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What’s In Your Coffee Lab? with Andrew Robertson

Leah LeMoineNovember 3, 2025
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by Leah LeMoine | Photography by Angelina Aragon

When he’s not teaching PRESS Coffee’s Coffee 101 and Coffee 202 classes every Saturday, PRESS retail director Andrew Robertson is experimenting with his own cadre of coffee contraptions. “I’m really into functional, good brewing equipment,” he says of his collection, which includes everything from antique brewers to cutting-edge grinders. The assemblage is a coffee wonk’s wildest dream, but Robertson humbly downplays the fanciness. “We’re really just trying to make good coffee approachable, clean and welcoming,” he says. He walks us through a fraction of his gear.

Drip coffee is usually anathema in the third-wave coffee community. “Fellow took that [reputation] and said, ‘How do we make good drip coffee at home?’ And they really did it… We couldn’t believe the customization and consistency [the Aiden drip coffee maker] provided.”
Drip coffee is usually anathema in the third-wave coffee community. “Fellow took that [reputation] and said, ‘How do we make good drip coffee at home?’ And they really did it… We couldn’t believe the customization and consistency [the Aiden drip coffee maker] provided.”
“Of all the coffee gadgets that have been released, this is the one that I will always, always, always preach,” Robertson says of the pressure-powered AeroPress, which requires less heat to brew, yielding lower-acid coffee. “And they last forever.”
“Of all the coffee gadgets that have been released, this is the one that I will always, always, always preach,” Robertson says of the pressure-powered AeroPress, which requires less heat to brew, yielding lower-acid coffee. “And they last forever.”
“A scale can make or break your extraction when brewing coffee,” Robertson says. He’s partial to the Acaia Pearl, which is waterproof, super precise, and good for baking and cooking, too.
“A scale can make or break your extraction when brewing coffee,” Robertson says. He’s partial to the Acaia Pearl, which is waterproof, super precise, and good for baking and cooking, too.
This U.K.-made CONA siphon is the rarest jewel in Robertson’s crown. “That specific one is the only one on the planet,” he says, praising siphon brewers in general for their “heating consistency, brew quality and visual spectacle.”
This U.K.-made CONA siphon is the rarest jewel in Robertson’s crown. “That specific one is the only one on the planet,” he says, praising siphon brewers in general for their “heating consistency, brew quality and visual spectacle.”
Robertson says no brewer unites functionality and design like Chemex. “The one I have is an older model from the ’50s, I believe,” he says. “If you’re ever lucky enough to find a vintage Chemex at an estate sale, be sure to snag it!”
Robertson says no brewer unites functionality and design like Chemex. “The one I have is an older model from the ’50s, I believe,” he says. “If you’re ever lucky enough to find a vintage Chemex at an estate sale, be sure to snag it!”
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