In a world where no two cups of coffee are truly identical and at the same time consistency is king, how do we approach brewing? Here are a few insights that may help you get the most out of each bean.

Recipe / Ratio

Brewing with a recipe or brew ratio can be very helpful to maintain a consistent cup of coffee. You will need a scale to weigh the amount of ground coffee used ‘in’ and the water used or beverage weight ‘out’.

Filter Ratio: 1:16 (for example 20g in coffee for 320 ml of water)

Espresso Blend Ratio: 1:2 (20g of coffee in for 40g of espresso out)

Single Origin Espresso Ratio: 1:2.25 (20g of coffee in for 45g of espresso out)

Water

This may sound obvious but it's difficult to make good coffee with bad water. And on the flip side, great water can really open your mind to how good the coffee can taste. Try brewing a coffee from a fresh water source like a flowing waterfall or a mineral spring or a glacier and you may be blown away by the results! On an everyday level however you can be assured that if the water tastes good on its own it’ll probably taste good in your brew. Another main thing to consider particularly when brewing espresso is to check the hardness and pH levels (most councils provide this information) and consider which water filter to buy to best look after your machine.

Dialing In

This is the process of testing, tasting and tweaking your recipe over time. Choosing which variable to change first can be difficult but with reps you will get in a groove where you know what to do. Achieving the right brew ratio and grind setting is the starting point, then you can delve further down the rabbit holes of total dissolved solids, temperature, pressure profiling and latte art. The most important part is to get your brew to a strength that you are enjoying and then go from there. Enjoy the process. 

If you’re having issues dialing in a coffee, troubleshooting or would like to learn about our barista courses please reach out!