I am a complete noob at coffee making. Which device should I get? I keep reading about stuff like French Press, Aeropress, etc but idk which is good and easy to use for a beginner. If it helps, until now I have only drunk instant coffee (with either milk or sugar or both). Thanks in advance!
Edit: Thanks a lot for all the replies guys!
If you enjoy learning via youtube, I would say, check out James Hoffmann’s channel for info on different kinds of brewing methods and how to get the best out of them. Hoffmann is a really good resource because he does a great job of breaking things down in detail in a way that’s comprehensive but also digestible. (And funny.) Lance Hedrick’s channel is also really good and informative, but a bit more nerdy and chaotic.
When looking at different brewing devices, the main category split is between immersion and percolation. Immersion means that the coffee is sitting in the water and steeping like tea. Percolation means that water is flowing through the coffee. Percolation is more efficient at extracting solubles from the coffee, which creates different brewing dynamics. One isn’t better than the other, although immersion may be more forgiving.
Immersion or mostly immersion brewers:
Percolation brewers:
Percolation/Immersion Combo
There are also now brewers that let you select between immersion and percolation, like the Hario Switch, Goat Story Gina, and the upcoming Next Level Pulsar. These let you use either all immersion, all percolation, or interesting combinations of both.
Espresso and not-quite-espresso
There’s also espresso, which is a form of percolation brewing performed under pressure, resulting in a very concentrated beverage. Espresso is kinda complicated and expensive so most folks skip it unless they really love espresso in particular. If you want to get somewhat close to espresso without the expense, most folks go for a Moka Pot.
Oh wow. Thanks a lot for the very detailed comment. As a noob this is info very helpful. I will check out both the channels before making the decision.
I have a Bialetti Moka Pot and am new to this community, what does that fall under?
Moka is not-quite-espresso. It’s percolation brewing under pressure, but the pressure is much lower than what is now considered to be espresso. (But very similar to the earliest espresso machines from the first part of the 20th century)
It’s metal filtered, so like espresso and French press, you’re getting plenty of oils and fines. The beverage concentration normally falls in between the two. Not as thick as espresso but thicker than most other preparation methods, when comparing normal recipes at least.
Gosh it was right there at the bottom of your comment, I must have glazed over it. Thanks for taking the time to respond!