CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON, Let's get to work!
You've got amazing coffee in your hands. Every coffee maker is a world unto itself — we'll show you yours step by step.
Italian Moka
DIFFICULTY ●●○The classic, but done right. No bitterness, no burnt taste.
- 01Fill the base with hot water (~90°C) just below the valve. Use a cloth to screw it on: the base gets hot.
- 02Fill the filter basket completely and level without pressing.
- 03Close and place over medium-low heat, with the lid ajar to control the flow.
- 04Once the coffee starts coming out, reduce to minimum. Remove before it starts bubbling vigorously and place the base in cold water to stop the extraction.
- 05Remove coffee from the top chamber before serving.
Espresso
DIFFICULTY ●●●Pure concentration. The soul of Italian coffee (and the neighborhood cortado).
- 01Completely warm up the machine and portafilter (15–30 min depending on the machine).
- 02Dose 18g, distribute, and tamp straight.
- 03Extract 36g of coffee into the cup, weighed with a scale. Target: 25–32 seconds.
- 04If you hit 36g in under 25s, grind finer. If it takes longer than 32s, grind coarser.
- 05Guideline temperature: 92–94°C if your machine allows adjustment.
French Press
DIFFICULTY ●●○Body, texture, and minimal equipment. Long technique for a clean cup.
- 01Preheat the press. Add 30g of coffee and 500g of water at 94–96°C. Do not stir.
- 02At 4 minutes, gently break the crust and remove any foam and floating particles.
- 03Wait 5 more minutes for the fines to settle.
- 04Place the plunger just under the surface, without pushing it all the way down.
- 05Pour slowly, without tilting the press too much. Leave the last inch of coffee inside, along with the grounds.
V60
DIFFICULTY ●●○The classic of filter coffee. Clarity, cleanliness and bright notes.
- 01Heat the water to 94–96°C and rinse the filter.
- 02Add 18g, level the coffee.
- 03Bloom with 40g of water. Wait 45s and gently swirl the V60.
- 04Pour in circles up to 180g and then up to 300g, avoiding pouring on the paper.
- 05Let it drain. Target: 2:45–3:15.
Aeropress
DIFFICULTY ●○○Fast, forgiving, and versatile. For Monday's 7 AM coffee.
- 01Rinse the filter and place the AeroPress in the normal position.
- 02Add 14g of coffee and 200g of water at 94–96°C.
- 03Stir gently for 5s.
- 04Slightly depress the plunger to create a vacuum and wait up to 1:30.
- 05Press gently for about 30s.
Chemex
DIFFICULTY ●●○Coarse filter, very clean coffee. To share a table.
- 01Place the filter with the three layers facing the spout, rinse it with 94–96°C water, and discard the water.
- 02Add 30g coffee. Bloom with 60g for 45s.
- 03Pour slowly up to 250g.
- 04Continue up to 480g, without pouring directly onto the paper.
- 05Drain. Target: 4:00–4:30.
These recipes are starting points. If the coffee comes out too fast and tastes sour or watery, grind finer; if it comes out too slow and tastes bitter or dry, grind coarser. Change only one variable at a time.
BEFORE YOU START
Water. It's the variable that ruins the most cups and almost no one pays attention to it. Use filtered or low-mineral bottled water (dry residue below 150 mg/l). Not tap water with chlorine, nor distilled water: without minerals, the coffee tastes flat.
Resting the roast. Freshly roasted coffee is full of CO₂ and does not extract well. Allow 7 to 14 days from the roast date for filter coffee, and 10 to 21 days for espresso. Check the date on the bag: it's not an expiry date, it's a roast date.
The scale. All these recipes are in grams, including water. Without a scale, you're guessing, and guessing is why it tastes amazing one day and you don't know why it doesn't the next.
NO FRESH COFFEE?
The best trick is to start with well-roasted coffee.
VIEW BAGS →