The most important piece of equipment you need, plus other tips for getting the most out of your morning brew.

I am a confessed coffee geek. When I was a child, I loved even the smell of my parents’ coffee in the morning—Eight O’Clock Coffee from the local A&P—but found the taste a nonstarter. It wasn’t until my 30s that I resorted to it out of necessity for boring-job survival, and even then, it was mostly coffee-flavored sweetened milk. I weaned myself off the empty calories, and now my kitchen features an espresso machine, moka pot, two Turkish cezves, a Vietnamese phin filter, a Thai muslin filter, a pour-over dripper, an insulated French press, digital scale, and a 1910 wall-mount burr grinder.

I thought I’d done my homework, but then I talked to the pros. Brewing tips from these three coffee experts just upped my game.

If you love the true complex taste of coffee, read on. If you don’t, read on anyway, because you might not be getting the best from your beans.