Know your coffee.
the difference is almost always the ratio
Espresso
The base every milk drink is built on.
Same bean. Different builds.
Every method is a different force.
pressure, gravity, immersion, steam, or just time
Around nine bars of pressure push hot water through a compacted puck of finely ground coffee. The pressure emulsifies oils and dissolves CO₂ into the liquid, which is what produces crema.
- 01
Dose 18 g into the basket and distribute it evenly.
- 02
Tamp level, so water cannot find a weak channel.
- 03
Lock in and start the pump immediately.
- 04
Stop at roughly twice the dose in liquid weight.
What you getConcentrated and syrupy, with crema on top. The base for every milk drink.
Where it goes wrongChannelling. If water finds a gap in the puck it runs straight through and the shot is thin and sour.
Hot water is showered over a bed of grounds held in a paper or metal filter. Gravity draws it through the bed and into the carafe. The coffee only meets the water once, on its way past.
- 01
Medium grind, level in the filter.
- 02
Water heats and showers over the bed.
- 03
Gravity pulls it through at its own rate.
- 04
The spent bed holds the fines back.
What you getClean, consistent and easy to repeat at volume.
Where it goes wrongA stale filter bed. Rinse paper filters first or you will taste them.
The same gravity filtration as drip, except you pour. Controlling where and how fast the water goes lets you control how evenly the bed extracts.
- 01
Rinse the paper and warm the vessel.
- 02
Bloom: 45 g of water on 15 g of coffee, wait 30 seconds while CO₂ escapes.
- 03
Pour in slow concentric stages to 240 g.
- 04
Drawdown should finish by about 3:30.
What you getBright, clean and articulate. The method that shows origin most clearly.
Where it goes wrongSkipping the bloom. Fresh coffee off-gasses CO₂, which repels water and blocks even extraction.
Every ground sits in all of the water for the whole brew, then a metal mesh plunger separates the two. Mesh lets oils and fine particles through, where paper would trap them.
- 01
Coarse grind, water just off the boil.
- 02
Stir once and let it steep 4 minutes.
- 03
Break the crust and skim the foam and floaters.
- 04
Press slowly, then decant straight away.
What you getHeavy body and full mouthfeel, oils intact, a little sediment.
Where it goes wrongLeaving it on the grounds. It keeps extracting after you press, so pour it out.
Coffee steeps fully, as in a press, then you push it through a paper filter by hand. Short steep, low temperature and a paper filter together give a cup that is both strong and clean.
- 01
14 g medium-fine into the chamber.
- 02
Add 200 g water, stir, cap it.
- 03
Steep one to two minutes.
- 04
Press steadily for about 30 seconds.
What you getConcentrated but clean. Forgiving, fast and very hard to ruin.
Where it goes wrongPressing hard. If it fights back the grind is too fine; ease off rather than forcing it.
Water in the sealed base boils and the steam has nowhere to go, so it forces the water up through the grounds and out into the top chamber. Roughly 1.5 bar, against espresso’s nine.
- 01
Fill the base to just below the safety valve.
- 02
Level the basket, do not tamp it.
- 03
Heat gently with the lid open.
- 04
Take it off the heat the moment the stream turns pale and gurgles.
What you getStrong, bold and dark. Close to espresso in strength, not in texture.
Where it goes wrongHigh heat. It scorches the coffee and pushes bitterness through with the steam.
Without heat, extraction still happens, just slowly. The compounds that need heat, including many of the acids and bitter notes, largely stay behind in the grounds.
- 01
Coarse grind into cold water at 1:8.
- 02
Steep 12 to 24 hours, covered.
- 03
Strain, then filter again for clarity.
- 04
Dilute the concentrate to taste over ice.
What you getLow acid, smooth and naturally sweet. The concentrate keeps about a week refrigerated.
Where it goes wrongOver-steeping past 24 hours. It turns woody and flat rather than stronger.
Coffee, water and sugar are heated together in a narrow-necked cezve. Nothing is filtered out. The grind is finer than espresso, so it stays suspended and then settles in the cup.
- 01
Grind to a powder, finer than espresso.
- 02
Combine coffee, cold water and sugar in the cezve.
- 03
Heat slowly until foam rises up the neck.
- 04
Lift it off before it boils. Pour the foam first.
What you getThick, intense and aromatic, with grounds resting at the bottom.
Where it goes wrongLetting it boil. The foam collapses and cannot be brought back.
A two-chamber brass filter. Fine coffee and chicory are packed into the upper chamber under a perforated press, hot water sits on top, and the decoction drips slowly into the lower chamber.
- 01
70:30 coffee to chicory, ground fine.
- 02
Pack the upper chamber and press it down.
- 03
Pour hot water over and cover.
- 04
Wait 8 to 10 minutes for the decoction to drip through.
- 05
Mix one part decoction to two parts boiled milk, then pull between tumbler and davara.
What you getStrong, dark and slightly bitter decoction that stands up to a lot of hot milk.
Where it goes wrongPacking too tight. It will not drip. Too loose and the decoction comes out weak.
A small metal chamber sits directly on the glass. Coffee goes in under a loose gravity press, water on top, and it drips through at its own pace, usually onto condensed milk.
- 01
Condensed milk into the glass first.
- 02
Coffee into the phin, press seated on top.
- 03
Add a little water to bloom, then fill.
- 04
Let it drip for four to five minutes, then stir and pour over ice.
What you getThick, dark and sweet. Robusta carries the sugar rather than being buried by it.
Where it goes wrongPressing too hard. It stalls the drip completely.
The coffee was brewed already, at scale, then the water was removed by spray-drying or freeze-drying. Freeze-drying keeps more aromatics because it never heats the extract twice.
- 01
Coffee is brewed as a concentrate.
- 02
Water is removed, leaving soluble crystals.
- 03
Add hot or cold water, or milk.
- 04
Stir until fully dissolved.
What you getConsistent and immediate. Quality depends entirely on the brew that was dried.
Where it goes wrongBoiling water on a delicate freeze-dried blend. Just off the boil keeps more aroma.
Where Séquence fits.
Hot water over the bag, no equipment. A pour over without the kit.
A 20 ml sachet into hot water or milk, hot or cold. An americano or a latte, no machine.
Silk Blend into 120 to 150 ml of water or milk. Stir, sip, repeat.
Knowing the difference is what makes it a ritual instead of a habit.
Right moment. Right coffee. Right you.