Coffee brewing guides for every method
Good coffee starts with the beans, but the brewing decides how much of their flavour ends up in your cup. These coffee brewing guides walk you through the most common methods step by step, from the V60 and French press to the portafilter and the bean-to-cup machine.
Three things matter for every method: the ratio of coffee to water, the grind size and the contact time. Get them in balance and a coffee tastes sweet and clear; tip them too far one way and it turns sour, bitter or watery. The quick reference below gives you tried-and-tested starting values. The in-depth guides explain why they work and how to adjust them when a cup is not quite right.
Freshness plays its part too. Buy whole beans, grind just before brewing and store the bag airtight, cool and away from light. Weigh your coffee and water with a simple kitchen scale: it is the easiest way to brew the same good cup every day. And if you are not sure which coffee suits your method, every product page shows the roast level and tasting notes, and the coffee finder helps you choose.
Quick reference
French Press
- Grind
- Coarse
- Dose
- 60 g / L
- Water
- 95 °C
- Time
- 4 min
Espresso
- Grind
- Fine
- Dose
- 18 g in / 36 g out
- Water
- 93 °C
- Time
- 28 s
Pour Over (V60)
- Grind
- Medium
- Dose
- 15 g / 250 ml
- Water
- 94 °C
- Time
- 3 min
In-depth guides
- V60 recipe – A clean, aromatic pour-over in about three minutes: dose, ratio, water temperature and pouring technique.
- French press guide – Full-bodied coffee with a coarse grind and a four-minute steep, and how to keep the cup free of sediment.
- How to make espresso – Dialling in a portafilter machine: 1:2 ratio, 25–30 seconds, and what to change when a shot runs too fast or too slow.
- Coffee for bean-to-cup machines – Which beans suit fully automatic machines, the right grinder setting and how to avoid a clogged brew unit.
- Coffee grind size chart – From espresso to cold brew: which grind suits which method, and how to fix a bitter or sour cup.
- Coffee roast levels explained – Light, medium or dark: what happens during roasting and which roast level fits the way you brew.
- How to store coffee beans – Airtight, cool and dark: how long beans stay fresh after roasting and whether freezing makes sense.