Espresso
Your machine already does half the work. Invest in a good grinder and freshly roasted coffee.
Starting recipe: 18 g of coffee → 36 g in the cup, about 28 seconds.
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Guides and tips
How to start with specialty coffee (without buying half a kitchen)
You walk into a specialty café and the menu talks about Ethiopia, honey and V60. You feel like you are in a class you did not sign up for. Relax. To start you only need a recipe, a scale and curiosity.
Where do you start?
Three questions and we tell you which method to try first.
AeroPress
Quick, hard to get wrong and easy to clean.
Starting recipe: 15 g of coffee, 210 ml of water (1:14), about 2 minutes.
Work out your recipeV60
A clean, aromatic cup. Ideal for noticing the origin.
Starting recipe: 15 g of coffee, 240 ml of water (1:16), about 3 minutes.
Work out your recipeFrench press
More body and texture, and very simple to make.
Starting recipe: 15 g of coffee, 225 ml of water (1:15), about 4 minutes.
Work out your recipe
Your kit in 3 purchases
Before you spend a euro on pretty things, buy these three.
A kitchen scale with tenths of a gram
Measuring with spoons or by eye gives a different cup every day. Weighing fixes it.
A burr grinder
Ground coffee loses aroma within minutes. Grinding just before brewing is the best way to keep it. Burr grinders grind more evenly than blade grinders.
A simple method: V60 or AeroPress
Small and easy to clean.
Your first cup in 5 steps
Starting recipe with V60. Change it once you get the hang of it.
Weigh
15 g of medium-fine ground coffee.
Heat
Water between 92 and 96 °C.
Bloom
Pour 30 ml (twice the weight of the coffee) and wait about 30 seconds. The coffee "breathes".
Pour
In slow circles, until you reach 240 ml.
Time it
It should finish at around 3 minutes. If it goes much faster or slower, change only the grind.
When is your coffee fresh?
Coffee does not expire like yoghurt. It changes over the days. Move the slider and see.
- 0–2 daysStill releasing gas. It can taste sour or be bubbly, especially as espresso.
- 3–14 daysSweet spot. For filter you can start around day 3; for espresso, around day 5.
- 15–30 daysStill good. It loses aroma little by little.
- 31–60 daysTired. Some roasters still consider it fine, but the aroma is no longer the same.
This is a guide. Each roaster recommends its own window: go by what your bag says.
5 mistakes almost all of us make
Tap each card to see the fix.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Another question? Write to us →01Do I need an expensive coffee maker?
No. A scale, a burr grinder and a dripper are enough to start.
02How much coffee should I use per cup?
To start, 15 g of coffee and 240 ml of water. The SCA standard is around 1:18. Many professionals use between 1:15 and 1:17.
03How long does a bag of coffee last?
Whole beans keep their flavour for several weeks after roasting; ground coffee loses it in minutes. Check your roaster's recommendation.
04What if I buy the coffee already ground?
It loses aroma very quickly. If you don't have a grinder, ask them to grind it on the spot and drink it soon.