Brewing with Coffeemaker Nº3
Coffeemaker Nº3 is a flexible coffee system based that allows you to brew slow coffee 3 ways—pour-over, French press, and cold brew. What follows is a living guide to accessories, techniques, and tips to take your craft to the next level.
Brew Guides
Video Nº1 — Pour over
Video Nº2 — French Press
Video Nº3 — Cold Brew
Recommended Accessories
Filters
When using Nº3 for pour over, we recommend Melitta 8-12 cup basket filters, typically used for auto-drip machines (widely available at most US grocery stores)
Pour-Over Kettles
While you can use the Nº3 with any kettle, a good pour-over kettle has a small thin pouring spout, which gives you better control of the water flow.
- Hario kettle - a modern classic, also comes in an electric version
- Bonavita Electric Kettle & Bonavita variable temp electric kettle - not the most attractive, but push button hot water is mighty handy
- Kalita Wave - the best kettle we've ever used. The control on this thing is outrageous, and the aesthetics are pure class.
Burr Grinders
The most important piece in your coffee toolbox—a burr grinder create a more consistent grind than a blade grinder, and consistency means a more even extraction of coffee.
- Baratza Encore / Virtuoso - Baratza produces a line of high quality grinders—the Encore is their entry level unit, the Virtuoso gives you less plastic and a faster grind. This is the one we use daily at the Manual studio.
- OXO Grinder - This one is the most aesthetically refined, and even has a built in scale!
- Capresso Infinity - less build quality, but below $100!
Kitchen Scales
Accurately measuring your dose of beans helps you get the right ratio of coffee to water, and ultimately helps you achieve more consistent results from cup to cup. Some people like to place a scale beneath the brewer while they pour over ensure accuracy.
- AWS Pocket Scale - Small, inexpensive, and easy to keep next to your coffee in the cabinet. Here's an even cheaper version if you don't need to weight over 500g ever.
- Jennings CJ4000 - Much bigger, and better if you want to brew on top of the scale. Can also be plugged into a wall outlet. Ugly, but built like a tank.