Brewing at home: weigh, grind, note.
Good coffee at home is less about equipment than about repeating what worked. Three habits help: weigh, grind fresh and write it down.
Weigh, don’t guess.
A scale that reads in grams, a timer and a grinder are enough to start. Weigh the coffee and the water you pour while brewing; the water you use to rinse a filter or warm a cup does not count. For espresso, weigh what lands in the cup.
Grind fresh, adjust slowly.
Grind right before brewing. If you change the grind, change it a little and only for the next brew, and write down the setting. A word like “medium” means something different on every grinder, so the number on yours is what matters.
One change at a time.
Taste first, then decide. Change only one thing for the next cup, so you know what made the difference.
Mind the water.
Water is part of every cup, and its minerals change how a coffee tastes. Berlin’s tap water is hard; if you use a machine, follow its instructions on water and descaling. More on water and brewing ›
Which coffee to start with.
Each coffee’s page says whether we recommend it for filter, espresso or both. Whole beans for espresso or filter ›
