13 Best Coffee Brewing Channels to Help You Improve Your Brewing Skills
In the fifteen years since its launch, YouTube has become the de facto way for DIY enthusiasts to learn new skills. Home coffee brewers have proven no exception. But with countless coffee-focused channels to choose from, finding informative and enjoyable ones can feel overwhelming.
We've gone ahead and separated the bean from the chaff so that you don't waste time on sub-par content. Here are thirteen YouTube channels full of useful information for the budding home barista.
1. Home Grounds 😉
Come on. We had to give ourselves an award, didn't we? We're not just playing favourites by including our own YouTube channel on this list. It contains a wealth of information geared specifically toward anyone who wants to make better coffee at home, from novice to expert.
There are product reviews, so you know you're starting with the best equipment; brewing guides, so you know you're using it properly; and coffee bean subscription comparisons, so you know you're buying the best beans. If you want to improve your morning brew, you should start here.
But don't blame us if you begin binge-watching.
Our most popular video (at the time of writing) – Steve's French press brew guide. Probably because he reveal his secret french press brewing method in part 2 of the video:
2. RealChrisBaca
Chris Baca is incredibly knowledgeable about coffee brewing, culture, and the industry. His expertise stems from co-owning the Cat & Cloud coffee roasting company. Yet, his videos range from complete brewing instructions (like showing you how to make French press coffee) and quick tips to product reviews and coffee business advice.
Plus, all of his videos are casual and friendly. Awesome, right?
3. Whole Latte Love
Whole Latte Love, a pun name that never fails to bring a smile to my face, has a fantastically well organized YouTube page full of resources for the home barista. Their specialty, as you might deduce from the name, is espresso. Here you can expect to find detailed reviews of the best espresso machines for home, helpful tips for how to make an espresso and froth milk, and a collection of drool-worthy recipe videos.
We particularly love their comparison reviews, which help distinguish between similar home brewing products.
4. Coffeefusion
Coffeefusion is an online community whose stated goal is to help people brew better coffee at home. They achieve this through fun and useful content on their social media channels. Coffeefusion's YouTube page offers many helpful videos, from beginner to advanced, including things like texturing milk or a guide to making pour over coffee.
A significant number of their videos are devoted to latte art, so check them out if that's a skill you've been hoping to master.
5. Dritan Alsela
Dritan Alsela is a professional barista, operating the espresso bar at the cafe that bears his name. Though based in Germany, his reputation has also provided him the opportunity to travel the world as a visiting barista, coach, or judge. His YouTube channel offers tips for the home barista, behind-the-scenes videos of his professional life, and check-ins from his travels.
This channel has a lot to offer the home brewer but even more for the aspiring professional barista.
6. Sweet Maria's Coffee
Sweet Maria's is one of the largest green coffee beans retailers, and their YouTube channel is an incredible resource for the home coffee roaster.
We particularly love the Macro series, which gets up close and personal with coffee beans to see the effects of the roasting process truly. But there's plenty here for the average coffee-drinking enthusiast as well, including in-depth looks at coffee growing regions and tips for brewing and cupping.
7. Tim Wendelboe
Tim Wendelboe began as a barista but has since added roaster and coffee educator to his resume. His YouTube channel reflects this diversity of expertise, offering brewing advice, video tours of coffee farms, occasional product reviews, and live AMAs about a variety of coffee topics.
Each month he films a tasting of his current coffees, delving into details well beyond tasting notes. Expect to hear about bean varieties, processing conditions, and funny anecdotes involving the farmers themselves, all of whom he seems to know personally.
8. Mill City Roasters
Mill City Roasters YouTube channel is a one-stop-shop for home coffee roasters, the nerdier, the better. Many of their videos are long, some over an hour, and packed with information, and yet you won't find yourself getting bored.
The Roasting 101 videos are a perfect introduction if you're a novice. Furthermore, for more advanced roasters, the Roast Along series takes you behind the scenes with the pros. If you're pressed for time, check out their Educational Shorts, with handy 5-minute tips like “How roast affects extraction.”
9. James Hoffmann
For the average homebrewer looking to buy the right equipment, improve their brewing, and increase their general coffee knowledge, James Hoffmann's account is perhaps the best on YouTube.
Despite being a globally-recognized World Barista Champion, his videos have a down-to-earth charm that even beginners will find appealing. Hoffmann seems equally at home reviewing $10,000 espresso machines and run-of-the-mill drip machines. Some videos even find him sampling supermarket instant coffees or the brewing gear from Ikea. How chilled is that?
10. Specialty Coffee Association of America
The SCA acts as a unifying force within the specialty coffee industry, with membership spanning from farmers to roasters and baristas. Their YouTube channel is worth regularly visiting for updates on the current status of the industry.
This isn't the place to visit for brewing tips and product reviews. Instead, expect in-depth discussions about the overarching themes affecting the modern coffee industry. You'll learn about topics like sustainability, gender equity, and shifting consumer demands. They also maintain one of the best coffee podcasts!
11. European Coffee Trip
While this channel might be overlooked by those based outside of Europe, that would be a mistake, as they offer useful and entertaining videos for all coffee lovers, regardless of geography. Their brewing tips, product reviews, and coffee tastings are well-researched and informative. But some of their more eccentric videos, like making coffee jewellery, are pure fun.
Even their Euro-centric content, like tours of coffee shops and roasters, is entertaining enough to be enjoyed worldwide.
12. The Right Roast
The Right Roast channel is a “hyperactive guide to third-wave coffee,” and we couldn't agree more with their description. This isn't the channel for instructional videos; instead, it's a place to immerse yourself in the specialty coffee experience.
They visit coffee roasters for behind-the-scenes looks. They highlight the coffee scene in various cities, demonstrating the fascinating similarities and differences in cafes around the world. Their tasting videos, which feature a variety of awesome coffee beans, make you more discerning as you purchase and consume your coffee.
13. Wolff College of Coffee
The Wolff College of Coffee is a barista training institute. So their associated YouTube channel offers a vast diversity of educational videos on subjects ranging from roasting to cupping to latte art. Moreover, they feature some of the world's most respected coffee professionals.
We particularly love the scientific approach taken in many videos, with topics like the extraction of coffee flavours or anaerobic fermentation.
It's a great channel especially if you plan on putting up a coffee business in the future. However, if you want to formalize your coffee-making education online, these coffee online courses may help.
Wrapping it up
YouTube is an excellent resource for the home coffee brewer, particularly when having a shortlist of helpful and informative channels.
Did you enjoy this list? If so, please share it with your coffee-loving friends. Do you have any favorite coffee-centric YouTube channels that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
