September 04, 2020 • Edmond Chu

Chapter 2: What do I need for brewing?

A lot of starters asked me, “What’s the most basic equipment in brewing drip coffee?”

Well, Dripper, filter paper, grinder, server, kettle… It is difficult for me to choose the most important ones from them. To me, each equipment is important and has a certain influence.

For starters, I understand it's not practical to have all the equipment all at once. I do not expect you to spend all the money from the start buying all the top quality products. Though, frankly speaking, once you’ve started this journey, you’ll realise that it is an endless desire for the pursuit of excellence. Soon, you’ll become a collector like me!

If you just want to experience brewing drip coffee and get it started simply, the following 5 things are the must-have for your drip coffee:

1. Dripper

For starters, I suggest using a dripper with a faster flow rate. A cone-shaped dripper is a nice choice. The quick flow rate can avoid water clogging and reduce excessive bitterness. You can also lengthen the extraction time by adjusting the pouring time.

Many people chose Hario to start, as it has a really quick flow rate. But if you prefer a balanced extraction with more sweetness than acidity, Cafec Flower Dripper would be even better.

2. Water

Water is the soul of coffee, as 98.5% of coffee is water. Water quality (TDS, Ph, Hardness) will affect the flavour strongly, both in a good way or a bad way. Ions in water, like calcium and magnesium ions, can help bring out the flavour and aroma of coffee.

You can choose your favourite water to brew your coffee. For me, I always use filtered water for my coffee.

3. Kettle/ Pot

I highly recommend investing in a dedicated coffee kettle, that has a fine spout that produces a thin and accurate water flow. It will certainly solve you a lot of trouble, and encourage you to enjoy the brewing process. For us, Cafec Tsubame Pro is the best kettle we have tried, and we highly recommend it.

If you really love your home kettle, it is also fine to brew with it. Remember to measure the temperature of the water.

4. Server

It is not necessary to use a special coffee server. You can use a coffee mug or other available container.

5. Filter Paper

Many people ignore the importance of a piece of paper. To start your coffee journey right, it is important to remember that no matter how good your coffee beans are, the artificial paper and leather taste in a poor quality filter paper will totally destroy your coffee.

I highly recommend you to carefully choose a high quality filter paper that has less paper taste. You do not want all your effort to be wasted by a piece of paper.