Coffee Brewing
Brew better coffee at home — pour-over, French press, and more, each with the right coffee-to-water ratio, grind, and method. Start with the free coffee-to-water ratio calculator, then dial in your method below.
How they work
Buying guides and explainers — start here if you are new to the category.
Coffee Brewing Terms, Explained: A Plain-Language Glossary
A plain-language glossary of the coffee terms that actually change your cup: extraction, TDS, fines and boulders, bloom, degassing, channeling, drawdown, retention, and more. Each one defined in a sentence, with why it matters — so the vocabulary on every other coffee page makes sense.
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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee: Ratio, Grind, and Steep Time
Cold brew is the most hands-off way to make coffee: coarse grounds, cold water, a 1:8 ratio for concentrate (or 1:15 to drink straight), and a 12–24 hour steep in the fridge before you strain. There's no heat and no timing pressure — the two things to get right are a coarse grind and enough steep time, and the payoff is a smooth, low-acid coffee that keeps for a week.
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How to Make Pour-Over Coffee: The Ratio, Grind, and Method
Great pour-over comes down to four numbers: a 1:16–1:17 coffee-to-water ratio, a medium grind, water at 195–205°F, and a total brew time of about 2:30–3:30. Bloom the grounds first, then pour in slow, steady circles. Get those right and a V60 or Chemex makes a cleaner, sweeter cup than a drip machine — the technique is the whole point.
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How to Use a French Press: Ratio, Grind, and Steep Time
A French press is the most forgiving way to make full-bodied coffee: a 1:12–1:15 ratio, a coarse grind, water just off the boil, and a four-minute steep before you press slowly and pour. The coarse grind and long steep are what give it its rich body — and what make grind size and steep time the two things to get right.
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How to Use a Moka Pot: Grind, Heat, and the Right Technique
A moka pot makes strong, espresso-style coffee on the stovetop: fill the base to the valve with hot water, fill the funnel with a fine-medium grind (don't tamp), and brew on medium-low heat until you hear a gentle gurgle — then pull it off. The two things that make or break it are grind size and heat: too fine or too hot and it turns bitter and metallic.
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How to Use an AeroPress: Ratio, Grind, and Method
The AeroPress makes a clean, concentrated cup in about a minute: a medium-fine grind, a 1:14–1:16 ratio, water around 175–200°F, a short stir-and-steep, then a slow press. It's forgiving and fast — the two levers that matter most are grind size and press speed, and you can brew it standard or inverted depending on how much control you want.
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The Coffee-to-Water Ratio, Explained (The Golden Ratio)
The coffee-to-water ratio is how much coffee you use per unit of water, written like 1:16 — one gram of coffee to sixteen grams of water. The widely used golden ratio is about 1:15 to 1:18 by weight, and it's the single biggest lever on how your coffee tastes: a lower number means stronger, a higher number means milder. Weigh it once and every cup gets predictable.
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Best for specific uses
Ranked picks for each use case, grounded in verified buyer review data.
The Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers, Ranked on Owner Reviews
The best cold brew coffee maker is the County Line Kitchen 64-ounce: the most favorable owner feedback of the four we analyzed, and a batch big enough for several days. For smaller batches, the Primula Burke. If you do not want glass, the Takeya Deluxe. All three rest on small owner samples, and we say so.
Read →The Best French Press: Why Stainless Steel Beats Glass
The best French press is the Secura stainless steel 34-ounce: the most favorable owner feedback of the six presses we analyzed, and no glass to break. The Mueller stainless press is a close second. The pattern across the category is clear: the glass presses' most common complaint is the glass cracking, and the steel ones avoid it.
Read →The Best Pour-Over Coffee Makers, Ranked on Owner Reviews
The best pour-over coffee maker is the Hario V60 ceramic dripper: the most favorable owner feedback of the three we analyzed, on a small sample. If you want pour-over without the technique, the OXO single-serve maker meters the water for you. For no paper filters, the LHS stainless dripper, with a durability caveat.
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