The ritual
The essentials
Lighter roasts keep more of a coffee's original brightness and fruit. Medium roasts balance sweetness and body. Dark roasts bring deeper, cocoa-and-smoke flavours with lower perceived acidity. Roast level alone doesn't determine caffeine.
Medium to dark roasts tend to be more forgiving as espresso, with a fuller body and sweeter crema. Use a fine, consistent grind and dial in by taste.
Use fresh water just off the boil (around 195 to 205°F), a ratio near 1:16 coffee to water, and grind just before brewing. Bitterness usually means over-extraction, grind a touch coarser.
Keep beans in the resealable bag or an airtight container, away from heat, light and moisture. Skip the fridge. Most coffee tastes best within a few weeks of opening.
Whole beans stay fresher for longer; ground coffee is ready when you are. If you buy ground, choose the grind that matches your brewer.
Start with how you like it to taste, then match it to how you brew. Our coffee finder does exactly that in three questions.
Make it yours