Best Coffee Accessories Of 2019

Andrew Hoyle/CNET Eventually I reached Steall waterfall. I wanted to keep a good distance to capture the entire waterfall, and I liked how the branches near me helped frame the falls. My main issue with this picture is that the sun was setting behind the mountain, meaning the falls were plunged entirely into shadow. As a result, it's a bit flat and lifeless. I'd love to return at sunrise when the morning light would light this up beautifully.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET With a few exposure tweaks in Lighroom, I edited the 11 Pro's image into this. A lot of the fine details are mushy -- as you'd find with shooting at a high ISO speed on a DSLR. But it's amazing how much light was captured in what was essentially a completely dark night. 

Andrew Hoyle/CNET Here's an almost identical shot taken with a Canon 5D MkIV and a 70-200mm lens. It's remarkable that there's such little difference between the two images. If anything, I prefer the iPhone's image for the way the reflections look on the front of the car. This is a great example of just how well a phone camera can compete with professional photography equipment when you take time to craft it.

$44 at Mahaton on Kickstarter Which self-cleaning water bottle is best? 
Truthfully, all three of these water bottles did a great job at keeping themselves clean. After three days of constant refills and no hand-washing, none of these bottles smelled musty or had any sort of film on the inside, two things my normal stainless steel bottle often produces.

What to look for in a self-cleaning water bottle
You should consider five important factors when choosing a UV-powered water bottle like these: Purification, taste, design, ease of use, capacity and battery life. If you decide to purchase a self-cleaning water bottle, you'll want one that kills as many microbes as possible, produces a good taste, is easy to hold and transport, and lasts for a decent period of time on one charge. 

$43 at Amazon Gooseneck pour-over kettle
Amazon For pour-over coffee methods, you'll want a good gooseneck kettle. Heat up cold water in something like this kettle, and the narrow spout will give you the control you need to distribute hot water over your coffee grounds (or tea), first to help "bloom" the coffee grounds, and then to evenly "pour over" the rest of the water.

The Larq bottle is made of vacuum-insulated stainless steel and keeps your water cold for up to 24 hours. It's sleek and aesthetically appealing -- my only complaint was that there's no groove or curve to fit your hand. You could always purchase the limited-edition bottle sleeve to solve that problem. 

Unlike the CrazyCap and the Larq, the Mahaton bottle doesn't have an additional purification setting for bodies of water that might contain more contaminants, such as streams and other sources of groundwater. For that reason, I'd recommend only using the Mahaton bottle with indoor sources of water unless the company releases a new bottle with an additional setting.   

UV-C light serves as a convenient, mostly hands-off way to keep reusable water bottles clean without the need for chemicals or soap. Most self-cleaning water bottles, including the three covered in this article, also have all the features you'd look for in a normal reusable water bottle: They're made of stainless steel, keep liquids hot and cold, and they're durable. 

I'm willing to bet that you've all heard the concerns about heavy metals, chlorine and other chemicals in our drinking water -- and many of these worries are well founded. Even cities in developed countries, including the US, struggle with polluted water, posing a serious health risk to the people who live there.

AeroPress coffee and espresso maker
Amazon There are still other methods for brewing coffee -- and one of these is done via the wonderful AeroPress. Using these circular coffee filters, the AeroPress is small and lightweight, making it perfect for packing in your carry-on. It's kind of like the next step after the French press, creating a smoother cup of coffee by way of pushing the coffee through a paper filter. And, cleanup is even easier -- you're left with a puck-shaped cake of coffee grounds that you simply push into the trash (or into your compost bin) and then a quick rinse of the AeroPress sets you up for the next cup.

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> Chemex A "good" cup of coffee means something different for all coffee lovers, ranging from a cup of dark, almost chewy truckstop coffee to a lighter-bodied pour over made with meticulous timing and measurements. Even if you feel satisfied by your usual go-to cup of joe, the best coffee accessories can take your coffee to the next level. If you're willing to step (or even tiptoe) outside the comfort zone around your tried-and-true favorite brewing process, you may find that an even better cup of coffee is within reach. 

$256 at Amazon PS: The Beans
All these gadgets will help you make a better cup of coffee, certainly, but to achieve a truly great brew, you have to start with a strong foundation: the beans! When purchasing a bag of beans, look for a roast date within the last few weeks or sooner. Freshly roasted beans will get you the most flavor and keep your coffee fresh. A local coffee roaster will be your best bet but there are online options, too. Bags of Intelligentsia coffee smell amazing and give you a preview of the flavors you'll get in your brewed coffee, and some brands of coffee will even benefit a charity, as with Grounds & Hounds ("Every pound saves a hound!") If you loved this short article and you would certainly like to receive more facts pertaining to Nose Clipper kindly see our own website. .