In today’s digitally-driven age, coffee and technology go together like peanut butter and jelly. Whether it’s looking up a quick brewing method on your smartphone, using the latest smart coffee makers or accessing an app to find the closest Starbucks, today’s connected coffee lovers are taking advantage of the many benefits that coffee-centric apps have to offer.
Below are six of the best coffee apps in cyberspace to help you take your coffee game to the next level.
Android coffee apps
1. Baristame
For a very modest sum of 0.99 USD, you can access one of the best coffee and espresso drink guides in the microcosm of smartphone apps with Baristame Coffee Guide PRO. The app’s “Learn” section provides tons of cool educational content regarding Roast, Beans and Countries of Origin, while the “Brew” section teaches you how to master manual brewing methods such as Chemex, V60 Drip and French Press. The “Drink” section is a definite highlight, as it breaks down a myriad of popular espresso drinks to help you brush up on your barista knowledge. And with the app’s Brew Timer section, you can stay on top of specific brewing times and methods for each type of coffee you might want to make.
2. Best Coffee
Ever wonder where the best coffee houses are in your local area, or anywhere else you happen to be for that matter? Well, Best Coffee has you covered. This handy app uses convenient geolocation information to help you discover cafes near you, and you can filter the search results by your personal preferences. Once you pull up a given cafe, you can read reviews of the location by professional writers, so that you can get a feel for what to expect. In addition, the app allows you to browse other news and features authored by coffee experts. With more than 1,000 cafes in cities around the world in its database, Best Coffee can connect you with the cafe that perfectly suits your taste at the tap of a screen.
3. Acaia Coffee
If there was any app that exuded the coffee lifestyle, it would have to be Acaia Coffee. The app was primarily built for users (and lovers) of Acaia brand coffee scales, but there’s a social networking element to the app as well. So in a sense, the app gives you the best of both worlds: It features a technical section that allows baristas of all levels to input variables such as temperature, bean weight, grind size, etc., in order to achieve solid consistency with their brewing methods, and it also enables you to connect with other coffee lovers around the world to share your favorite coffee moments.
iPhone coffee apps
1. The Great Coffee App
You could consider this app to be a “digital cookbook” for coffee enthusiasts of all stripes. Created with the assistance of a professional barista, this app provides an excellent overview of 16 classic espresso drinks (e.g., Espresso Ristretto, Espresso Con Panna, Latte Macchiato, etc.) as well as fun factoids and other informative sections to help java lovers expand their knowledge of their favorite beverage. Not only are the images gorgeous, but the music is sublime, creating a welcoming atmosphere within the app that truly makes you feel like you’ve stepped into the ultimate virtual coffee shop. At a modest $2.99, you will quickly see the value of this top-shelf app as soon as you install it.
2. Starbucks
Ah, what’s a list of coffee apps without Starbucks somewhere in the mix? For those who are drawn to the caffeine-laced call of that famous green-and-white siren, you really have no choice but to avail yourself to the many features of the Starbucks app. Not only can you locate a Starbucks store near your current location, but you can also place your order ahead of time, so that your coffee will be ready to drink by the time you arrive at the store. You can also earn and track rewards points through their specialty Star Rewards program, and you can even send digital Starbucks gift cards to your friends and loved ones with just a few taps of the screen. For the Starbucks enthusiast, this app is a tool that you simply can’t do without.
3. KoHi Pour Over Coffee Brewing
This feature-rich app is a brewing timer, recipe manager and calculator all rolled up into one, and it helps you determine the perfect amount of coffee and water you need to brew the perfect cup of joe every time. No need to be a barista-level java technician when you can whip out this app to do all the math for you! Using the KoHi app, you can obtain precise metrics for consistent extraction, and it provides you with the information you need to move through the pre-infusion and infusion aspects of the brewing process for the most accurate and consistent results. There’s also a recipe manager that enables you to create and store your favorite bespoke coffee recipes, which you can also share on social media through the app’s interface. KoHi currently supports Hario V60, Chemex, Kalita, Clever, Press Pot, Woodneck, Bonmac, Gino, and AeroPress brewing methods.
The apps listed above can help you expand your capabilities on your coffee journey. With so much amazing technology at your fingertips, you now have everything you need to enjoy your java to the fullest!
