Portland’s Mark Hellweg founded Clive Coffee, a specialty retailer of high-end espresso equipment, before leaving the firm to his brother to run and launching Ratio, arguably the most beautiful automatic coffee maker we’ve ever seen. Think of it as push-button, perfect pour over—the elegant Scandinavian-style design hides the high-tech technology to maintain a lo-fi appearance suitable for any kitchen. There’s no need to contend with a host of buttons or settings—the machine does it all for you, from proper water temp to blooming the grounds and even water disbursement. It’s designed for partial batch brewing from 16 to 40 ounces, so feel free to brew just what you need. The “shower head” delivery system mimics a manual pour-over and the machine also gives the grounds time to bloom before adding the rest of the water. The stunning glass carafe is tough borosilicate glass, which can be gently heated on the stovetop The Ratio doesn’t have a hot plate, which tends to “cook” coffee and ruin its flavor, rather than keep it warm. However, they do sell a separate thermos which is gorgeous and, not cheap, about the cost of a good electric drip coffee maker. We are offering two packages for the Ratio Eight coffeemaker. Both come with the Ratio Kone filter, an ultra-durable, micro-perforated stainless-steel filter. For the deluxe package, we’ve included the thermal carafe with porcelain dripper, which will keep coffee hot for up to four hours. As an added bonus, the porcelain dripper fitted with the Kone filter onto the carafe can be used as a stand-alone manual pour over.

The Palmpress is an ingenious new device that is essentially a collapsible French press. The durable plastic device looks like an over-sized hockey puck, but unscrew the lid and it pops open to reveal a silicone funnel. Add coarsely ground coffee to the marked line, pour in water that is just shy of boiling, give a stir and wait 4 to 6 minutes before inverting the press over a mug and pressing to extract. The flavor is bright and strong--just the way we like it. Perhaps best of all, clean up is a breeze: just scrape out the grounds and then give it all a rinse. There are no paper filters or pods to dispose of and no fragile parts to disassemble. Note: it produces 1 cup of coffee at a go.

I admit that I am a French press aficionado since it makes a clean, not over-brewed cup of coffee and is relatively easy to use. The CafeSolo is a great variation on the theme. Spoon ground coffee into the flask, pour over hot water, stir (they provide a stirrer), pop in the filter funnel with a flip-top lid, wait 4 minutes, start pouring. The CafeSolo has a 4-cup capacity. It also comes with a neoprene “coffee cozy” that zips up and keeps the coffee warm. And, unlike a French press, this system is easy to clean.

I have tried dozens of travel mugs/thermoses, and they all have shortcomings. They are either too big or too small; the coffee is cold after an hour; the pouring mechanism is awkward, making drinking a delicate act and effective cleaning nearly impossible. The elegant Kinto Vacuum Insulated Travel Tumbler solves these problems and more. It is not only aesthetically appealing but also smartly designed. There are two tops—the inner top allows one to drink coffee like a normal human while also keeping it hot. (There isn’t a spout, per se, but rather a narrow circular opening that directs a good flow of coffee so you don’t have to slurp!) And if you use the outer screw-top lid, this thermos won’t leak if you put it in a knapsack or car. Finally, the diameter is just right for picking up comfortably, even with smaller hands. Simple. Divine.

After tasting coffees from roasters around the country, we decided to partner with Elevator Cafe & Commons, a small roaster in Portland, Oregon, to produce a custom blend for us from the freshest beans. The bright, clear flavors and precision of their roasting thoroughly impressed us. When you order our blend, you can be sure that the beans have been freshly roasted and shipped out immediately. Our inaugural 177 Milk Street coffee is a do-it-all blend that works across brewing methods and accommodates a variety of palates. The medium roast mix of Central and South American beans packs a full, rich body and a balanced nutty, cocoa-rich flavor. It’s a solid, full-bodied blend that’ll be terrific brewed in your standard coffee maker, pour-over, French press, Italian-style Moka pot or cold brew.

For those who love our 177 Milk Street coffee blend roasted by Elevator Cafe & Commons of Portland, Oregon, we have good news. We collaborated with the company again, this time to bring you a big, bright and bold single-origin coffee from Ecuador. Grown by Rosa Encarnacion in the mountainous Imbabura region, this limited-production coffee has complex fruity flavors—think watermelon and honey—and a robust body reminiscent of macadamia.

Rosa Encarnacion’s beans are grown at a high altitude of 7,500 feet, so they develop more complex sugars and have a higher density, which means a more intense, concentrated flavor. The company uses a washed process that involves 24 hours of fermentation and 25 to 30 days of drying; the result is a clean coffee that has almost a juicy body, showcasing subtle floral, fruity notes and a lingering sweetness in every sip.

We partnered with Elevator Cafe & Commons in Portland, Oregon, to freshly roast a single-origin coffee grown on the San Julian farm in Guatemala's mountainous Palencia region. The high-altitude growing conditions produce hardier beans with a bolder, more concentrated flavor. This well-balanced blend combines creamy Pacamara and bright Catuai, along with Bourbon and San Ramón bean varietals. Guatemalan coffees tend to be full-bodied with rich cocoa flavors, and we like how the blend's undertones of caramel and chocolate are accented by a subtle acidity and raspberry-like fruitiness. Each sip is complex and aromatic, with richer dark chocolate notes gradually setting in as your cup cools.