Brewing guides
Jump to a brewing method:
- General Brewing Advice
- Espresso
- V60 Pour-Over
- AeroPress
- Stove Top (Moka Pot)
- Cafetière (French Press)
General Brewing Advice
- Grind fresh whenever possible: Whole beans stay fresher far longer than pre-ground coffee.
- Extraction happens in stages: First sour, then sweet, then bitter. If your brew tastes sour, this is what's known as "under extraction"; try grinding finer so the water gets time to extract those sweet flavours. If, on the other hand, it tastes too bitter, that's "over extraction"; try a coarser grind.
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Suggested coffee-to-water ratios:
- Cafetière: 12–15g (around 4-5 heaped teaspoons) per 250ml
- Filter: 14–15g per 250ml
- Espresso: 17–20g for a 35–40g liquid yield
- Water temperature: 95–96°C for light/washed coffees; 92–94°C for dark/natural/decaf.
- Use soft water: Water quality significantly affects flavour.
Espresso Brewing Guide
- Use the correct dose for your portafilter or machine.
- Tamp the grounds firmly and evenly.
- Extract for 25–30 seconds to get 35-40g of liquid coffee. If in that time you get less (over extraction) or more (under extraction), see General Brewing Advice tips above for what to do next.
- Add milk if desired for:
- Flat white – 140ml
- Cappuccino – 160ml
- Latte – 180ml
- Clean your portafilter straight away.
V60 Pour-Over Guide
- Place a paper filter in your V60 over your cup or carafe.
- Rinse the filter with hot water if using a brown, non-bleached filter (no need to rinse white, bleached filters as it won't impact flavour).
- Add 15g of coffee and level the bed.
- Pour 45g water to "bloom" and wait 30–60 seconds; this will help extraction. As a rule, the closer to the roast date and/or the lighter the roast, the longer the bloom required.
- Slowly pour up to 250g in 50g intervals, waiting 10 seconds in between each.
- Swirl gently to finish and expect a total brew time of 2.5 - 3.5 minutes (slightly longer if decaf).
AeroPress Guide
- Place a paper filter and set up your AeroPress over a mug.
- Add 15g of coffee.
- Pour 200g hot water and stir gently 3–4 times.
- After 2 minutes, give it a gentle swirl and wait for another 20-30 seconds.
- Press down gently, it should take around 30 seconds. Pressing should not take too much effort; if it does, try grinding a bit coarser. If the opposite happens and there's no resistance, try with a finer grind.
Stove Top (Moka Pot) Guide
- Fill the base with water just below the valve.
- Add 15–20g of coffee to the basket.
- Use a medium-fine grind - don’t tamp.
- Heat with the lid open, and listen for "gurgling".
- Remove from heat as soon as gurgling starts, and cool under water to stop the brewing.
Cafetière (French Press) Guide
- Add 30g coffee to your cafetiére for two people.
- Pour in 500ml of hot water. Stir gently.
- Let steep for 4 minutes.
- Skim the top foam-grounds, stir gently, and let steep 4 more minutes.
- Plunge slowly. Pour immediately.
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