How does everyone brew coffee when they go to work? Today, I want to share my experience with everyone and talk about what equipment I use to hand-brew coffee during work.
The most convenient choice is of course the coffee drip bag
The most convenient is of course the drip bag, but the problem is that although the drip bag is convenient, sometimes I feel that the taste is a bit lacking. So, I rarely use drip bags when I’m at work.
Moreover, if the drip bag itself does not have a stand, I don't like to dip the bag into the coffee cup because I believe this affects the whole extraction process. Since I have to bring so many things, I might as well bring a bit more tools to the office, but I also want to keep a low profile and not attract attention from colleagues, hence this sharing article.
So, what equipment do I bring to the office? If I bring a bunch of equipment from home, I believe the entire desk would be full, so I usually only bring the following few items.
Hand-brewing coffee at work requires a hand-brew pot
The most important is the hand-brew pot because at work you can use the water dispenser to directly pour hot water. Although the temperature may not be precise, most office water dispensers can provide hot water at 98 to 100 degrees, and the temperature difference is minimal after grinding the coffee beans.
So, I choose some of the smallest possible hand-brew pots. In fact, I once considered using a baby bottle type pot, which you can find in different supermarkets in Hong Kong, priced around 100 HKD. But the problem is that this type of pot heats up too quickly, and I often got burned when I first started using it, so I no longer choose this type of hand-brew pot.
Instead, I chose the hand-brew pot shown in the video. Although it is small, it has better water flow control. Most importantly, it has a wooden-patterned handle, which, although actually made of plastic, looks nothing like plastic, making its heat insulation effect completely OK. Moreover, its design is relatively special.
Electric kettles are not unfeasible, but sometimes I worry that the insulation effect is too strong and might burn other colleagues, and electric kettles are usually very large, so I no longer consider them.
A lightweight, affordable, and small electronic scale is enough
The second item is an electronic scale. I chose a small, square scale that I use at the office for a long time. Basically, as long as it can display time and weight, it will do. Since the electronic scale at my home is too large, I mostly use it at home. You don't have to use the Fellow brand scale like in my video; you can find similar electronic scales in different household goods stores, priced around 50-150 HKD, and many support Type-C charging.
The most important thing for hand-brewed coffee at work is of course the coffee grinder
The third and most important item is the coffee grinder. First of all, if the grinder does not have a handle, I rarely bring it back to the office because they take up too much space and would occupy other areas on the desk. So, I eliminate grinders without a handle.
If you ask me which models I recommend, the one with the highest cost-performance ratio is definitely the Timemore S3. Although there may be some fine powder or uneven extraction at times, considering the price, if you want to try it out first, I think you can consider it.
The second one I mostly use is the 1Zpresso K-Ultra, because it grinds very fast. It also has an external adjustment blade design, so my hands won't touch the fine powder. The key point is that the powder output effect is very good. If you ask me what is the most important material for a hand grinder, I would say it is definitely the grinder.
In fact, other models of this brand can also be considered, but if there is a choice, I would definitely recommend the K-Ultra.
So, if you have a budget, I suggest spending the most money on the grinder. Other grinders are not unusable, but you have to consider that if one day a colleague accidentally breaks it, you would feel embarrassed to ask them to pay for it, which would be a bit awkward, so I also don't recommend choosing one that is too expensive.
How should you choose a coffee filter cup for work?
As for the filter cup, if there is a choice of metal, I would mostly choose metal, because if it accidentally falls to the ground, I worry that the glass will break, so the metal filter cup would be better. Most of the lower bases are glass, which is unavoidable, so you can only be as careful as possible when using it.
The filter cup holder is also very important
Of course, a holder for the filter cup is also very important, because after hand brewing coffee, you need a place to put the filter cup. If you place it directly on the lower base, the coffee liquid will drip everywhere, so I usually bring the holder back to the office as well.
Moreover, you wouldn't want to be running back and forth between the pantry and your seat, as this might attract the attention of your boss or colleagues. So I would prepare a whole set of tools, clean them all at once after hand brewing coffee, which can reduce attention.
Choosing small sharing cups
Finally, I would choose some small sharing cups. Why not choose a large cup? Because I want to enjoy the process of each cup of coffee from hot to cold, small sharing cups allow me to drink for longer and make it easier to taste the differences in coffee.
Additionally, the things mentioned in the video—example placements are also very important. If you don't need a sense of ritual, you can store all the tools in a drawer or cabinet. However, the 155 filter cup is harder to handle because it is not as easy to store as the V60 filter cup, so I recommend using a small box to hold it. When not in use, place it on the filter cup holder, which won't attract too much attention.
As for coffee beans, if you don't want to bring a large bag, you can use small bottles to divide them, bringing enough for a week back to the office. This way, you don't have to worry about the whole bag being smelled by colleagues, reducing attention.
