Brewing Coffee Manually

Manual pour over coffee setup with V60, Chemex, and vintage kitchen scale under warm lighting

What Gear Earned a Spot on My Coffee Counter for Five Years

May 18, 2026 / John / 0 Comments

While I was sorting through my storage room, I found a few boxes with coffee gear that have fallen out of favor at my house. Nothing scandalously worth mentioning but when you have a blog about coffee, you kind of accumulate a lot of gear.

There were some cool things in the box and a few I would like to get out and use a little more frequently. However, this got me thinking: Over the last five years, what coffee items earned a coveted slice of the kitchen coffee counter real estate? What are the coffee items that I actually used everyday day?

For long time manual brewing enthusiasts, this list might be pretty predictable but there may be a few surprises below. If you are new to manual brewing, this list will give you a good idea of the things that will get use and be helpful.

Digital Gram Scale

A gram scale is an easy way to make your coffee more consistent and repeatable. Besides that, a gram scale is just so handy to have around. (You can read more about using a scale for manual brewing here.)

For more than 12 years, the Acaia Pearl scale has earned its .25 square feet of kitchen counter real estate. I have never had a problem with it and I use it multiple times a day. It is rechargeable, reliable and looks nice.

You don’t need a fancy gram scale like the Pearl to make great coffee though. I have also enjoyed having a cheaper gram scale around my kitchen for baking. The one I own is no longer available but is similar to this scale with good reviews. The separate readout makes it nice for larger containers as you don’t have to worry about it covering up the information. At its current price of under $20.00, it is well worth adding to your brewing arsenal if you don’t have a gram scale yet.

Burr Coffee Grinder

A quality burr grinder opens up some options for keeping coffee fresh, adjusting grind size for preference and it can also help with brewing consistency. For many years my go-to burr grinder was the Baratza Virtuoso.

I backed the Fellow Ode on Kickstarter when it came out in 2019- 2020. By the time it arrived, my Virtuoso had broken and needed a repair (they are repairable which is pretty cool). I didn’t have the time to fix it on my own so I passed it on to someone who would. When my Ode arrived, I had been grinding my daily coffee with a hand grinder for a few months.

The Ode has been my daily workhorse since it arrived and I like it for its performance and small size.

A grinder is likely going to be one of the most expensive items you purchase for coffee brewing so do your research. A quality grinder will last a long time, is often repairable with the option to replace burrs and will likely make up for the steep start up cost by being dependable for years and years. (Read more about coffee grinders here.)

My Coffee Brewing Admission

This is the point I have to admit something… at some point in the last five years I started relying heavily on an automatic drip coffee maker. This broke an over five year streak where I didn’t really have an automatic coffee maker in my kitchen.

This switch to an automatic coffee maker was a combination of things: I broke my Ceramic Hario V60 (again…!), I had family staying long term and was brewing a lot of coffee, and I didn’t always have the time to stand at the brew station crafting beautiful coffees every morning.

Until very recently, the Oxo coffee maker that was sent for me to review has been used quite a lot (review here). It makes a good cup of coffee and saves me a few minutes during the hectic mornings.

I currently have a different coffee maker at my coffee station (more on that next post).

When I am brewing a cup of coffee manually, I have been using the far less fragile AltoAir and brewing into either the Chemex or the Hario serving carafe. I also lean heavily on the Hario V60.

The Alto Air is sadly no longer available but I have always liked it. It brews a great cup of coffee and fits into a standard 8-cup Chemex, as I don’t always want to use the Chemex filters.

Electric Gooseneck Kettle

An electric gooseneck kettle is something else that is always out at my coffee station. It is (nearly) essential for brewing a pour over and its other kitchen applications are very versatile as well.

I am currently using the Bonavita Gooseneck Kettle, although I used the Fellow Stag EKG for years before I shorted out the control board during a coffee mishap. (This post seems to also be about how I have broken a lot of coffee gear in the last five years).

If you are looking for a kettle of your own, I would have no qualms recommending the Stag Kettle, it served me well for many years and I think it was user error that led to its downfall. The Bonavita Variable Temperature kettle also works quite well and, fun fact: I was able to use the Stag Kettle on the Bonavita control board.

Coffee Mugs

I have written about choosing a coffee mugs before and my philosophy on it has not really changed.

A few years ago, I bought a colorful assortment of mugs from notNeutral Lino coffee mugs and those are my daily drinkers. (I have to admit, I broke one of these mugs a few weeks ago too). I also have a collection of vintage mugs that I will rotate through on a whim, the small Victor “indestructible” diner mugs being my favorite.

If I am on the go, I have found the Fellow Carter Slide Travel Mug to be perfect. It keeps coffee hot for a long time and I like the slide lid attachment. I will also just drink out of it with the lid off.

Coffee mugs are personal preference and a fun way to personalize your morning (and/or afternoon) coffee ritual.

Bonus Tool- DeWalt Hand Vacuum

The DeWalt Hand Vacuum is not a coffee tool per-se but I keep it close to my coffee station.

Grinding coffee inevitably creates a mess from chaff and spilled coffee grounds. I like to use it to keep my station looking clean and tidy. As a bonus, this hand vac has a lot of other uses than just sucking up errant coffee grounds.

I have seen some pretty cool smaller stick vacuums that people use to clean their coffee stations. Regardless of what you choose, it is nice to have a small vacuum handy for cleaning up messes.

Conclusion

All my other coffee apparatuses are either kept in a cabinet or stored in some boxes in my storage room. I will occasionally swap out brewers and use different ones for a bit but I have been pretty steady over the last five years.

There was a season where I was actually putting all my coffee gear away after each use but I must admit that I haven’t reached that level of minimalistic tidiness in quite some time.

What about you? Are there coffee essentials on your countertop that are never put away? Is there anyone who cleans up and puts away all their coffee stuff after each use? Do you have anything different or interesting you use daily for coffee that is not mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below or send me a message.

Ceramic coffee mug beside coffee beans and a pour over notebook on a kitchen counter

5 years later…Hello, I’m Back

May 7, 2026 / John / 6 Comments

Hello?

It has been quite a few years since I’ve made a post. I knew you all would still be out there brewing, talking about and drinking good coffee so I went and checked on the situation.

I fired up Instagram, talked to some coffee friends, and read some coffee articles.

Wow…

Things have changed a bit since I last wrote about coffee.

Where Have I Been?

I started Brewing Coffee Manually a few months after my son was born. (He turns 12 in June). My boy was my second child and his arrival coincided with household coffee consumption increasing dramatically. It was also at a time in my life where I felt like writing and creating something. I was already very interested in manual coffee brewing processes and seemed to be discussing it with friends constantly. A coffee blog is where I ended up.

Over the years, I had a lot of fun running the blog. I liked researching, writing and taking pictures of coffee apparatuses. I liked meeting people and talking about coffee. Some really cool people reached out and introduced themselves to me, some even sent me coffee and gear. The coffee scene developed and changed around me and I enjoyed and rode the wave. Then life got a little wild.

My wife and I welcomed two more daughters to our family. We remodeled our house, built an addition and then moved. We then remodeled the new house. Work got busy. Life got busy. I had to set some things to the side and I gave up writing about coffee.

Right around the time I decided to put my coffee adventures on the back burner, my blog started gaining a little traction. I was getting more visitors than ever and I didn’t have the capacity to contribute to it. I also didn’t have the heart to shut it down.

I tried to revive it once or twice when I got a little margin, but the margin did not last long. I also had a few other hobbies and interests sneak in and vie for my attention. Eventually, I left the coffee blog to gather dust on the shelf and moved on to other things.

I haven’t posted or written a thing about coffee in five years.

Still…

Every couple weeks someone will ask me my opinion about something coffee related or want to discuss some coffee topics.

Every November it is time to pay my hosting and website fees.

Every time I reached a decision point for the blog, I can not bring myself to scuttle it all and let it sink into the abyss of things internet past.

This year I had finally resolved to let it die on its November anniversary. A couple weeks ago a changed my mind.

Why Come Back Now?

What changed?

It wasn’t anything big, it was just some smaller pieces subtly moving together.

A company reached out about a product review. A friend got a new roaster and shared his excitement (and coffee) with me. A co worker asked my advice about a brewing set up. I became a little nostalgic for that caffeine-fueled, creative time in my life.

I realized that I wouldn’t mind reviewing a few new products, I have never written much about roasting coffee and I’ve never written a post that would help my particular co worker navigate his current coffee conundrum.

I also have a little margin in my life again.

Coffee remains a major part of my daily rhythm and there are some new and really cool things I would like to write about in coffee. I think I can contribute a little of my opinion to the scene and I think my voice and thoughts have changed a bit.

I never stopped brewing, enjoying or experimenting with coffee. I never stopped discussing it with people. I think it is time to start writing about it again.

What to Expect

At one point, I was trying to write posts weekly or at least a couple posts a month. I was active on Twitter (or the app formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram. This time it is probably going to be a slower pace.

I have some old posts that I would like to augment. There are a few products I would like to review and discuss. My list of ideas is much larger than my margin. Mostly, I’d like to have some fun, create and get back to writing about coffee. We will see what comes out the other side this time.

I am going to start with a couple product reviews and then I think I’d like to talk about some of the new things that are happening with coffee beans (I’m looking at you co-fermented coffees). I would also like to write a brewing guide and product review for the Hario V60 (my everyday brewer). Aeropress also has a new (to me) design, the Aeropress Go, which is more portable and looks pretty slick.

How about my long lost (or new) readers?

Do you have any ideas for posts? I wouldn’t mind a little guidance. What do manual brewing enthusiasts want to read about in 2026? Are there equipment, trends or techniques you would like to know more about? Send me an email or comment below with ideas or thoughts.

Welcome back to the Brewing Coffee Manually blog, time to brew a fresh cup.

OXO 8 Cup coffee maker with stainless thermal carafe

Need a New Coffee Maker?- OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Review

December 14, 2020 / John / 22 Comments

When OXO approached me about sending me their new 8 cup coffee maker for review, I was a little leery. This is a manual brewing blog after all and I have been championing manual brewing methods for the last six years. After some deliberation, I decided a sponsored OXO 8 cup coffee maker review could be fun. The auto drip coffee maker scene has seen some changes since I last visited the subject in 2014. Let’s see what this new wave of automatic brewers is all about.

OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker Pros and Cons

The OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker is a lovely looking coffee machine. I had the brief (fleeting) fancy to shoot an unboxing video on my YouTube channel when it arrived but I abstained. The branding and the machine itself are beautiful, a nice appearance upgrade to many of the automatic coffee makers out there.

I spent a month or so testing this brewer and evaluating it. I made coffee for the office* with it, I made lazy Saturday morning coffee with it and I made one and two cup batches with it. My overall impression is that it is a well made and thoughtfully designed machine.

I did not prefer coffee brewed with the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker to my usual pour-over ritual but if you are looking for an automatic coffee maker, this one should be seriously considered. Here are the pros and cons of this automatic brewer:

Pros:

Looks great- As I mentioned above, this coffee maker is beautifully designed and doesn’t need to be hidden in your kitchen’s appliance garage (if you have one of those).
Can brew a single cup (it is pretty good too)– This is a very nice feature. The achilles heel of many “golden cup” automatic coffee makers is that they brew their best coffee with a full batch. The OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker makes a great single cup of coffee.
SCA certified brewer- I will talk a little more about this feature later but this basically means it has been tested by the Specialty Coffee Association and it meets their standards.
Thermal Carafe (no heat plate)– Sitting on a heat plate is bad for coffee, this coffee maker includes a thermal carafe that keeps your coffee warm without scorching it and ruining the taste.
Good size (not overly large)- Compared to some of the coffee makers in it’s class, the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker is a reasonable size (14.8″L x 9″W x 16.125”H). It fits neatly under upper cabinets and leaves space on the counter for other things.
Reasonably priced (compared to other SCA brewers)- While the price of this coffee maker will vary, this coffee maker is on the lower end of the price scale for SCA certified brewers. (You can check the current price here).
More convenient than manual brewing- If you are looking for convenience, brewing with an automatic coffee maker like the OXO 8 cup coffee maker is certainly a little less time consuming and intense than manual coffee brewing.
Can brew good coffee at full capacity- This coffee maker brews a good cup of coffee at full capacity with golden ratio (1:16.6 coffee to water ratio) dosages. This is important because a common automatic coffee maker “hack” is to brew at about 75% capacity so you can fit all the coffee grounds in the brewing basket without it overflowing.

Cons:

Small capacity- The OXO 8 cup coffee maker maxes out at eight 5 fluid ounce cups of coffee or about 1183 mL of coffee. This is an amount that can be reasonably brewed in a large Chemex.
Limited filter options- This coffee maker is a flat bottom brewer. It also comes with an insert to brew smaller batches with a Kalita 185 filter. It would be really neat if they made a v60 insert that could be sold separately. I was able to use my Bairro Alto Air with the filter basket removed (it took a little finagling).

What filters does the OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker use? The OXO 8 Cup Coffee Maker uses standard sized flat bottom filters for larger batches and Kalita 185 filters for smaller batches. For large filters, I recommend using Melitta’s white coffee basket filters.

Not a manual brewer- It can be hard to give up the control and ritual of manual brewing for the consistency and ease of an automatic coffee maker. I enjoy coffee brewed manually over coffee brewed with this machine.
Needs a little intervention to brew the best cup- I found this coffee maker brews its best coffee when I stir the coffee bed in between the bloom cycle and the brew cycle. (Maybe that is just the manual brewer in me wanting to participate). This is quite common with automatic drip coffee makers and manual brewers alike.