Essence, elegance

Speaking to the second definition of elegance:

2. the quality of being pleasingly ingenious and simple; neatness.

If you seek an elegant solution, start with the most basic elements required to reach your goal.

Take, for instance, a perfect cup of coffee. You need: fresh, quality beans; good water at the right temperature; appropriate extraction time, dependent on your pour rate and grind size (requiring constancy); and the grinds need full, even water coverage.

These requirements can be met with a few simple tools: a kettle with a pour spot for control, and temperature sense; a grinder able to achieve your needed grind consistently; a cone allowing you target your freshly ground coffee.

Once you’ve met the basics, you can build on them. Upgrade your ceramic hand grinder to a quality powered grinder. Upgrade to an electric temperature-controllable kettle. Some coffeeshops are even using robotic pourers to achieve programmable pour and saturation.

But, you may find the fundamental elements are perfect without need for any additions.