Coffee 15-Minute Quickstart: Brew Better Coffee Today

Welcome to Better Coffee!

Time to Complete: 15 minutes What You’ll Learn: Coffee fundamentals to immediately improve your daily cup Who This Is For: Anyone drinking coffee who wants it to taste better

Part 1: The Four Pillars of Great Coffee (3 minutes)

1. Fresh Beans

Why It Matters: Coffee is agricultural product with peak freshness window.

The Rules:

• Buy whole beans with roast date (not “best by”)
• Use within 4-6 weeks of roast date
• Peak flavor: 7-21 days after roasting
• Store in airtight container, cool and dark

Where to Buy:

• Local specialty roaster (best—fresh, knowledgeable staff)
• Online specialty roasters (Blue Bottle, Counter Culture, etc.)
• Avoid: Grocery store (usually stale, months old)

2. Grind Fresh

Why It Matters: Ground coffee goes stale in hours (not days). Pre-ground coffee is dead coffee.

The Rules:

• Never buy pre-ground (loses flavor in 15-30 minutes)
• Grind just before brewing
• Use a burr grinder (blade “grinders” are terrible—uneven particles)

Investment:

• Minimum: $40-70 hand grinder (Timemore C2)
• Recommended: $140 electric burr grinder (Baratza Encore)

This is the #1 upgrade that transforms coffee quality.

3. Proper Ratio

Why It Matters: Too much coffee = bitter. Too little = weak. Precision matters.

The Golden Ratio: 1:15 to 1:17 (coffee:water by weight)

Examples:

• 20g coffee : 300g water
• 30g coffee : 500g water

Get a Scale:

• $20 Amazon scale works fine
• Measure coffee and water by weight (grams)
• Eyeballing = inconsistent results

4. Water Quality & Temperature

Water Quality:

• Filtered tap or bottled spring water
• Avoid: Distilled (too pure), heavily chlorinated tap

Water Temperature:

• 195-205°F (90-96°C)
• Boil, then wait 30-60 seconds
• Or use electric kettle with temperature control

Part 2: Choose Your Brewing Method (5 minutes)

For Beginners: French Press

Why Start Here:

• Cheap ($20-40)
• Easy, forgiving
• Makes great coffee
• No technique required

How to Brew:

1. Boil water, let cool 30 seconds (200°F)
2. Grind 30g coffee coarse (like breadcrumbs)
3. Add to French press
4. Pour 500g hot water, stir
5. Wait 4 minutes
6. Press slowly, pour, enjoy

Taste: Full-body, rich, some sediment

For Pour Over Lovers: V60

Why Choose This:

• Clean, bright coffee
• Highlights bean characteristics
• $8-30 (very affordable)
• Rewarding technique

How to Brew:

1. Heat water to 205°F
2. Rinse paper filter
3. Grind 20g coffee medium-fine (like sand)
4. Bloom: Pour 40g water, wait 30-45 sec
5. Slowly pour to 300g total (spiral motion)
6. Total time: 2:30-3:00

Taste: Clean, bright, complex

For Convenience: Automatic Drip

Why Choose This:

• Set it and forget it
• Makes multiple cups
• Consistent

Buy SCAA-Certified Machine:

• Bonavita Connoisseur ($150)
• Technivorm Moccamaster ($309)

Not cheap $40 drip machines (wrong temperature, terrible coffee)

How to Brew:

1. Grind coffee medium (for your batch size)
2. Use ratio: 1:17 (60g coffee for 1 liter water)
3. Add fresh water, press brew
4. Serve immediately (don’t leave on hot plate >30 min)

For Espresso Fans: Start Later

Don’t Start With Espresso:

• Expensive ($800+ for machine + grinder)
• Steep learning curve
• Master filter coffee first

If You Must:

• Budget: $800 minimum (Gaggia Classic Pro + Eureka Mignon)
• Learn on easier methods first
• Read our Equipment Guide first

Part 3: Choosing Beans (4 minutes)

Understand Roast Levels

Light Roast:

• Bright, fruity, acidic
• Origin characteristics preserved
• Best for: Ethiopian, Kenyan beans
• Brew: Pour over

Medium Roast:

• Balanced, sweet, chocolatey
• Most popular
• Best for: Colombian, Costa Rican
• Brew: Any method

Dark Roast:

• Bold, bitter, low acidity
• Roast flavors dominate
• Best for: Indonesian, old beans (hides defects)
• Brew: French press, espresso

Start with medium roast—most approachable.

Understand Origins

East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya):

• Bright, fruity, wine-like
• Blueberry, floral, citrus
• Try if: You like bright, complex coffee

Central America (Colombia, Costa Rica):

• Balanced, chocolatey, nutty
• Approachable, consistent
• Try if: You want reliable, crowd-pleasing coffee

South America (Brazil):

• Chocolate, caramel, low acidity
• Heavy body, smooth
• Try if: You dislike acidity

Asia-Pacific (Sumatra, Java):

• Earthy, herbal, spicy
• Full body, low acidity
• Try if: You like bold, earthy coffee

Recommendation: Start with Colombian medium roast (balanced, approachable).

Single-Origin vs. Blend

Single-Origin:

• Coffee from one place
• Showcases unique characteristics
• More expensive
• Can be polarizing

Blend:

• Multiple origins mixed
• Balanced, consistent
• Cheaper
• Crowd-pleasing

Start with blends, explore single-origins later.

Part 4: Immediate Action Plan (3 minutes)

This Week

Step 1: Buy Fresh Beans

• Find local roaster or order online
• Buy whole beans with roast date
• Choose: Medium roast, Central American or blend

Step 2: Get a Burr Grinder

• Minimum: $40-70 hand grinder
• Recommended: $140 Baratza Encore
• Don’t use blade grinder

Step 3: Get a Scale

• $15-30 basic kitchen scale
• Weighs to 0.1g or 1g

Step 4: Choose Brewing Method

• Beginner: French press ($20-40)
• Pour over enthusiast: V60 ($8-30) + gooseneck kettle ($40-60)
• Convenience: SCAA-certified drip machine ($150-300)

Total Investment:

• Minimal: $100-150 (hand grinder + French press + scale + beans)
• Recommended: $250-350 (electric grinder + V60 + kettle + scale + beans)

Your First Brew

Tomorrow Morning:

1. Measure 30g beans on scale
2. Grind coarse (French press) or medium-fine (V60)
3. Measure 500g water
4. Brew using method above
5. Taste without sugar/milk first (evaluate the coffee itself)

Notice:

• Is it bitter? → Grind coarser, use cooler water
• Is it sour? → Grind finer, use hotter water
• Is it weak? → Use more coffee or less water

This Month

Experiment:

• Try different beans (origins, roast levels)
• Adjust grind size (one notch at a time)
• Try different ratios (1:15 vs. 1:17)
• Test water temperature (200°F vs. 205°F)

Learn:

• Read our Brewing Methods Guide
• Explore Coffee Bean Origins
• Use our Brew Calculator tool

Refine:

• Dial in your perfect cup
• Take notes (grind setting, ratio, time)
• Repeat what works

Common Beginner Mistakes

1. Using Stale Coffee

• Coffee peak: 7-21 days post-roast
• Grocery store coffee: 3-6 months old
• Fix: Buy fresh from roaster

2. Blade Grinder

• Produces wildly uneven particles
• Impossible to brew good coffee
• Fix: Buy burr grinder

3. Eyeballing Measurements

• Inconsistent results
• Can’t replicate good cups
• Fix: Use scale, measure by weight

4. Wrong Water Temperature

• Too hot (212°F boiling): Bitter, burnt
• Too cool (<190°F): Sour, under-extracted
• Fix: 195-205°F sweet spot

5. Dirty Equipment

• Oils go rancid, taste bitter
• Affects every cup
• Fix: Rinse after each use, deep clean monthly

6. Leaving Coffee on Hot Plate

• Burns, becomes bitter after 30 min
• Fix: Brew into thermal carafe or serve immediately

7. Giving Up Too Soon

• First cups may not be perfect
• Dialing in takes practice
• Fix: Adjust one variable at a time, be patient

Quick Troubleshooting

Bitter Coffee:

• Grind coarser
• Use less coffee
• Lower water temperature
• Shorten brew time
• Check beans (old/stale?)

Sour Coffee:

• Grind finer
• Use more coffee
• Raise water temperature
• Extend brew time
• Use fresher beans

Weak/Watery:

• Use more coffee (increase ratio)
• Grind finer
• Ensure full saturation of grounds

Tastes Like Nothing:

• Beans are stale (buy fresh!)
• Water too cool
• Not enough coffee

Budget Breakdown

Starter Kit ($100-150):

• Hand grinder: $60
• French press: $30
• Scale: $20
• Beans (1 bag): $15

Recommended Kit ($250-350):

• Baratza Encore grinder: $140
• V60 + filters: $15
• Gooseneck kettle: $60
• Scale: $50
• Storage container: $30
• Beans (2 bags): $30

Premium Kit ($500-700):

• Fellow Ode grinder: $300
• V60 + Chemex: $60
• Fellow Stagg EKG kettle: $150
• Hario scale: $50
• Accessories: $50
• Beans (4 bags): $60

Next Steps

Today:

• Order fresh beans from local roaster
• Research grinder purchase
• Buy a scale

This Week:

• Brew your first cup with fresh beans
• Experiment with grind size and ratio
• Try our Brew Ratio Calculator

This Month:

• Master one brewing method
• Try 3-4 different bean origins
• Read the Brewing Methods Guide

Long Term:

• Explore different brewing methods
• Build your equipment collection
• Join coffee community (online forums, local shops)
• Enjoy the journey!

The Bottom Line

Great coffee requires just four things:

1. Fresh beans (roasted within 4-6 weeks)
2. Burr grinder (grind just before brewing)
3. Proper ratio (1:15 to 1:17 by weight)
4. Good water (filtered, 195-205°F)

Everything else is refinement.

Start simple: Fresh beans + burr grinder + French press + scale = dramatically better coffee than 99% of people drink.

Welcome to the world of specialty coffee!

Your next cup will be your best yet. Then the one after that will be even better. That’s the journey—constant improvement, endless exploration, and daily delicious coffee.

Now go brew something amazing.