Have you tried an endless assortment of different coffee-related gadgets over the years? Have you found that they’ve all ultimately left you feeling unsatisfied and reaching for a bottle of Coffee Milk by Moo E-Liquid just so you can finally enjoy something that tastes like real coffee? If so, you’re not alone. Single-serve coffee makers have been all the rage for a while now – and while your K-Cup machine may produce a better brew than what you’d get with instant coffee granules, it isn’t really better by much – and it’s probably not enough to convince you to give up your daily Starbucks addiction.
Well, the good news for you is that there are millions upon millions of other people in the world who love coffee just as much as you do. In other words, a company can make a fortune by developing a great new coffee technology – and that’s exactly what an untold number of inventors around the planet are trying to do right now. If you’re looking for a great new way to enjoy your morning cup, you’ve found it right here. These are the best new coffee technologies of 2021.
Home Nitro Cold Brewing
Cold brewing has been one of the biggest trends in home coffee making over the past several years, with the promise being that you’ll end up with a brew that’s incredibly smooth, low in acid and high in caffeine. To make matters even better, cold brewing is super easy – you just stir the water and coffee together and leave the dispenser in your refrigerator for about 12-24 hours. The following day, you can remove the coffee basket. You’ll have a concentrated brew that’s ready to go; just add water and enjoy.
The problem with cold brewing, though, is that the coffee can sometimes come out tasting a little flat. Wouldn’t it be great if you could inject nitro like they’re doing in all the hip cafes these days? Now, you finally can. A home nitro cold brewing kit works much the same as a traditional cold coffee brewer, but it infuses your brew with nitrous oxide from a whipped cream charger. The resulting beverage will be delightfully foamy and full of life, and it’ll cost significantly less than anything you can buy from a coffee shop.
Manual Espresso Maker
One of the things that keeps people coming back to coffee shops is the fact that espresso is so inconvenient to make at home. A good espresso machine takes up an enormous amount of space, and cleanup can be a serious pain. You’ve probably read reviews of less expensive espresso makers with the hope that you might be able to save a bit of money and countertop space. What you read didn’t leave you feeling encouraged; people almost universally hate the less expensive espresso makers because they continually clog up or produce a brew that’s watery and lacking in body.
Finally, there’s an alternative that’s surprisingly affordable, takes up little space and is incredibly easy to clean. All it requires is a bit of elbow grease, and that alternative is a manual espresso maker. To use one, you simply pack your ground coffee into the holder and fill the reservoir at the top of the unit with hot water. Move the pump a few times, and you’ll see the espresso beginning to drip into your cup. To sweeten the deal further, some manual espresso makers even work with Nespresso pods. You can even fill the reservoir with hot milk after you’ve made your espresso, and after a few more pumps, you’ll have a cappuccino. Although manual pumping may not give you quite the level of extraction that you’d get with a true high-end espresso maker, it’ll give you something that comes very close without consuming all of your counter space.
Automatic Pour-Over Brewer
When you’ve browsed the latest coffee makers online, you’ve probably seen a new type of “drip” coffee maker that has a long arm extending from the water reservoir to the coffee basket. This type of coffee maker has become so common in recent years that you could be forgiven for assuming it’s a completely new design. The automatic pour-over brewer is actually a design that’s been in use for decades, but it’s become more common in recent years as pour-over brewing has become more and more trendy.
So, why is pour-over coffee brewing so popular? It’s popular because pour-over brewing gives you complete control over the water temperature and brewing time. Pour-over brewing provides a much more even and complete extraction by allowing you to completely immerse the grounds in water. Because the coffee drips from the bottom of the cone during the brewing process, though, pour-over brewing also tends to prevent over-extraction. The result is a cup of coffee that’s full-bodied and flavorful without being bitter.
The problem with pour-over brewing, though, is that it’s a lot of work. In addition to a pour-over cone and filters, you also need a gooseneck kettle. You’ll have to wait for your water to boil and will then need to stand over your coffee for a few minutes as you manually control the flow of water. Manual pour-over brewing is simply a lot more effort than some people are willing to put forth right after waking up. So, most people resort to drip coffee makers, which will get you most of the way there with a lot less effort.
Enter the automatic pour-over coffee brewer. This design was pioneered by Dutch manufacturer Technivorm in the 1960s, and it’s now being copied by a number of well-known home appliance brands like Breville. In an automatic pour-over brewer, it’s the arm extending from the reservoir to the coffee basket that makes the difference. The arm allows the boiled water to cool slightly before reaching the coffee for optimal extraction without cooking the grounds. The arm’s “sprinkler” design also distributes the water over the coffee grounds more evenly to ensure consistent extraction. The design almost perfectly mimics manual pour-over brewing. While automatic pour-over brewers aren’t cheap, they’ll deliver just about the best cup that you’ll ever get from an automatic coffee maker.