Brewing Guides
Great coffee comes down to three numbers: a ratio, a grind size, and a brew time. Below are the starting points we use ourselves for the three brewers most people own at home. Adjust to your taste — these are guidelines, not laws.
Want the long version with photos and tasting notes? Read the full guide: Your easy guide to making great coffee.
Three home methods
1. Espresso
The base for almost every café drink. It looks complex; the technique is repeatable once the grind is dialled in.
- Ratio: 1:2 — 20 g of coffee in, 40 g of espresso out
- Grind: Fine, like table salt
- Brew time: 28–32 seconds
Tip: The first 5–6 seconds should be silent. After that, slow drips, then a steady flow. If espresso shows up earlier than that, your grind is too coarse.
2. Coffee maker (drip)
A straightforward path to a clean, balanced cup without the espresso learning curve.
- Ratio: 1:15 — 1 g of coffee per 15 g of water
- Grind: Medium, like sea salt
- Brew time: Whatever your machine runs (typically 4–6 minutes)
Tip: Make sure every ground is wet when the brew starts. A gentle stir at the start helps extraction.
3. French press
Coarse grounds steeped in hot water, then plunged through a mesh filter. Full-bodied, slightly heavier in the cup.
- Ratio: 1:15 — 1 g of coffee per 15 g of water
- Grind: Coarse, like breadcrumbs
- Brew time: About 4 minutes
Tip: Give the slurry a gentle stir after adding water; let it sit; then press slowly. This evens out the extraction.
The starting point we both work from
At the end of the day, it's about fresh coffee. These ratios get you 90 % of the way there. Taste, adjust, taste again — what you want in the cup matters more than perfect adherence to the spec.
