If you enjoy learning via youtube, I would say, check out James Hoffmann’s channel for info on different kinds of brewing methods and how to get the best out of them. Hoffmann is a really good resource because he does a great job of breaking things down in detail in a way that’s comprehensive but also digestible. (And funny.) Lance Hedrick’s channel is also really good and informative, but a bit more nerdy and chaotic.

When looking at different brewing devices, the main category split is between immersion and percolation. Immersion means that the coffee is sitting in the water and steeping like tea. Percolation means that water is flowing through the coffee. Percolation is more efficient at extracting solubles from the coffee, which creates different brewing dynamics. One isn’t better than the other, although immersion may be more forgiving.

Immersion or mostly immersion brewers:

• French Press: Pure immersion, no filter. This means that you will have a much thicker body as you’re getting all the oils and some of the fines in your cup
• Aeropress: Mostly immersion, with a paper filter. The brewing part is similar to a French Press, but you’ll get a cleaner cup because the filter is taking out some of the oils and fines. (If you don’t want that, you can also get metal filters to use in the Aeropress.)
• Clever Dripper: Similar to aeropress, but I think probably better for doing large batches?

Percolation brewers:

• A drip coffee machine like a Moccamaster
• Pourover / manual drip, which is a huge category with lots of different kinds of dripper with different materials and shapes. Plastic brewers will have the best thermal retention. (I.e., your brewing water will stay hotter)
  • Conical (cone-shaped)
    • Hario V60 is the most popular enthusiast pourover dripper. It’s known for emaphsizing acidity (sourness) and clarity of flavors. It’s not the absolute easiest to get right, but there are a ton of detailed recipes you can follow.
    • Kono dripper or Hario Mugen. These are similar to the V60 but have lower “bypass” meaning that less water is getting outside the filter and around the coffee. They are a little more forgiving than the V60 but there are fewer easy to find recipes. The Mugen is designed for single-pour recipes that are easy to do, and is intended to be more user friendly than the V60.
  • Flat-bottomed brewers are supposed to emphasize less acidity and more sweetness/florals as opposed to conical
    • Kalita Wave is probably the second most popular enthusiast dripper. There are several different models, I think the “Tsubame” ones are supposed to have the best flow rate and thermal performance but they’re pricey. Easy to find recipes, but some of the models have a reputation for clogging
    • Orea, Timemore B75, Fellow Stagg are more “modern” flat bottom brewers that are designed to have faster flow rates, less clogging, and better thermal performance than the Kalita. They tend to be a little pricey, although the Timemore B75 seems like a good budget option.
  • “Zero bypass” brewers like the Tricolate, Next Level, and also heritage brewers like the Vietnamese phin and South Indian filter. These are sort of like a subclass of flat bottom brewers where bypass is impossible. The historical ones are normally used to create very concentrated coffee that is often consumed with sweetener, while the modern ones are meant to optimize efficiency. These often have very long brew times.

Percolation/Immersion Combo

There are also now brewers that let you select between immersion and percolation, like the Hario Switch, Goat Story Gina, and the upcoming Next Level Pulsar. These let you use either all immersion, all percolation, or interesting combinations of both.

Espresso and not-quite-espresso

There’s also espresso, which is a form of percolation brewing performed under pressure, resulting in a very concentrated beverage. Espresso is kinda complicated and expensive so most folks skip it unless they really love espresso in particular. If you want to get somewhat close to espresso without the expense, most folks go for a Moka Pot.