9 types of coffee brewing (9 brewing methods you should try for your morning coffee + more information)

Brewing your morning coffee can be as satisfying as it can be frustrating, especially when you can’t find a comfortable brewing method. Keep reading to learn the best types of coffee brewing methods you should try at home.

As a mother of three toddlers, I spent every precious moment of their first four years smack in the middle of diapers, toys, and pudding, while sparing only enough time to grab a coffee at the nearest diner. When my kids joined preschool, I began spending my free time trying to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home. Whenever I made my coffee, however, it either came out too strong and bitter or too thin and tasteless. After doing some research and consulting with coffee experts and baristas, I finally found the best brewing methods that work for me. In this post, I’ll share with you my top nine brewing methods you should probably try at home for your morning coffee.

How many types of coffee brewing methods are there?

There are up to twenty types of coffee brewing methods:

1. Boiling methods -Cowboy coffee and Turkish coffee.
2. Pressurized methods – espresso machine, AeroPress coffee maker, single-serve pod machine, and moka pot.
3. Steeping methods – French press, coffee bags, siphon brewers, cold brew coffee, and instant coffee.
4. Dripping methods – pour-overs, electric percolators, auto-drip machines, the Chemex, specialty pour-overs, and clever dippers.

What is the best brewing method for iced coffee?

The Japanese pour-over method is the best for brewing iced coffee because it makes a smooth and delicious brew without any hints of bitterness.

To use this method, add 8 ounces of ice to the carafe, set the cone on top, and line it with a filter. Then add 1 ounce of medium-coarsely ground coffee. Take 8 ounces of moderately hot water and pour just enough to wet the grounds. Let it sit for 30 seconds, then pour the rest of the water into the coffee grounds. The coffee will filter into the carafe and drip directly on the ice, allowing the ice to cool it down while extracting and reserving its aromas.

What is the best brewing method for hot coffee?

AeroPress is the best brewing method for hot coffee because it is fast, simple to use, easy to clean, and easy to move from place to place. It also preserves the coffee’s flavor, taste, and aroma to give you a rich dark taste with little notes of bitterness.

To use this method, pour hot water directly into your ground coffee without using a filter, then stir until the coffee is saturated. Let it sit for four minutes, then cover the carafe with its lid and gently depress the plunger until all the grounds are isolated at the bottom. The result is a rich, full-bodied flavor you will absolutely love.

How we choose the best brewing method.

We chose these brewing methods based on tested and proven experiments carried out by coffee connoisseurs. Sam Spillman, the 2019 barista winner of the U.S. Coffee Championships, found that the best brewing methods should;

• Use freshly ground coffee beans with consistent grind size to extract the most flavor from your coffee
• Use high water quality. Spillman advises us to brew coffee with water between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use accurate water-coffee ratio. Spillman recommends one part coffee to 16.5 parts water.
• Use accurate water and coffee measurements.

Therefore, the brewing methods we chose rank highly on the above-mentioned aspects.

9 types of coffee brewing methods

Rank	Method	What you’ll need
1	AeroPress	Tools: AeroPress coffee maker, AeroPress scoop, AeroPress paddle, AeroPress filter, coffee mug. Ingredients: fresh medium-fine ground coffee, hot filtered water
2	Pour-over	Ingredients: Hot filtered water, fresh medium-coarse ground coffee, Tools: pour-over dripper, kettle, pour-over scale, filters.
3	Moka Pot	Ingredients: Fresh medium-fine ground coffee, hot water Tools: moka pot, stove
4	French Press	Ingredients: Hot filtered water, fresh medium-fine ground coffee Tools: Burr grinder, French press, scale, timer, thermometer
5	Auto-Drip Machine	Tools: Auto-drip coffee maker, paper filter Ingredients: filtered water, fresh medium-ground coffee
6	Chemex Brewer	Tools: Chemex carafe, Chemex filters, kettle, grinder, timer, scale Ingredients: hot water, fresh medium-fine ground coffee
7	Cold Brew	Tools: cold brew coffee maker Ingredients: cold filtered water, medium-coarse ground coffee, ice
8	Espresso Machine	Tools: espresso machine, burr grinder, tamper, milk pitcher Ingredients: finely ground coffee beans, nearly boiling water
9	Siphon Coffee	Tools: Siphon brewer, burner, filters, coffee grinder Ingredients: medium-fine ground coffee, filtered water

AeroPress

This method combines fresh medium-ground coffee with hot water in a 10-second steep that preserves the flavor and elements in your coffee. This method also allows the water to cool slightly below the boiling point. Although it only makes one cup at a time, the result is a rich-flavored, dark, smooth brew with barely there notes of bitterness. With as little as two minutes of brew time, this method also ensures easy cleanup and portability. 

Pour-over

As the oldest, simplest, and fastest coffee brewing method out there, pour-over comes in a close second after AeroPress. This method also requires freshly ground coffee beans, accurate weighing measurements, a coffee-to-water ratio, and water that is within the required temperatures. The grind size plays an important role in balancing acidity, bitterness, and sweetness, but when you hit the right mark, you will enjoy a cleaner cup of coffee without any sheen of oils to distract you from its rich taste.

Moka Pot

Infuse your kitchen with a strong coffee aroma by using this method to brew your morning coffee. Since it requires boiling water to rise through the coffee as it extracts coffee flavors, this method doesn’t meet the ideal water temperature requirements. Nevertheless, pushing water through the fresh ground coffee beans gives you a strong and highly concentrated brew. The routine of setting up this method is relaxing and comforting, and its classic, strong taste will give your taste buds a healthy jolt.

French Press

With accurate measurements, the required water temperature, and freshly ground coffee beans, the French press most definitely meets the requirements for the best brewing methods. So why did I rank it fourth? Even though the French press allows the freshly ground coffee beans to come into contact with water (at 175°F) for a few minutes, the coffee still has a sheen of oil extracted from the beans because this method does not use filters that usually filter them. Otherwise, this method produces a bold and full-bodied flavor that is perfect for you and your family’s tastes.

Auto-Drip Machine

This method comes in handy when you are looking for an easy coffee brewing method that will serve your entire household in one brew. The drip machine works automatically; hence, it is up to you to use freshly ground coffee beans, the correct water-to-coffee ratio, and the correct water quality in order to yield a well-balanced, if slightly thinner, cup of coffee. Its popularity makes it highly relevant and demandable in most coffee shops, diners, and restaurants.

Chemex Brewer

With its elegant design and careful brewing method, the Chemex brewer is both an artwork and a source of delicate, nuanced coffee. This method uses freshly ground beans and water boiled up to 205 degrees Fahrenheit, while also observing a balanced coffee and water ratio. It also requires special Chemex filters that guarantee a clean and non-acidic cup of coffee. This method can make enough coffee for you and your family at a time, instead of just one or two cups like other dripping coffee brewing methods. On the downside, the Chemex requires practice and skill before you can make the best cup of coffee.

Cold Brew

If you are willing to put in the time, you can have your morning coffee over ice by using the cold brew method. This is a slow extraction method that requires you to soak freshly ground coffee beans in cold water for up to 24 hours. You can then extract the concentrated coffee, pour it over ice, and add three parts water. For all the preparation this method takes, it will give you a smooth, delicious, and heavy-bodied cold brew. This coffee can also stay fresh for as long as two weeks; hence, you can prepare enough coffee to last you two weeks and simply enjoy the delicious caffeine ride until you need to make another round.

Espresso Machine

If you’re financially able to afford one and learn how to use it, then an espresso machine is a worthy investment in your morning coffee routine. This method uses high pressure to force a small amount of hot water through fresh, finely ground beans, giving you highly concentrated coffee. With as little as three minutes of brewing time, an espresso machine will give you an extremely strong cup of coffee to help you power through your day. The only downsides are that it’s difficult to clean and some designs take up a lot of counter space.

Siphon Coffee

Would you like to dazzle your family and friends when preparing your morning coffee? You should probably try using the siphon method. The siphon brewer has two chambers: fill the lower chamber with water and the upper chamber with freshly ground coffee beans. You can then heat the lower chamber to produce vapor pressure, which forces the hot water to rise through and mix with the coffee beans. When the heat is removed, gravity filters the water mixed with coffee back into the lower chamber, filling it with brewed coffee.

Evidently, this method requires a high level of expertise and knowledge, but the resulting mellow and clean cup of coffee is ultimately worth it.

Informative Section

What is the best coffee brewing method at home?

The best coffee brewing method at home is the French press method because it is simple and makes enough coffee for a household at a time.

What is the most popular coffee brewing method?

The most popular coffee brewing method is the drip machine because it is efficient, easy to use, and makes large batches of coffee at a time.