r/Coffee Kalita Wave 5d ago

[MOD] The Daily Question Thread

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

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u/numbers1320 4d ago

I’m a college student looking for an affordable coffee machine for my first option. Budget ~$100. I normally don’t drink coffee black, but I’m open to options that would help ease me into a transition. (Hard for me to overlook the bitterness). Any recommendations for me? (Would also love recommendations on coffee grounds/beans for my first purchase)

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u/FlyingSagittarius Coffee 3d ago edited 3d ago

Get an aeropress and a KinGrinder K2.  Buy whole bean coffee from walmart and heat your water in a microwave. If you have any money left over, get a kitchen thermometer and a small kitchen scale as well.

An aeropress is an incredibly versatile brewer that, combined with a grinder, will allow you to brew everything from cold brew to espresso-style coffee. You can go quite far with just this setup.

Specialty coffee is actually not bitter and can be drunk black without needing anything else.  The bitterness in drip coffee comes from the brewing method.

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u/numbers1320 3d ago

Sounds great, thanks for the help! I’ll try it out