[1]: https://italybestcoffee.com/products/lavazza-classico-ground...
[2]: https://italybestcoffee.com/products/lavazza-perfetto-ground...
As for prep, I have a lot of different coffee making gizmos. Regular drip, French press, stove top espresso maker, Vietnamese coffee maker. I also have a cloth filter, but I don't use it so often that it would wear down quickly. It does make amazingly smooth brew, though. Each of them has their own pros and cons, but they all make good coffee which result in subtle variations in the final experience.
In the summer, I French Press a pot and put it in the fridge with milk and sugar already added (and far less sugar than commercial ice coffees). The press allows you to make super potent coffee, so you can add lots of ice and it won't ever taste too watery.
Hands down the best purchase of 2020. It feels a bit expensive, but I bought it via Amazon paying in installments. I configured it for 1x = espresso, 2x = larger like almost a small americano. My wife & I have been making 4-6 coffees/day for the past months, flawlessly.
Nest on the list: roast my own beans.
Edit: another relevant note, how did I choose it? I've asked 2 Italian+foody+nerd friends independently, nerd as it typically they compare 100 products before choosing. They both had this machine. The machine is French and they both are Italians... that's a lot of trust :)
[1] https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
Moka pot. Loved it. A bit slow, not that delicious for making espresso. Not bad! Could be better.
A few months in,
Over priced fancy Italian espresso machine. Love it. Beans from local roasters, steamed creamy oat milk for a smooth, large volume, morning caffeinated beverage.
I have a spot where I'd like to plug in a drip coffee maker with a smart plug before going to bed. At sunrise - 5 min or so it would turn on the coffee maker and be ready when I wake up. The key though is the machine has to turn on as soon as the power turns on, which most coffee makers won't do.
(I use the outlet for other cooking devices during the day so the last thing I want is another timer to set)
Probably I should go to the salvation army and get an old one and hack the control circuit so it turns on when the power turns on ('push' the button with a 555?) but I haven't heard of anyone doing that as simple as it sounds.
Which method I use depends on my mood that day and how much time I want to sink into making the coffee.
I buy them by the 48-count box.
Grind in burr grinder.
Heat water to 175 in an electric kettle.
Brew in Aeropress. Pour enough water to cover grounds, stir for 30 seconds. Trickle water in for 30 seconds to fill. Plunge and serve.
I was lucky enough that I bought the coffee machine off Amazon last year right before lockdown (here in UK), since then the price has gone up £100-£150 when in stock.
I buy medium-roast washed beans grown locally by organic farmers, from a local roaster who delivers them once a month.
It just depends on how lazy I am that day. Most work days, it's just drip coffee. I try to limit myself to 1-2 cups a day.
Aeropress is complicated at first, but it is worth trying. Acidic flavors works great with aeropress.