Good beans deserve a fair shot at brewing well. Pick your method below, or scroll for the fundamentals first.
Start around 1 gram of coffee to every 16–18 grams of water. Less water for a stronger cup, more for a lighter one.
Match your grind to your contact time. Long steeps want coarse, quick high-pressure brews want fine.
Aim for 195–205°F (90–96°C), just below boiling. Too hot pulls bitterness, too cool tastes flat.
We rest every batch a few days before it ships. Once it's yours, keep it sealed, away from heat and light.
Ratio and water temperature follow the Specialty Coffee Association's Gold Cup Standard. See Sources below.
A kitchen scale helps, but it's a nice-to-have, not a requirement. Tablespoons work.
Here's the one trap to watch for: the "cup" lines on your coffee maker almost never match a real measuring cup. Most drip machines mark a "cup" at 5–6 fl oz, not the 8 fl oz you'd get from an actual liquid measuring cup, and the scoop that came with your bag or grinder wasn't necessarily built to match either one. So "1 scoop per cup" can mean something different depending on which "cup" you're using. The fix: measure water in real fluid ounces with a liquid measuring cup, not your machine's fill line. Worth doing once so you know your machine's real numbers for good.
| Coffee (Level Tbsp) | About | Water (Real Fl Oz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | ≈5g, half a standard scoop | ≈3 fl oz |
| 2 tbsp | ≈10g, 1 standard scoop | ≈5 fl oz |
| 3 tbsp | ≈15g | ≈8 fl oz (1 real cup) |
| 4 tbsp | ≈20g | ≈11 fl oz |
| 6 tbsp | ≈30g | ≈16 fl oz |
| 8 tbsp (½ cup) | ≈40g | ≈22 fl oz |
This table uses our general 1:16 ratio, close enough for tablespoon measuring on any method. For a method with a different ideal ratio, like French press (1:15) or espresso (1:2), a cheap kitchen scale gets you closer, grams don't lie the way "cups" do, but tablespoons will still make you a good cup.
Tap a method to jump straight to its ratio, grind, temp, time, and steps.
Ratio and timing follow SCA brewing guidance for pour-over/filter methods.
Classic full-immersion method and timing, standard across specialty coffee education.
Ratio per SCA Gold Cup Standard.
Based on James Hoffmann's widely-referenced "Ultimate AeroPress" recipe (11g coffee to 200g water, 1:18).
Grind, heat, and pull-point match standard moka pot guidance from Blue Bottle and Stumptown.
1:5 is the standard concentrate ratio, diluted before drinking, distinct from a 1:8 ready-to-drink ratio some recipes use instead.
18g in / 36g out at 1:2 is the modern specialty benchmark, documented in SCA espresso protocols.
Reusable pods are a great way to brew Stay Sober Coffee without needing any specialized equipment. Grind medium to medium-fine, avoid going espresso-fine, it packs too tight for a pod.
Reusable pods vary by machine. Use a pod designed for yours and follow its recommended fill level.
What you taste → likely issue → what to change.
Change one variable at a time so you know what actually fixed it.
These pairings are recommendations, not requirements. A light roast will do just fine in a French press, and a dark roast makes a perfectly good pour-over. Brew what you've got with what you have.
Roasts pulled earlier keep more of their natural acidity and origin character. Methods with a cleaner filter and gentler extraction, pour-over especially, tend to let that brightness come through most clearly.
Once a roast pushes toward Full City+ and beyond, acidity drops and body builds. That heavier body holds up well to full-immersion brewing and high pressure, which is why darker roasts are a classic starting point for espresso, they tend to pull a balanced, syrupy shot without much sharpness.
The long, cold steep smooths out acidity no matter where you started, so cold brew is the most forgiving method on this list. Darker roasts lean into that mellow, low-acid result even further.
Curious exactly where each of our current origins lands? Roast level and tasting notes are listed on every product page.
Ratios, water temperature, and grind guidance in this guide follow published, widely-used specialty coffee standards, not guesswork. Every roast still needs tasting and adjusting to your own water, grinder, and gear, but these are the industry-standard starting points.
This guide covers the fundamentals, the reliable methods that work every time. For the personal stuff, favorite flavor combos, someone's Saturday-morning ritual, a camping AeroPress recipe, head over to Coffee Recipes, our community's own coffee ideas.
Grab a bag, pick a method, and dial it in. One batch at a time applies on your counter too.
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