by Erin Elizabeth updated December 22, 2022, 10:22 am 6.3k Views

Anyone who’s ever worked a morning shift, pulled an all-night study session or is a full-time adult knows the importance of coffee. That first cup of joe in the morning is indispensable, activating us with a delicious aroma, taste, and a hefty dose of caffeine to take on the day’s tasks.

Not only are we dependent on coffee to function, but we appreciate the artistry and quality of our coffee beans and brewing methods.

Coffee making has diversified into numerous methods and every coffee fanatic has strong opinions on which is the best. 

Below, I’ve listed the diverse ways to make coffee for you to explore and experiment with to choose your preferred method.

Find your new favorite way to make coffee with these various brewing methods!

Aeropress is a trademarked portable coffee maker that claims to be the most efficient, eco-friendly, and mess-free way to make coffee.

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The contraption is a cylindrical glass plastic container with a compression pump at the top and a high-tech filter at the bottom.

The Aeropress fits perfectly over a standard coffee mug or thermos.

You simply add coffee and water to the cylinder, stir for thirty seconds, and press the pump so the coffee filters through the bottom and into your mug. 

Unlike many machines, you need less than a minute to enjoy a delicious and strong cup of coffee.

The compression system is so efficient that it also streamlines the cleaning process as the grounds come out in one single mound.

Cold brew is one of the most fashionable beverages of the past decade, offering a cold and much stronger cup of coffee than the hot version.

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As its name implies, cold brew coffee involves brewing coffee with cold water.

There’s nothing complicated about the cold brew technique. The only requirement is a long brewing period, which is also the reason cold brew coffee has a much stronger taste than hot coffee.

I like to make a vat of cold brew, pouring grounds and cold water in to steep overnight in the fridge before removing the grounds. 

Ideally, cold brew coffee needs between 12 and 24 hours to steep, but you can try cold brew from Starbucks and other coffee shops for a quick fix!

An elegant, old-world method to create the strongest, full-bodied sip, espresso machines are the gold standard staple of any professional barista or coffee house.

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They are expensive, but they make the strongest, most delicious coffee, from Americano to Cappuccinos. 

The method by which espresso machines make that highly concentrated coffee shot is through pressure, forcing a small amount of boiling water through tightly packed coffee grounds.

You’ll need a special fine ground to achieve the best results.

Espresso machines also have a milk frothing attachment so you can make fancier espresso drinks.

Gone are the days of shelling out 10 dollars on a mocha. This machine may be expensive, but it ends up saving you money over time. 

Chemex is an American family business, started in 1941 when founder Dr. Peter Schlumbohm invented the Chemex coffee maker.

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The Chemex coffee machine comes with a hot plate and flash boiler, and multi-spigot waterspout to boil the water and methodically shower the coffee grinds. 

The magic of the Chemex is in the design of the carafe and special filters that eliminate acidity and bitterness, delivering the perfect cup of coffee every time.

The Chemex machine can make hot or cold coffee in a carafe that can serve multiple cups. You’ll need to use a medium-grind coffee to achieve the best results.

The French Press is a coffee-making method that dates to mid-19th century France. 

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Today, French Presses come in different sizes and can be metal or glass cylinders.

You scoop the desired medium-ground coffee into the cylinder, followed by boiling water. 

After letting the coffee brew for around three minutes, you use the patented top containing a mesh filter connected to a rod to press down into the brew, thereby filtering and compressing the grounds into the bottom of the cylinder.

I love French presses for their transportability. I think the glass French press delivers the best-tasting coffee, but the metal French presses are unbreakable. 

The Moka pot, like the espresso machine, uses pressure to create a full-bodied and strong cup of coffee.

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Moka pots are metal coffee pots consisting of three chambers: the bottom chamber houses the water, the middle chamber houses the coffee grounds, and the top chamber is the coffee pot with a spout. 

You place the entire pot on the stove, and as the water boils it funnels through the coffee grounds, infusing coffee into the water as it then boils over into the top compartment. 

The Moka pot is a portable, all-in-one coffee maker that is easy to clean, as the coffee grounds come out of the center compartment in a solid mound. 

The Clever Dripper uses an immersion method similar to the French press or coffee drip machine.

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It consists of a specially designed funnel-shaped BPA-free plastic brewing container that fits over a thermos or coffee mug. 

Like a coffee drip machine, the clever dripper requires a standard coffee filter in which to place the coffee grounds.

You pour boiling water over the grounds, stirring and steeping the coffee for 2.5 minutes before releasing the drain valve so the freshly brewed coffee flows into your cup, mess-free.

The clever dripper comes with a scale so you measure the perfect proportions of water to coffee grounds, which ensures the most flavorful cup of coffee every time. 

Despite all the coffee brewing technology on the market today, you don’t need any fancy equipment to enjoy a cup of coffee.

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If you’re a rugged outdoors type, the cowboy coffee method will deliver a tasty cup of joe in the most rudimentary conditions. 

Cowboy Coffee is a method meant for use over a campfire and requires nothing more than a coffee pot, water, and grounds.

The method requires bringing water to a boil over the campfire, pouring in the desired amount of coffee grounds, and letting it steep for around 5 minutes.

Drip is a coffee-making method that encompasses various methods on my list, including the French press, percolator, and conventional drip coffee machines.

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Drip describes how fresh coffee filters through a barrier, separating the coffee grounds from the fresh cup of joe. 

In theory, all you need for drip coffee is a coffee filter to house the coffee grounds. You can place the filter directly over a coffee cup, pouring hot water over the grounds. 

I find drip coffee as hands-off and simple as cowboy coffee while saving you the unpleasantries of getting a mouthful of rogue sediment. 

Electric percolators were the most popular way to make coffee during the 70s, before the invention of the automatic coffee makers we still use today. 

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The Electric Percolator is an electric coffee pot with two interior chambers underneath a coffee grounds chamber.

You pour water into the bottom chambers and coffee grounds into the upper chamber before turning on the electric water heater. 

As the water boils, it filters up through the coffee grounds, then travels back down into the lower chambers in a circular cycle. 

Also known as a vacuum coffee maker, a siphon coffee maker is a centuries-old and theatrical brewing method that’s made a comeback in recent years.

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The siphon is a glass coffee maker with two glass chambers stacked in the form of an hourglass.

Coffee grounds and hot water enter the top open chamber, filtering through the tiny opening between the top and bottom glass chambers.

Gravity sucks the liquid down while the grounds get stuck in the small filter. 

The Kalita Wave is a high-tech brewing method from the Japanese, family-owned Kalita company.

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The Kalita Wave is a drip method wherein you pour water over coffee grounds in a filter.

However, the filtered coffee undergoes a unique second filtration, dripping through a solid flat plate with three small holes.

Kailta recommends pouring hot water in two increments over the grounds at 45-second intervals for best flavor dispersion.

The Wave comes with a conical glass container for the paper coffee filter, the three-hole signature filter, and a bottom chamber for the final product.

The wave method makes one of the cleanest, crispest cups of coffee and is a testament to Japanese efficiency.

Turkish coffee is made in a pot called the Cezve. This ancient tradition produces flavorful coffee unlike any other! 

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A cezve is an open-mouthed, wide, hourglass-shaped pot made from copper. The Turkish method is a standard immersion of coffee grounds with water.

Traditionally, you mix coffee grounds, water, and sugar in the Cezve, bring the concoction to a boil, and thick dark foam forms.

You scrape the foam off the top into a serving cup before pouring. The result is a rich and velvety cup of coffee that is famous in Turkish cuisine.

The traditional cups for Turkish coffee are slightly bigger than espresso cups, so you get a concentrated flavor.

The pour-over method applies to many modern, trademarked brands I’ve mentioned, like the clever dripper and the Kalita wave.

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As the name suggests, the pour-over method refers to pouring hot or cold water directly over coffee grounds in a filter.

The water travels through the grounds and drips out of the filter into a cup or beaker, and voila, you have a fresh cup of joe!

The pour-over method works with any size of coffee ground. The coarser the ground, the slower the brew. The slower the brewing, the richer the flavor.

Vietnamese coffee is one of the most beloved culinary traditions, combining cold brew with sweetened condensed milk for a highly caffeinated, sweet, and creamy beverage.

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The Vietnamese have their own method to brew the strong coffee we all know and love, and it’s called the Vietnamese Phin filter. 

The Phin method is the marriage of pour-over and French press. The Phin filter is a single-serving tin cylinder brew chamber with a gravity press top and a metal filter to place under the chamber. 

To use the Phin, place grounds in the brew chamber, pour boiling water in, and press the top to force the water through the grounds and through the flat filter into your cup. 

Yet another fancy pour-over method, the Hario V60 is a coffee maker consisting of a large ceramic or glass dripper in a conical shape with a small opening and a larger coffee pot placed underneath.

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Hario is a Japanese brand that champions efficiency. According to most brew enthusiasts, the ideal coffee brewing time is a flat three minutes.

The Hario V60 takes exactly three minutes for the water to filter through the conical chamber and drip to the lower chamber, no matter how many cups of coffee you plan to make.

The resulting coffee is full-bodied and complex, allowing coffee lovers to savor every flavor of their coffee, from the aroma to the finish.

Named for Melitta Bentz, the German inventor of the pour-over method, Melitta is the original German product of pour-over filters.

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Melitta filters have been an ever-changing staple in households worldwide for over a century. 

The Melitta filter originated at the turn of the 20th century as a metal cylinder with a conical bottom where you place a filter for the coffee grounds.

The brewer has undergone numerous design changes over the years. The most recent Melitta iterations include Keurig pods and single-serving 1-Cup pour-over coffee brewers. 

The 1-Cup pour-over coffee brewers are an efficient method to enjoy a single cup of joe brewed to perfection within minutes.

Nitrous coffee takes your standard cold brew to the next level.

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The nitrous method has long been used in beer brewing to create that characteristic foamy head.

Nitrogen is a gas you infuse into a liquid to cause an accumulation of bubbles.

For coffee, nitrogen changes the texture and flavor of the coffee. It reduces the bitterness while also making the coffee frothier. 

The unique texture and flavor of nitrous coffee make it one of the most popular products on the market. You can buy nitro brew kits to make your own nitrous coffee at home. 

Tell us your favorite coffee brewing methods, or learn about the different coffee beans you can use!

Check out other unique coffee drinks to try if you’re a coffee lover, or check out the best milk frothers to make an impressive coffee at home!

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Erin lives in East Passyunk and enjoys checking out the local restaurants in South Philly and beyond. Her favorite restaurants are those with spicy food and outdoor seating so that she can bring along her dog, Miss Piggy.

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