The secret behind great coffee is to use beans of a proper quality along with a proven brewing method. But what is the fastest and easiest way to make coffee without ruining the flavor and caffeine kick that keeps us going every day?
In this article we’re covering the easiest and fastest methods to make coffee with the sole purpose of making your day a little easier.
French press coffee
- Strong, flavorful, well balanced taste.
- Takes 4-5 minutes to make with no learning curve.
- Requires coarsely ground coffee beans.
French press is our favorite. Not only because of how easy it is to use, but also because it’s cheap and allows for adjustments based on personal preferences. Whether you want to make a single or multiple cups at a time, you can do so with a French press coffee maker.
It’s a simple, fast, and very easy way to brew a good cup of coffee with a perfectly bold, rustic taste. All you need to make this type of coffee is a French press coffee maker.
Taste – A strong, flavorful brew with a great balance. This brewing method enhances the roasted flavors of your coffee beans for a more rustic flavor profile. The last sips may contain a bit of coffee sediment due to the nature of how French coffee is brewed, which is perfectly normal.
Brewing time – 5-6 minutes, which includes boiling the water to the desired temperature, mixing and stirring, and finally a 4-minute steeping.
Required grind – Coarse – you can’t use regular ground coffee, as it will turn bitter and potentially get the plunger stuck.
Ease of use – Very easy. There’s no actual learning curve here, the brewing method is simple and easy to remember. No real maintenance needed either, just wash the coffee maker after use and it will last you a decade or more.
Economy – French press coffee is extremely budget-friendly. The only running costs are the coffee beans and hot water, you don’t need any filters or special cleaning products.
Pod coffee
- Mild/pleasant taste, not as flavorful as other types of coffee.
- Takes 1 minute to make with no efforts required.
- Requires coffee pods suitable for the specific system.
If you’re a coffee snob, you might not like the concept of coffee pods in general. However, we can’t deny the fact that coffee pods allow for extremely easy and fast coffee, and in some situations this is the most convenient brewing method. Load your coffee maker with water and your favorite pod, press a button, wait a minute, and your coffee is ready.
Taste – Not the strongest coffee, but for most people it’s a pleasant experience. Unfortunately miracles won’t happen in less than a minute.
Brewing time – One minute or less. The heating element activates as soon as you press the button, and coffee starts brewing within a few seconds.
Required grind – The coffee used in pods is usually a medium grind, which is comparable to the grind used for drip coffee makers.
Ease of use – Very easy with no learning curve whatsoever. You might have to run a cleaning cycle once in a while for descaling purposes, but also to keep the machine bacteria free.
Economy – A bit expensive, since you need to stick with the pod-system that fits your coffee maker. One pod makes one cup of coffee, which means you’ll quickly burn through a package you drink more than two cups a day.
Drip coffee
- Smooth and pleasant taste, easy to drink for most people.
- 5-10 minutes brewing time, completely hands-off with no learning curve.
- Regular/medium ground beans required.
Drip coffee is a widely popular brewing method, and there’s a lot of great drip coffee makers available on the market. The easiest and most popular one, however, is the electric drip coffee maker. It has been around for decades, uses a filter to make a smooth yet flavorful cup of coffee, and keeps it warm for several hours with the warming plate built into the base.
It doesn’t get much easier than this, but it takes a little extra time to brew the coffee.
Taste – Smooth and pleasant with a rich flavor profile due to the slow drip brewing method. A coffee that’s easy to drink for most people and can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Brewing time – 5-10 minutes depending on portion size. After you filled the water in and pressed the start button, the coffee maker heats up the water and runs the brewing cycle.
Required grind – Regular/medium grind, which is widely available in most grocery stores as pre-ground coffee or whole beans that you can grind at home.
Ease of use – Very easy and effortless with no learning curve whatsoever. Simply fill the water tank to the desired level, dunk in the coffee grounds, hit the start button and wait. Once in a while you might need to run a cleaning cycle and wipe the coffee maker down to keep it nice and clean, but that’s about it.
Economy – A drip coffee maker is very cheap, and most of them come with the option to use a permanent filter og paper filters. You can use any kind of medium ground coffee that you like.
Pour-over coffee
- Smooth and pleasant with a rich flavor profile – adjustable to your preferences.
- 4-5 minutes of hands-on brewing/pouring, shallow learning curve.
- Regular/medium coffee grounds work well for this type of coffee.
Pour-over coffee shares some resemblance with drip coffee, and the brewing method is for most parts similar. You add your coffee grounds into a filter basket followed by water being poured/dropped slowly over the coffee before dripping into a pot or cup.
Although the methods are somewhat similar, the pour-over method allows for more customization and you can adjust the flavor to your personal liking rather than having to go with whatever fixed settings an electric drip coffee maker comes with.
Taste – Smooth and pleasant with a rich flavor profile that can be adjusted based on your personal preferences and how fast you pour the hot water.
Brewing time – 4-5 minutes. Although it’s one of the fastest methods of brewing your own coffee, you have to manually pour the water instead of doing other things.
Required grind – Medium grounds work well, but you can make adjustments according to your taste. However, if you grind your beans too fine you might end up clogging the filter basket and get bitter, over-extracted coffee.
Ease of use – Very easy to use once you master the right pouring technique, and there’s almost no cleaning required afterwards. The filter basket is a compact size and fits any backpack or cabinet. You will have to attend to the coffee throughout the brewing process though, as you have to pour the water manually.
Economy – Very cheap – the filter basket usually has a metal mesh filter built in, and if you want a more refined taste you can add a paper filter. But paper filters are optional, though.
AeroPress coffee
- Smooth and rich taste with a refined flavor profile.
- 1-2 minutes of hands-on brewing, some practice might be needed to understand the concept.
- Fine or medium ground coffee beans required.
The AeroPress is a special, travel-friendly coffee maker that has taken the coffee community by storm with its innovative design that allows for a proper cup of coffee in any environment. As long as you have access to hot water, this coffee maker works wonders.
If you want a cup of coffee fast without wasting too much space in your kitchen, the AeroPress is a great choice.
Taste – Smooth and rich with a more refined flavor profile than French press coffee, but at the same time strong enough to get you up in the morning.
Brewing time – 1-2 minutes. The AeroPress coffee maker allows you to brew coffee in different ways, but generally you don’t need more than one or two minutes to make a great cup of coffee with this gadget.
Required grind – Fine or medium grind sizes work equally well for strong to medium taste profiles. A fine grind may require a bit more practice and patience to get right.
Ease of use – Very easy. The process is somewhat identical with French press, the coffee steeps for a moment before you press the plunger and let the coffee run directly into your cup of choice. Because all parts are made of plastic, you can easily wash them off under normal running water.
Economy – No additional running costs after purchase of the AeroPress, with the exception of hot water and ground coffee. It does require a paper filter though, but you can get reusable metal filters too.
Moka pot coffee
- Strong coffee with a well balanced flavor profile, reminds somewhat of an espresso.
- 3-4 minutes, mostly hands-off, might require a bit of practice to get it right.
- Requires a medium to medium-fine grind size.
If you like the pungent yet well balanced flavor of an espresso shot but can’t afford a full-size espresso maker, the moka pot is a great alternative. Italian by heritage and nearly a century old, this little coffee maker has been a reliable household staple across many countries for generations.
With a moka pot you can make strong coffee fast and easily, without having to invest in advanced equipment and follow complicated directions. Simply add your finely coarsed coffee to the basket, add water, wait for it to reach boiling point and watch as the dark, chocolatey coffee starts pouring into the upper section. Enjoy with milk foam on top, or as is.
Taste – Pungent and bold, but if done correctly a well balanced flavor profile that reminds of espresso.
Brewing time – 3-4 minutes, but if you’re a beginner it might take a little longer to figure out how to pack the coffee grounds and extract with the right temperature..
Required grind – Medium to medium-fine, generally you’d go with a grind that’s slightly finer than regular drip coffee grounds. Too fine and your coffee will taste bitter, and too coarse it will taste bland.
Ease of use – The moka pot is easy to use, but there’s a few things you need to learn. The grind size determines whether the coffee turns out good or bitter/bland, but once you learn what grind works best for your moka pot, you’ll get great coffee fast and easy.
Economy – There are no additional running costs except coffee grounds and water. There’s a reusable metal filter included, so you don’t have to buy anything else.
Percolated coffee
- Might taste bitter and slightly over-extracted with a burnt aftertaste.
- 4-5 minutes, mainly hands-off with no practice required.
- Coarsely ground coffee beans recommended for this one.
A percolator allows you to brew coffee fast and easily, but it isn’t the most desired option for most people. Because the percolator works by boiling the water and moving it upwards through the filter basket until the water has transformed into coffee, there’s no actual control with the brewing process and you’ll end up with a bitter, over-extracted cup of coffee.
Some people do seem to like this taste though, and we do admit that it’s an easy and fast way to make coffee.
Taste – Bitter, slightly over-extracted, and – depending on brewing time – slightly burnt taste as well.
Brewing time – 4-5 minutes with a minute’s preparation and approximately four minutes of boiling the water/brewing the coffee.
Required grind – Coarse grind size is required for this type of coffee, as it would otherwise not be possible to extract the coffee grounds properly.
Ease of use – Very easy and fast – just add water, add the grounds, turn it on, and wait. Rinse the percolator after use, and wash it regularly to keep it clean.
Economy – There’s no running cost except water and ground coffee. It uses a permanent filter, so you don’t have to buy paper filters.
Conclusion: The fastest and easiest way to make coffee is…
| # | Type | Our opinion |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | French press coffee | Best overall |
| 2 | Pod coffee | Fastest |
| 3 | Drip coffee | Easiest |
We believe French press coffee is the ultimate way to make coffee for those who want the easiest method possible without compromising the great taste. Besides having a great taste, the French press is also surprisingly cheap and you don’t need a whole arsenal of accessories to make your French press coffee.
On second place for those who just want the fastest way of making coffee as possible, we recommend a pod coffee maker. Although the coffee taste is okay at the very best, it’s still a pleasant cup of coffee that you can drink right away. The brewing time is shy of a minute, but the downside is that it only makes one cup at a time.
Drip coffee is our definitely favorite when it comes to easy coffee brewing. The electric drip coffee maker is fully hands-off, and all you need to do is to add water and your favorite coffee grounds, press a button, and wait for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards the coffee stays hot for a couple of hours before shutting the warming plate off.