I Asked 5 Baristas the Key to the Best Drip Coffee—They All Said the Same Thing

Growing up with an Italian father, my only exposure to coffee as a kid was in the form of espresso. Whether poured from my family’s Moka pot or brought out after lunch at a cafe, I watched my dad down hundreds, if not thousands, of espresso shots. 

Despite my preference for espresso-based beverages, I’ve recently gravitated towards black coffee. The problem: I’m embarrassingly bad at brewing the stuff—it turns out weak, bitter, or with grounds in it. So, in an effort to start churning out delicious cups of joe, I turned to the experts for advice. 

The Coffee Experts I Asked

• Emily Gozy: Former barista, coffee expert, and registered dietician 
• Justin Christopher: Manager of e-commerce and marketing at Klatch Coffee
• Cary Wong: Coffee educator and director of coffee at Partners Coffee 
• Laila Ghambari: Coffee consultant and 2014 Winner of the United States Barista Championship 
• Sahand Vessali: Certified Q grader and coffee educator at The Boy & The Bear  

The Key to the Best Drip Coffee

All five coffee experts gave me the same advice: grind your own beans! Christopher says, “Buy high-quality, fresh-roasted whole bean coffee, and grind it immediately before brewing. Once you grind, all the goodness inside the bean starts to release—we want that in our cup! Shop for whole bean coffee and only grind what you need in the very short term.”   

The experts all favored burr grinders—like the Baratza Encore suggested by Christopher—which use stwo burrs (abrasive stainless steel or ceramic discs) to evenly grind beans. Wong says, “A burr grinder ensures a consistent grind size, which leads to even extraction and better-tasting coffee.” He explains, “Pre-ground coffee starts losing its freshness quickly—within one to two weeks—so grinding fresh makes all the difference.”

Vessali explains that grinding coffee precisely is the trick to perfecting your brew. “When water flows ground coffee, it picks up and partially dissolves the oils and flavors as it goes. Water takes the path of least resistance, so if your dial is off, you will have water flowing through without touching some of your coffee,” he says. The dial here is referring to the fineness setting on the grinder.

In terms of what beans to use, Ghambari says, “If you buy old burnt coffee, that’s what it’s going to taste like no matter how you brew it.” Instead, she suggests, “Find a local roaster, ask the barista to find what you like.” Gozy recommends checking the roasting date. “Fresher beans, roasted more recently, will have less acidity and a smoother taste on the palate. Most small coffee roasters will put the roast date on the bag for you to see,” she notes.

Anxious about the above suggested coffee-making steps? Don’t be, says Ghambari. “Brewing coffee is like cooking food. The ingredients you use matter. A recipe helps eliminate mistakes. It takes practice to get right.”