Back when I started working in specialty coffee in 1993 in Raleigh at one of the city's first coffeehouses (if not THE first), one of the questions I often heard was: 'Why can't I get your coffee at home to taste as good as it does here?'
The answer was simple: The Mr. Coffee brewers we had grown up with since the 1970's were not designed to heat up water as hot as it was needs to be to get a proper extraction from the coffee. In order for that to be the case, the water needs to be at least 200F.
While you're at it, invest in a scale and start weighing your coffee and water in grams. Coffee grounds differ in weight depending upon the roast level. A light-roasted coffee will weigh much more than a dark-roasted one while taking up the exact same space. As many bakers know well, weighing your ingredients produces more consistent results than using volumetric measurements. Coffee is the same way.
Don't worry about sinking too much cash into these items to start. Although goose-neck kettles and scales which are precise to the tenth of a gram are ideal -- because as a coffee lover you're going to want your beloved brew taste as good as it could -- I wouldn't worry about getting your equipment to be as precise as that if you're on a tight budget; and just getting your water temperature and weights in the ballpark are a good first steps. From there, an inexpensive French press or other brewing device is a short way to go to have easy-to-access specialty coffee goodness.
If you have any thoughts to add to this, just let me know! Let's have a conversation.
-- Roaster Dutch
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