It’s National Coffee Day. Celebrate the last socially acceptable addiction with some sweet deals on some of our favorites espresso machines, cold brewers, and coffee bean subscriptions to help you stay perma-wired. Most of these deals will run through the weekend, since October 1 is International Coffee Day, and most retailers just run the two together into one long, caffeine-fueled sale.
WIRED’s Favorite Coffee Gadgets and Tips
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Deals on Coffee Subscriptions
There’s nothing like fresh-roasted coffee delivered to your door. These deals will save you a few dollars on your first order. Be sure to read our guide to the best coffee subscriptions for more great roasters.
Photograph: Atlas Coffee
Using code WIREDFREECOFFEEDAY will get you a free bag of coffee beans with your first order. Atlas Coffee Club has been the top pick in our Best Coffee Subscriptions guide since it launched, and for good reason. It offers a diverse selection of single-origin beans, freshly roasted, delivered to your door for a reasonable price.
Coffee roaster Grounds & Hounds Coffee is offering 30 percent off of new subscriptions with code BIGBREW30—which amounts to about $10 off of a two-bag subscription. The nice thing about Grounds & Hounds is that a portion of the profits from every sale go toward supporting animal rescue organizations. You can also use codes BIGBREW20 to get 20 percent off sitewide (maybe you just want to buy a specific bag), or BIGBREW25 for 25 percent off orders over $100.
Deals on Coffee Brewers
Photograph: Primula
The Primula is one of the most affordable picks in our guide to cold-brew coffee makers, and this deal makes it even cheaper. During our testing of the Primula Burke, coffee came out smooth and flavorful without too much bitterness, and the filter is fine enough that there was less sediment than with many immersion brewers. It’s also easy to clean and is more durable than many cold-brew carafes.
The humble moka pot is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to brew coffee. It’s also very simple to use, clean, and maintain. There are no moving parts to break. I’ve had mine for over a decade, and aside from replacing the silicon seal a few times, it’s never given me any trouble. Brewing well in the Moka Pot is easy too; there are many different ways to do it, but I’m a fan of coffee guru James Hoffmann’s method.
Deals on Espresso Machines
Photograph: Jaina Grey
KitchenAid’s Semi Automatic Espresso Machine (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is compact and offers enough manual controls that you can tweak your espresso to get it the way you like it. This machine combines a built-in burr grinder, an espresso brewer, and a steam wand. The grinder is whisper quiet—the quietest we’ve tested—and we love the high clearance under the portafilter, which means you can fit in just about any mug.
The Specialista is another great, surprisingly compact option for those of us with little counter space. There’s a built-in burr grinder, and it doesn’t take much to get it dialed in. It makes great espresso right out of the box. The little plastic adapter needed to attach the portafilter to the grinder spout can be a little fiddly, but we’ll overlook that at this price. This is an excellent espresso machine that will serve you well for years to come.
Deals on Kettles and Grinders
Photograph: Wolf Gourmet
The Wolf True Temperature electric kettle is our favorite industrial-strength kettle. It even has a knob like the justly famous Wolf ovens and ranges found in many a restaurant kitchen. This thing is built like a tank (and comes with a five-year warranty), and every aspect of it screams “professional kitchen.” It’s easy to clean; the removable lid has a huge, easy-rinsing water filter; the body is double-walled stainless steel for excellent insulation; and it feels great to pick up and pour. Our main gripe is the price, but this deal makes that much easier to swallow.
This is one of our favorites for tea, thanks to its various presets, but it’ll make a good pour-over as well if you’re on a budget (and there’s a preset for French press coffee). There’s a backlit water window that lets you see how much water you’re filling it with (helpful if your kitchen doesn’t have the best lighting), and a blue light indicates when it’s boiling water and on what setting. There’s a mesh filter near the pouring spout you can remove and clean as well.
Call me crazy, but I love hand-grinding my beans every morning. Sure, it’s easier to use an electric grinder, but to me hand grinding is part of the coffee ritual. For years this was the hand grinder I used. It’s compact, surprisingly strong (as in the plastic held up well), and grinds just enough coffee for either a shot of espresso or my favorite moka pot.
