While pour-over has become the standard at the city’s
finest cafes, home coffee geeks have been steadily expanding their
arsenals of java-related gadgetry. Where once the Chemex and French
press reigned supreme, there is now a bewildering menagerie of brewers
available at the city’s kitchenware stores. Each of these seven brewers
makes a good cup of coffee, assuming you start with good, fresh beans,
evenly ground; you can find instructional videos on their use, mostly
involving digital scales and timers, at wweek.com. The differences
between them have largely to do with the amount of time the beans are
exposed to water and the amount of sediment that makes it into your cup.
As with most things, it all comes down to taste.
Aeropress
$25.95 at Mr. Green Beans, 3932 N Mississippi Ave., 288-8698.
How it works: Strictly speaking the only
new technology on this list, the Aeropress was invented in 2005 by Alan
Alder, the creator of the Aerobie flying ring. Consisting of two plastic
cylinders and a rubber plunger, the Aeropress forces briefly steeped
coffee through a paper filter and yields a flavor like a French press
without the sediment. Coava makes a reusable stainless-steel filter
($15) for those who don’t like throwing away paper.
How it works: Designed by the elite Danish design firm Eva
Solo, this is a very elegant take on the total-immersion brewer. The
process is essentially the same as that of a French press, but instead
of a plunger filter, the Solo uses a combination filter and pouring
funnel. The manufacturer claims the jacket will keep coffee warm for
half an hour, which is fine for those who like to let their coffee steep
for 26 minutes longer than necessary. I’d just pour it into a travel
mug.
How it works: Combining immersion and drip brewing, the
Clever Coffee Dripper is a plastic filter cone with a stopper at the
bottom. Pop in a paper filter, add coffee and hot water, wait four
minutes and pop the brewer on top of your mug. The valve at the bottom
of the brewer opens when it presses against the ring of the mug, and
your coffee drips out. It’s easier than slowly pouring water over a drip
cone.
Not yet available; see coava.myshopify.com for details.
How it works: This elegant stand turns the Kone, Coava’s
stainless-steel reusable filter for the Chemex brewer, into an immersion
brewer. It’s essentially the same concept as the Clever Dripper, but
it’s prettier and doesn’t require disposable paper filters. For now, the
Funnel is only in use at Coava’s shop (1300 SE Grand Ave.), but watch
for commercial release in the future.
$49.95 at Kitchen Kaboodle, 404 NW 23rd Ave. and other locations, kitchenkaboodle.com.
How it works: Many Portlanders discovered the joys of
rich, low-acid, cold-brewed coffee last summer (Stumptown has even
started selling the stuff in 11-ounce bottles). You can make it with a
Mason jar and cheesecloth, but local inventors Bob Neace and Todd Maas
wanted something a little less fiddly. In 2004 they started selling the
Hourglass, a slow-drip cold brewer with a washable filter and BPA-free
plastic carafe. Just stick it in the fridge and, 12 hours later, pour.
Technivorm
$279-$299 at Clive Coffee, 738 SE Washington St., clivecoffee.com.
How it works: The king of automated coffee makers, the Dutch-designed Technivorm produces drip coffee comparable
to that made with a manual filter cone without all the standing and
pouring—and it does it fast, brewing 10 cups in under eight minutes. Its
massive heating coil brings water to the ideal just-off-boiling brewing
temperature of about 200 degrees quickly and keeps it there throughout
brewing.
How it works: As water is heated in the
lower vessel, it is forced by expanding air pressure through a siphon
into the upper vessel, where it mixes with the ground coffee. Removed
from the heat, the air in the lower chamber contracts and sucks the
brewed coffee back through the siphon with much bubbling and whooshing.
The result is an exceptionally bright, clean-tasting coffee that’s worth
the considerable time and trouble it takes to brew.
