coffee.

I also like to use a kitchen scale for brewing my coffee — I find that 20 grams of beans produces a perfect brew when combined with 12 ounces of water. This is another slightly unnecessary piece of equipment — If you prefer not to weigh your ingredients, use a scant 1/4 cup of beans and 1 1/2 cups of water your first time out, then adjust for your personal taste.

And finally, there are the coffee beans. Their flavor and quality depends on many variables. For one, coffee beans are roasted in a variety of shades, from light to dark. Light roasts are the highest in caffeine, and also tend to have the most acidic kick. Medium roasts are a bit mellower, often having nutty or caramelly undertones. Dark roasts are the lowest in caffeine, but can be bitter if taken too far.

Another variable is the variety of coffee bean, since each species has its own flavor profile. Growing locale matters too — regional differences in soil and climate produce differently-flavored beans.

I prefer medium-roasted beans, and I like to try all kinds of different varieties. My neighborhood is home to some amazing roasters, and each is passionate about the quality of their product. Ritual, Philz, FourBarrel, and Blue Bottle beans are some of my favorites. There is no “right” coffee to use — your personal taste is the most important factor when choosing coffee beans. Go ahead and try different ones to find your favorite variety. Any good coffee roaster will sell you beans in half-pound or quarter-pound quantities, so you can experiment with small amounts instead of committing to a whole pound.

There you have it — a summary of what goes into a quality cup of pour-over coffee. This Friday, I’ll be posting a full photo tutorial of how to brew the perfect cup.

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