Coffee Brewing Guides

Direct answer. Most bad coffee comes from four things: the wrong ratio, water at the wrong temperature, a grind that does not suit the brewer, and old coffee. Fix those and almost any method gives a good cup. Pick your brewer below, use the recipe card, and change one thing at a time.

Four rules that fix most bad coffee

1. Use a ratio, and weigh it. A good working range is 1 part coffee to 15 to 18 parts water by weight. (The Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup reference is 55 grams per liter, about 1:18, so the SCA sits at the lighter end.) Start at 1:16, which is about 62 grams of coffee per liter of water. Scoops and "a cup" vary too much to trust. A cheap kitchen scale fixes this.
2. Water between 195 and 205°F (about 90 to 96°C). Boiling water scorches, and cooler water leaves the coffee sour and thin. If you have a kettle with no thermostat, let it sit about 30 seconds off the boil.
3. Grind for the brewer. Coarse for French press and cold brew, medium for drip, medium-fine for cone pour-over and AeroPress, fine (a step coarser than espresso) for the moka pot. The brewer sets the grind, and the grind sets how long the water takes to get through. Our grind and water guide has the full chart.
4. Buy fresh, store it right. Coffee goes flat from air, light, heat and moisture. Keep it whole bean in an airtight container, out of the light, and use it within about a month of roast. See how to store coffee.

To be honest, that is most of it. The rest is taste, and taste is your call.

Pick your brewer

• Drip machine: the everyday brewer. Ratio, grind and the one thing most machines get wrong.
• French press: full body, coarse grind, four minutes.
• Pour-over: clean and bright, and it rewards a steady pour.
• AeroPress: fast, forgiving, hard to break.
• Moka pot: strong stovetop coffee, close to espresso but not espresso.
• Cold brew: a slow steep, low acidity, keeps a week.
• Keurig and reusable pods: the right grind for a reusable filter.
• Field brew: percolator, cowboy coffee and backpacking stoves.

Also useful: grind and water, storing coffee, decaf explained and the coffee glossary.

FAQ

What is the best coffee to water ratio?

Start at 1:16 by weight, about 62 g of coffee per liter of water. Most brewers land between 1:15 (stronger) and 1:18 (lighter). Adjust to taste.

Does water temperature really matter?

Yes. Between 195 and 205°F is the standard window. Much hotter tastes harsh and bitter, and much cooler tastes sour and weak.

Should I buy whole bean or ground?

Whole bean, if you can grind it at home. Ground coffee loses aroma much faster because of the surface area exposed to air.

Which brewing method is easiest?

A drip machine or an AeroPress. Both are forgiving, and both give consistent results once you weigh the coffee.

Why does my coffee taste bitter or sour?

Bitter usually means over-extracted: grind too fine, water too hot or steep too long. Sour usually means under-extracted: too coarse, too cool or too short. Change one variable at a time.

Next: pick a brewer above, or start with a bag that suits any of them, Colombia Single Origin. Shipping is free on every website order.