I have everything you're eyeing. Haha. I think it really depends on how deep you want this rabbit hole to go... if you're planning to go full on, I'd do it in stages.
Stage 1 (a solid base):
\- C40 (I prefer the ZP6 but the C40 is better built)
\- Fellow EKG (I prefer the spout on the Timemore Fish or Hario Alpha)
\- V60 or Switch
\- A good water filter (I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. Zerowater + Aquacode is my choice)
\- Filters (Paper is big contributor to the final cup imo. Determines what goes in and stays out the brew. My stack to start would be Hario papers (your everyday go-to, underrated), Cafec T90, and Sibarist/Hiflux(for fast brews))
\- Coffee, coffee, coffee (spend your time and money here, train your palate, better coffee = better life)
It doesn't take long to make a cup if you have everything ready in the morning (10-15 min for me). I'll go so far to say this can even be an end-game setup, but since automation is of consideration...
Stage 2 (automation/conveniences etc/):
\- Aiden (I love the Aiden for busy mornings, and yes, it makes really good coffee... extracts very well too)
\- Filters (The stock Aiden filters are good, but I also use folded Hiflux for that silky brew... again, this makes a world of difference)
\- Femobook A4Z (or any reputable electric grinder, but this one's probably at the limit of QPR for me)
\- StarWave C40 mod (only if you have the C40. Game changer! You'll know why)
\- More coffee/better coffee (why not haha)
I think if you're looking for the best QPR, the Ode Gen 2 is hard to beat despite its faults.
Having used the other two mentioned, they are better grinders in general. Better built, "better" psd.
as someone who also finally got to where they want with pour over in 2025, I'm surprised by the pushback op is getting and the amount of downvotes some of his comments got, the guy seems like someone throwing out what worked for them to start a discussion around it and hopefully pick up some new tips along the way.
I found out a few things too:
1. A good grinder is the best upgrade you can have, but not everything you see online can apply or necessarily would be to your liking/taste, i tried a zp6 (a friend lend me his fora week) then discovered that high clarity grinders are just not for me, got a k-ultra instead and I can't be happier, it really is true that high clarity burrs are way less forgiving to bad technique/bad beans and I enjoy a syrupy body more than flavor separation.
2. Water is the next biggest upgrade i saw, when i first started, i used the everyday cooler water, followed by bottled mineral water, then the biggest impact was when i first tried TWW from a friend who gave me a sachet (light roast), followed by buying the big bulk size of CoffeeWater minerals (125 gallons), seemed weird at first since they aren't discussed around as much as TWW but the price was way more appealing ($30 for the big pack) made a concentrate and experimented with TDS (got a cheap meter for like $10) until I settled around 120 TDS which I found to be (to my tastes at least) a great balance between body and clarity and enjoyed the results more than I did with TWW (this is all subjective of course) and with that I finally got to enjoy some coffees that I was thinking of gifting away (looking at you funky Ethiopian beans) or relegating to burr seasoning thinking that the roaster was bullshitting with the notes on the bag.
3. It's fine to have more than one brewer, just make sure that you understand the strengths and shortcomings of the design as everything is a tradeoff (flat vs conical for example), and if you really want to have fun, avoid redundancy at first, get something that you don't have to see clearer differences in the cup (after getting the grind and water dialed down).
4. Different paper filters warrant different techniques, as long as you stay away from the tabbed harios in my experience, i could just never get consistent results with them, might be a skill issue but again this is my experience.
5. Try to understand the why behind the different recipes you see online and when to add or subtract pours for example, this alone improved my technique and results tenfold.
Finally, AVOID HYPER OPTIMIZATION, I remember I went through a phase where I obsessed over every gram of water and every 0.1 gram of coffee while preparing a cup, instead take a more "bob Ross-ian" approach, this is meant to be fun and interesting, that's why we started doing it in the first place, not another KPI or work item to add to our already overstimulated lives.
It's a ZP6 with more body. If you want to grind for a 1:4 ORB soup shot, you will need two grind cycles for 18-20g of coffee. If you can live with it taking about 60 seconds to grind for a normal pourover, then do it. It's on par with a handgrinder. While grinding I go rinse my filter and prep everything else.
I'm happy with mine, I can't compare to a Pietro. My comandante and ode 2 are collecting dust right now.
I have 4. A C40 and a Zp6 for pour over (one stays at work). And a DF64V and a niche zero for espresso. Got the Df64V to try flat burrs for espresso so might sell the niche but tempted to keep it for dark roasts.
10ttp-9
