Your barista has a secret they don’t want to tell you. After a grueling work week, making coffee is the last thing they want to do on their day off. Most baristas dream of being able to sleep in and lazily push a button to get that oh-so-needed morning cup. And if money was no object they would have one coffee maker: the Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker.

The Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker has an impressive pedigree.  World Barista Champion, coffee farmer, and all-around coffee rock star Tim Wendelboe served as one of the main consultants on the Norwegian-designed Wilfa. Beyond the clean, minimalist aesthetic, the Wilfa has several key features which make for a superior cup of coffee. Most importantly, the Wilfa delivers the water at a scorching 204 degrees, perfect for light roasted coffee. The brewing cone and the carafe are removable, which means you can use the Wilfa with a Chemex, V60, or brewing device of your choice. Another smart feature is the inclusion of recommended brew ratios on the water tank.

We’ve seen the Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker popping up in more and more of our friends’ kitchens, so we had to ask what all of the fuss was about. Here’s what our friend Brian Beyke, co-host of the podcast I Brew My Own Coffee, had to say.

I like the Wilfa because it is aesthetically beautiful, minimal functionality (which works great in my work place where my boss or co-worker might want to be preparing the coffee), and generally just because it makes great coffee easily! I finally got it set in a good little pocket, and just about every coffee I put in it just tastes awesome, sometimes is even my preferred brew of all my brews. It is easy for my boss as the water reservoir has a guide for coffee to water, which with the grind setting we use makes a great cup. I personally don’t like the hot pad, but my boss cannot stand cold coffee, so once I’ve got my mug he can keep it on for awhile for occasional revisits. The brew head is stable in temperature stability, and the design sort of prevents water from standing in the machine causing odd areas to need to clean. Plus, the variable flow rate is such a nice feature. You could have your coffee steep like an immersion device if you want before opening it up, or you could do a large batch having it flow through fast, or sort of choke the drip allowing for a more concentrated strength.

I’ve brewed deliciously clean Ethiopian washed coffees, slightly biting Sumatrans, balanced Hondurans, resonating Kenyans. It definitely brings the best out of the cup, unbiased of roast profile.

But how does the Wilfa stack up to other high end coffee makers like the Bonavita 1900TS or the Technivorm Moccamaster? Well that’s an article for another day. It the meantime, if you’re a fan of gorgeous Scandinavian design and delicious filter coffee, it’s never too early to put the Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker on your wishlist.

All photos by Brian Beyke.