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Fundamentals
Beginner's guide to brewing coffee
Great coffee comes down to five things: fresh beans, a sensible grind, the right amount of coffee for your water, water that is hot but not boiling, and a consistent brew time. Change one at a time and taste after each change, because changing everything at once teaches you nothing.
A reliable first recipe is 15 g of medium-ground coffee and 250 g of hot water in a pour-over or French press. If it tastes sour or thin, grind finer or brew a little longer. If it tastes bitter or harsh, grind coarser or shorten the brew.
Quick takeaways
- Weigh coffee and water if you can.
- Buy whole beans and grind just before brewing.
- Keep short notes on what you changed and how it tasted.