Brew guide
Brew it right.
Great coffee at home comes down to four things: fresh coffee, the right grind, the right ratio, and water just off the boil. Here's how we brew ours.
The basics
Four rules that fix most coffee.
1 : 16
About 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. No scale? Use 2 level tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 oz of water.
195–205°F
That's 90–96°C, about 30 seconds off the boil. Filtered water tastes cleaner and lets the coffee's notes come through.
Match the time
The longer coffee touches water, the coarser the grind: coarse for French press, medium for drip, medium-fine for pour-over.
Grind last
Buying whole bean? Grind right before you brew. Keep coffee sealed, cool and dark, and skip the fridge.
Method 01
Pour-over
Clean, bright, and a little bit of a ritual.
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water, dump that water, and add 20 g of medium-fine coffee.
- Start a timer. Pour about 50 g of water to wet all the grounds, then wait 30 to 45 seconds while it blooms.
- Pour the rest slowly in small circles, reaching 320 g by about 2:00.
- Let it drain. It should finish around 3:00 to 3:30. Faster than that? Grind finer next time. Slower? Coarser.
Try it with Ethiopia, Colombia, First Light or Sunrise.
Method 02
Chemex
Bigger batch, extra-clean cup.
- Unfold a Chemex filter with the thick side toward the spout, rinse it with hot water, and pour that water out.
- Add 40 g of medium-coarse coffee. Pour about 80 g of water to bloom and wait 45 seconds.
- Pour the rest in slow circles, keeping the brewer about two-thirds full, until you reach 640 g.
- Let it drain completely, around 4:00 to 4:30, then lift out the filter and swirl before serving.
Try it with Guatemala, Ethiopia or Pride Blend.
Method 03
French press
Big body, zero paper.
- Add 30 g of coarse coffee (about 5 tablespoons) to the press.
- Pour in 480 g of hot water, give it a gentle stir, and put the lid on without pressing.
- At 4 minutes, skim off the foam on top if you like, then press slowly and steadily.
- Pour it all out right away. Coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps brewing and turns bitter.
Try it with Brazil, Night Prowl or King's Roar.
More ways
Drip, cold brew, pods, instant, matcha.
1 : 8, overnight
Stir 100 g of coarse coffee into 800 g of cold water. Cover and steep 12 to 18 hours in the fridge, then strain through a paper filter. It's a concentrate: mix 1 to 1 with water or milk over ice. Try Brazil or Alpha.
Pick the 8 oz setting
Our pods work in Keurig K-Cup brewers. For the fullest cup, choose the 8 oz size, and run a water-only cycle first to heat the machine. Shop pods.
Stir and go
Instant Coffee: 1 to 2 teaspoons in 8 oz of hot water, or shake it over ice. Instant Mushroom: one mounded scoop in 8 oz of hot water.
Whisk, don't stir
Sift 1 teaspoon into a bowl, add 2 oz of hot water (about 175°F, not boiling) and whisk in a quick zig-zag until frothy. Drink it straight or top with milk for a latte. Shop matcha.
Keep it fresh
Press the air out and seal the bag after every scoop. Keep it in a cool, dark cupboard, not the fridge, where moisture and odors get in. For the best flavor, finish it within 2 to 3 weeks of opening.
4 tbsp per mug
Use about 4 level tablespoons (22 g) of medium-ground coffee per 12 oz of water, and rinse the paper filter first. Pour it right away: a hot plate starts cooking coffee after about 20 minutes. Try Pride Blend or Savanna.
Troubleshooting
Something taste off?
Bitter or harsh
The coffee is over-extracted. Grind a little coarser, shorten the brew, or use slightly cooler water. With a French press, pour it all off the grounds as soon as you press.
Sour, thin or weak
It's under-extracted. Grind a little finer, brew a little longer, and check your water is hot enough (195–205°F). If it's just weak, add more coffee: move toward 1 to 15.
Flat or stale
Coffee loses its aroma fast once it's ground. Buy whole bean if you can, grind right before brewing, and keep the bag sealed between uses.
Whole bean or ground?
Whole bean stays fresh longer and lets you grind for each method. No grinder? Choose ground. Pre-ground coffee works best in drip machines, pour-over and Chemex, and should be used a little faster once opened.
Muddy French press
Use a coarser grind, press slowly, and leave the last half-inch in the pot. That's where the fine sediment settles.
Find your roast.
Light and bright, medium and easy, or dark and bold. Every box is roasted after you order and ships free in the US.
Shop coffee Where it's grown