Quality Caffeine on a Budget

Quality Caffeine on a Budget

If you thought craft coffee would be a cheap entry, you may quickly discover otherwise. A simple pour over set up can quickly set you back several hundred dollars, and it can look appealing to go cheap. This will be a quick article on where I would personally recommend going cheap and were to go ahead and invest the cash. We also have a quick YouTube video here

Step 1. Grind it and get it! A quality grinder may not have even been on your mind when you saw that fancy pour over set up, but a good grinder will make or break a cup of our black gold. An uneven grind will not extract properly- the fines will over extract and be bitter and the larger clumps will under extract and be sour- together resulting in a chaos of unpleasant flavors. My recommendation on your first grinder is a Baratza Encore, which can be had at Seattle Coffee Gear (My favorite place to get coffee supplies) for $120 to $150 as of August 2024. Don’t be afraid to go open box or refurbished. This is a quality grinder and every part on it can be replaced if it ever breaks (cough cough, like moving into a new house and finding out that a 110-volt outlet was wired 220 and you fry the circuit board of your beloved grinder). The next step up is the Virtuoso- it has a timer- you don’t need the timer, and you will strictly weigh your coffee beans like a proper coffee nerd. DO NOT skip out and get a blade grinder, at that point just continue getting your coffee ground from your supplier (hopefully that is or will be us) in small quantities. A blade grinder will not produce what you need for pour over.

Step 2. Let the weight begin. A scale keeps things consistent. Coffee expands as it is roasted, so weighing by scoops is inconsistent. You want a 1:16 coffee to water ratio for most pour overs and 1:12 for immersion brews such as French Press, Cold Brew or Vacuum brewers. You can go crazy with a scale and spend well over $200, but this is a good spot to cut back. The Hario V60 Drip scale runs $52 on SCG today or you can go Amazon and spend $20 to $30. Don’t go super cheap and get something with a timer.

Step 3 Bring on the Heat! Gooseneck Kettles, like scales and grinders have a wide range in pricing and while it is IDEAL to be able to tune the temperature, this can be another spot to go a little cheaper. You want to get a gooseneck kettle because they allow you to have good flow control and aim. We still have a $40 Bodum Bistro, and it works. All it does is boils and cuts off, so you can give it a few moments and allow it to cool from a boil between pours if you time it right. We have since upgraded to a Fellow Stagg, but it is by no means necessary to spend that money. You can also get a stove top model.

Step 4 You Brew You. There is an abundance of pour over designs out there and the most popular ones include the Chemex, Hario V60, Kalita Wave, and the Melita. In my opinion the easiest way to get started is with a Chemex or similar design. A 6 Cup Chemex currently runs just under $50 and a box of 100 filters is $11 on SCG. Prices on Amazon vary, it seems like they are typically higher than SCG, but often have free shipping. A less expensive option is a Kalita Wave or similar. Any of the designs with the multiple small holes will be easy for a beginner to get dialed in. A V60 with the single large opening tends to be a bit more finicky to get the pour speed correct and it can easily lead to a bitter or sour brew.

So, all in, you are looking at $120 for a grinder, $30 for a budget scale, $40 for a budget, but reliable kettle, and say $60 for a brewer and a box of filters. $250 total is still a lot for a coffee set up, however if you enjoy it, that is a little over a month worth of stopping at a coffee shop daily. You can buy a great insulated kettle auto coffee maker for around $80, but you won’t be able to fine tune your brew. Be your own Barista! One other less expensive alternative that I forgot to mention is the Aeropress. With it, you can get away without a scale, and a standard mouth kettle that you may already have in the kitchen will work. It is a step above an auto drip, but in MY book, not quite at the level of a pour over.

A quick postscript- yes, we have all the bells and whistles for our coffee set up. I use it for social media advertising and use business money to pay for it. Today isn’t the best economy by a long shot and if it wasn’t for the business, we certainly wouldn’t spend what we do on “pretty coffee gear”. Stuff will ultimately never make you happy, the next shiny “toy” will always be out there. Our ultimate joy comes in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know you didn’t come to a coffee blog looking for the Gospel, however if you are ever interested, let us know and we can line you up with a Bible Study. God Bless and happy brewing!