Northwind Coffee Co.

Brew guide

Four numbers do most of the work. Everything else is preference.

The numbers

• Ratio 1:16 — about 15g of coffee to 250g of water for a balanced cup. Stronger is 1:15, lighter is 1:17.
• Temperature 195-205°F (90-96°C) — just off the boil. Hotter scorches, cooler under-extracts and tastes sour.
• Grind — coarse for French press, medium for pour-over, fine for espresso.
• Freshness — rest beans 3-5 days after the roast date, then use them within four weeks.

Pour-over

Bloom with twice the coffee's weight in water for 30-45 seconds, then pour in slow circles. Total 3-4 minutes.

French press

Coarse grind, four minutes steeped, press slowly and decant straight away so it does not keep extracting.

Espresso

18g in, about 36g out, in 25-30 seconds. If it runs fast, grind finer; if it chokes, grind coarser. Our Northwind Espresso is blended for exactly this.

Aeropress

15g, medium grind, 200g of water, stir once, steep 90 seconds, press for 30. Forgiving and hard to ruin.