We love a bit of tech geekery here at Jackhammer, and it seems the app-developer world love their coffee. The app store is filled with coffee-related apps to assist with your daily brew, through to opening your eyes to new techniques, coffees and recipes. So you don't have to wade through the vast lists of apps, we've made things a little easier by putting together some of our top picks of mobile apps available for like-minded coffee fans...
AeroPress Timer
A great companion to the AeroPress, this app allows you to explore the versatility of the AeroPress with a catalog of recipes for brewing. If you thought there were only two ways of using an AeroPress then think again. This app should help you perfect your brews straight away. It's also compatible with the Apple Watch if you own one of those.
What we like - the slick, simple and colourful interface and the noises it makes as you reach each stage.
Download - iPhone
UP Coffee
This app is great for tracking your caffeine buzz throughout the day, as a pseudo-health app, created by fitness company Jawbone. Its big sell is to improve sleeping patterns by tracking exactly how much caffeine is in your system before trying to go to sleep. If you're a 4 cups a day person, then the app combined with the Jawbone band, instructs you how to increase or decrease activity to lower caffeine levels in time for bedtime. Pretty cool.
What we like - beautiful interface and a great way to monitor your caffeine intake during the day if you're a serious user.
Download - iPhone
Coffee Timer
Perfect for anyone using manual brewing methods. Lets you customise coffee to water ratios, bloom and brew times for AeroPress, V60, Clever Dripper, Syphon, Chemex and French press. Become the God of coffee in your household.
What we like - if you like mixing up your brewing equipment, the app offers different methods depending on your choice of kit.
Download - iPhone
Coffee Guru
If you are a coffee lover and the thought of the big chains make your blood boil, this app will make it easy to find independent coffee shops wherever you happen to be. CoffeeGuru lists more than 7,200 coffeehouses in the US, UK and Canada, so check this app before you go on your travels.
Use the app's flavour wheel to impress your mates with your description of the coffee's taste. This app will also give you more info about Direct and Fair Trade roasting and which coffee shops roast their own beans.
What we like - a one-stop shop for all things coffee-related.
Download - iPhone
London: Coffee Guide
Never wander around lost in a big city looking to find a decent cup of coffee again, thanks to the London: Coffee Guide app, that's part of of a series of city coffee apps by Juju Media that include New York, Sydney, Paris and Vienna. Using GPS location data, you can discover the best places to get a coffee in each city, as well as reading reviews, ratings and photos of each hangout.
What we like - its inherently social, which bubbles up the best places to go.
Download - iPhone
Bloom
Exclusively a coffee timer/recipe maker, with a plethora of pre-set options: Aeropress, Beehouse, Bonmac, Chemex, Clever, Eva Solo, French Press, Kalita Wave, Siphon, and V60.
Each preset comes with the recommended coffee/water ratio, bloom time, steep time, and pour time. The best part about Bloom, however, is the fact that it can be customised. All of the recipes can be adjusted according to your personal desires or type of bean. You can make totally new recipes as well. Then, when you’re ready to start brewing, all you have to do is tap the play button. BOOM!
What we like - the customisation that allows you to suit your own tastes and save those recipes.
Download - iPhone
Coffee Brew App
If you like to brew your cuppa brewtally strong coffee at home one cup at a time, then you’ll definitely want to download this free app. Whether you use K-cups, pods, a Aeropress, or any other type of one-cup coffee machine or apparatus, you’ll find a wealth of information here.
What we like - includes instructional videos, detailed step by step coffee brewing instructions, recipes, as well as coffee timers.
Download - iPhone
Brew Control
This app remembers what coffee to water ratio you like and acts as a coffee timer too. It makes preparing your coffee at home super convenient. UI has changed in recent months but still a great app!
What we like - clean, simple and easy to use
Download - iPhone
What coffee apps are you currently using? Are there any we should know about? Let me know in the comments...