Kev's Brew Guides
Freshly roasted coffee beans should taste amazing. If they don't, the reason is nearly always simply due to extraction. In other words, you need to make a slight tweak to your brewing process.
Skip to Your Brew Method:
👉Automatic Bean to Cup Machines (Without a Portafilter)
Traditional Espresso Machines
This includes integrated grinder machines such as the Sage & Ninja espresso machines.
- Ratio: 1:2. The espresso weighs double the ground coffee.
- Brew Temp: 93C. For Sage & Ninja machines, this is usually the default setting.
- Shot Time: 24-28 seconds. From pressing the shot button.
In most cases, you should find these recipes get you dialled in closely enough without investing too much time & effort.
For more, see the individual recipes below.
Grind Size:
Start out at the suggested starting grind size as per the manufacturer's instructions, and tweak the grind size until the shot time is within the window above.
If you're wondering why I can't give you a specific number, it's because machines don't leave the factory at the same calibration level, so it will depend on your machine.
Ratio:
Ratio refers to the shot weight divided by the weight of ground coffee, with the most common ratio being 1:2. E.g., 18g of coffee to 36g of espresso.
1:2 is common, but a ratio of around 1:1.8 to 1:2.5 is often the sweet spot, depending on your beans and other variables.
Changing the ratio is as simple as pulling a slightly bigger or slightly shorter shot, so it's much easier than messing with the grind size.
- If a shot is too bitter, and/or tastes dull, try stopping the shot sooner to reduce the ratio.
- If a shot tastes unpleasantly sour/acidic, try pulling a slightly bigger shot to increase the ratio.
Target Shot Weight (double shot baskets)
- Ninja Luxe Cafe: 36g
- Sage Barista Range: 36g
- Sage Oracle Range: 42g
- DeLonghi Dedica: 32g.
- DeLonghi Stilosa: 32g
Suggested Espresso Recipe for All Our Coffee Beans:
| Coffee Beans | Brew Temp | Shot Time | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Brownie Blend | 93C | 24–28 seconds | 1:1.8 – 1:2 |
| Marzipan Truffle Blend | 94C | 25–28 seconds | 1:2 |
| Classic Italian Blend | 93C | 26–30 seconds | 1:2 |
| Milk Chocolate & Caramel Decaf Honduras | 93C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2.1 |
| Chocolate Fondant Blend | 93C | 24–28 seconds | 1:1.8 |
| Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Brazil | 93C | 20–25 seconds | 1:1.8 – 1:2 |
| Fruitcake Blend | 93C | 26–30 seconds | 1:2 |
| Fruit & Nut Blend | 94C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2.2 |
| Dark Chocolate & Biscoff Ethiopia Mocha Djimma | 92–93C | 24–28 seconds | 1:1.8 |
| Choc & Nut Colombia | 93C | 24–28 seconds | 1:1.8 – 1:2 |
| Millionaire's Shortbread Honduras | 94C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2 |
| Dark Chocolate Sumatra Mandheling | 93C | 24–28 seconds | 1:1.8 – 1:2 |
| Cherry & Caramel Brazil | 94C | 25–28 seconds | 1:2 |
| Milk Chocolate & Coconut Decaf Brazil | 93C | 24–28 seconds | 1:1.8 – 1:2 |
| Bakewell Tart Peru | 94C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2.2 |
| Toffee Apple Nicaragua | 93C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2 |
| Custard Cream Nicaragua | 94C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2.2 |
| Cranberry & Pomegranate Kenya | 94C | 28–32 seconds | 1:2.3 – 1:2.5 |
| Melon & Toffee Ethiopia | 94C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2.2 |
| Rhubarb Crumble Kenyan Peaberry | 94C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2.2 |
| Toffee & Caramel Half Caffeine | 93C | 27–30 seconds | 1:2 |
Automatic Bean to Cup Machines (Without a Portafilter)
- Set your grind size towards the finest setting
- Adjust your brew ratio via the strength and volume settings
- Tweak by taste
For espresso on fully auto machines, I'd recommend adjusting the grind size towards the finest setting.
If virtually no espresso ends up in your cup (a choked shot) or if the espresso tastes particularly bitter, then adjust coarser.
There's no need to be too concerned about the shot time with auto bean to cup machines, instead, I'd focus on the taste & body, and use ratio as your main adjustment tool.
If the shot is too thin and weak, reduce the ratio by increasing the strength (dose weight) and/or decreasing the shot volume.
If the shot is too intense & bitter, increase the ratio by decreasing the strength and/or increasing the shot volume.
Cafetiere / French Press
- Add 15 grams of ground coffee per 250ml of hot water
- Stir, and leave to brew for 4–5 minutes
- Plunge gently, or:
- Scrape off the crust with a spoon, and just use the plunger like a strainer
The main way to adjust strength with this brew method is to adjust the coffee to water ratio, increasing the weight of coffee vs water for a stronger brew.
You can also tweak the extraction (the total dissolved solids) by adjusting the brew time.
A longer brew time will extract more, but too long a brew can potentially cause over-extraction, leading to an overly bitter-tasting coffee.
Aeropress
Espresso Style Aeropress
If you're using an Aeropress to make an espresso-style concentrated coffee, using a medium/dark roast blend, my go-to recipe is as follows:
- Use the standard method (the Aeropress the right way up).
- Rinse the filter
- Add 17-18g of ground coffee
- Add hot water to just above the no. 1 mark
- Stir with the paddle
- Leave to brew for about 30 seconds
- Plunge gently
To adjust the taste, adjust the brew ratio (increasing or decreasing the weight of ground coffee vs the amount of water), the brew time, and also the hot water temperature.
Plunging gently is one of the keys to Aeropress brewing, as I was told by Alan Adler himself, the inventor of Aeropress. The harder you plunge, the more resistance you create, and the harder it is to plunge.
If you're ordering pre-ground from ourselves, for espresso style coffee with an Aeropress, order "Espresso – Dual Walled Baskets", the finer grind will work slightly better for this method.
Filter Style Aeropress
- Use the standard or the inverted method
- Rinse the filter
- Add 15g of ground coffee
- Add 40ml of hot water
- Leave to bloom for 20-30 seconds
- Stir with the paddle
- Leave to brew for 1.5-2 mins
- Plunge gently
- Taste, and top up with hot water accordingly
I use this "semi-bypass" method, leaving some of the hot water to top up with after, simply because it's the easiest way to get the strength right.
Once you're happy with the strength, feel free to add all the water to the Aeropress. I don't notice much difference to taste either way.
If you're using the standard non-inverted method, insert the plunger and pull up slightly to create a vacuum, so you don't get dripping during the brew phase.
If you're using the inverted method, just be careful you don't end up with an Aeromess ;-)
Pourover
- Rinse the filter
- Add 15g of ground coffee
- Add 30ml of hot water
- Leave to bloom for 30-45 seconds
- Pour a total of 250ml
I appreciate that the above is quite vague, but there are many ways to brew with pourover, and the pouring step is different depending on the type of brewer.
If you're using a conical single-holed brewer, like the V60, the way you pour is more important, and you generally want to pour slowly or over 2-3 pours.
If you're using a flat-bottom brewer, like Kalita or Orea, the pour can be faster, and isn't quite as critical.
Filter Coffee Machine
- Rinse the filter
- Add 15g of ground coffee per 250ml of water
- Let your machine do the rest
If you have a speciality filter coffee machine like the Sage Precision Brewer, you do have a lot more options, but it's simply a case of experimenting until you find the perfect settings for your preferences.
Cold Brew
- Use a ratio of around 1:10 for drinking neat, or:
- Use a ratio of around 1:5 for a concentrated brew to dilute
- Use a grind size between filter to cafetiere
- Leave to brew for 8-12 hours at room temp, or:
- Leave to brew for 12-16 hours in the fridge
When you're first getting into cold brew, I'd recommend tasting after around 8 hours if brewing room temp, or after about 12 hours if brewing in the fridge, to check how it's doing.
Always store in the fridge once brewed, after removing the ground coffee.