The Best Coffee Stop on the Internet
At CoffeeonFleek, we love everything to do with coffee, but from time to time, we run into readers that say they are looking to reduce their coffee consumption. And while we think that any thing in extreme amounts can be harmful, we looked into the positive side of why people should drink coffee.
Here are our top 15 reasons that will surprise you! Time to dig out that shiny new espresso machine or even better, a super automatic machine and drink way more cups of coffee 🙂
It’s summer time. The weather is fine and you have big plans for the day.
But then… it hits you… how could you forget? You need to buy that gift. Your mind races… what do you get for the #coffeelover in your life? You imagine endless hours at the mall searching for the perfect present.
Don’t worry, CoffeeonFleek is here.
We’ve found THE best gift ideas for coffee lovers and we’ve got something for every budget. You don’t even have to leave the house. You’re welcome. 🙂
Possibly the cutest book in the world.
Author & blogger, Ryoko Iwata, speaks the truth and declares coffee is “the most awesome beverage on earth”.
The book includes pieces such as ‘Your Brain on Beer vs. Coffee’, ‘10 Coffee Myths’, ‘The Best Time of Day to Drink Coffee (According to Science)’, and ‘10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Caffeine’.
Just be prepared for endless “did you know this about coffee?” conversations afterwards.
Ok, we admit. We don’t know what The Man in Black would recommend as a coffee-inspired gift.
But we do know that if you’re trying to swoon the coffee lover in your life, this gorgeous downloadable print will do the job. Show your loved one you appreciate the greatest things in life: time with them… and coffee. Obvs.
Just be prepared for endless “did you know this about coffee?” conversations afterwards.
Make it extra special by pairing with an ornate frame that suits the décor of your home. Major brownie points can be yours!
Largest coffee cup… IN… THE… WORLD. Do we need to say more?
Bonus – this would also make a pretty awesome house planter. Once they’re done overdosing on giant sized cups of coffee.
Please note: Prepare to receive countless ‘just having one cup’ photos…
For the little coffee lover in your life.
Lemonade stands are sooo last year. Help them to start a coffee empire with this toy coffee kitchen.
Sure, they’re too young to actually drink coffee. But you’re never too young to learn your cappuccino from your macchiato.
It’s time to pass your knowledge to the next generation. Go forth and teach.
(Seriously – why couldn’t this have been around during our childhoods?! )
Yes, we know… the pun is strong in this one.
For the Star Wars fan who has every piece of merchandise you thought existed.
This British made gift mug can be teamed with an additional coaster as well as gift wrapping and a card. Simples!
Are you a bridesmaid or Best Man this summer? Want to show your bestie and their spouse how well you understand their love for each other… and their beloved coffee.
These romantic made-to-order stencils will bring a smile to their faces everyday. Aww!
Plus, the stencils could also be used for cake decorating or creating personalised art.
Give them what they want. What they really, really want – coffee and chocolate.
Magic little espresso beans covered in mouth-watering dark chocolate. A portable shot of caffeine you can pop when you need a fix.
There are a lot of varieties to pick from but the CoffeeonFleek office voted Trader Joes as the favorite.
Pick up some for yourself while you’re at it, you deserve it. Did we mention they’re covered in chocolate?
Mmmmm chocolate.
Summer time is all about being out in the fresh air. But camping doesn’t mean you should have to settle for instant coffee. This collapsible coffee filter holds #4 filters to brew 1 to 12 cups of coffee.
Someone is about to be very popular on the campsite!
Also a perfect gift for anyone about to head off on a global backpacking adventure. It weighs in at only 4.8 ounces!
This gift comes in handy when you can’t espresso* what you want. (*See what we did there? LOL. No? Ok, we’ll stick to gift research).
A great gift option for a #digitalnomad or travelling entrepreneur. Anywhere in the world, they can use this trusty designer MacBook cover to make sure the barista knows exactly what they want.
This one is for the generation of hipsters who favour a coffee shop over a traditional office setting.
Maybe now – horror of horrors – they need to work from home?
They already have the coffee machine, perfect cups, and coasters. Everything to recreate the coffee shop buzz at home. Except the right music?
Time for you to save the day with this CD.
Or help them make the conversion to an at-home office with a $7 premium access to Hipster Sounds. Ambient tracks like ‘Buzz of a busy Texas café’ should satisfy their café cravings.
Don’t let anything get in the way of the perfect cup of joe – including heat, moisture, or even UV rays.
The peeps at Osaka are strong devotees of what they call the “third wave of coffee… the belief that coffee is not just a drink or a commodity, it is a specialty”. This sleek vacuum-sealed canister will store coffee in perfect condition while keeping your counter top ‘on fleek’.
Let your friend shock their photography buddies by pouring hot water into their expensive designer lens.
Yes, there’s fun to be had with this travel cup!
Lets just hope they are caffeinated enough not to mistake their real lens for the cup. Eek!
For the person who already has everything.
This one is spendy but it comes in a beautifully presented gift box and you choose the personalised engraving. Pretty special!
No matter what ups and downs life might bring, coffee will always be there. Coffee loves you. Coffee makes life better.
Forever 21 show there is no love like #coffeelove with this graphic nightdress.
*Updates relationship status: COFFEE.
Help protect your loved one from ‘depresso’ with a coffee subscription from BeanBox.
Selfish bonus with this gift – you know the delivery date of the new varieties. You could always pop by for a visit that day. Winning!
If you are a coffee lover (which, of course you are, because otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog), you most likely have a very specific opinion on what type of coffee you like best. You may like the fruitier flavors found in some regions of the world, or perhaps you prefer the nuttier taste from a completely different part of the world. (If you aren’t that into coffee but want to know more about it, here’s an interesting article on the science behind it all.)
You also probably have a specific opinion on how you like to have your coffee brewed.
Or you may not really care, and will even chomp on the beans if you get desperate.
Regardless, we are going to answer the age-old question of which makes better coffee: The Aeropress or the French Press. Okay, so it’s not exactly an age old question, considering the fact that the Aeropress hasn’t been around that long. But it’s still an important question to consider.
But it’s not worth fighting over.
The French Press is an old-school method of brewing coffee. There are different containers for them, and some are super fancy, while others are more rustic, but the concept is the same. The coffee grounds are put into the bottom of the container, and then hot water is added. Once the grounds have soaked for a while and all the coffee goodness is ready to burst, a mesh plate is pressed down on the grounds, releasing the flavor and creating the magic.
It’s so simple, anyone can do it.
The Aeropress works a bit differently. There’s a funnel that has a filter at the bottom of it, and the grounds sit on top of the beans. The hot water is pushed down through the beans and the filter, and into the waiting cup of coffee. It’s kind of like a super-fast espresso maker.
Okay, so maybe not as fast as a race car, but you still get the life juice in around a minute.
We’re not going to go into a long list of pros and cons, because a lot of that is subjective. For example, French presses are usually made of glass. When you drop the glass container, well, it shatters.
And that’s a sad day.
The Aeropress is more durable.
But… the Aeropress has six different pieces that you need to keep track of, which can take up some room. The French press has only the container and the mesh, which fit together nicely when you aren’t making coffee.
However… the French press takes longer to brew and you have to wait for a while before you get to enjoy that first sip of coffee. The Aeropress gets you the coffee in seconds.
On the other hand… the Aeropress only makes one cup of coffee at a time. If you drink several cups of coffee each day, or each hour, this could be frustrating. Or if you have a large group of coffee drinkers at together, it could get ugly. The French press allows you to brew more than one cup at a time.
This woman had to wait too long for her coffee. This is why you must choose wisely.
But as you can see, there are pros and cons to both styles of brewing. So it comes down to one final, basic question:
The answer is… it depends.
Huh?
It depends on the type of flavor that you like.
If you like a very strong, bold cup of coffee, then you will most likely prefer coffee from the French press. Because there is no filter between the grounds and the water, you will get the oils from the beans. You will also get a little bit of the grounds with your coffee.
Some may find this a bit off putting.
But others may feel that this is the way that coffee is supposed to be.
The Aeropress has a filter and is brewed differently, so it is less oily French press coffee. You don’t get any of the grounds, and it is actually very similar to espresso. You get a nice, mild cup of coffee that has rich flavor.
Well, since both types of brewing give you delicious coffee, why not get one of each? You can use your French press in the morning to get three or for cups. This will get you awake and fully functioning. Then in the afternoon, you can use the Aeropress for your afternoon pick-me-up, or “way to get through the morning coffee”.
Here’s where you can buy either one:
Before you start making your coffee, take a minute to consider the beans that you are using. We don’t want to sound like coffee snobs (Yes we do. That’s what we are.), but the beans make all the difference in the world.
To get the highest quality coffee and the best flavor possible, you have to make sure that you are using the best possible coffee beans. Make sure that they are freshly roasted, and haven’t been sitting on a store shelf for months.
That would not be tasty.
See this guy? He was offered coffee that was made from old beans. He said he would rather stick an icepick through his nose. So he did. Let this man be a warning to you: Don’t offer your friends coffee made from old beans, because they may do something drastic.
Once you get the best beans, you can determine which method of brewing you prefer. You may find that you like the oils, or you may find that the oils aren’t your favorite.
There are no right or wrong answers; it is all up to you.
Go ahead and enjoy your coffee, however you like. Add cream, or sugar, or both. Or go bold yet simple, and add nothing.
It’s coffee.
It’s beautiful, and wonderful, and oh, so delicious.
And it makes you function.
No matter how you brew it – French press, Aeropress, or yes, even chomping on the seeds.
Yay Coffee!
It’s time for coffee. No, it doesn’t matter what time it actually is – for the true coffee lover (addict?), any time of day is time for coffee. Now that we have settled that – one question remains: Which is the best way to brew it? Aeropress or Chemex?
This guy has clearly spent too much time trying to decide on the best way to make coffee, and not enough time drinking coffee.
Honestly, choosing which method is better, an Aeropress or Chemex, is not an easy question to answer because it largely depends on what you are looking for. The best thing to do is look at each method and decide which one is best for you.
So let’s do that.
An Aeropress coffee maker is a unique way of quickly brewing coffee at home. Once you get everything set up, you get a fresh, hot cup of coffee in under a minute.
And as you undoubtedly know, sometimes you just need the coffee as quickly as you can get it. After all, how will you function if you don’t have your coffee?
The goal of the Aeropress is to produce coffee that is very similar to espresso, and the brewing method is much like that of an espresso machine. Hot water and steam are forced through the grounds, then through a filter, extracting the flavor.
You simply place the filter over the chamber and place the grounds in the filter. You pour hot water on top of it all, and then use the plunger to force the hot water through the grounds. The result?
Coffee Bliss. (The wedding dress is just to show that this woman is choosing coffee on her wedding day. Because of course she is. Happy day, happy drink, right?)
To clean up, you simply remove the filter and throw it away, give the machine a quick rinse, and get on with your day.
While the Aeropress was designed to deliver quick, espresso-type coffee, the Chemex was designed to deliver drip coffee. It is a very simple design that has been around since 1941.
These were the types of typewriters that were around when the Chemex was invented. You can’t go wrong with something that’s been around since before computers.
The Chemex coffee maker is a simple hourglass-shaped glass container. You place a special filter into the top of the cone, pour the grounds into the filter, and then pour hot water on top.
In about four minutes you will have your delicious product.
If you want a very simple way of making coffee without having to read instructions or do any assembly, then the Chemex may be the perfect solution for you.
Coffee making should never require this much study. Because honestly, you need the coffee to be able to study. If you have to study to get the coffee, then it’s kind of a vicious circle.
But this isn’t to say that the Aeropress requires an advanced degree in coffee brewing, it just means that it takes a little more effort at first. Once you get the hang of it, though, it is very simple.
If you are serving a crowd, the Chemex will most likely be the easiest choice since it’s basic design has a six-cup serving chamber. The Aeropress only makes one cup at time. Although the brewing time is quick, it is not as convenient for serving large groups of people.
Although both coffee makers should be handled with care, the Aeropress is made of heavy plastic, while the Chemex is made of glass. If you are prone to dropping things, or live in the vicinity of small humans or animals, the Aeropress would most likely be the better choice.
It’s never fun to break something glass, but it’s even worse if that glass object is a coffee maker!
Determining which of these two coffee makers makes the best coffee is like determining if apples or oranges are fruitier.
They are both fruit. They are both delicious. But neither is as delicious as coffee.
Because of the two different designs and brewing methods, the types of coffee are completely different. The Aeropress coffee is very similar to espresso, meaning that it is a stronger, richer, bolder flavor. If that is what you are looking for, then you will be more than satisfied.
And if you like espresso-based drinks, such as mochas, lattes, or cappuccino, then the Aeropress is the way to go. You can certainly make these drinks with drip coffee, but you will not have the flavor that you are expecting.
The Chemex coffee is a milder, drip coffee. The coffee taste is not as intense, but you can sip it and enjoy it. So if you want a mild coffee, then this will satisfy you.
Although neither coffee maker is prohibitively expensive, the Aeropress is the cheaper way to go. Both the original machine and the replacement filters are less expensive than the Chemex system.
Every penny counts, but if you have your heart set on the Chemex, you will be happy to know that the price difference is not huge. For around $20 more, you can have what you are looking for. And if both are appealing, you can get them both for under $100.
Win-win, right?
Sign Me Up – Where Can I get Them?
As you can see, both the Chemex and the Aeropress are excellent coffee makers and will give you what you are looking for: delicious coffee that you can make in the comfort of your own home. You will feel like you’ve been to a coffee house, but without the price tag or lines. If you truly want to re-create the coffee house experience at home, you can yell out your coffee order when it’s done.
Get the Aeropress Coffee Maker here.
Get the Chemex Coffee Maker here.
Now that you have all of the information that you need, what are you waiting for? It’s coffee time.