I own four microphones I don't need

Hey,

I love coffee gear. I love gear in general. Hell, I have three or four mics within arm's reach right now, and I need one. So I want to be honest about where this letter is coming from, because it is not coming from restraint.

Sometimes I think we lose sight in coffee. I lose sight in coffee quite a bit. And I guess what I mean by that is, really, what are we trying to do here? What is the goal? What is the objective of making coffee at the end of the day?

That's the conversation I want to have, because I don't think it matters where you're at with coffee gear. The biggest thing we really have to ask ourselves is, do we need another one?

Start with the objective

You can see behind me, in every video, there's a Mr. Coffee machine back there. You can use a simple device like that. You put the coffee in and you move on with your merry way. That's a real option, and some of you may be perfectly fine with it. Push a button, coffee in, push a button, good to go.

But probably you want something more. Or somebody's telling you that you need this particular gear, for whatever reason.

So before the buying part, look at the thing. Actually analyze it. Look at the ridges on a brewer and understand they probably have some type of effect on the coffee. Look at the filter situation. Can you use fast filters with it? Regular filters? Look at the nozzle. See how small that hole is? How does that affect the taste and the drawdown of the coffee? Turn it around. Look at how it's actually built, because you're going to be using this thing all the time. One of my brewers is probably the only one I have with metal screws, where you can take the whole thing apart to clean it. It can do immersion, it can do pour over, all different types of recipes. Those are the things to think about, beyond it just looking cool.

And all of that analysis is pointing at one question: what kind of coffee drinker are you? Because that's really where we're getting at. It still comes back to the cup. Can you make a decent cup of coffee with the brewer you have? What's the reason you're really doing this?

The scale

Do you need a scale? I will say yes and no. It depends on the situation.

The importance of a scale, really, is to be more consistent when you brew. Say you have the same technique, but you knew you probably added a little more coffee than last time. That's how you can tell if you're on the right path to replicating the coffee you're trying to drink. Or say it was a bad cup. Then you go, okay, let me dial it back. At least with a scale you can do that.

But most people making coffee already have measurements somewhere. An automatic drip machine has a pot with lines on it. Four, six, eight, ten, twelve. Measure out the exact same water every time and you'll get pretty much the same coffee, plus or minus, here or there. A scoop is a measuring tool. A tablespoon is a measuring tool. Count three or four of them and you have an idea of how much coffee you're using.

Here's the one thing worth knowing, and it's a key point. Take an Ethiopian and a Colombian side by side. When you're dealing with light roasted coffee, you're dealing with denser beans. Scoop the exact same scoop of a light roast versus a medium roast and you're actually getting more coffee in it. But as long as you stick to your rhythm and your system, you'll be okay.

So do you really need a scale? No, you don't. Does it make it a lot easier? Yes, it does. It makes you more likely to enjoy your cup the exact same way every time. Until you get another bag of coffee, and then you have to dial it in again anyway.

As long as you are measuring some type of way, you're good to go.

The Pegasus

Same question, different object. The Pegasus dripper from Hario. It's different than a V60. Two small holes instead of one big one, the coffee drips through more of a V-shaped bed, and it runs slower, twenty to twenty-five percent slower.

Is it a good brewer? Yeah, it is. I like it. It's simple. Does it make a good cup of coffee? It does a really fantastic job of that.

If you already have a Hario V60, you don't need this brewer. One of the reasons why is the V60 can use so many different papers, you can slow it down, you can speed it up, you have so much more versatility. If you like a fast drawdown, you don't need this. And if you're a dark roast drinker, be careful, because if you're not careful with your grind size, the slow drawdown can over extract your coffee.

Who might actually want it? If you want simplicity, something that works from the get-go without playing around with grind sizes and all that good stuff we usually do with a V60, this is the brewer for you. If you're a light roasted coffee drinker, this might be the perfect brewer, because the slower drawdown helps you extract a little more, and you can use a coarser grind. And it's the same price as a V60, so if you don't have a brewer yet, it's probably best to just pick one, roll with it, and see how your coffee journey goes.

This is not me bashing this particular brewer. Because here's the thing. Everything I just said can really be said about any new brewer that you think is going to solve whatever problems you may think you're having with your current one.

If you're fine with what you're already using, just stay with that. And if you're just bored one day and want to try a different brewer, sure, go ahead and get it. That's allowed too.

The rabbit hole

So try not to go too far down the rabbit hole of finding the perfect right gear. Probably the right gear is right in front of us.

I have to remind myself of this, because at times I lose sight of it, to the point where I'm just trying to drink the cup for what it is. And if I can get that same experience from a drip machine, from an espresso machine, from a V60, from a French press, from a moka pot, it doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, we're just trying to make that cup of coffee.

Here's the part I keep coming back to, though. Once you start getting into this game of coffee making, you start to understand the importance of gear and accessories and all that good stuff. And as we get closer to understanding these particular tools, I think we get closer to understanding the person that we are. Why we like what we like. Why we brew the coffee the way we brew the coffee.

We have to understand our gear, because once we get the gear out of our way, it's all about enjoying the coffee.

Your turn

What about you? What do you go through when you're selecting your coffee gear? Are you still buying new gear, and why? Is it because you're trying to see if there's a different taste profile in it, or you just want to get it, which is perfectly fine too?

Hit reply and tell me. Remember, this is your journey. This is just me talking.

Oaks, the Coffee Guy