Still wondering how to make the best cup of coffee? Just released last week, this (free!) iPhone app from Intelligentsia Coffee walks you through each step of the brewing process. With timers and tutorials for each brewing method, good coffee seems to be practically guaranteed.

As Frank Bruni described in his New York Times article, brewing the perfect cup of coffee is no small feat. Whether you’re using a Chemex, the pour-over method, or even a French press, coffee experts advise multiple timed steps, careful measuring, and of course, the best coffee you can find.

This app from Intelligentsia Coffee, a company known for their coffee excellence, breaks it down into steps that even the most sleep-muddled person can follow. Just pick your brewing method, set the timer, and follow the screen prompts. It’s like having a barista hovering at your elbow encouraging you through the process.

The timer function does require you to already be fairly familiar with the brew method you’re using. It tells you when to do each step, but you have to go to the tutorial section for information on how much coffee to grind, how to prepare the filters, and other brewing details. While you can flip back and forth between the running timer and the tutorial, we’d love to see a more integrated tutorial-timer function - at least until we’re more familiar with the brewing method.

The app also contains a list of Intelligentsia’s coffees with a few words about each one’s flavor and aroma. Tapping on any of the coffees leads to a more complete description with full character details, information on the grower, and even images of the farm where the coffee was grown. Even if you don’t regularly buy Intelligentsia coffee beans, it’s easy to get caught up in the reading.

Intelligentsia seems to have put together a very useful and fun app for coffee lovers. Have you tried it yet? What do you think?

• Get the App: Intelligentsia Coffee (via Gizmodo)

Related: Less Messy: Two Steps to Clean Your Coffee Grinder

(Images: Intelligentsia Coffee)