Finally have a budget for a proper coffee maker, where do I even start if i need the best coffee maker?
I've watched basically every Hoffmann video twice and I keep going in circles so figured this community is the right place to ask about the best coffee maker for my actual situation.
Here's what my coffee life actually looks like: I drink two or three cups in the morning, almost always black and I usually like light to medium roasts. No espresso for now. Also no milk. usually brewing for one, occasionally two.
What I think I need:
I've had enough under-extracted muddy drip coffee to last a lifetime and I want to understand what a good cup actually is. I'm not in a rush in the mornings, I work from home so I don't need a one-button solution. I'm happy to be involved in the process.
I'm also trying to be honest with myself about the learning curve.
The Hoffmann Aeropress and V60 videos make both look approachable but I've read enough posts to know that I might mess up. How long does it realistically take to dial in a pour over before you're not guessing every morning? Is it weeks, or more like a few months of paying attention?
Im asking because part of me wonders if I should start with something more forgiving like a good automatic brewer just to build a reference point for what well-extracted coffee tastes like before I try to replicate it manually.
The machines I keep coming back to are the Fellow Aiden and the Breville Precision Brewer (mostly because no temperature or boom variables in my hands during the process).
But then I'll watch the V60 video again and think that spending $300 on an automatic brewer when I could spend $30 on a dripper and put the rest toward a good grinder is just fear of commitment.
So I'm genuinely asking for someone who is willing to learn but doesn't want the first three months to be a frustrating mess, what’s the best coffee maker for my case?