2) Get the perfect grind!

Almost important as the roast is the grind! Each brewing method requires a specific grind as well. You will want to grind your coffee to fit your method. Most of us have been over-grinding our beans with a blade grinder. The proper grind changes the game! We recommend a burr grinder that is adjustable to give you just the right grind for your brewing method.

French Press

Coarse ground! Any finer than that and the plunger will not collect all the coffee grounds which leaves the coffee bitter.

Espresso

For espresso, perhaps more than any other method, the grind is essential to get right. Because the machines use high pressure to force water through tightly packed beans, you want as little air gaps between particles as possible. For this to work best, you want a fine grind !

Pour Over and Drip Coffee

You want a solid medium grind. This is important because you want the water to sit in the beans long enough to collect all that good coffee flavor before trickling through. Too fine a grind and it lingers too long souring the flavor; too coarse and it doesn’t collect enough and leaves the cup flat and tasteless.

Refillable K-Cup

Here you will want something between a drip machine and an espresso machine—so go with a medium to medium-fine grind.

Cold Brew and Iced Coffees

Stick with a coarse grind. Using a coarser grind will make the filtration process easier and your coffee taste far less bitter. Grinding too fine can heat up the grounds, which can negatively affect your cup. Stir the grinds in the water making sure they are fully saturated.

3) Just BREW IT!

The well-established recipe for brewing coffee is 2 tablespoons (10 g) per six ounces (180 ml) of water. Ideally water should be chlorine-free and have a pH level of 7.1. A higher acidity can accentuate the defects in the coffee bean. A higher alkaline level can make your coffee taste bland.

French Press

Bring water to roughly 195 degrees and pour over the grinds in your french press and stir. Allow coffee grinds to steep for four minutes. Do not stir the coffee in the press after brewing. To even out the strength, evenly distribute the coffee across serving cups pouring a little in each cup at a time.

Facilitate extracting by plunging the press up and down to agitate the grounds during steeping.

Coffee cools rapidly so brew smaller batches if the coffee is going to sit out for an extended period of time.

Pour Over

Run water over bleached filters before use to remove any possible chemicals used for whitening. This will prevent even the slightest possibility that it will absorb your first coffee extracts.

Evenly pour 195 degree water over your grounds. Time your batch. If the time exceeds seven minutes, you may need to start over and coarsen your grind and repeat.

Stir the coffee before serving the finished brew. The first extracts are stronger than the last; this will allow for a balanced cup of coffee.

Drip Coffee

To start, make your coffee like you usually do and then do a little test. Examine your grounds after brewing.

~All the grounds should appear damp. There should be no dry grounds and your grounds should lie flat. This indicates an even, thorough soaking.

~If dry grounds are present, grind finer next time.

~If your grounds basket over-flowed during brewing, grind coarser next time.

~Use less grounds if the coffee retains some bitter notes.

For most machines, time from the first drip until the last drip. This should take six minutes maximum. If it takes longer, make a smaller batch next time.

Espresso

Extraction should take between twenty and thirty seconds. Be consistent with your tamping of the grinds. Different pressures will result in a different taste. We recommend tamping at a pressure between thirty and forty pounds.

Refillable K-Cup

For a full-bodied brew place one and a half tablespoons of grounds in the K-cup filter along with 10 ounces of water.