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How to get the best
out of your coffee

It’s no secret we love coffee. But perhaps what we love even more is sharing the craft of making great coffee with passionate people just like you. We have put a nifty little guide all in one place to help you make amazing coffee from the comfort of your own home.


Coffee is all about experimenting and discovery, so we encourage you to try different brew methods and as many different origins as you can.


There are so many wonderful coffees out there with a beautiful story to tell, and we hope this guide helps you to explore and discover the world of specialty coffee.

It's like a recipe for baking


Ready to perfect your brew? Knowing your coffee to water ratio or brew ratio, as well as your total brew time is key to managing your coffee consistency. This is called controlling your variables.


When beginning, you should aim to keep your dose- the amount of coffee used- the same and change only the setting on your grinder to speed up or slow down your extraction.


Home Barista: Weigh your coffee ‘in’ and multiply this by the ratio above, to get the correct ‘out’ weight.  Example 17.5g (in) x 1.62 (ratio) =28.35g (out)

Explore the different types
of brewing methods

View our individual blend recipe cards here

Pour Over

In the pour over method, the brewed coffee is not in contact with the ground coffee while the extraction takes place – this produces greater clarity of flavour. Pour over devices are available in glass, ceramic or plastic with paper or metal filters. Keep in mind pour technique is crucial, so we recommend using a gooseneck kettle.

Types of pour over

  • Chemex (our favourite, available online from                      Veneziano) 
  • Hario W60
  • Hario V60 - pair this with the drip assist. Simple              place the Drip-Assist on top of any 02 V60 dripper        and pour for flawless brewing.

What you'll need

  • Kettle 
  • Scales
  • Timer
  • Pour over device
  • Filter paper
  • Glass jug to pour into (if you're not using a Chemex)

Recipe

Ratio of 1:16.6

Chemex 3 cup
15g coffee: 250g water
Chemex 6-8 cup
45g coffee: 750g water
V60-02
18g coffee: 300g water
W60
18g coffee: 300g water
30g coffee: 500g water

Method

  1. Bring your kettle to the boil
  2. Fold paper filter along the hard seam and fit into brewing cone
  3. Pour boiling water over filter paper to create a seal and warm the cone. (If not using a Chemex, be sure you have the brewing cone over the glass carafe!)
  4. Once drained, empty water from Chemex/ carafe. Place cone back on top of carafe if using.
  5. Weigh out beans, grind, place ground coffee in damp filter and carefully sake to level out.
  6. Place Chemex/ brewing cone set up on scales and tare to zero.
  7. Decant boiling water into preheated gooseneck kettle.
  8. Begin your timer and add 2.5 x the weight of your coffee dose with water eg.15g coffee, add 37g water. The aim is to saturate all the grounds at once so the coffee extracts at the same time. This is called blooming.
  9. Leave coffee to ‘bloom’ for 30 seconds.
  10. At 30 seconds, slowly pour in a circular motion, starting in the middle and working your way out to the edges. Aim to finish pouring the remaining water to take you to your target weight just after 2 minutes with a total brew time of 3-3.30 minutes by the time all the water has passed through.

Aeropress - Regular Method

This style of brewing is so versatile, allowing for both immersion and drip methods. The main benefits are its portable size and minimal equipment requirements. You don’t need a fancy kettle or pour technique, making it an ideal travel buddy!

What you'll need 

  • Kettle
  • Scales
  • Timer
  • Aeropress
  • Custom paper filter
  • Mug to plunge into

Recipe

  • 15g coffee 
  • 250g water
  • Total brew time: 2 min
  • Grind size: medium (coarser than pour over)

Method

1. Bring your kettle to the boil

2. Place filter paper in filter cap and screw to bottom of Aeropress chamber
3. Place chamber on mug and pour in boiling water to wet filter and warm chamber
4. Once drained and mug had a chance to preheat, empty water from mug
5. Weigh out beans, grind, place ground coffee in chamber and gently level off. Place mug with chamber on scales and tare to zero.
6. Begin your timer and add 50gm of water, or if you don’t have a set of scales, fill up to the number 1. The aim is to saturate all the grounds so they start extracting at the same time.
7. Leave coffee to bloom for 30 seconds.
8. After 30 seconds, add the remaining water to take you up to 250g or to the top of the chamber, and remove chamber and mug from scales.
9. Carefully insert plunger into top of chamber, creating a vacuum to prevent the coffee from dripping out the bottom.
10. After 2 minutes, slowly press plunger down until the coffee has completely passed through filter.

Aeropress - Inverted Method

This style of brewing is so versatile, allowing for both immersion and drip methods. The main benefits are its portable size and minimal equipment requirements. You don’t need a fancy kettle or pour technique, making it an ideal travel buddy!

What you'll need 

  • Kettle
  • Scales
  • Timer
  • Aeropress
  • Custom paper filter
  • Mug to plunge into

Recipe

  • 15g coffee 
  • 250g water
  • Total brew time: 2 min 
  • Grind size: medium (coarser than pour over)

Method

1. Bring your kettle to the boil.

2. Place filter paper in filter cap, rinse and set aside.
3. Place plunger into large chamber ensuring black rubber is not visible ( it should reach just below the inverted 4)
4. Weigh out beans, grind, place ground coffee in chamber and level off.
5. Place Aeropress on scales and tare to zero.
6. Begin your timer and add 50g of water (or if you’re not using scales, fill to just below inverted 3).
7. Saturate all the grounds at the same time, then leave coffee to bloom for 30 seconds.
8. Add remaining water to take you up to 250g or to the top of the chamber. Carefully screw on filter holder, remove from scales and place on the bench.
9. Holding the top chamber with two hands, slowly pull down until you see water poking out the holes in the filter. By doing this you are removing the air, which can make plunging the coffee difficult.
10. Steep for 2 minutes
11. Pick up mug and place upside down over the filter. Holding firmly in place.
12. With the other hand pick up Aeropress and with one quick movement flip Aeropress and mug up the right way, sitting mug on the bench.
13. Slowly begin to push plunger down into chamber to extract the coffee into mug.
14. Once finished, pull up on plunger to create a vacuum and prevent drips when removing from your mug.

Plunger / French Press

The plunger consists of a narrow cylindrical carafe, usually made of glass or stainless steel, with a plunger and mesh filter that sits tightly in the cylinder. They are simple to use and chances are you already have one!

What you'll need 

  • Kettle
  • Scales
  • Timer
  • Plunger

Recipe

  • 45g coffee
  • 750g water
  • Total brew time: 4-9 min
  • Grind size: medium to coarse (coarser than espresso)

Method

1. Bring your kettle to the boil

2. Rinse carafe with hot water and empty
3. Weigh out beans, grind, place ground coffee in carafe and level off. Place on scales and tare to zero.
4. Begin your timer and pour 750g of freshly boiled water into carafe
5. Steep for 4 minutes
6. Using a tablespoon, stir crust that has formed and then scoop out this crust using two tablespoons
7. Place plunger into carafe and push until it is sitting on top of the brewed coffee. Don’t plunge it all the way down- you want to let this sit for a further 4-5 minutes allowing the coffee to settle to the bottom.
8. Use plunger as a strainer to decant the coffee. Avoid plunging all the way to the bottom as this will agitate the grounds

Moccamaster

In only 5-6 minutes, the Moccamaster brews one litre of consistentbrewed coffee that highlights the taste profile of each coffee.

What you'll need 

  • Moccamaster
  • Filter papers
  • Thermal carafe
  • Scales
  • Timer

Recipe

  • 45g - 60g coffee
  • 750ml - 1L water (#6 and #8markers on side of tank)
  • Total brew time: 5 - 6 min
  • Grind size: medium to coarse

Method

1. Fill tank to desired volume. 
2. Heat thermal carafe with hotwater, empty and put intoplace under cone. 
3. Place paper filter in cone,wet over sink and put intoposition. 
4. Weigh out beans, grind,place ground coffee intofilter and level out. 
5. Turn on and set your timer.

Stovetop

Also called a moka pot or cafetiera, this produces coffee by passing boiling water pressurised by steam through a filter and ground coffee.

What you'll need 

  • Kettle
  • Scales
  • Timer
  • Stovetop device
  • Gas burner or electric stovetop

Recipe

There are a number of varied sizes and styles of stovetops, so its best to take note of the dose that suits your taste using our dosing methods.

• 15–20g coffee (for a 3-cup moka pot) 
• 140g water 
• Total brew time:2–3 min 
• Grind size:slightly coarser than espresso

Method

1. Bring your kettle to the boil

2. Rinse the bottom and top of the stovetop device to ensure its clean and warm.
3. Place bottom chamber on a tea-towel and fill with boiling water. This will come in handy when tightening the bottom as the bottom will be hot.
4. Weigh out beans, grind, place ground coffee into filter basket. Level off with the blunt edge of a knife or your finger. Try not to compact or settle the bed as this will increase your dose.
5. Sit basket onto bottom chamber and secure the top using the tea towel.
6. Place stovetop device on gas burner or electric top on high heat. While waiting for it to boil, slightly dampen a tea towel.
7. Once you hear a gurgling, hissing sound, check to see the coffee has brewed all the way to top of chamber and remove from heat.
8. Place damp tea towel around top chamber to prevent the coffee from continuing to extract before serving.

Espresso Machine

The espresso machine you choose is really dependent on how much you want to spend. Whatever your budget, ensure this includes a burr grinder, which will help you make the freshest cup possible.

What you'll need 

  • Espresso machine 
  • Grinder
  • Tamper
  • Dry cloth 
  • Paint brush

Recipe

• 20g – 22g coffee (depending on the size of your basket). Always use the double spout and split your shot into two cups, or for a strong brew, use a double shot in a single cup. 
• Total brew time:25 – 30 sec 
• Grind size:fine setting

Method

1. Fill tank with fresh water and turn on. Ensure portafilter is sitting in the group head to warm.
2. Place portafilter on scales and tare to zero.
3. Grind coffee straight into portafilter basket. Place on scales to check dose. Top up or remove coffee if needed.
4. Level off coffee or collapse to create a level bed. Tamp your coffee flat.
5. Wipe any residual coffee from basket rim or lugs with your hand before locking into group head.
6. Extract coffee and start your timer. Take note of drop time and how your pour behaves.
7. Your coffee should appear after 5 - 9 seconds. If it appears before this, the grind is too coarse. If your coffee struggles to pour, the grind is too fine.
8. Once the coffee appears, it should be dark in colour, have some resistance and pour in two straight lines
9. Around the 25 – 30 second mark, when the stream.appears watery, cut off the extraction. Each cup will yield 25 - 35ml espresso.

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