Real coffee help for the rest of us
Coffee Brewster has had two owners. Shab founded the site and tested most of what you’ll read here. I’m Michelle, and I run it now.
Michelle Coffee, Owner
Let me be straight with you from the start. I’m not a barista, I don’t have a certificate on my wall, and my palate is pretty ordinary. What I do have is a coffee habit I’ve had for decades and a stubborn streak about getting a good cup at home. If you’ve ever stood in front of your coffee maker wondering why it tastes flat, or given up on a coffee article because it was written for people who own a refractometer, you’re who I make this site for.
Growing up, coffee smelled wonderful. My parents made it, my friends made it, and I couldn’t wait to try it. When I finally did, it was awful. I decided the smell was just false advertising.
Then I went to Germany when I was 16 and tried it again. That cup actually tasted as good as it smelled, and it rearranged my expectations. I’ve spent the years since chasing it at home, working through better beans and better methods, mostly by trial and a fair amount of error.
It probably helps that my last name is Coffee. I’ve heard every joke there is. I still think it’s funny.
I bought Coffee Brewster because I didn’t want a resource this useful to quietly disappear, and because helping someone get a better cup out of the machine they already own is genuinely satisfying. My job now is keeping these guides current, fixing what’s gone out of date, and adding what I work out in my own kitchen.
Shab, Founder and Former Owner
Shab started Coffee Brewster and tested and wrote most of what’s on it. He bought the gear, put the brewing methods through their paces himself, and wrote up what actually happened rather than what the box promised. That is why his name is on so many of these guides.
Shab has since moved on and is no longer involved with the site. I’ve kept his work because it’s good and because it holds up. When you see his name on a guide, that’s his original hands-on testing, not mine borrowed. When I’ve tested or rewritten something myself, my name is on it instead.
What you can expect from me
- Plain language, because a good cup of coffee shouldn’t need a glossary
- Real testing, and specs only when specs are the point
- A straight answer about when the cheap option is fine, because it often is
- Recommendations I’d give a friend, including “you don’t need that”
If a link here sends you off to buy something, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what ends up on the recommended list. (See our full disclosure.)
Come make better coffee with me
Grab my free Coffee Brewing Cheat Sheet and I’ll send you tips you can actually use tomorrow morning.
Happy Brewing,
Michelle
