Six ways to brew, one way to improve

Pour-over

• Coffee15 g
• Water250 g
• Ratio1 : 16.7
• Grindmedium-fine
• Temperature93–96 °C
• Total time2:30–3:15

A cone or flat-bottomed dripper with a paper filter. Clean, bright and transparent: the method that shows most clearly what a particular coffee tastes like, and the one that rewards careful pouring.

1. Rinse the paper filter with hot water and discard the rinse. This warms the dripper and removes any papery taste.
2. Add the coffee, level the bed and start a timer. Pour 45 g of water, wetting every part of the grounds.
3. Wait until 0:45. This is the bloom: let the bed swell and settle.
4. Pour in slow circles up to 150 g by 1:15, then up to 250 g by 1:45.
5. Give the dripper one gentle swirl so the bed drains flat. It should finish dripping around the three-minute mark.

If it tastes off: sour and thin means grind finer; bitter and drying means grind coarser. If it drains in under two minutes the grind is far too coarse.

French press

• Coffee30 g
• Water500 g
• Ratio1 : 16.7
• Grindcoarse
• Temperaturejust off boil
• Total time4:00 + settle

Full immersion with a metal mesh filter. Heavier body and more oils than paper-filtered coffee, and by far the most forgiving method for a beginner.

1. Add coffee to a pre-warmed press and pour in all the water at once, making sure nothing stays dry.
2. Leave it alone for four minutes. Do not put the plunger in yet.
3. Stir the crust on top so the grounds sink, then skim off the pale foam and floating bits with a spoon.
4. Wait another four to five minutes if you can. The sediment settles and the cup gets noticeably cleaner.
5. Press only until the mesh sits just below the surface, and pour gently. Leave the last centimetre in the press.

If it tastes off: a muddy, silty cup comes from grinding too fine or plunging hard. A flat, weak cup wants a little more coffee rather than more time.

AeroPress

• Coffee15 g
• Water220 g
• Ratio1 : 14.7
• Grindmedium-fine
• Temperature90–95 °C
• Total timeabout 2:30

A plastic syringe-like brewer that combines immersion with a short pressurised push through paper. Compact, hard to break, and tolerant of a wide range of grinds.

1. Rinse a paper filter in the cap, lock it on and stand the brewer on a sturdy mug.
2. Add coffee, then pour all 220 g of water in about ten seconds.
3. Insert the plunger a centimetre to create a seal and stop the drip. Wait until 2:00.
4. Swirl the brewer gently, wait thirty seconds, then press slowly and steadily for about half a minute.
5. Stop when you hear the hiss. Taste, and dilute with a splash of hot water if it is too intense.

If it tastes off: this brewer is easy to over-press. If you need real force, the grind is too fine. Bitterness usually means the water was too hot for a dark roast.

Moka pot

• Coffeefill the basket
• Waterto below valve
• Ratioabout 1 : 10
• Grindmedium-fine
• Heatlow to medium
• Total time4–6 min

A stovetop brewer that pushes water through the coffee with steam pressure. It is not espresso, but it makes a short, strong, syrupy cup that takes milk well.

1. Fill the base with freshly boiled water to just below the safety valve. Starting hot keeps the coffee from baking on the stove.
2. Fill the basket level with coffee. Do not tamp; just tap it flat.
3. Screw the top on firmly, using a towel because the base is hot, and set it over low heat with the lid open.
4. When coffee starts to flow, lower the heat. You want a steady, honey-coloured stream, not a spurt.
5. As soon as it turns pale and starts to sputter, take it off and cool the base under a cold tap to stop the brew.

If it tastes off: harsh, burnt flavours nearly always come from too much heat or leaving it on until the very end. Clean the rubber gasket and filter plate regularly.

Cold brew

• Coffee100 g
• Water800 g
• Ratio1 : 8 concentrate
• Grindcoarse
• Temperaturefridge cold
• Total time12–18 hours

Coarse coffee steeped in cold water for most of a day. Low perceived acidity, heavy sweetness, and a concentrate that keeps for about a week in the fridge.

1. Combine coffee and cold water in a jar. Stir until every bit of the grounds is wet.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours. Longer than a day tends to taste woody.
3. Strain through a fine sieve, then again through a paper filter for a clearer result.
4. Store the concentrate in a sealed bottle in the fridge.
5. To serve, dilute roughly one part concentrate to one part water or milk, over ice.

If it tastes off: if it tastes flat, shorten the steep or use a slightly finer grind. Cold brew mutes bright coffees, so medium and darker roasts usually work best.

Espresso

• Dose18 g
• Yield36 g
• Ratio1 : 2
• Grindfine
• Temperature92–94 °C
• Shot time25–30 s

A small amount of water forced through finely ground coffee at roughly nine bar. The most demanding method on this page: it magnifies both good decisions and bad ones.

1. Weigh 18 g into the basket. Break up clumps with a thin needle tool and level the bed.
2. Tamp once, firmly and level. Consistency matters far more than force.
3. Lock in, place a scale and cup under the spout, and start the shot and timer together.
4. Stop at 36 g in the cup. Note how long it took.
5. Adjust only the grind until the time lands between 25 and 30 seconds, then start adjusting by taste.

If it tastes off: fast, sour and pale means grind finer. Slow, bitter and dripping means grind coarser. Change yield only after the grind is in range.