Four ways, done properly
None of this is complicated, and none of it needs equipment you do not have. What it does need is a scale and a grinder, in that order of importance.
Method 01
Pour-over
The clearest way to taste what a lot actually is. Nothing hides in a pour-over, which is the point and also the risk.
Best for: Light roasts, single origins, mornings you are not in a hurry
| Ratio | 1:16 — 22g coffee, 350g water |
|---|---|
| Grind | Medium-fine, like table salt |
| Water | 94-96°C, just off the boil |
| Total time | 2:45 - 3:15 |
The method
- 0:00Rinse the filter with hot water and discard it. This removes paper taste and warms the brewer.
- 0:00Add the grounds, level the bed, and set the scale to zero.
- 0:00Pour 50g of water in slow circles to wet all the grounds. It will bloom and rise.
- 0:45Pour steadily to 200g, keeping the water level about two thirds up the cone.
- 1:30Pour to 350g. Aim for the centre and avoid the paper wall.
- 3:00The bed should be flat and level as it finishes. A crater means the pour was uneven.
If it tastes thin and sour, grind finer. If it tastes heavy and bitter, grind coarser. Change one variable at a time.
Method 02
French press
The most forgiving method there is, and the one people most often get wrong by leaving the grounds in.
Best for: Medium roasts, mornings with company, anyone without a scale
| Ratio | 1:15 — 30g coffee, 450g water |
|---|---|
| Grind | Coarse, like sea salt |
| Water | 94°C |
| Total time | 4:00 plus a settle |
The method
- 0:00Add the grounds and pour all the water at once. Do not stir yet.
- 4:00Break the crust with a spoon and skim off the foam and floating grounds.
- 4:30Let it settle without plunging. Most of the sediment drops on its own.
- 8:00Press the plunger down slowly, then decant everything immediately.
Coffee left sitting on its grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter. Decant into another vessel even if you are drinking it straight away.
Method 03
AeroPress
Fast, hard to ruin, and the one worth owning if you travel. Concentrated enough to drink neat or dilute to taste.
Best for: Any roast, small batches, hotel rooms
| Ratio | 1:14 — 18g coffee, 250g water |
|---|---|
| Grind | Medium-fine |
| Water | 88-92°C, slightly cooler |
| Total time | 1:30 |
The method
- 0:00Rinse the paper filter, assemble, and stand the AeroPress on your cup.
- 0:00Add grounds, then pour to 250g. Stir gently three times.
- 0:30Insert the plunger and pull back very slightly to seal. Let it steep.
- 1:00Press down slowly over about 30 seconds. Stop when you hear the hiss.
The hiss at the end means air is coming through. Pressing past it pulls bitterness into the cup.
Method 04
Espresso
The least forgiving method, and the one most worth dialling in. Expect to throw away the first two or three shots of any new bag.
Best for: Medium roasts, milk drinks, anyone with a grinder they trust
| Ratio | 1:2 — 18g in, 36g out |
|---|---|
| Grind | Fine, adjusted per bag |
| Water | 92-94°C |
| Total time | 25-30 seconds |
The method
- 0:00Dose 18g, distribute evenly, and tamp level with steady pressure.
- 0:00Lock in and start the shot immediately. A hot basket sitting idle scorches the puck.
- 0:25Aim for 36g in the cup between 25 and 30 seconds.
- 0:30Taste it. Sour and fast means grind finer; bitter and slow means grind coarser.
Every bag needs dialling in, and the same bag shifts as it rests. Two weeks off the roast date is usually where espresso settles.
Equipment
Buy the grinder first
If you are choosing between better coffee and a better grinder, buy the grinder. Pre-ground coffee loses most of what you paid for within about fifteen minutes, and no brewing method recovers it. A hand grinder costs less than a month of café coffee and will outlast several machines.
Keep it simple
Airtight, dark, room temperature. Not the fridge, where coffee picks up everything around it and condensation forms each time you open the bag. Buy what you will drink in three weeks and the question stops mattering.