International Coffee Day

If you're in London, use this tube map to get to the nearest coffee shop. If you're in Northampton, you might use this guide to finding your next cup of joe. But if you're in your own kitchen,  consider these four barista-approved ways to make it yourself.

The article discusses four methods:

1. French press
2. Chemex
3. Pour-over cone
4. Aeropress

I would like to point out several problems with this article. First of all, the title should have included "Lynn-approved" methods but they didn't ask me. (Clearly, this was an omission by the fine people at Today Food.) Secondly, is the first sentence which reads:

Most coffee geeks agree: You can’t make the best cup of coffee using an electric drip machine.

To be fair, I haven't tried the Chemex or the pour-over cone method but the only difference between these methods and a drip coffee maker is the you have to heat your own water. A step in the right direction but why didn't any of the baristas recommend an espresso maker, I wonder?

Maybe the survey asked, "How do ordinary people make coffee?" The thought of ordinary people making coffee makes me sad.

I've tried the Aeropress but it's a gimmick. The idea is great, designed to be an easy way to consistently make a single cup of coffee. My first cup was great. The second one wasn't as good. So much for consistency. It's made of plastic and requires filters which just feels so inorganic. It's the difference between making coffee and experiencing coffee.

Limited to these four, I would pick the French press. Contrary to the opinion expressed in the referenced article, the French press is the easiest of the four to clean. Plus, it's called a French press. That right there makes it taste better. Plus, the coffee maker can double as a device to infuse vodka with strawberries. Can you do that with a Chemex or a pour-over cone?

Maybe but it wouldn't be as good. Plus, now you'd have a real mess.