Brew better coffee
Good coffee. No lab coat required.
We put a lot of work into your coffee. Getting a good cup at home shouldn’t feel like a second job. Start with one of these recipes, change one thing at a time, and taste the result. If you like it, you’re doing it right.
A small scale beats guessing. “One scoop” is a surprisingly flexible unit of measurement.
Whole bean if you grind at home. Otherwise, choose coarse, medium or fine and we’ll take care of that part.
Don’t change five things and then try to work out which one helped. Coffee is complicated enough before breakfast.
Pick your brewer. Let’s make a cup.
Filter coffee maker30 g coffee · 500 g water · Medium grindSee the recipe ↓Close the recipe ↑
- Rinse a paper filter, if you use one, and add 30 g of medium-ground coffee.
- Add 500 g (about 500 mL) of fresh water to the reservoir.
- Brew using your machine’s normal cycle. Stir the carafe gently before serving.
Scale the recipe at roughly 1 g of coffee for every 16–17 g of water. Use the machine’s water markings, not its advertised “cup” size.
The markings on your brewer and the size of your favourite mug may have very different ideas about what a “cup” is. Measure the water once and save yourself the daily guessing game.
Pour-over / V6015 g coffee · 250 g water · Medium grind · 92–94°CSee the recipe ↓Close the recipe ↑
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water and discard the rinse water. Add the coffee.
- Pour about 40 g of water to wet all the grounds. Wait about 30 seconds.
- Pour the remaining water gently in stages, reaching 250 g total. Let it drain.
Start around 2½–3 minutes total, then adjust by taste. Our medium grind is a starting point; with your own grinder, you can fine-tune it for your dripper.
Keep the pour gentle and steady. You’re wetting coffee grounds, not pressure-washing the driveway.
French press30 g coffee · 500 g water · Coarse grind · About 4 minutesSee the recipe ↓Close the recipe ↑
- Warm the press, discard that water, then add 30 g of coarse-ground coffee.
- Add 500 g of hot water just off the boil and stir gently so every ground gets wet.
- Steep for about 4 minutes. Lower the plunger slowly, then pour into your cups or a separate carafe.
Pour out the brewed coffee rather than leaving it sitting on the grounds.
Once it’s brewed, pour it out. Leaving coffee on the grounds while you answer emails is not an extra flavour-development stage.
Espresso / latte18 g coffee in · 36 g espresso out · Fine grindSee the recipe ↓Close the recipe ↑
- Start with an 18 g dose if it suits your double basket. Distribute evenly and tamp level.
- Brew about 36 g of liquid espresso. Use roughly 25–30 seconds as an initial guide, then adjust for your machine and taste.
- For a latte, add steamed milk to your espresso. Let the coffee’s flavour guide your milk ratio.
If the shot races through, try a finer grind; if it chokes, try coarser. Espresso needs small adjustments, so freshly grinding at home gives you the most control.
Don’t chase the stopwatch at the expense of flavour. Use the numbers to get close, then let the taste decide.
What’s with the funny kettle?
That long, curved spout gives you better control over where the water goes and how quickly it pours. Handy for a V60 or other pour-over. It won’t magically make better coffee, but it makes a steady pour much easier.
You don’t need a gooseneck kettle for a French press or an automatic brewer. Use the tools that help your method, not every shiny thing on the internet.
Let’s retire the guessing scoop.
Tell me how much water you’re brewing with. I’ll give you a sensible coffee dose to start with.
For brewing, 1 mL of water is approximately 1 g. This uses water added, not the amount left in your cup.
Cup not quite right?
Too sour or thin?
Try a slightly finer grind or a little more brewing time.
Bitter or drying?
Try a slightly coarser grind or a little less brewing time.
Just too strong or weak?
Keep the method the same and adjust the coffee-to-water ratio.
Keep the good stuff fresh
Keep coffee in a sealed bag or airtight container, away from heat, light and moisture. Grind just before brewing when you can.
My advice? Use these numbers to find your starting point. Then adjust until you enjoy the cup. There is no trophy for drinking coffee you don’t like just because a recipe told you to. — Shann