In the pour-over section, the authors hit on a good point about height and creating a vortex in the slurry. Water temperature and flow rate are important variables too. Combined with the coffee grounds' quality (i.e. grind consistency) and whether it has fines or lots of chaff will also dictate how long it takes to draw down and therefore whether the pour height's effects will change if static.

I do like the advice grind coarser and extract with more water -- that's made my V60 coffee quality fairly consistent, but everyone's mileage will vary based on how they like their coffee and the roast profile.

There are so many other variables that didn't get a mention: Coffee varietal

Water hardness (and even which other ions are present in the water) and its effects on acids and other compounds that highlight certain varietal's defining characteristics.

Vessel temperatures.

The filters used (materials, paper thinness).

Pouring patterns (circular, concentric, hypotrochoid, more?)

The filter shape and material.

Even the grinder used conical vs. flat burrs and high RPMs vs. low RPMs creates palpable flavor profile differences.

The rabbit hole goes deep and continues to expand.

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Broken_Hippo an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Even the grinder used conical vs. flat burrs and high RPMs vs. low RPMs creates palpable flavor profile differences

I bought a good grinder about 6 months ago - a Fellow. I changed nothing other than the grinder and my coffee improved. And it is so much more enjoyable to use: Less mess and static, less noise, and everything feels nice to use.

	▲	rkomorn an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I've somewhat recently found out that I enjoy hand grinding beans and having the resulting coffee quite a bit. There's something about the sound, the smell, and the feeling once the last bean is ground, that just works for me. Maybe some years ago I'd have chastised my future self for enjoying something I certainly couldn't identify in a blind test, but nowadays I'm all for "whatever works."

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encom an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Two of my nerdy passions are coffee and HiFi, and I've observed some degree of... let's call it "magical thinking" in both. Obsessing and over-exaggerating minute details of the process. The extremist audiophiles to a much more ludicrous and comical degree admittedly.

Brewing coffee and listening to music becomes much more of a ritual process, than a task grounded in reason, and the end result is unlikely to pass a double blind test.

"Let people enjoy things!"

Yes, yes. But if you're buying audiophile fuses or power cables, or you're using TDS meters, a 5000$ grinder or if your kettle has an app, in the words of one of the great thinkers of our time: it's time to stop.

Buy a reasonably priced burr grinder, an Aeropress or decent pour-over, and some nice quality coffee, and you will be drinking better coffee than 95% of people.

	▲	seemaze 4 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I recently replied to a thread about La Marzocco espresso machines[0] regarding the value proposition of expensive coffee gear. I think the mistake in magical thinking is the attempt to rationalize the high cost through a comparative cost benefit analysis with retail (non-commercial) competition. "I just overhauled a la marzocco sitting in my kitchen. People often inquire about whether it's worth buying an espresso machine for the home, or if it's a good investment as a coffee connoisseur. My reply is always that it was the best money I've ever spent and the worst investment I've ever made. It's a lifestyle choice, and a questionable one at that. But one I'd make again every time given the opportunity." [0]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47844085#47885805
	▲	Theodores 25 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		It is time to stop!!! ...and I stopped. I didn't get to the $5000 grinder stage, but the annual costs of coffee were alarming. I went for black tea instead, served in insulated mugs and flasks. Originally the plan was to just have coffee as a treat when meeting friends in coffee serving establishments, however, that doesn't happen. I buy coffee for whomever I am with and keep my flask below the table, still spending, but not consuming. For all the thousands of coffee cups had, I can't think of any contenders for the 'greatest one'. Hence, despite the rituals and expense, it was all forgettable. Yet I was so insistent on getting my fix. After some time away, I can see coffee for what it is. There are too many children in the south doing things with coffee beans for grown adults in the north. Shouldn't they be in school? Tea isn't quite the same, picking leaves is different, even though I haven't done it myself, there are worse jobs to have. The paraphernalia aspect is also something I now reject. Fancy coffee machines and even the Aeropress just says 'it's time to stop'. Similarly, the elevation of the job of 'coffee maker' to the grand role of 'barista' irks me. We place the 'barista' up there with the greatest composers, rocket surgeons and rock gods. Sure, a 'barista' might be your greatest ever hero if all you do is drink coffee and the only work in your country is in customer service, but I don't see the 'barista' job as worthy of a pedestal, particularly in countries where the pay comes primarily from tips. Then there is everything else, the take-out cup, the animal excretions, the added sugar. My comfort drink of old, a frothy latte in a plastic lined paper cup, is not what my body really needed. You have got the stimulant from the caffeine, and you don't need stimulants if you get all your nutrients. The mix of milk and sugar would be considered wrong by a true coffee drinker, regardless, you have got diabetes in a cup right there, with saturated fats and 'free' sugars. You are just asking for arteries to be blocked and for dementia to happen. Whether aware of it or not, there is status with beverages. We all want to eat from the king's table, not the animal's stable. I can't say I impressed anyone with coffee, whether making it or drinking it. One lesson learned, make coffee for people and it just becomes expected. Being a keen coffee drinker doesn't make you cool. I am not saying that drinking just black tea makes one cool, but, for people that are coffee dependent, with other beverages consumed, the idea of drinking just tea, with no additives, is crazy talk. Each to their own, but I am seeing so many upsides to 'tea only' that I see no reason to change, apart from tannin on teeth, which can be a problem if also consuming lots of colourful spices. The money aspect is an invisible upside, it is not like I get a lump sum for all that money saved, even though it is thousands a year. The lack of waste is definitely really good, since I don't have glass jars, single use cups, plastic milk cartons and more coffee-related trash to dispose off. Tea is actually valuable in the second life for composting reasons. Anyway, having been away from coffee for quite a few years, I still appreciate the smell, but I am not tempted. To me the obsession with coffee is amusing, much like seeing what some cats will do with catnip, it just seems a bit unnecessary. My taste buds have adapted, I moved on.