How do you start making coffee at home?
Quick answer
Choose one brewer, match the grind to it, and measure coffee and water. For our V60 filter recipe, begin with 15 g coffee and 240 g input water (1:16). Repeat the recipe before changing a variable. French press, AeroPress, moka, espresso and cold brew have their own recipes and limits; 1:16 is not a universal filling rule.
Choose the method you will actually use
| What matters to you | A useful starting point | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Immersion without a pouring routine | French press | Steep, press gently and decant; some sediment is normal |
| One cup with a short, defined sequence | AeroPress | Follow the upright recipe and the instructions for your model |
| A paper-filtered cup and control over pouring | V60 | Match the filter, use a scale and watch both flow and taste |
| Several cups with less manual pouring | Drip machine | Use the machine's water and basket limits |
| Concentrated stovetop coffee | Moka pot | Fill within the manufacturer's basket and safety-valve limits; do not tamp |
| A refrigerated brew to filter later | Cold brew | Follow the refrigerated recipe and measure filtered concentrate before dilution |
The method picker can narrow the choice. These descriptions are practical differences, not results of a comparative product test. Equipment prices and a manufacturer's “cup” sizes vary; this guide does not treat them as universal measures.
Equipment: essential and optional
Start with: a brewer, suitable coffee or a grinder, a stable cup/server, a way to heat water when the recipe calls for it, and a way to measure coffee and water. Check the brewer's instructions before use.
A scale helps: grams make the next recipe easier to repeat. A spoon is an approximation because grind, roast and how tightly it is filled change its coffee mass. There is no universal grams-per-tablespoon conversion.
Optional: a controlled-pour kettle for V60, a thermometer, and a grinder that lets you repeat a setting. Use the equipment you already have before choosing upgrades. A phone timer and the local journal are sufficient for recording the first comparison; no account is needed.
Measure a recipe for your method
These quantities are the inputs of the linked editorial starting recipes, not the volume of finished coffee. Some water stays in the grounds. Water mass in grams and volume in ml are approximately interchangeable for ordinary kitchen recipe planning; weighing avoids ambiguous cup markings.
| Method | Coffee | Input water | Recipe and next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| V60 | 15 g | 240 g | 1:16 recipe, V60 calculator |
| French press | 20 g | 300 g | 1:15 recipe, timer |
| AeroPress | 15 g | 210 g | 1:14 upright recipe, timer |
| Drip | 30 g | 480 g | 1:16 starting recipe, calculator |
For a different batch, use the ratio guide. Do not use this table to fill an espresso machine, moka pot or cold-brew batch: their linked guides explain beverage yield, fixed hardware limits and concentrate respectively.
Scale your V60 recipe
Set input water and ratio, then carry the dose and pour targets into the timer. The default 170-second schedule is a small-batch starting point, not a guaranteed finish time for every batch.
Grind, brew, then make one change
Use the grind chart as a starting point, not a calibrated particle-size measurement. Record the grinder model and setting; click numbers do not transfer between models. Follow the chosen recipe's water temperature and steps rather than applying one rule to every brewer.
| What you notice | Check first | A controlled next comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Balanced flavour but too light | Dose, ratio and extra dilution | Keep grind and water fixed; compare a little more coffee |
| Sharp and thin, with unusually fast flow | Dose, filter fit, pour and grind | If those are consistent, compare one finer grind setting |
| Dry or harsh, with slow flow | Roast, filter, fines and agitation | If consistent, compare one coarser setting |
| Different results from the same recipe | Measurement and sequence | Repeat before buying equipment or changing several variables |
Taste and time are clues, not measurements of extraction. Use the troubleshooter if more than one cause is plausible.
A first week you can repeat
- Days 1–2: make the same method-specific recipe twice. Keep coffee, ratio, grind, water and pouring sequence steady; record what happened.
- Days 3–4: choose one plausible adjustment and repeat it. Do not treat sourness or bitterness alone as a diagnosis.
- Days 5–6: if flavour is balanced but strength is wrong, compare a ratio change. At fixed 240 g filter water, 1:15 uses 16 g coffee; 1:17 uses about 14.1 g.
- Day 7: save the version you would repeat, including input quantities, actual brew time and one taste note. The brew plan offers a longer practice sequence.
Common questions
Do I need expensive equipment? Start with a suitable brewer and repeatable measurements. This is not a product ranking or a promise that one purchase improves every cup.
What does one cup mean? This site's calculator uses a labelled 240 ml planning unit. Brewer and mug markings can mean different volumes. Measure the input water and keep it separate from finished beverage yield.
Can I make hot coffee over ice? Yes: use the iced pour-over calculator to split a total input between hot water and ice. That is a different process from cold brew.
Can I leave cold brew on the counter? Do not transfer this site's refrigerated recipe to room temperature. Follow the cold-brew process and limits, including 4 °C or below and the distinction between concentrate and diluted drink.
What is checked, and what still needs testing
The linked recipes and tools define these starting quantities; the arithmetic is reproducible. They are editorial guidance, not our own measured taste trial or independent equipment comparison. How we check guidance explains the source and original-testing limits. Save your actual observations privately in the journal.