The friendly barista guide

A little know-how. A better morning.

Start here, taste your coffee, and adjust one thing at a time. These recipes are starting points; your brewer and your preferences get the final say.

Choose by the cup you want.

Love a familiar, comforting cup? Look for chocolate, nuts, or brown sugar. Prefer brighter flavors? Try fruit and floral notes. For coffee with milk, a rich profile and fuller body can help the coffee come through.

Tasting notes describe flavors the coffee reminds us of. They aren’t an ingredient list. Read the product description for the coffee’s specific details, then use the roast and brewing recommendations to narrow your choice.

Find your coffee

Pick your brewer.

Pour-over

Start with 20g coffee and 320g water, using a medium-fine grind. Wet the grounds with about 40g water, wait 30 seconds, then pour the rest steadily in a few stages. Aim for roughly 3 minutes, then adjust to taste.

Drip

Try 60g coffee per liter of water and a medium grind. Use your machine’s recommended basket capacity. Keep the basket and carafe clean, and adjust the amount of coffee if the cup tastes too light or too strong.

Espresso

For a basket designed for 18g, start with 18g ground coffee and 36g espresso out in about 25–30 seconds. Use a fine grind and adjust it in small steps. Your basket size and taste matter more than hitting an exact time.

French press

Try 30g coffee and 500g water with a medium-coarse grind. Add water, steep for about 4 minutes, then press gently and pour into your cup. Decant the rest so it doesn’t keep steeping.

Cold brew

For a starting concentrate, combine 100g coarse-ground coffee with 800g cold water. Steep covered in the refrigerator for 12–18 hours, strain, and dilute to taste with water or milk. Keep it refrigerated.

Make one small adjustment.

Grind just before brewing when you can. Espresso needs a finer grind; pour-over and drip sit in the middle; French press and cold brew usually start coarser.

If a cup is sour and thin, try a slightly finer grind. If it is harsh and drying, try a little coarser. Keep the coffee dose and water amount the same while you adjust, so you can tell what changed.

Give your beans a good home.

Keep coffee sealed, cool, dry, and away from direct sunlight. Close the bag after each use. Buy a size you can enjoy regularly, and use the roast date to compare how the flavor changes over time.

Freshly roasted coffee releases gas, so the best cup isn’t always on roast day. Resting time varies by coffee, roast, and brew method. Follow the notes with your bag and let taste guide you.

Explore a sample bag’s brew notes ↗

Keep exploring.

Get deeper into origins, brewing, and the stories behind the cup in our journal.

Read the journal ↗