The New Yorker:

Our staff expert recommends a collection of grinders, kettles, and other devices worth poring over.

By Kelefa Sanneh

You probably know somebody who loves coffee: drinking coffee, making coffee, and, above all, talking about coffee. If so, please accept my condolences, along with a hard truth: there is no way to cure this condition, nor to lessen the distress of those who suffer on account of their proximity to it. Just know that, while you happily slurp your morning cup of whatever, the coffee obsessive in your life wakes up every day and braces for disappointment, and quite possibly despair. Espresso is a technological marvel; a delicious shot can require thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment and lots of practice, not to mention whatever milk or milky liquid is required. But plain (or “filter,” or “drip”) coffee is fiendishly, infuriatingly simple. Ground coffee and hot water, mixed and then separated. What could go wrong? Just about everything, it turns out. The process can be exceedingly finicky, which is what makes it fun, if you have a suitably expansive definition of “fun.” It turns out that a plain cup of black coffee need not be plain at all, once you learn to draw out and enjoy the kinds of strange flavors (floral? tangy? tannic?) that many coffee drinkers would just as soon avoid. Best of all, this is the kind of hobby that requires only a relatively modest investment of money, along with an absolutely immodest investment of time and attention. If you want to improve (or, perhaps, ruin) the morning routine of a coffee drinker in your life, here are some suggestions.

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