No matter the quality or price, if brewed incorrectly, bitter or sour flavors are bound to happen. Sour coffee generally means you under extracted the coffee. Try adjusting your grind a few steps finer and test with the same amount of water and coffee. Bitter coffee indicates your brew may be over extracted. Try making your grind a bit coarser. It is important to note, making coffee stronger doesn't mean adjusting your grinder settings. If you like a strong cup, we recommend adding a few extra grinds to your brew batch. Usually 10% up or down is a good starting point!

You might need to service or calibrate your grinder! Awhile back, our favorite coffee suddenly tasted a bit off. After a process of elimination, we realized our grinder wasn't working correctly which caused the odd flavors.

Most reputable sources suggest a 14:1 to 20:1 water to coffee ratio. For example, if you grind 20 grams of coffee, your water poured should weigh between 280 grams to 400 grams. The less water the stronger the flavor will be. We use 18:1 or 20:1 to brew all of our coffees with great results.

This term refers to how much coffee is pulled from each grind as it comes in contact with water. For example, a finer grind will have more grinds in contact with water, increasing extraction. Also, ideal extraction occurs at specific temperatures with is why that is also very important!

Our coffees are best brewed between 195 - 205 degrees Fahrenheit. We brew everything at 200 degrees to keep it easy.

This cannot be overstated: grind is one of the most important contributors to coffee flavor! A decent grinder will level up your coffee game in an instant no matter how you brew. Our daily use machines are the Oxo Burr Grinder ($100) or the Baratza Encore ($150).

A great place to start for grind settings is as follows:

Drip or Pour Over - medium grind (fine sand or table salt)

French Press & Cold Brew - very coarse grind (small chunks)

Espresso - super fine grind (powder like)

Our favorite method for brewing coffee is pour over. It provides the highest quality in flavor especially when you consider the cost of the equipment. A pour over kit can be <$20, such as the OXO Brew 12oz Pour-Over Coffee Maker. We love how approachable this pour over kit is for those intimidated by "fancy" coffee. It does the work for you and produces an exceptional cup!

Any French Press will do great with our coffees, water temperature and proportions are easily found with a quick web search (the proportions vary based on the size french press you have). This brewing method leaves tiny grind particles (called sediment) which can change the flavor and texture of the coffee. This is not bad, but may be off putting for someone just starting out.

We have found that Moccamaster drip machines produce the best results consistently. They are made in the Netherlands and can be found new for ~$350, or manufacturer refurbished for <$230. They are designed to mimic pour over brewing, produce a full pot of coffee, and last a very long time when cared for!

Espresso is a tough nut to crack, we have a home manual machine and are always tweaking grind and portion settings to maximize flavor. This is a lot of work, so for most daily espresso drinkers, the best balance is an automatic espresso machine like the Breville Barista.

We use the Toddy and have had amazing results! Cold brew is usually enjoyed on ice, but provides more caffeine and has been known to be gentler on the stomach. Shout out for our Costa Rica Thermic, it is hands down our favorite cold brew ever!

Do not overspend! Expensive automated machines are great, but do not necessarily produce better coffee! It's okay to start small.

For ~$100-150 you can make amazing coffee -

$40-50 Delonghi or Cuisinart burr grinder

$40 Temperature Controlled Electric Kettle (Costco, or whichever tea kettle you already have works fine, just monitor the water temp)

$20 Pour Over, $20 French Press, $40 Chemex

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We'd love to help you with any questions to ensure you maximize your coffee's potential.