The Complete Guide to Brewing Coffee at Home
The coffee you brew at home can be just as good as anything you'd get at a specialty coffee shop. The difference isn't the equipment — it's understanding how each brewing method works and what it does to the coffee in your cup. This guide covers every major brewing method, with the ratios, temperatures, grind sizes, and step-by-step instructions you need to brew a genuinely excellent cup every time.
Pour Over
Pour over is the method that specialty coffee shops use to showcase their best single origins. The slow, controlled pour extracts coffee with exceptional clarity, letting every flavor note come through precisely.
The Recipe
- Ratio: 1:15
- Water temperature: 200°F
- Grind size: Medium-fine
- Total brew time: 3–3.5 minutes
Step-by-Step
- Rinse your filter with hot water. Discard rinse water.
- Add ground coffee. Shake to level the bed.
- Start timer. Pour just enough water to saturate all grounds (the bloom). Wait 45 seconds.
- Continue pouring in slow, concentric circles. Keep water level consistent.
- Finish pouring by 2:30. Total drawdown completes by 3–3.5 minutes.
Best Coffees for Pour Over
Our Ethiopia Natural, Kenya, Peru, and Costa Rica are all exceptional in pour over.
French Press
French press produces the fullest, richest cup — without a paper filter, the coffee's natural oils remain in the cup, producing a heavier, more textured body than any filtered method.
The Recipe
- Ratio: 1:15
- Water temperature: 200°F
- Grind size: Coarse
- Steep time: 4 minutes
Step-by-Step
- Preheat your French press. Discard rinse water.
- Add coarsely ground coffee.
- Pour hot water over grounds, saturating all of them.
- Place lid on top (plunger up) without pressing.
- At 4 minutes, press the plunger down slowly and steadily.
- Pour immediately — don't let coffee sit in the press.
Best Coffees for French Press
Our Sumatra, Guatemala, 6 Bean Blend, and Cowboy Blend are all excellent in French press.
Drip Coffee Maker
Drip is the most common brewing method in American homes. When done right — fresh coffee, correct ratio, clean machine — it produces a consistently excellent cup with minimal effort.
The Recipe
- Ratio: 1:15 to 1:17
- Grind size: Medium
Tips for Better Drip Coffee
- Use fresh whole beans and grind just before brewing.
- Clean your machine monthly — coffee oils turn rancid.
- Use filtered water if your tap water has a strong taste.
- Drink it fresh — coffee on a hot plate continues to cook and turns bitter.
Best Coffees for Drip
Our House Blend, Colombia, Mexico, and Breakfast Blend are all excellent everyday drip coffees.
Espresso
Espresso is the most technical brewing method — and the most rewarding when you get it right. A well-pulled shot is concentrated, complex, and the foundation for every milk-based coffee drink.
The Recipe
- Ratio: 1:2
- Grind size: Fine
- Extraction time: 25–30 seconds
- Dose: 18–20g for a double shot
Dialing In
If your shot pulls too fast (under 20 seconds), grind finer. If it pulls too slow (over 35 seconds), grind coarser. A well-extracted shot is sweet, complex, and balanced. Under-extracted is sour; over-extracted is bitter.
Best Coffees for Espresso
Our Italian Roast, African Espresso, Colombia, and Brazil Santos are all excellent espresso options.
Aeropress
The Aeropress is the most versatile brewing device ever made — it can produce a cup that resembles espresso, pour over, or anything in between. It's also nearly indestructible, brews in under 2 minutes, and is the best travel coffee maker available.
The Recipe
- Ratio: 1:12
- Water temperature: 200°F
- Grind size: Medium-fine
- Steep time: 2 minutes
Step-by-Step
- Rinse filter and assemble Aeropress on your cup.
- Add ground coffee. Pour hot water to the top. Stir gently for 10 seconds.
- At 2 minutes, press slowly and steadily. Stop when you hear a hissing sound.
- Dilute with hot water if desired.
Best Coffees for Aeropress
Our Ethiopia Natural, Peru, and House Blend are all excellent Aeropress coffees.
Cold Brew
Cold brew is coffee brewed with cold water over 18–24 hours. The cold extraction produces a cup that's naturally lower in acidity than hot coffee, with a smooth, sweet character that's particularly refreshing over ice.
The Recipe
- Ratio (concentrate): 1:4 — dilute 1:1 before serving
- Ratio (ready to drink): 1:8
- Grind size: Extra coarse
- Steep time: 18–24 hours in the refrigerator
Step-by-Step
- Combine extra-coarse ground coffee with cold water. Stir to saturate all grounds.
- Cover and refrigerate 18–24 hours.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
- Dilute concentrate 1:1 with water or milk. Serve over ice.
Best Coffees for Cold Brew
Our Cold Brew blend, Sumatra, Brazil Santos, and Cowboy Blend are all excellent cold brew options.
Moka Pot
The moka pot uses steam pressure to push hot water through ground coffee, producing a concentrated, bold cup. It's the traditional Italian home coffee maker and produces a genuinely excellent cup when used correctly.
Tips
- Use medium-low heat — high heat produces a bitter, burnt cup.
- Don't tamp the coffee. Just level it off.
- Remove from heat when you hear a gurgling sound.
Best Coffees for Moka Pot
Our Cowboy Blend, Guatemala, Sumatra, and Italian Roast are all excellent moka pot coffees.
Chemex
The Chemex uses a thicker paper filter that removes more oils than standard pour over filters, producing a tea-like clarity that's exceptionally clean and delicate. It highlights the most subtle flavor notes in a coffee.
The Recipe
- Ratio: 1:16
- Water temperature: 200°F
- Grind size: Medium-coarse
- Total brew time: 4–4.5 minutes
Best Coffees for Chemex
Our Ethiopia Natural, Kenya, and Tanzania are all excellent Chemex coffees.
How to Choose Your Brewing Method
- Maximum flavor clarity → Pour Over or Chemex
- Richest, fullest body → French Press
- Convenience and consistency → Drip
- Concentrated coffee for milk drinks → Espresso or Moka Pot
- Versatility and speed → Aeropress
- Smooth, low-acid coffee over ice → Cold Brew
The Three Variables That Matter Most
Freshness. Coffee goes stale quickly after roasting and even faster after grinding. Buy whole beans and grind just before brewing. All of our coffees are roasted to order and ship within 48 hours.
Water quality. Coffee is 98% water. Use filtered water for the best results.
Ratio. Most people use too little coffee. Start at 1:15 and adjust from there. A kitchen scale makes this easy and consistent.
Ready to find the right coffee for your method? Browse our full lineup — or explore our Coffee Origins Guide to understand what makes each origin distinctive.