When it comes to brewing coffee, most methods fall into one of three camps: Percolation (a.k.a. Pour over), Immersion or Pressure. Which brewing method would depend on how you want your final cup to taste like. For this home barista beginner's guide, we're only going to focus on the 2 inexpensive methods which are Percolation and Immersion.

Good coffee starts with the right gear. And in this guide, I will give you recommendations for brewers where you can do both Percolation and Immersion. Here are some basics worth having on your counter:

1. Aeropress ($55) - Primarily an immersion brewer though it also incorporates aspects of percolation and uses pressure to speed up the extraction process, so it is basically a 3-in-1 type of brewer, which makes it my favorite!

2. Hand Grinder ($100) - Freshly ground coffee is a game-changer. Even the best beans lose their magic if they’re pre-ground. The grinder is actually the best investment you can make for your coffee making journey. This is the secret weapon to elevate your coffee to specialty cafe levels.

My recommendation: If you're a newbie to the home brewing / barista game, I suggest you get the most widely available but highly affordable coffee grinder in the market which is the Timemore Chestnut C3S for only $100.

3. Weighing Scale with Timer ($35) - Because “one scoop” just doesn’t cut it. We want our coffee to be precise and measurable for accuracy. This doesn't need to be expensive. Just choose 1 that has a built-in timer and has good reviews.

Total: $190

Ofcourse, how can we forget our consumables?

1. Locally Roasted Specialty Coffee Beans - This is the most crucial ingredient in our coffee making process. No matter how good our tools and techniques are, if we don't have a very high quality good coffee beans, we will always get a bad cup of coffee. So here are some local roasters in Toronto/GTA that I recommend:

   • • Ethica Coffee Roasters

     • Hatch Coffee Roasters

     • Subtext Coffee Roasters

2. Third Wave Water Minerals - Toronto tap water is hard on coffee. And since coffee is 98% water, using high quality water makes a big difference in your cup.  These mineral packets turn distilled water into the perfect brewing science.

If you want to add more gears to your arsenal, these are the optional add-ons you can get to complete your home brewing journey. However, as a beginner, you don't need this right away, just focus on the essentials.

1. V60 Classic (02) or the V60 Switch (02) - The classic pour-over cone for percolation. This is the gold standard for percolation pour over brewing and is also my favorite brewer.

2. V60 Paper Filters - Paper filters specifically designed for the type of brewer will help filter out the ground coffee, making a clean and crisp cup.

3. Electric Gooseneck Kettle - For controlled pouring. Precision is everything here. 

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