Brewing great coffee isn’t about expensive gadgets—it’s about understanding the basics and making them work for your setup. Whether you’re using a cafetière, pour-over, espresso machine, or even a simple stovetop, the same principles apply. Here’s how to get maximum flavour out of every method, The Roasting Party way.
1. Start With Fresh, Quality Coffee
It sounds obvious, but your coffee is only as good as the beans you start with AND also how good your grinder is.
-
Buy freshly roasted specialty coffee and use it within four weeks of roasting.
-
Store it in an airtight container, away from light, heat, and moisture.
-
Grind just before brewing—pre-ground coffee stales fast.
- If you don't have a great grinder, it's totally fine to buy pre-ground, after all, specialty roasters use top-end grinders in their roasteries
2. Get the Right Grind Size
Grind size affects extraction, and different methods need different textures:
-
Espresso: Fine, like table salt.
-
Pour-over/AeroPress: Medium-fine, like caster sugar.
-
Cafetière (French press): Coarse, like sea salt.
-
Cold brew: Extra coarse, like breadcrumbs.
If your coffee tastes sour, try a finer grind. If it’s too bitter, go coarser.
3. Nail the Coffee-to-Water Ratio
Under-extracted coffee tastes weak or sour, and over-extracted coffee is bitter. The sweet spot depends on your brew method:
-
Pour-over: 15g of coffee per 250ml of water.
-
Cafetière: 60g per litre of water.
-
Cold brew: 125g per litre for ready-to-drink, 250g per litre for concentrate.
4. Use Good Water
Coffee is 98% water, so bad water = bad coffee.
-
Use filtered water if possible.
-
Ideal temperature is 90-96°C—boiling water can scorch the coffee.
-
For cold brew, use cold, fresh water and steep for at least 12 hours.
5. Perfect Your Brewing Technique
-
Espresso: Even tamping and correct shot timing (25-30 sec) are key.
-
Pour-over: Pour in slow, controlled circles for even extraction.
-
Cafetière: Stir gently, steep for 4 minutes, then plunge slowly.
-
Cold brew: Be patient—time does the work here.
6. Taste, Adjust, Repeat
The best way to improve is to taste your coffee and tweak things. Too bitter? Shorten brew time or grind coarser. Too weak? Try a finer grind or adjust the coffee-to-water ratio.
Final Thoughts
Brewing coffee for maximum flavour isn’t about following strict rules—it’s about understanding the key variables and adjusting them to suit your taste. Get the basics right, experiment, and most importantly, enjoy the process.
