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How to Brew
A clearer path to your next cup.
Choose your brewer for a practical starting point. Follow a guided session, open an idle timer, or record a cup you have already made. The lessons are optional.
Build a repeatable brew
Four useful foundations.
1Know your brewer.
Use the right filter, basket and batch size. Equipment instructions take priority over a reference recipe.
2Keep quantities clear.
Weigh dry coffee and brewing water separately. Espresso yield and recovered filter coffee are what reaches your cup.
3Prepare evenly.
Choose a useful starting grind, distribute the grounds and wet them evenly. Follow the grinder’s adjustment and clearing instructions.
4Use the cup as evidence.
Record flow, quantities and taste together. Fix clear setup faults, then compare one unresolved choice. Keep a brew you enjoy.
Pick your method
Seven methods. Your next step.
Start with the brewer on your counter. Recipe references are starting points; your equipment instructions and actual observations come first.
Pour over
Starting grindMedium; match the brewer
Coffee : waterAbout 1:18 reference
TimeRecord your brew
FilterCorrect for your model
- Fit the correct filter on a stable brewer. Follow its preparation instructions and safely drain any rinse water before adding coffee.
- Weigh coffee and brewing water. Wet the bed evenly, then pour in manageable stages with safe headspace. Start timing with the first water.
- Let the brew drain without forcing a full, hot filter. Mix the finished coffee, allow safe cooling and describe its intensity, acidity and finish.
Next check:A slow or sharp cup has several possible causes. Check paper, air path, quantities, even wetting and any drain valve before a modest grind comparison. Stop pouring before overflow.
Read the guide: Pour over checks and next steps · pouring checks. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
Drip machine
Starting grindMedium
Coffee / water55 g per 1 kg reference
BatchWithin model limits
CycleUse the machine’s program
- Use the filter, minimum batch and maximum fill specified for your machine. Weigh brewing water and coffee; the SCA reference is a starting point.
- Level the loose grounds and keep the brew basket correctly seated. Select the machine’s appropriate batch setting and let its cycle finish.
- Mix the finished pot and taste after safe cooling. Record what changed; neither a fuller pot nor a five-minute cycle guarantees better coffee.
Next check:Wash coffee-contact parts and descale as your model and water conditions require. Cleaning and descaling are different jobs; use only approved products and procedures.
Read the guide: Drip machine checks and next steps · grind setup. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
French press
Starting grindCoarse; follow your brewer
Coffee : water1:15 house reference
Steep4 min starting reference
PressGently; never force
- Check the glass, filter and plunger. Choose a batch with safe headspace and follow the brewer’s water-temperature and assembly instructions.
- Wet the grounds evenly and steep on a stable surface. A four-minute reference is a comparison starting point, not a universal finish requirement.
- Press slowly only as instructed. If resistance is unusually high, stop and let the brewer cool before inspection. Pour safely and compare after cooling.
Next check:Decant when you prefer the cup. Sediment, intensity and a drying finish are different observations; time alone does not prove over-extraction.
Read the guide: French press checks and next steps · taste and serving. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
Espresso
Starting grindBasket appropriate
DoseWithin actual basket limits
Beverage yield1:2 reference, if suitable
ClockFrom machine start
- Identify your basket and use a compatible dose with the required headspace. Distribute evenly and tamp level; keep the rim clean before locking in.
- Choose a beverage-mass target appropriate to that recipe. Start the clock with the machine, including pre-infusion, and record first drops separately.
- Observe flow and stop the machine yourself at your chosen endpoint. Weigh the espresso in the cup, let it cool safely and record what you actually tasted.
Next check:Barely dripping with a long pull can support a small coarser comparison once basket fill and setup are correct. Include other clear faults now. Clear retained grounds as your grinder manual directs before judging the new setting.
Read the guide: Espresso checks and next steps · taste and serving. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
AeroPress
PositionUpright on a stable cup
CapacityYour model’s fill limit
RecipeModel-compatible starting point
PressGentle pressure
- Use a compatible filter and cap, and a sturdy vessel. Check your model’s capacity; Original, Go and XL recipes are not automatically interchangeable.
- Build the recipe upright within the permitted fill. Stir and steep according to that recipe, recording your own water, coffee and timing.
- Press gently while the brewer is stable. If it is unusually hard to press, stop rather than adding force. Let it cool before safe inspection.
Next check:Compare a little measured water in a sample of the finished coffee before making another brew. Serving dilution changes intensity; it does not extract more from the grounds.
Read the guide: AeroPress checks and next steps · taste and serving. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
Moka pot
CoffeeMoka appropriate; not espresso-fine
BasketLevel; do not tamp
Water / heatYour model’s instructions
OpeningOnly when cool and depressurized
- Inspect the gasket, filter and clear safety valve while cool. For traditional Bialetti stovetop models, follow the cold-water fill below the valve and lid-closed instructions; another model may differ.
- Fill the compatible funnel as directed without tamping or mounding. Assemble while safe to handle and use the permitted gentle heat, keeping a flame within the base.
- Monitor the brew and follow your model’s stopping procedure. Use heat protection and let the pot cool fully before opening, cleaning or diagnosing a flow problem.
Next check:Do not lift a hot lid to chase a visual target, obstruct a valve, or open a pressurized pot. For sputtering or no flow, stop heating safely and use the model-specific checks in the guide.
Read the guide: Moka pot checks and next steps · taste and serving. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
Cold brew
Starting grindCoarse
Input reference1:8 concentrate or 1:12 serving
SteepFollow a documented process
Recovered coffeeMeasure after filtration
- Use clean food-safe equipment and a process appropriate to your brewer. Weigh coffee and water; these input ratios are Coffee Crate references, not finished-drink strength guarantees.
- Cover and refrigerate as the documented process directs. Keep refrigerated coffee at 40°F / 4°C or below; do not infer shelf life from taste or an assumed week-long batch.
- Filter and measure the coffee you actually recover. Compare a serving with a measured amount of drinking water or milk, keeping the dilution separate from brewing water.
Next check:For the next batch, use a documented steep and storage plan. Follow the applicable process and perishable-ingredient limits; adding milk does not extend storage life.
Read the guide: Cold brew checks and next steps · taste and serving. Match the advice to your equipment. Timers record your actions and never control your equipment.
A starting recipe
Keep the quantities clear.
Cold brew strength
Coffee
27 g
Water
480 g
Ratio
1:18
Drip uses the test ratio in SCA Standard 310-2021, 55 grams of coffee per kilogram of water, about 1:18. The other ratios here are Coffee Crate starting points. Check your brewer’s capacity and instructions before scaling, especially with AeroPress. Taste and adjust.
Keep learning, one useful comparison at a time.
Explore deeper troubleshooting and flavor guides, or bring the cup you already made into Brew Labs. No need to repeat the lessons.