Find the sweet spot
Brewing extracts flavour from coffee. Bright, acidic notes tend to come through first, followed by sweetness, then bitterness. Aim for the sweet middle and use taste to guide small adjustments.
Method · Ratio · Time · Temperature
BREW GUIDESBREW GUIDES
at home comes down to a few basics: how much coffee you use, how much water, how fine you grind and how long you brew. These guides cover each one, starting with ratio, because it makes the biggest difference to how your cup tastes. Ratio is simply coffee to water by weight, so 1:16 means 1g of coffee for every 16g of water.
Each method comes with a starting recipe, not a fixed rule. Use it as a baseline, then adjust to your taste. A set of scales will help you brew more consistently, but you don't need one to get started, especially with an AeroPress or moka pot.
Method · Ratio · Time · Temperature
THE FUNDAMENTALS
A few basics for a better cup
Start with the ratio
A ratio of 1:16 means 1g of coffee for every 16g of water. For filter coffee, start around 1:15–1:17. More coffee makes a stronger brew; more water makes it lighter. Scales help, but the AeroPress scoop and brewer markings are useful too.
Grind, temperature & time
A finer grind extracts faster; a coarser grind extracts more slowly. Aim for an even grind, ideally from a burr grinder. Water around 90–96°C suits most methods: try the hotter end for lighter roasts and the cooler end for darker roasts. Grind and brew time work together.
Use good water
Water makes up most of your cup. Very hard water can mute flavour and leave scale in your equipment, so try filtered or bottled water if your tap water is hard. Volvic is one widely available bottled option to try.
Choose your preparation method
CHEMEX brew guide
- Starting recipe
- 30g coffee · 500g water · 93°C · 3–4 min
- Grind
- A little coarser than table salt.
- What you need
- Chemex, Chemex paper filter, kettle, scales and timer. Makes about two servings.
This recipe is ideal for 2 people. We will be using 30 grams of coffee to 500g of water.
The grind coarseness for this method is a bit coarser than table salt.
Our 500g of water needs to be at 93 degrees Celsius.
Place the Chemex Filter into your Chemex. First pre-wet the filter to get rid of any paper taste. Pour out this excess water through the spout.
Pour the ground coffee into the Chemex Filter. Make sure the coffee is spread evenly.
For this method we will be doing 3 pours. The first one will be starting from the centre. Continue the other pours gently outwards. We recommend not to pour water into the sides of the filter.
Pour 60g in a circular pattern from the centre, making sure all the coffee is covered. Swirl the Chemex gently and let the coffee bloom for 30 seconds.
Pour a second time, adding about 180g so the scale reads 240g by 1 minute. Swirl gently. Pause for 15–20 seconds, then make the final pour to 500g total, around 1 minute 50 seconds.
Let it drain for 3–4 minutes. A slow drawdown can take up to 7 minutes and still taste good; only grind coarser if it regularly takes longer than that. Remove the filter, swirl, pour and enjoy.
ROASTERY
What having our own roastery means to us..
Having our own roastery means we can control every step of the coffee journey, from sourcing green beans to perfecting each roast. It lets us deliver the freshest, most flavourful coffee to our cafés and customers, while reducing waste and cutting emissions. Roasting in our Stillorgan church-turned-roastery isn't just about quality, it's about staying true to our values of sustainability, community, and craft.
Our sustainability journey
We believe great coffee shouldn't come at the cost of the planet. That's why we're committed to sustainable sourcing, compostable or recyclable packaging, and minimizing our carbon footprint every step of the way. From working with responsible growers to reducing waste in our production and delivery processes, we're constantly looking for ways to do better — for your cup and the earth.
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