This one is built differently from the other courses' lists — because coffee is different. It leads with gear, not beans, since the grinder is the single biggest thing you control (Session 15). Then it maps a small set of coffees to the chain so you can taste each link. ~13 items.
0 of 13 bought
Why this list is gear-first and roaster-direct — not a shelf of beans.
1 · Gear before beans. Unlike wine or tea, in coffee the equipment is a flavor variable you own. A good grinder does more for your cup than a fancy brewer or an exotic bean (Session 15). If budget is tight, buy the grinder and cheaper coffee, never the reverse.
2 · Buy fresh, from roasters. Coffee is perishable — best from ~4 days to 4 weeks off roast (Session 13). That makes it roaster-direct territory, not a grocery shelf. Best of all is a local roaster (freshest, shortest transit). You're in the South Bay, so you have excellent local options; national roast-to-order shops ship fresh too.
3 · The coffees below are a learning set, not a haul. Buy 2–3 at a time in small (12 oz) bags, taste them against the chain, then rotate. Named coffees are examples of a type; roaster menus rotate seasonally, so match the description, not the exact name.
4 · Prices and specific lots change constantly — single-origin coffees are seasonal. Verify current offerings.
Also excellent by mail (roast-to-order): Sey, Counter Culture, Heart, George Howell, Intelligentsia. Gear: Baratza / Fellow / Hario (below). Green beans for home roasting: Sweet Maria's (Oakland).
Gear first — what you control (Sessions 14–18)
A burr grinderthe #1 upgrade
The single most important purchase — buy this first
A burr grinder (not a blade grinder, which makes uneven dust and boulders). Even particles extract evenly; this fixes more cups than any bean or brewer. Entry benchmark: Baratza Encore (electric) or a quality hand grinder (1Zpresso, Timemore, Comandante). If you'll do espresso too, you need a finer, more consistent (and pricier) grinder — espresso is unforgiving of grind (Session 18). Start filter-only if unsure.
S15 · the four leversS16 · dialing in
A gram scale (0.1 g)tool
Makes ratio real and repeatable
A small scale reading to 0.1 g. Brewing by weight (dose and water) is what makes the brew-ratio calculator usable and your good cups reproducible (Sessions 14, 20). A basic kitchen scale works; a coffee scale with a timer is nicer. Don't overspend — an $15–25 scale is fine to start. Acaia is the luxury option, not a requirement.
S14 · ratioS20 · reproducibility
A filter brewertool
The clean side of coffee (Session 17)
One pour-over or immersion device. A Hario V60 (+ filters) is the classic articulate pour-over; a French press is the most forgiving; an AeroPress is versatile and near-indestructible. Any one is enough to start. Pick immersion (press/AeroPress) if you want forgiveness while learning; pour-over (V60) if you want to practice pour technique and clarity.
S17 · filter techniqueS9 · filter vs espresso
A kettle (gooseneck if pour-over)tool
Pour control + temperature (Session 15)
For pour-over, a gooseneck kettle gives the pour control that keeps the bed even. A variable-temperature kettle also lets you hit the ~90–96°C window — a real lever. Fellow Stagg is the popular pick. Skip if you use a French press/AeroPress and can already control water temperature; a thermometer plus any kettle also works.
S15 · temperatureS17 · the pour
The coffees — mapped to the chain
A washed light-roast single-originthe reference
Clean origin — the baseline for everything
A washed, light-roasted single-origin — ideally East African (Ethiopia/Kenya). This is the clearest window onto origin and acidity, with nothing "added" by processing. Your reference cup and the one to calibrate the instrument on. Any specialty roaster's washed Ethiopian or Kenyan; look for a recent roast date and tasting notes like floral/citrus/berry.
S4 · washedS8 · East AfricaS2 · calibrate acidity
A natural-process coffeethe hidden variable
Processing — the big underappreciated link
A natural (dry-process) coffee. Tasted against the washed one, it shows processing's power: heavier body, big jammy/fruity, sometimes wild or boozy flavor — the fruit "added" to the cup. Ideally the same origin as your washed one, to isolate the variable. Ethiopian naturals are the classic; any clearly-labelled "natural" works. This is the single most instructive pairing in the course (Session 4).
S4 · naturalS19 · process flight
A contrasting-origin single-originterroir
Origin — the other axis of the raw material
A washed Latin American (Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica). Against your washed African, it shows terroir: sweeter, nuttier, chocolatey, rounder — the "comfortable" profile. Same roast level and process, different place. Look for an altitude figure on the bag; higher usually means the brighter, more complex cup of the two (Session 8).
S8 · Latin AmericaS7 · variety
An espresso blend (if you do espresso)engineered balance
Single-origin vs blend, and the espresso side
A roaster's espresso blend. Shows why espresso favors engineered, consistent, forgiving balance over single-origin expression (Session 11), and gives you a bean built for the shot. Often medium to medium-dark for body and crema. Only if you have an espresso setup. Otherwise skip — or buy it to brew strong and compare to your single-origins on the "distinctive vs balanced" axis.
S11 · single-origin vs blendS18 · espresso
A darker roast of a coffee you knowthe roast axis
Roast — reveal vs bury (Sessions 5–6)
A medium-dark or dark roast. Against your light-roast reference, it shows what roasting does: more body, roasted/chocolatey flavor, less acidity and origin character. Feel roast as a separate axis from origin and processing. Ideally the same origin at two roast levels (hard to match; some roasters offer it). A classic darker espresso blend also illustrates it.
S5 · roast spectrumS19 · roast flight
Optional — deepen the practice
A roaster's sampler / "build a box"flight
The easy way to run Session 19's flights
Many roasters (Onyx, Sey, and others) sell samplers or build-your-own boxes — the low-commitment way to get a washed/natural pair or a roast contrast without buying full bags. Overlaps the coffees above; skip if you've bought the individual bags. Great as a gift or a first order.
S19 · comparative
Cupping bowls + a cupping spoontool
The tasting method, done properly
Any set of identical wide bowls and a deep spoon lets you run the cupping protocol (Session 1) — the cleanest way to compare several coffees side by side. Ordinary bowls and a soup spoon work; a dedicated cupping spoon is a small nicety, not a requirement.
S1 · cuppingS19 · flights
Green beans + a home roasting setupadvanced
The deep end — own the roast link yourself
To truly understand roasting (Sessions 5–6), roast your own: green beans from Sweet Maria's (Oakland — the home-roasting institution) and a popcorn popper or a dedicated home roaster. Genuinely optional and a rabbit hole. But nothing teaches first crack, development, and the light/dark trade-off like doing it yourself.
S5 · roastingS6 · reading a roast
A brewing journalhabit
The habit that compounds (Session 20)
Any notebook, dedicated to coffee. Record the coffee, its origin/process/roast date, your recipe (dose, water, grind setting, time), and where it landed on the instrument. The Session 20 point: writing down your parameters is what lets you reproduce the cups that worked — the single habit that turns dialing-in from luck into skill.