How We Test and Evaluate Products
Our mission at Home Brews Coffee is to help home baristas take their coffee brewing to the next level. We know this is not as simple as it sounds, considering our busy lifestyles. This is why, apart from brewing guides, home baristas also need help deciding which gear or beans would best suit their needs.
Our Gear Testing Process
Testing products is crucial for writing useful reviews and making product recommendations we stand behind. Anyone can read the specs on the box; our goal is to tell you what those features mean in the real world. While we can’t test every one of the millions of coffee products on the market, we use online reviews, reliable message boards, and expert feedback to narrow down top options in every category. That’s the gear we buy and put to the test.
We test all our top recommended products quantitatively and qualitatively, using tests specific to the product category.
Quantitative tests include noise level, water or milk temperature, grind consistency, grind retention, and timing. These tests are vital for generating the data that allows direct comparisons between machines. But they don’t tell the whole story.
Qualitative testing is just as important to get an idea of how it feels to use the product. We wouldn’t recommend a coffee machine that’s miserable to use just because it nails the brew temperature. Because qualitative testing is more subjective, we ensure that multiple team members with varying degrees of barista experience try everything. If we recommend a good beginner espresso machine, it’s because we had a true beginner use it successfully.
There is much more variety in qualitative testing. We consider useability, durability, assembly, maintenance, and aesthetics. We also do taste testing when reviewing coffee makers, grinders, and espresso machines, being sure to account for personal preferences.
Our team has extensive coffee experience, so we know what to look for, what to avoid, and where sneaky manufacturers tend to cut corners. We pool that knowledge when testing and recommending products. We also ensure that our guides are written clearly and simply. Here’s where you can learn more about our editorial guidelines.
Testing At Home
Testing at home is important to understand the full life cycle of the product, from unboxing to how it feels after months of use. We buy and send products to a team of home testers, not all of whom are coffee experts. Feedback from average coffee drinkers is just as important.
Rather than have our home testers repeat laboratory experiments, testing at home is all about how the gear fares in day-to-day life. Take a coffee grinder, for example. We don’t need a home tester to measure its volume with a decibel meter. We’d rather hear that their baby slept through the morning coffee prep or that the neighbour filed a noise complaint.
We don’t just check in with the home testers once. We also use this process to establish the durability of products, gathering more knowledge the longer they own the device. And we keep updating our reviews as information rolls in. A top recommendation will be replaced if we learn that its performance fades rapidly over time.
How We Test Coffees
Coffee is largely a matter of personal taste. The brightly acidic light roast loved by a specialty coffee Q grader won’t necessarily appeal to the average coffee drinker. That’s why we have all our coffee tasted by a wide variety of coffee lovers, both in the office and at home.
Home testers fill out a survey beforehand, clarifying their coffee preferences so that their responses can be interpreted appropriately. We also ensure they have the appropriate grinding and brewing gear.
Every coffee is brewed in at least two ways that are standard for many home-brewers – in an automatic drip machine with a paper filter and using a metal-filter French press. Recommendations for a specific brew method are, of course, prepared using that device (pour over, espresso machine, Aeropress, etc.)
Coffees are evaluated based on taste, aroma, body, and mouthfeel, with all testers completing the same form. While everyone has unique preferences, it is abundantly clear when a coffee is beloved and worthy of the top spot on a list. Conversely, it is equally obvious when a coffee is a dud that doesn’t deserve a mention.