Coffee, the lifeblood of many a productivity routine, has undergone a technological transformation in recent years. As WIRED's lead coffee writer, I've had the privilege of exploring the many variations of coffee, from espresso to Aeropress, but my heart belongs to drip coffee.
My love affair with drip coffee began in India, where I first experienced the intense, jet-black gravity brew that's typically mixed with milk and sugar. I decided then that I would take my coffee straight, and learn to appreciate its nuances. This preference followed me back to Oregon, where I drank my fair share of terrible drip coffee at all-night diners and office breakrooms.
The Drip Coffee Revolution
It wasn't until I discovered the new wave of cafes in Portland, particularly Stumptown Coffee and Heart Coffee Roasters, that I realized drip coffee could be an indulgence every bit as refined as espresso. The problem was, I couldn't replicate that flavor at home, until the emergence of a new generation of drip coffee makers.
These machines, modeled on cafe pour-over, feature agitating showerheads, tight temperature control, and a 'bloom' phase that allows for more full extraction. The Ratio Four small-batch brewer is my go-to machine, and for good reason. It's optimized for 8 or 16-ounce batches, and brews for rich extraction without requiring me to adjust settings for each new bean I try.
Inside the Ratio Four
The Four brews long, with a bloom cycle that's patient and gentle, resulting in a full-bodied extraction that's perhaps the fullest-tasting drip coffee maker I know of. It's also reliable and repeatable, much like a Moccamaster. The white machine can be a bit tricky to keep clean, but a monthly soak in water with Urnex Cafiza coffee cleaner powder does the trick.
The Four is a coffee maker that wants you to drink immediately, with a serving temperature that mimics pour-over. When paired with a precise flat burr grinder, like the Mazzer Philos, I can taste the clarity and nuance of the coffee's aromatics. It's a far cry from my first, angrily strong cup in Jaipur, but maybe it's finally what I wanted back then – the purest form of coffee.
