Brew guides

Fewer ruined first cups.

The same coffee, brewed badly, is a different and worse drink. None of this is complicated — it's a few numbers and a bit of attention. Pick your method, follow the ratios, adjust to taste. Here's what we'd do.

Espresso

Espresso

Short, intense, unforgiving of a bad grind. Best with Dark Nectar or Forest Walk.

Ratio1 : 2
Dose18–20 g
Time25–32 s
Temp92–94 °C
Best for: Forest Walk · Dark Nectar Guide
Filter

Filter

Clean and bright; shows you everything. Best with Highland Bourbon or Amber Mist.

Ratio1 : 15–16
Dose15 g
Time3–4 min
Temp93–96 °C
Best for: Highland Bourbon · Amber Mist Guide
Cafetière

Cafetière

Forgiving and full-bodied. A Sunday-morning method. Best with Forest Walk.

Ratio1 : 14–15
Dose30 g
Steep4 min
Temp94–96 °C
Best for: Forest Walk · Amber Mist Guide
Phin

Phin

The Vietnamese method: slow, concentrated, meditative. Dark Nectar over ice with condensed milk is non-negotiable.

Ratio1 : 8–10
Dose20–25 g
Time5–8 min
Temp96 °C
Best for: Dark Nectar · Forest Walk Guide

Blend × method

Which blend works where.

Blend Best method Also works Notes
Forest Walk Espresso · Phin Cafetière The Robusta base holds up to pressure and heat.
Amber Mist Filter · Cafetière Espresso Honey-processed sweetness shows best at lower pressure.
Dark Nectar Phin · Espresso Cafetière Over ice with condensed milk — the classic preparation, non-negotiable.
Highland Bourbon Filter Cafetière Washed Red Bourbon is delicate — filter gives you the full range of flavour.

Grind settings

Grind matters more than almost anything else.

1 Espresso Fine · like fine salt
2 Moka Pot Fine-medium
3 Phin Medium · like coarse sand
4 Filter / V60 Medium-coarse
5 Cafetière Coarse · like breadcrumbs

Too fine and it turns bitter; too coarse and it goes thin and sour. Chloris is supplied whole bean — grind it fresh, to the setting for your method, and change one thing at a time.