Coffee

You are the perfect fit for an Aeropress. Paper filter, dead easy to clean, super versatile (can make strong coffee, normal coffee, can have a ton of variance or be stupid simple), and a single cup with no huge space requirements.

I recommend not grinding coffee yet. See if you like using the aeropress! If you do, consider purchasing a 1zpresso ZP6, which is your best bang for buck hand grinder.

Blade grinders are going to be worse than just buying pre-ground, but freshly ground coffee is an amazing treat. That said, getting an entry-level burr grinder is far more than an aeropress, so that's why I recommend testing the water first.

Oh man there are so many starting points! If I understand the goals you gave us, they are:

• Want good coffee
• No pour over
• Willing to do French Press
• Minimize grounds in the brew
• Single serve
• Brother-in-law is too intense about it for my current state

With that I would recommend an AeroPress. It is great for single serving, it extracts using immersion first (similar to French Press) then pressure, the paper filter ensures it will be a clean cup (no grounds), it is much easier to clean up than a French Press, and there a lot of different recipes to play with should you ever choose to. Plus it’s relatively cheap.

Cold brew is also nice, especially when made in batches. You can probably already do this with vessels you have at home. Toddy cold brew is a well-known system. I also have (and prefer) the Oxo cold brew system - I find it easier to handle and looks better on the counter.

If you are willing to get a burr grinder you will immediately make better coffee, regardless of the method you choose! There are many directions to go here, so you will need to research to find what makes most sense to you. Skip the blade grinder. Conical burr is fine for what you’re getting into. A safe bet that will work fine for French Press, AeroPress, and/or Cold Brew is the Oxo Brew Conical Burr Grinder that you can find for around $100 in the US.

There are so many deep rabbit holes from there. Maybe you’ll come join us someday…it’s a lot of fun and one of my favorite hobbies! Sounds like your brother-in-law is lost somewhere down here too. We all started asking the same questions as you!

Highly recommend James Hoffman on YouTube. He's a world class barista (literally the champ one year) and has a ton of fun informational videos. :)

James Hoffman. Check his YouTube channel.

Watch some James Hoffman videos on YouTube about the basics. Then progress to everything else.

French press is always going to have some "mouth feel" because of the mesh filters.

I can highly, highly recommend the "Clever" dripper which James Hoffmann reviewed here. It's very similar to French press in method, great for single serve, almost totally foolproof, and uses paper filters for a very clean cup. I use Hoffmann's recipe and basically always have a good cup. There's a similar device called the Hario Switch which some people like more but I haven't tried it; the Clever has been great.

As for grinding your own, do it. Pre-ground coffee starts to go bad after a day, and just isn't as good. Start with an inexpensive burr grinder if you don't want to invest hundreds of dollars right away, but be aware that price/performance increases roughly linearly up to like $250, so spending more gets you a better result. Hand grinders like 1ZPresso can be even better for the price but are a little more work. The nice thing about immersion methods like the Clever though is that they're more forgiving of bad grinds, so you won't need to spend too much unless you want to use a drip method like V60.

You'll also need a cheap scale for weighing beans if you want consistent results. I recommend getting one that goes to 0.1 grams for single serve, with a large enough surface to hold your cup. It shouldn't cost more than about $20. I use this one.

You'll also want to experiment with beans. Modern coffee enthusiasts drift towards light to medium roasts instead of dark roasts, because you can extract more subtle interesting flavors and less bitterness. I have a penchant for very light, "natural" processed African coffees for their tart berry flavors. But it's all personal preference. There's way too much to get into in terms of processing, country of origin, blend vs single origin, etc. Try everything and see what you like. Coffee subscription services like Trade and Mistobox can be a convenient way to try a lot of things, or you can do what I do and just find a great local roaster to order from.

Btw, welcome! Check out James Hoffmann's channel on YouTube, it's my favorite coffee resource on the Internet. He has a ton of great advice in general. If you like print, he also has a small book called "How To Make The Best Coffee At Home" which is excellent and really all you need.

Personally I'd probably get an aero press if I were starting up myself and a DF54/MeeCoffee grinder. I second the comments for looking at James Hoffman.

https://m.youtube.com/@jameshoffmann

This guy is great, he is a professional coffee guy so he will get in the weeds a bit but not in a hard to digest way. I personally use a French press that's metal and insulated but that will get me 3-4 cups of coffee. If you're looking for strictly single serve then try looking at an aeropress, they are cheap and given the right technique (which James above does go over) you will get tasty coffee. As for good coffee that's a little bit subjective. Grinding the beans yourself will give the best results but I'm not picky myself and usually pick up the preground stuff. As for my personal way of choosing which, I just look to see if I recognize the label and if it's a dark roast, if I don't and it is I'll give it a whirl

Another recommendation for getting an aeropress. It makes (IMHO) better choice than a french press and is still cheap, easy to clean and makes great coffee.

The next purchase you want is definitely a decent grinder that'll go fine /course enough that you can make any type of brew method you might want to in the future. It should also grind consistently size wise. As a setup that could do you for years (it's more or less what I use, though I also use a Bellman stovetop steamer) before you decide to down any further rabbit holes - e.g. espresso.

Get an Aeropress.

Lots of people have suggested Aeropress, and I agree that if you're having a single cup, it's a good fit. It the trick will be getting a good grind without sbending a lot on a grinder.

But I'm really responding to your edit:

I have read about cold brewing being really smooth. How do I cold brew and heat it back up? Do people do that?

At this point I'm starting to feel like a shill for Toddy's, but if you think you'll start drinking coffee daily, this is the path I'd recommend. The entire kit will cost you $50. You pour a pound of ground beans in the tub and fill it with cold water, and let it sit overnight; the next day, you pop out the bung and let it drain the brew into the glass decanter (that comes with the kit). What you end up with is 1.5L of concentrated brew that you keep in the fridge. When you want coffee, fill your mug 1/3 with the concentrate, and the rest with hot water. I drink about 2 cups a day, and brew coffee once a week. The cold brewing tends to prevent bitterness, but it can still be as strong as you like - there have been times I've gone 50/50 for a strong cup.

I have a not inexpensive Italian hand-press espresso system which I use a couple of times a week, for lattes & cappuccinos and such, but the Toddy is my favorite system. Cheap, easy to clean, easy to brew, it brews a bunch of coffee meant to be stored in the fridge, and it's super forgiving on bean quality.

My only hesitation in recommending the Toddy to you is because it sounds like you might just be looking for a way to have a cup sometimes. If you can't drink what the Toddy brews within a week or two - the equivalent of 4.5L of coffee - it may be too much. It's perfect for 1-2 cups a day drinkers.

For me, the single cup v60 is where it's at for a great drink regardless of the cost, and you really don't have to break the bank for a solid setup. A decent hand grinder, gooseneck kettle with a thermometer, and brewer can all be had within $200. Once you find a recipe you like and get comfy with the technique it's pretty easy to make brews that are consistently better than most anything you'd get from a shop or cafe.

1zpresso makes nice grinders in the $100-$200 range, and I wouldn't be very picky about the kettle unless you're using an induction stove top. Hario v60 brewers are about $20.

If you want to put the grinding issue aside and try things before committing to tools, you might see if you have some local roaster/cafes nearby. Most that sell beans will also grind for you, and they should grind according to whatever brew method you want to try.

Start with a good burr grinder, quality coffee, and a simple way to brew it: French Press if you want a couple standard cups in a session, Moka Pot if you want a nice strong single serving, or an ibrik/cezve if you want a strong single serving with a little mud in the bottom.

personally i like a electric peculator, they are cheap and make a strong cup. Takes a bit of trial and error to get it how you want it but once you figure out the grounds to water ratio you're good. Just be sure to get one with the glass knob on too so you can see how dark it gets. Its all stainless steel so no waste. There can be some grounds typically at the bottom though.

If you get really into it go the espresso route as it uses much less grounds.

Since you mention wanting to filter really well, I would recommend you take a look at chemex. It's a pour over type of brewer but their smaller model is for a single serving and will be more lenient with the pour method since the chemex filters are so dense. Other pour over brewers will require more of a setup to maintain consistency (but you can also tweak the brew to your exact liking in this regard!).

Water temp and grind size are somewhat critical for quality coffee but you don't need it right off the bat of course. I would get a grinder before a kettle, tbh; fresh grounds make a bigger difference than a few degrees difference in water temp. Do work on "calibrating" your water temp in whatever method you use, though. If you microwave the water, figure out how long to let it cool before it reaches 200 or whichever temp you find brews best for your beans.

Search for local roasters and buy some beans from them. Keep searching until you find a brand you like. Grocery store beans are very mid. (There are many weekly "drop" style bean shippers that are pricey but let you discover online roasters that will ship you beans; it's been invaluable for me to find really good roasts!)

As for cold brew, it's a separate beast entirely and I wouldn't explore it just yet. I used to make large batches for my nitro setup and did that in a bucket. Definitely super smooth but a bit more work. You can make smaller batches with a French press. I've always gotten my presses from IKEA because they're cheap yet effective. Far from fancy. I would never consider heating up cold brew personally.

Aeropress is great and relatively easy, but you need to be able to adjust the grind size in order to dial in your cup at all, so I'd absolutely recommend getting a good hand grinder (1zpresso all the way) and grinding your own beans still.

I will also say that pour over setups and techniques can get crazy specific, but they absolutely don't have to be. With the right cone and a quality grind, you can pretty much just dump water on top of and then give the cone a little swirl to flatten the bed. In my opinion, it's actually the simplest way to get a clean/non-silty cup. I would get a Kalita Wave, which is more forgiving than the popular V60, and the whole process is just pouring heated water over coffee grounds til the cone is 1/2 to 2/3 full, and then repeating as it drains until you hit the desired amount of water. 3 and a half minutes and you've got a better cup than you'll ever get out of a French press, faster and easier than an aeropress.

A second benefit of starting with a cone is that you'll never have to, but any time you do feel like getting into deeper experimentation, you won't have to buy anything new to do so. As someone who owns a nice-ish espresso machine, drip machine, aeropress, French press, immersion brewer, multiple V60s, and a Kalita Wave, I use the Wave nearly every day because it is the simplest to do while half asleep and it produces the best cup in my opinion.

As a fellow relative newb to coffee ….

• keep it simple to start. Save the overly technical details until you’re firmly hooked
• definitely buy whole beans and grind your own. Even when I don’t drink much coffee this made a huge difference just by keeping it fresher. I just use a cheap grinder, which is a noticeable improvement over stale pre ground coffee
• I use a French Press and highly recommend - simple, cheap, reliable, not too much extra effort although I also have a Keurig for workdays. My French Press has two layers of washable filter screens and I’ve seen some with as many as four. You probably want more than one layer. I never tried a paper filter: I like that everything is reusable except the grounds. Some people use paper because it catches most of the cholesterol, whereas I don’t see how it adds enough to matter (plus dietary cholesterol is digested to its components)
• I just started making Cold Brew and it is amazing! It is much smoother and creamier than hot coffee. It never occurred to me to heat it though. It’s cold. There are tons of cheap cold brew pitchers, or you can make your own. Mine is just a filter basket in a water pitcher. I tend to only make this on weekends because I rarely think that far ahead
• find a local roaster to buy from. It’s not necessarily better or cheaper but it gives a personal touch to make the whole process more enjoyable

My teen sometimes drinks coffee but needs to add creamer and sweetener, but he enjoys cold brew black (and cold). It’s much less bitter.

If you don't want to be poor, don't do espresso lol. You'll get some very fine grounds using a French press. Others have probably posted ideas on how to get a more filtered cup. I only used a basic Bodum and it made decent coffee.

I would agree that a burr grinder of any kind is going to be a superior experience vs blade grinder and far better than pre ground.

Once you get into grinding your own then you can try different beans which should give you different flavors. Loads of places ship roasted coffee. Two places I have tried and would suggest: Blk and Bold, and Red Bird Coffee. There are a gazillion other roasters, though.

You can also roast your own if you want to get more expensive. Check Sweet Maria's if you want to take that plunge some day. They have advice, roasters, and green coffee beans.

I've had good results with an electric moka pot and most light roasts. Makes the strongest coffee in the entire office, and it's easy to maintain.
Theres also the traditional stovetop ones, but I needed electric.

I tried the cafe bustelo 'vacuum bricks' once, but dark roasts just taste burnt to me. I recommend a Hawaiian style light roast, like Cameron's.

Honestly, go as complex as you'll be able to put up with daily. Get a burr grinder if you think you're willing to take 5 minutes every day measuring out and grinding coffee. It'll guarantee the best performance possible from the beans you're using. Paper or metal filters, up to you. Paper filters are probably better, metal filters are more convenient. A good kettle is a must, I think. Stovetop or electric, as long as it has a goose neck. Trying to get a good bloom without one is a PITA.

Confirming what others have mentioned about pour-over, but I’d also like to add that it can be really easy & quick. Here’s the dead-simple method I follow:

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/pages/brew-guide-kalita-wave

Go to good cafe's. Search "specialty coffee" on Google maps. Find one that does various kinds/methods of filter coffee, like v60 aeropress etc. Try everything, find out what you like.

If you don't want to spend on a grinder, find a store that sells beans and see if they will grind for you. Get it in 6oz bags.

Don't forget to play with different roast types.

The problem with French Press is you need a good grinder to grind that coarse without having a bunch of dust and unevenly sized coffee grinds. Grinding fine is hard, and grinding coarse is hard. Everything in between is easier to accomplish with a more affordable grinder.

Aeropress was already mentioned and that might definitely appeal to you. Even a Mr. Coffee is orders of magnitude better than a pod system.

Don't forget the most important part, though! The coffee! If you have a local roaster definitely do that. My favorite off-the-shelf coffee is Dunkin if you want to start with something easy.

There's been a lot of suggestions for an Aeropress, and I don't want to retread any ground, but that's a good suggestion. Since you said you didn't want to rule out pour over though, I might recommend the Hario Switch, so that you can experiment with both immersion and percolation brews in just one brewer. It functions similarly to the Clever Dripper that someone else recommended, but since it's the same shape as a V60 it has the added benefit of being able to leave the switch open and brew a standard V60.

On cold brew: I don't recommend making it and reheating it, but some people do. At best, I would make a super concentrated cold brew (maybe 1:4 or more if I could really push it), and add hot water up to the final volume to get a hot beverage. Reheating coffee leads to it losing a lot of its volatile organic compounds that contribute to the interesting tastes and smells that you get from coffee. Cold brew is suitable for "meal prepping" your coffee though if you don't want to make time in the morning. If you're at all interested cold brew, I would even more strongly recommend either the Clever Dripper or Hario Switch. You can use them to filter your cold brew after it's done steeping, which would be much more tedious in an Aeropress.

French press is covered pretty well by everyone else so I’m here to offer an alternative. Have you considered a moka pot? Cheap, intuitive and offers bold flavor. Thing is you could take your regular coffee prepare it 3 different ways and end up with distinct flavor profiles. It all boils down to what you are looking for when drinking coffee.

Quick rundown on cold brew, soak your grounds over night, filter, add cream, milk and other flavorings and you have coffeehouse cold drink on demand.

I never drank tea or coffee until well in to my thirties. I buy good quality ground coffee, bang some in a cup, add boiled water, stir violently, remove spoon, leave to settle, stir again, drink. I dicked about with a French press / cafetière for a day or two but couldn’t be bothered. I don’t take milk or sugar. The only drawback is if I drink too far down the cup without paying attention and get to the grinds…

Yess, always love to see a fresh convert to the magic that is the Aeropress. Welcome to the club friend. My favourite thing to harp on about when anyone is getting into coffee. Try to buy from a local roaster, and buy a diverse range of coffee. I get so much joy from experiencing just how diverse coffee can be, and I feel a lot of people get locked into one blend from their local supermarket.

Single origin is more expensive, but being able to taste the difference between a nutty smooth Brazilian coffee and a fruity fermenty Goji Natural Processed bean is wild.

I just drink instant coffee, I like the flavour of it, if you don't want to mess around with lots of stuff and you just want to enjoy some coffee, simple life, you only need to look for a brand you like, boil some water, mix it with the powder on a cup, you can optionally add sugar(alternative) or milk(alternative) and done, good luck and enjoy your coffee it doesn't matter how you make it the best part it's always drinking it and most important enjoying it. 👍👍