Brewing Guide

1. Brewing Basics:

The simplified guidelines below are a start to making great coffee at home. You may never pour a barista quality majestic swan atop your home-made latte, but these are the first steps to really elevate your home barista skills.

Remember; the best way to brew coffee is the way that makes your coffee taste best to you.

Brew Method:

Coffee Grind Size

Water to Coffee Weight Ratio:

Brewing notes:

Espresso

Very Fine

~2:1

(e.g. 19g coffee grounds to produce ~40g double shot espresso)

Grind coffee into portafilter
Evenly distribute grounds before tamping down
Tamp down coffee grounds with even pressure
Attach to espresso machine & activate
Double shot will should take 25-30 seconds
Enjoy alone as espresso shot (stir first) or combine with steamed milk

Moka Pot

Fine

~7:1

(e.g. ~22g coffee grounds and 150g water for small Moka Pot)

Fill the vessel bottom with hot water to the release valve
Insert coffee basket and fill with coffee grounds (do not tamp)
Screw the top and bottom together
Put Moka Pot on medium high heat
Keep on heat until hot water has percolated through to the top of the vessel
Enjoy

Aeropress

Medium Fine

(e.g. ~20g coffee grounds and fill cylinder to #4)

Assemble with filter paper on coffee mug
Wet/rinse the filter paper with hot water and discard water
Add ground coffee
Add 80C to 90C water (~45 to ~90 seconds off boil), agitating grounds, to top mark #4 on cylinder
Wait 0 - 2 minutes
Insert plunger into chamber and slowly push down until it stops
Enjoy

V60/Pour Over

Medium

~16:1

(e.g. 400g water to 25g coffee grounds for single serving)

Assemble V60 with filter paper
Wet/rinse the filter paper with hot water and discard water
Add ground coffee evenly to flat bottom
Evenly add ~2:1 ratio 93C water (~30 seconds off boil) across grounds
Wait 30 seconds for bloom/degassing
Evenly add remaining water (~14:1)
Wait 2 to 3 minutes for the water to filter though the grounds
Enjoy

French Press

Medium Course

~15:1

(e.g. 800g water to 55g coffee grounds for double serving)

Add ground coffee to vessel
Add hot 93C water (~30 seconds off boil)
Steep for 4 minutes
Slowly plunge until it stops
Enjoy

Chemex, Drip

Course

~16:1

(e.g. 800g water to 50g coffee grounds for double serving)

Assemble Chemex with filter paper
Wet/rinse the filter paper with hot water and discard water
Add ground coffee
Evenly add ~3:1 ratio 93C water (~30 seconds off boil) and stir with spoon to ensure even wetting
Wait 30 seconds for bloom/degassing
Evenly add remaining water (~13:1) over the next minute in a circular pattern to evenly wet /agitate the grounds
Wait 2 to 3 minutes for the water to filter though the grounds
Enjoy

2. Coffee Brewing Quick Fixes:

First of all - you are doing it right if you like the flavour of your coffee. But if you want to experiment with your already great coffee, or if you want to adjust a coffee to better suit your taste preference, read on.

You can adjust the flavour of your coffee by adjusting how the water "extracts" the soluble compounds (i.e. flavours) from the ground coffee.

You can adjust the surface area of the coffee that is exposed to the water by grinding it courser (less surface area - think French press) or finer (increased surface area - think espresso).
You can extract more from the coffee as you increase the water temperature.

Under-Extracted Coffee	Great Coffee	Over-Extracted Coffee
Tastes: Sour Lacks sweetness Salty	Tastes: Balanced acidity Sweetness	Tastes: Bitter Dry/Hollow
The Fix	Great Coffee	The Fix
To increase extraction: grind finer and/or increase brewing water temperature.	Keep on doing what you are doing!	To decrease extraction: grind coarser and/or decrease brewing water temperature.