Brew
Method, ratio, technique — led by James Hoffmann.
We do not have a proprietary method and we are suspicious of anyone who says they do. Our brewing is more or less entirely James Hoffmann’s, because he has done the work, published it, and kept revising it in public. What follows is the ratio, the grind, the water and the timing, plus the handful of things we got wrong for years before somebody corrected us.
What is espresso?
Not a bean. Not a roast. A method, and a fairly violent one.
Why does my coffee taste bitter?
Two problems, opposite fixes, and a way to tell which one you have.
How much coffee should I use per cup?
In tablespoons, because that’s what you have in the drawer.
How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?
Including the espresso thing, which almost everybody has backwards.
How do I make coffee without a coffee maker?
A mug, hot water, and four minutes. No, really.
- Mar 2026
The Ultimate V60, and Why We Follow Hoffmann
Sixty grams per litre, a proper bloom, and drawdown by three thirty.
- Feb 2022
Hoffmann Was Right About the Bloom
Forty-five seconds, twice the coffee’s weight in water, and a swirl. It matters more than we believed.
- Jul 2021
Coffee at Altitude
Lake Tahoe, and why your water boils at 199°F up there.
- Aug 2014
A Latte at Home, Without the Machine
Four ways to foam milk using things already in your kitchen.
- Apr 2014
Turkish Coffee
A cezve, a low flame, and the one stir you only get to make once.
- Dec 2013
Espresso vs. Drip
Same bean, different pressure, and one surprising fact about caffeine.
- Jul 2013
Water
Coffee is 98% water, and almost nobody thinks about it.