The home coffee guide for the kitchen you actually have

The guides

1. DripThe best drip coffee makers for small kitchensSeven machines ranked by height under a cabinet first, coffee second. Three are under 11 inches.Read the guide
2. First apartmentThe best coffee makers for a first apartmentFive ways to make coffee in a rented kitchen, from a 12-cup that fills from the front to a press that lives in a drawer.Read the guide
3. Cold brewThe best cold brew coffee makers for a small fridgeRanked on the number nobody publishes — how much shelf they take. One brand prints all three dimensions.Read the guide
4. EspressoThe best beginner espresso machinesWhat to buy first if you have never pulled a shot, ranked on published heat-up time.Read the guide
5. Milk drinksThe best espresso machines for lattes and cappuccinosRanked on the milk half of the drink — automatic texturing, steam wattage, and who has to learn what.Read the guide
6. Espresso grindersThe best espresso grinders for a Breville BambinoFive grinders that can dial in a 54 mm single-wall basket, ranked on how small a change each one can make.Read the guide
7. GrindersThe best coffee grinders for pour-over and dripBurr size, settings, and which ones actually hold a medium grind.Read the guide
8. Pour-overThe best pour-over kettles and kitsGooseneck kettles, drippers, and the smallest setup that makes good coffee.Read the guide
9. ScalesThe best coffee scales for pour-overFive scales that read 0.1 g and start a timer, ranked on the minimum weight each one will actually notice.Read the guide
10. Grind & brewThe best coffee makers with a grinder built inFive machines ranked on height under a cabinet. Only two brands will say whether the grinder is a burr or a blade.Read the guide
11. Travel mugsThe best travel coffee mugs that fit a car cup holderEveryone claims it fits. Two brands publish a body width — 77 mm and 3.06 inches — and the rest publish nothing.Read the guide
12. Small pressThe best French presses for one or two cupsA press has a floor as well as a ceiling. Espro publishes a 24 oz minimum brew; Hario simply sells a 300 mL press.Read the guide
13. CanistersThe best coffee canisters and bean storageCapacity comes in three units that do not compare. Fellow converts for you, then says when the conversion breaks.Read the guide
14. Moka potsThe best moka pots for stovetop espressoA moka "cup" is a 2 oz shot, not a mug. Bialetti publishes the whole table; a 6-cup pot makes 9.1 oz.Read the guide
15. GiftsThe best coffee gifts for a home baristaSeven things for somebody who already owns a grinder, each chosen on a number its maker publishes.Read the guide
16. ComparisonFrench press vs AeroPress: which one to buyOne has a 10 oz ceiling and the other a 24 oz floor. That settles it before taste does.Read the guide
17. ComparisonThermal vs glass carafe: Moccamaster KBGT vs KBGVSame brewer, same 40 oz, two carafes. The thermal one is two inches taller and shuts off 88 minutes sooner.Read the guide
18. DescalingHow to descale a coffee maker, by brandBreville prints a vinegar recipe. Technivorm says never use vinegar. Seven brands, seven instructions, all sourced.Read the guide
19. Grind chartCoffee grind size by brew methodNobody publishes microns. One grinder maker publishes click numbers — and V60 and Chemex are two clicks apart.Read the guide
20. ComparisonBurr vs blade grinder: which one to buyWhy the cheap grinder ruins the expensive coffee maker, in numbers.Read the guide
21. ComparisonBaratza Encore vs Encore ESP: which one to buySame body, same 40 mm burrs, two different maps of the same forty clicks. One of them cannot pull a shot.Read the guide
22. ComparisonGooseneck vs regular kettle: does the spout matter?Two kettles from one brand with the same temperature control, so the only variable left is the pour.Read the guide
23. MeasuringHow to measure your counter before you buy a coffee makerThe five numbers to write down, and the one everybody forgets.Read the guide
24. TechniqueHow to dial in a grinder for pour-overOne variable, one stopwatch, three brews. The SCA's numbers, and why brew time is the measurement to use at home.Read the guide
25. WaterWater for coffee at home: what the SCA standard actually saysThe SCA has published two water tables that disagree. Both are here, from the source documents, with the band that satisfies each.Read the guide