01
Grind size
The dial you will touch most. Finer grounds give water more surface to work on, so flavor comes out faster. Quick methods want a fine grind; slow methods want it coarse.
Fine = fast, coarse = slowThe Brew Guide
Brew it beautifully
Everything we know about getting the best from your bag: the four variables that matter, the methods we trust, and the exact numbers to hit. No snobbery, just better coffee.
The last step is yours
Your kitchen is where the journey ends
Your bag crossed the Ethiopian highlands, an ocean, and a micro-batch roaster in South Bend to reach you. Growing, harvesting, and processing happened at origin. Roasting happened at Quad Coffee Lab. The final two steps, grinding and brewing, happen at your counter, and they are the two steps where you hold all the control. This page hands you that control.
02
Time
Flavors dissolve in a fixed order: acids first, then sweetness, then bitterness. Pull the brew too early and it tastes sour. Let it run too long and bitterness takes over.
Acid, then sweet, then bitter03
Water heat
Heat is speed. The sweet spot for hot brewing is 195 to 205 F: boil your kettle, then give it a short moment before you pour. A full rolling boil scorches out burnt notes.
195 to 205 F, just off the boil04
Ratio
Strength is a recipe, not a guess. For most methods, 1 gram of coffee to every 15 to 18 grams of water lands a rich, balanced cup. Weigh your coffee instead of scooping it.
1:15 to 1:18 by weightBefore any method
Six habits that outbrew any gadget
These apply to every device on this page. Master them once and every cup you make gets better, whatever you brew it in.
Grind in the moment
Each bean holds over a thousand aromatic compounds, and they start escaping the second the bean is broken. Ground coffee fades within the half hour, so grind right before you brew. No grinder yet? Choose Ground at checkout and we will grind it fresh for you.
Weigh, do not scoop
Beans vary in density by roast, so a scoop lies to you. A simple kitchen scale is the single cheapest upgrade in coffee: weigh the beans, then weigh the water as you pour.
Mind your water
A cup of coffee is more than nine parts water in ten. If your tap smells of chlorine, filter it. Good water with a little mineral content pulls out balance; harsh water masks it.
Rinse and preheat
Rinse paper filters with hot water so no papery taste reaches the cup, and warm your brewer and mug before you start. A cold vessel steals heat from the brew mid-extraction.
Always bloom
Fresh coffee is full of trapped carbon dioxide. Pour about twice the weight of your grounds in hot water, watch it bubble and swell, and wait 30 to 45 seconds before continuing. The gas gets out of the way so the water can do its work.
Drink it fresh
Coffee does not age like wine; it simply fades. It peaks in the first two to three weeks after roasting, so buy what you will drink. Store in a cool, dry place. Best enjoyed within 30 days of opening.
Six ways in
Find your method
There is no single right way to brew, only the way that fits your morning. Each method below pulls something different out of the same bean. Start with what you own, then wander.
01 / 06
Pour-over
The clearest window into a single origin. Water poured in slow circles, gravity doing the rest, and nothing between you and the bean's own character.
GrindMedium
Ratio1:16
TimeAbout 4 min
Water195 to 205 F
How to brew it
- Set your dripper on a mug or carafe, rinse the paper filter with hot water, and pour the rinse water out.
- Add the grounds, level the bed, and set everything on your scale.
- Bloom: pour about twice the grounds' weight in water, then wait 30 to 45 seconds.
- Pour the rest in slow, steady circles, pausing to let the water level fall, until the scale hits your target.
- Let it draw down fully, then swirl and pour.
In the cup
Clean, bright, and articulate. The paper filter catches oils and sediment, so acidity and delicate florals come through with nothing in the way.
Best for
Tasting everything a single origin has to say. This is the method that lets Daybreak's citrus and floral notes speak in full sentences.
02 / 06
French press
The most forgiving door into manual brewing. Four minutes of patience, one slow press, and a rich cup with real weight to it.
GrindCoarse
Ratio1:16
Time4 minutes
Water195 to 205 F
How to brew it
- Warm the press with hot water, discard it, and add your coarse grounds.
- Pour in all your water, give one gentle stir, and set the lid on with the plunger raised.
- Wait 4 minutes.
- Press down slowly and evenly, then pour every cup right away so it does not keep extracting.
In the cup
Full-bodied and rich. The metal filter lets the coffee's natural oils through, which is exactly where that heavy, rounded texture comes from.
Best for
Slow mornings and brewing for two. Sunbloom's cocoa depth loves the extra body this method brings.
03 / 06
AeroPress
A single great cup in about 90 seconds, powered by gentle air pressure. Invented in 2005 by the engineer behind a world-record flying ring, and beloved ever since.
GrindFine
Ratio1:12
Time90 seconds
Water175 to 185 F
How to brew it
- Rinse a paper filter in the cap, twist it onto the chamber, and set it on a sturdy mug.
- Add fine grounds, then pour in water that is a little cooler than usual, 175 to 185 F.
- Stir once and let it sit for about a minute.
- Attach the plunger and press down slowly for 20 to 30 seconds until you hear a soft hiss.
In the cup
Sweet, concentrated, and remarkably clean for its strength. Short brew time keeps bitterness low even with a fine grind.
Best for
One excellent cup, fast. It also packs light: this is the brewer that goes camping, commuting, and back to the dorm.
04 / 06
Moka pot
The little stovetop tower found in nine of ten Italian kitchens since 1933. Steam pressure pushes water up through the coffee for a strong, espresso-style brew.
GrindFine
RatioAbout 1:7
TimeUntil it gurgles
WaterStart with boiling
How to brew it
- Fill the bottom chamber with water you have already boiled: less time on the stove means less bitterness.
- Fill the basket with fine grounds, leveled but never tamped.
- Screw it together and set it over medium heat with the lid open.
- When the coffee sputters and gurgles, pull it off the heat, and run the base under cold water to stop the extraction.
In the cup
Intense, syrupy, espresso-adjacent. Two to three times stronger than drip, made for a splash of steamed milk.
Best for
Milk drinks without an espresso machine. It is the engine behind our cardamom mocha in The Addisuna Kitchen.
05 / 06
Cold brew
The oldest trick in coffee, and the most patient. Cold water, coarse grounds, and half a day of waiting trade acidity for a naturally sweet, mellow glass.
GrindExtra coarse
Ratio1:4.5 concentrate
Time12 to 24 hours
WaterCold
How to brew it
- Combine coarse grounds and cold water in a jar or French press and stir until everything is wet.
- Cover and rest it in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours, giving it a small shake when you think of it.
- Strain well through a filter or the press.
- Dilute the concentrate with about equal parts cold water or milk, and pour over ice.
In the cup
Smooth, sweet, and low in acid, since the sharper compounds never dissolve in cold water. Gentler on sensitive stomachs, too.
Best for
Warm afternoons and make-ahead weeks: the concentrate keeps up to two weeks in the fridge. It is the base of our honey citrus cold brew.
06 / 06
Drip machine
No shame in the machine. A drip brewer with good habits beats a fussy method with bad ones, and it feeds a whole table at once.
GrindMedium
Ratio1:16
TimeMachine's pace
WaterFiltered
How to brew it
- Use filtered water and fresh beans, ground right before you brew.
- Rinse the paper filter in the basket with hot water first.
- Weigh your grounds instead of scooping: about 15 g per 8 oz cup.
- Serve as soon as it finishes; a scorching hotplate is where good pots go to die.
In the cup
Honest and dependable. With fresh beans and the right dose, machine coffee gets far closer to the manual methods than its reputation suggests.
Best for
Mornings on autopilot and a full pot for the whole household.
No math before coffee
Dial in your cup
Pick your method and how many cups you are making, and we will do the arithmetic: exactly how much coffee, how much water, and the settings to hit. One cup here means a standard 8 ounce mug.
2
30 g
Coffee
480 g
Water
No scale yet? That is about 5 level tablespoons of beans.
Taste, then adjust
Read your cup
Your cup tells you exactly what went wrong and how to fix it. Change one thing at a time, taste again, and you will land your best brew within a morning or two.
Sour, sharp, or thin?
Underextracted: the water left too soon
- Grind a step finer
- Let it brew a little longer
- Check your water is hot enough (195 to 205 F)
Bitter, harsh, or dull?
Overextracted: the water stayed too long
- Grind a step coarser
- Shorten the brew time
- Let the kettle cool a touch longer before pouring
Balanced but weak?
Strength is the ratio, not the time
- Use more coffee, not a longer brew
- Step from 1:17 toward 1:15
- Keep everything else the same
Free printable
Take the brew card to your kitchen
Every ratio, grind, time, and temperature on this page on one printable card. Stick it inside a cupboard door and never guess again.
Great coffee, real impact
Every careful cup counts twice
Brew it well and you honor everyone who carried it this far, from the farmers of the Ethiopian highlands to the roastery in South Bend. And with 10% of every bag funding education and youth projects in Ethiopia, the care you pour out comes back around.