Coffee brewing methods: how to make your perfect cup of coffee
Brewing coffee really only requires two ingredients: coffee beans and water. Yet changing the water temperature, grind size, brew time or pressure can result in very distinct flavours. The way we brew can be as simple as ground coffee mixed with water in a cup. Or as complex as balancing extraction ratios and measuring total dissolved solids. A huge range of brewing devices representing coffee drinking from around the world are now available to us, opening up possibilities for exploration and challenging what is considered a standard cup of coffee.
Here we’ll break down the different ways to make coffee and why they taste different so you can choose the brewing method that best suits you.
Using a home espresso machine
| Type of brew: | Pressure |
| Originally from: | Italy at the end of the 19th Century |
| Equipment needed: | Espresso machine with portafilter and steam wand, automatic grinder (unless built in to the machine), hand tamper, tamp mat, a timer, scales, milk jugs (optional), knock box (optional) |
| Equipment cost: | $250-$3000+ |
| Skill level: | Ranges from intermediate to highly advanced |
| Grind size: | Fine |
| Coffee to use: | Juggernaut Blend or Single Origin Espresso Roast |
How it works in a nutshell
Grind coffee beans to the texture of fine sand. Fill the basket and tamp flat. Fit the portafilter into the machine group head until tight. Run pressured hot water through the grinds until enough espresso pours through the spout and into your cup below. Add extra hot water for a long black or steam milk to different textures for a flat white, latte or cappuccino.
It can take some practice to get a good cup of coffee and it’s worth trying out some different recipes until you find something you love. An espresso recipe should include the dose (how many grams of ground coffee going in), the yield (how many grams of espresso pouring into your cup) and a total pour time. Adjust the grind size slowly until you hit the targets.
Typical results
Espresso coffee will have lots of body from the oils that are extracted at high pressure. This can create a thick, smooth mouthfeel and an intense flavour when undiluted. Usually there will be a layer of crema on top which will dissipate at is cools.
Generally the flavours from espresso are less acidic and lean towards chocolate and nuts. These combine best with milk. It’s easy to over-extract espresso resulting in bitter flavours. If you’re following a recipe and still getting bitter coffee, check that your equipment is clean and the coffee has been freshly roasted (within a month of the roast date is usually fine).
Who’s it for
Anyone who enjoys milky coffees typically drink espresso brews (lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites) as their go-to. The bold flavours cut through milk well. Straight espresso also suits those wanting a proverbial smack-in-the-face and can be an intense experience for beginners!
Making espresso at home can take a while to perfect but is very rewarding. This brew method is great if you like to experiment or just like your coffee a very particular way. The equipment involved can be quite high at the outset.
Here is a good starter recipe for brewing espresso at home using our Juggernaut Blend.
Brewing with the Aeropress
| Type of brew: | Pressure & immersion |
| Originally from: | Invented in the USA in 2005 |
| Equipment needed: | Aeropress, filter (paper or metal), scales, kettle, hand grinder |
| Equipment cost: | $50-$150 |
| Skill level: | Beginner to intermediate |
| Grind size: | Medium |
| Coffee to use: | Poundcake Blend or Single Origin Filter Roast |
How it works in a nutshell
The method of making Aeropress coffee is pretty straightforward. The package instructions are intended for the American consumer and list coffee amounts by the scoopful. We find we get better results by weighing coffee grounds, but you can keep it as simple as you like. Place a filter (rinsed paper or metal) in the filter cap and screw onto the chamber. Sit the chamber on your cup and add the ground coffee. Pour in hot (not boiling) water and stir. Attach the plunger and press hard to extract your coffee directly into the cup. Dilute with a little extra hot water.
The Aeropress inverted method is also very popular. Attach the plunger and chamber together and flip it upside down. Add the ground coffee to the Aeropress (it should be on top of the rubber seal) and fill with water. Stir, let sit for a minute, attach the filter cap and flip the whole device upright onto your cup. Press down until the brewed coffee is extracted into the cup and add extra hot water to dilute. Read our recommended Aeropress recipe here.
Typical results
Aeropress coffee is versatile and results depend on filter type, grind size, immersion time and water temp. A paper filter and course grind will bring out cleanness and clarity like a pour over coffee. With a lower water temperature (less than 85C) you can get a soft and mellow brew. A metal filter and longer brewing time can bring heavier, rich flavours similar to a French press. For this reason it is often considered a must-have brew device for coffee connoisseurs.
The World Aeropress Championships take place each year across more than 60 countries. Thousands of competitors trial their unique techniques and recipes to contend for the best Aeropress brew, proving that this brew method can result in widely complex and varied cups of coffee. The Aeropress brewing competition is considered to be “the people’s championship”, one that anyone can compete in, regardless of their resources or access to green coffee.
Who’s it for
Brewing with an Aeropress is an excellent method for novices and experts alike. Since there are lots of ways to use this device it’s often recommended for people just getting started with brewing coffee at home. It’s portable, easy to use and very forgiving. When using a metal filter it’s also a very sustainable option with minimal waste. If you’re used to buying a coffee from your local café each day and want to start exploring coffee further without breaking the bank, you can’t go wrong with the Aeropress.
Coffee pour over with a V60
| Type of brew: | Drip / pour over |
| Originally from: | Japan in 2004 |
| Equipment needed: | Hario 2 Cup V60 (porcelain, plastic or copper), paper filters, scales, gooseneck kettle, hand grinder |
| Equipment cost: | $30-$150 |
| Skill level: | Beginner to intermediate |
| Grind size: | Medium-coarse |
| Coffee to use: | Single Origin Filter Roast |
How it works in a nutshell
Take a paper filter and fit it in the dripper. Rinse the filter with hot water to clean the paper and warm the V60 at the same time. Add medium-course, freshly ground coffee to the filter. With your cup and scales underneath, gently pour a small amount of hot water over the grounds to “bloom”. You should see the grounds rising and bubbles escaping upwards. This step allows the coffee to off-gas and creates a more balanced flavour.
Continue pouring hot water over the grounds in a circular motion. Then you can give it a little swirl if you like to ensure the water has integrated evenly. Your pour over is ready once the final drops of water have flowed through the grounds and into your cup.
Don’t be put off by the complicated tutorials by the pros on YouTube. At its core the V60 is still a very simple brewing device to use that was designed to produce a clean and balanced cup of coffee. We have an easy recipe for the V60 here.
Typical results
The V60 does an excellent job of highlighting the flavours of the coffee origin. This can range from bright and fruity to rich and chocolatey or anything in between. When properly extracted you can expect sweetness, clarity and brilliant aromas. The paper filter still allows some of the oils from the coffee grounds into the cup, leaving you with a satisfying amount of body compared to other pour over methods, however regular espresso drinkers will likely find their V60 to be a much thinner consistency than they’re used to.
Who’s it for
The famous porcelain V60 can be found in every specialty coffee shop these days. Hario took the coffee world away from immersion brewers and helped drip coffee reach the popularity it enjoys today. It’s now overwhelmingly the brewer of choice for competitors at the worldwide Brewer’s Cup Championships.
Yet its simple design and easy to master technique mean this pour over method is well loved by coffee drinkers the world over and ideal for those drawn to a morning coffee ritual.
Coffee pour over with a Chemex
| Type of brew: | Drip / pour over |
| Originally from: | USA in 1941 |
| Equipment needed: | Chemex, paper filters, grinder, scales, gooseneck kettle |
| Equipment cost: | $100-$250 |
| Skill level: | Intermediate to advanced |
| Grind size: | Coarse |
| Coffee to use: | Single Origin Filter Roast |
How it works in a nutshell
Place the flat or pre-folded filter paper in the Chemex and rinse. With the device on a tared scale add the coffee grounds. Start with a bloom then slowly pour water in a spiral motion over the coffee, making sure the grounds are evenly saturated. After a few minutes when all the water has passed through to the bottom, remove the filter and serve.
Typical results
With its strong aromas and even consistency, the Chemex is produces a very clean cup of coffee, highlighting the more subtle flavours of the coffee’s origin. It has minimal oils and a very thin body. The resulting brew is light and tea-like. Due to the thick filter the brew time will be longer compared to a V60 pourover. It’s a little more delicate than other pour over methods and can end up watery and weak if under-extracted.
Who’s it for
The Chemex has a few things going for it over other pour over devices. You can serve directly from the brewer, it makes larger volumes of coffee for a couple or small group, and it’s a beautiful statement piece for the kitchen. The paper filters also give the resulting coffee wonderful clarity. Definitely not suitable as a portable brewing device!
Recipe is everything with Chemex brewing and the relationship between grind size, water temperature and pour time is worth experimenting with to achieve the perfect extraction. There is a starter recipe for the 3 cup Chemex on our coffee page, or check out this recipe comparison from Prima Coffee.
Making coffee with a French Press or Plunger*
| Type of brew: | Immersion |
| Originally from: | France, first design in 1852 and the more modern design we recognise today was invented in 1958 |
| Equipment needed: | French Press, coffee grinder, scales, kettle |
| Equipment cost: | $10-$150 |
| Skill level: | Beginner |
| Grind size: | Coarse |
| Coffee to use: | Poundcake Blend |
How it works in a nutshell
Pre-heat the vessel with hot water while you grind the beans to a course, granule texture. Empty the water, replace with ground coffee, add hot water, give a stir and leave covered to brew for a few minutes. Plunge the metal filter down to separate brewed coffee from grounds and serve immediately. See more details in our plunger brewing recipe.
Typical results
Brewing with a French Press is super straightforward. Once you find a recipe that suits your tastes you’re almost guaranteed a good cup of coffee each time. A plunger coffee is usually balanced, rich, with medium body and all the flavours typically associate with coffee.
Too fine a grind can cause problems, such as too much pressure while plunging, over-extraction and too many particles escaping through the filter. So if you’re not happy with the results maybe start adjusting there. If you want a strong brew to add milk to, use a little more ground coffee beans. If you want a more delicate flavour to your coffee try reducing the steeping time by a minute or so.
Who’s it for
Most people, really. Plungers are easy to use, fast, inexpensive and don’t need any single use paper filters. It’s easy to modify the recipe for different numbers of cups by keeping the same ratio of water to grounds and adjusting up or down. Probably not the ideal choice for anyone picky about grit or fine grounds ending up in the cup.
*All French Presses are plungers, but not all plungers are French Presses! Plunger is the common term used in Australia for this brewing device.
Brewing great coffee with a moka pot
| Type of brew: | Pressure |
| Originally from: | Italy in 1933 |
| Equipment needed: | Moka pot (splits into 3 parts: upper chamber, lower chamber and filter), a grinder and a heat source |
| Equipment cost: | $10-100 |
| Skill level: | Intermediate |
| Grind size: | Medium-coarse |
| Coffee to use: | Atlas Blend or Single Origin Espresso Roast |
How it works in a nutshell
The Moka Pot, Bialetti or Stovetop Espresso is a simple device with no electronic parts. It utilises steam pressure from boiling water to extract coffee and comes in different sizes that make up to 12 cups at a time.
Pull apart the moka pot and fill the lower chamber with cold water up to the safety valve. Fill the basket with medium-course ground coffee and reassemble the unit. Place it on the stove at a high temperature. As soon as the water reaches boiling the brewed coffee will start to pour through the top into the upper chamber. Immediately remove the pot from the stove and let it finish pouring into the upper chamber then serve. You can find a step-by-step guide for moka pot coffee here.
Typical results
This method delivers sharp flavours and lots of oils, but without the crema texture. Don’t expect a shot exactly like from an espresso machine, but you can get somewhat close with this low-tech alternative.
It is very easy to over-extract coffee using a stovetop espresso device which will result in burnt and bitter flavours. Likewise, an under-extracted coffee from using too course a grind will leave you with a weak and watery cup. Pay careful attention while it’s brewing and make sure to switch off the heat as soon as coffee starts to gurgle and pour through the spout.
Who’s it for
Moka pot devotees typically like their coffee strong and punchy. It’s ideal for those wanting something strong to wake up with and very easy to replicate after you’ve figured out the ideal grind size and heat timing. Bialettis and similar brands are about as cheap as you can get for making coffee at home. Whether you only make a single cup for yourself, or like to serve it to guests, the different sizes can cater to your unique needs.
Other noteworthy coffee brewing methods
Percolator:
This is a mix between a French press and a moka pot, popular in the USA before most switched to drip brewers. Combines the less favourable results of the methods as mentioned earlier.
Syphon:
Highly aromatic and visual, this is a fun device for hardcore coffee lovers. Perfect for those who approach brewing coffee like it’s alchemy.
Batch brew / drip brewers:
For when 6 cups of coffee isn’t enough! A good batch brewer like the Moccamaster is an investment but makes delicious drip coffee in a convenient manner for groups.
Cold brew:
Extreme caffeination and natural sweetness. Brewing with cold water for a long time causes different chemical reactions and sometimes wildly different flavours. These can be immersion or drip brewers and need at least 8 hours to get results.
Instant coffee:
As much as instant coffee is mocked, it does have its place. Instant is made from the damaged, broken and low quality coffee beans that are part of every coffee farm. Utilising these for cheaper grocery store bags saves countless tons of coffee going to waste while making coffee affordable to everyone.
Cowboy coffee:
No equipment needed. Stir those fine grounds directly into your cup and drink. Just avoid the last few crunchy sips. As the grounds continue to extract you’ll end up with a very bitter coffee by the end. Brewing with hot (rather than boiling) water will give better results.
