The Line

Coffee Brew Guide

1. Weigh the coffee. 60g per litre of water is the house ratio — near enough a heaped tablespoon per 250ml cup. A kitchen scale does more for your morning than a new grinder will.
2. Grind it right before you brew, not the night before. Table salt for pour over, coarse sea salt for a French press, powdered sugar for espresso. Ground coffee goes flat in minutes.
3. Take the water off the boil. About 200°F, which is roughly thirty seconds after the kettle clicks off. Boiling water scorches the grounds and pulls the bitter out with the flavour.
4. Wet the grounds and wait thirty seconds before you pour the rest. That is the bloom — trapped carbon dioxide escaping so the water can reach the coffee. You will see the bed puff up.
5. Pour slowly and finish between three and four minutes. Quicker than that runs thin and sour, slower runs heavy and bitter. Taste it, move the grind one notch, try again tomorrow.