Crossposted from https://rblind.com/post/16757682

It’s a light plastic bowl shape with a hole in the center where a black plastic cylindrical piece screws in. About as tall as a coffee mug and twice as wide.

I’m really into coffee. I have an Aeropress and a home espresso machine. I recently got a V60 to make pour overs for my partner who likes gentle flavors and I’m doing OK with it, but it does tax my vision 20/200 in one eye.

For those not in the know, pour over is a coffee brewing technique where you pour hot water over coffee grounds on a poster filter. Think your Mr. Coffee, but manual. The V50 is basically a funnel with a flared base that you can put on top of a mug.

I just might get this brewer… Sometimes I’m not confident I can make a V60 without making a mess, but this looks so very convenient.

How do you fine folks make coffee? Do you feel limited by accessibility issues or do you have the perfect technique figured out?

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[–] 9 points 11 months ago* (4 children)

One cup at a time usually doesn't do it for me. I will typically make a 1.5L French press in the morning (for about 3 mugs worth). One gets drunk immediately and the other two go in a vacuum flask for later in the day.

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  • [–] 8 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    I didn't agree with his knock on the Clever dripper as it's not comparing like for like i.e. comparing a single cup brew between each brewer.

    The Clever Dripper is large enough that making a single 250ml cup isn't risky as the water never gets half way up the brewer and you're going to be picking up a mug anyway too so it seemed like a weird point to make. Though perhaps there are accessible mugs/cups out there so my counter point may be off.

    Still the hoop looks like a cool brewer but I find brewing with a Clever dripper so hassle free (I do the water then coffee method so no goose neck kettle needed) that I couldn't justify getting it myself. The price is a little too much in my opinion

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  • [–] [S] 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    At the risk of buying two more brewers instead of just one, what’s this coffee after water method? Isn’t that more of as immersion brew?

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  • [–] 5 points 11 months ago

    It’s literally adding the coffee after pouring the water. It supposedly helps reduce filter clogging with the Clever. And yes, the Clever is an immersion brewer with a little bit of percolation at the end, as a treat.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago* (1 child)

    At home I typically alternate between a V60, a French press, and an Aeropress. Since getting more into pourovers, the Aeropress has mostly been used for iced coffees in the summer.

    That being said, I'm currently working as a barista full-time so I don't drink any coffee at home. My espresso consumption at work is already entirely unreasonable.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    I've been inclining to try Hoop for so long, and this video gave me the nudge. I bought it a few weeks ago and used it constantly. As advertised, Hoop is very easy to use, and I can brew until 300mL of coffee in one go. Fortunately nobody at home is as addicted to coffee as me, so I don't have to share. One caveat to Hoop is grind size, if I go finer it will reduce draw time, too coarse will makes the coffee empty. So finding the right size is the key. So far this is the easiest brewer I've used. Clever dripper is second, Hario switch is third. Others (Kalita, v60s, AeroPress, etc) come next.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    I have a ceramic filter holder that sits on a mug. It uses two-cup paper filters, which I compost after use. https://algeriancoffeestores.com/products/ceramic-filter-cone

    When I have people to stay I dig out my old filter coffee machine, the kind with a water tank and a glass jug. I have a couple of cafetieres, but rarely use them; some of my visitors prefer them.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    I tried an Aeropress after watching some of his videos and it definitely got me hooked. Once I was dialed in it was a perfect cup for me, every time. I would be interested to try this just as a different and hopefully quicker method for the times I don't want as much clean up.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    I’ve recently been tutoring a friend to use a Hario Switch. They are uniquely suited to pick pourover up quickly, excellent manual dexterity and related transferable skills, and they’ve still had some struggles. I’d definitely forgotten the learning curve and I think it’s very reasonable to look at brewers like the Hoop to open coffee up to more people.

    I’ve tried other flow rate controlled pourover brewers before and not liked the results. I suspect James’ standards are high enough I would find this the best of the bunch. I’d love to try one.

    I would modify the skirt on this brewer by melting and reshaping (or just cutting out) a notch. I also often like to brew over a carafe.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    We use the Clever Brewer and love it. I've done French Press and pour over before and much prefer the Clever's coffee. It's the best of both worlds - an immersion brewer with a paper filter.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    I use toddy cold brew. If you want hot coffee all you have to do is turn the kettle on and use the hot water instead of cold to dilute it. I love just having instant access to coffee for about the ~5 days worth it makes

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    I would love to hear a comparison of this to the Orea Z1. The Z1 is massively overpriced but it also doesn't require a gooseneck and brews a really nice cup but is small and wonderful for travel. The 250ml limit seems a bit restrictive on this. I remember hearing many complaints about stalls on the Hoop, but perhaps Scott's filters really do solve that issue?

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  • [–] 0 points 11 months ago

    Reminds me a lot of the larger Vietnamese Phin batch brewers that they have in Vietnam. Most folks have only seen the small single serving Phin brewer. That being said, I love my Clever Dripper and have no issue moving it around even when very full.

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