Grind Fresh
One of the most simple ways to have the best coffee possible at home is to grind it fresh. Invest in a burr grinder if you can, and buy whole beans! Pre-ground coffee is acceptable if you can’t afford a grinder, but use it quick! You never know how long it has been ground before it got to your kitchen.
How much coffee do I use?
There are two suggested methods to determining the correct amount of coffee depending on your equipment.
The low-fi way:
Use 2 tablespoons (about 10 grams) per 6oz of water.
The slightly more advanced way:
Use a 1:15 ratio, one part coffee for every 15 parts of water. ( I know, this feels like chemistry class but stay with me)
Example: if you are using 64oz of water, divide 64 by 15 to get the amount of ground coffee you need to use. 64/15 = 4.26. You might get some weird decimals, but can round up or down if you need to. You don’t need some fancy coffee scale either! Any kitchen scale that measures grams or ounces will do. And remember: weigh both the water and the grounds.
Grind setting
If you have a burr grinder, you should have a variety of grind settings you can use. For a home drip brewer, it is best to use the finest grind setting you have. Why? Because home brewers, unlike our cafe brewers, do not have a pulse brewing function that gives coffee the correct brewing time. Setting it to the finest grind setting will allow adequate brew times. However, if you find the flavor to be too strong for your taste, feel free to raise the grind size a little and play around with it until you’re happy with it.