If you're new to speciality coffee, brewing it at home can look complicated: scales, special kettles, filters and a lot of advice. The good news is you don't need much to make a great cup. The easiest place to start is a cafetière (French press).
Why a cafetière is the best method for beginners
A cafetière is forgiving. You add coarsely ground coffee and hot water, wait four minutes and press. There's no pouring technique to learn and no paper filters to buy, and it brings out the body and flavour of the coffee. It's also cheap, and most kitchens already have one.
Once you're comfortable, a pour-over such as the Hario V60 or an AeroPress is a good next step. We have guides to the cafetière, V60 and AeroPress, and a round-up of simple ways to brew better coffee.
What you need
- A cafetière.
- Fresh coffee. Look for a roast date on the bag. Coffee tastes best within a few weeks of roasting.
- A grinder, or coffee ground for you. Grinding just before you brew gives the most flavour, but if you don't have a grinder, buy it ground for a cafetière. Our guide to choosing a grinder can help.
- Kitchen scales. Not essential, but they make it much easier to get the same good cup every day.
A simple cafetière recipe
- Boil the kettle and let it stand for about 30 seconds.
- Add 15g of coarsely ground coffee (about two heaped dessert spoons) for every 250ml of water.
- Pour in the water, stir gently and put the lid on with the plunger up.
- After four minutes, press the plunger down slowly and pour straight away, so the coffee doesn't keep brewing.
How to improve your coffee
Brewing coffee is a bit of a science: small changes make a difference. The trick is to change one thing at a time, so you can tell what made it better.
- Too bitter or harsh? Try a coarser grind or a slightly shorter brew. (More in our guide to taking the bitterness out of coffee.)
- Too weak or sour? Use a little more coffee, a finer grind or brew for a bit longer.
- Flat tasting? Check your water. Very hard water can mute flavour; see the best water for brewing coffee.
Start with great beans
The biggest difference to your cup is the coffee itself. Freshly roasted speciality coffee has far more flavour than most supermarket coffee, so even a simple cafetière brew can taste amazing. Avoid these common grinding mistakes, store your beans in an airtight container away from light, and enjoy experimenting.
Discover a new coffee every delivery
Get a different single-origin speciality coffee from the UK's top independent roasters, freshly roasted and 100% arabica. Choose whole beans or a grind for your brewer, including decaf. Free UK delivery, and you can skip a delivery, change your date or cancel anytime.
