John-George Sample

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m John-George Sample, a front-end software engineer and self-proclaimed friendly third-wave coffee snob. I’m also the creator of pgh.coffee, a website that helps coffee lovers explore and connect with the best coffee shops in Pittsburgh.

What does your brewing setup look like?

The heart of my coffee bar is my Profitec GO. I spent over six months researching espresso machines and I couldn’t be happier with my final selection. I’m using an ECM bottomless portafilter with an 18g ridgeless VST percision basket. My tamper, puck screen, shot mirror, and milk pitcher are from Normcore. My WDT tool is a random one from Amazon I thought looked nice. My tamping mat is from watchget. The warming tray holds a few notNeutral veros. The espresso glasses I use are from Flur. I use a Fellow Opus to grind beans for espresso.

When I’m not pulling shots, I’m enjoying pour overs from my V60. It sits in a V60 drip station that pairs perfectly with my Hario scale. When I want to switch things up, I’ll break out my MK Dripper. My Fellow Ode is used exclusively to grind for pour overs. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a fan of Fellow. Their Stagg EKG kettle makes something as monotonous as boiling water an enjoyable act.

I keep all the odds and ends I don’t use on a daily basis inside the IKEA KUGGIS boxes. This includes additional brewers and miscellaneous things like filters and portafilters. Everything rests on an IKEA FJÄLLBO shelf.

What is you prefered brewing method?

My favorite drink will always be a pour over. The process of wetting the filter, creating a divot in the bed, blooming the coffee, and watching the water drip is a zen experience. It’s less forgiving than other brewing methods, but that makes perfecting a cup feel all the more rewarding.

Lastly, any coffee bean recommendations?

Ghost Coffee is a small roaster based out of Pittsburgh that is constantly putting out delicious coffee. They release a new one every month, so there’s always something new to try.