Our inbox gets a lot of questions from people brewing coffee at home. One of the most common?
"I love how the coffee tastes at your shop — but I can never get the same results at home. What am I doing wrong?"
The short answer? It usually comes down to how you're brewing.
Even with the exact same coffee, brewing is where flavour is made or lost. There are several key factors that affect flavour, strength, and body — and depending on your brew method, you can control some or all of them. Once you understand these variables, you’ll be able to start dialing in your brews and getting results you’re proud of at home.
Brew Method: Your First Decision
The first factor you get to decide is the brew method. Different methods naturally yield different results, and understanding that helps set realistic expectations for what your coffee will taste like.
One of the biggest differences between brew methods comes down to the filter medium:
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Paper filters: These trap most of the coffee oils, allowing delicate, nuanced flavours to shine through. The result? A clean, subtle cup with less body.
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Metal filters (like you’ll find in a French press or some pour-over setups): These allow the oils to pass through, adding richness and body — but often at the expense of clarity or complexity.
There are countless other brew methods out there — part of the fun is experimenting to see what works best for you. But to get consistent, great-tasting coffee, it helps to understand the variables that influence the brew.
The Main Variables That Affect Your Brew
Here’s a quick breakdown of the core factors that influence your coffee’s final taste:
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Grind particle size (and grind quality)
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Amount of coffee used (brew ratio)
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Water temperature
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Agitation (stirring or disturbing the coffee during brewing)
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Dwell time (also called steep time or brew time)
As I mentioned earlier, you won’t always have control over all these factors — but you can always change at least a few of them.
Example: The Countertop Drip Brewer
Let’s take the classic home countertop drip brewer as an example. These machines make brewing easy — but they also take away control of most variables. You can’t adjust the water temperature. You can’t access the brew basket mid-brew to agitate. You can’t change the flow rate or dwell time.
The only two variables left in your hands? Grind size and amount of coffee.
When it comes to amount, I recommend choosing a brew ratio that works for your taste. A great starting point is 17 grams of water to 1 gram of coffee.
That leaves grind size. Finer grinds expose more surface area of the coffee, which means the coffee extracts faster and tends to yield a stronger brew.
Example: French Press
Now let’s look at a French press — a classic brew method that gives you control over almost every variable.
First, because it uses a metal screen filter, you already know the result will be a full-bodied, rich cup with fewer subtle, delicate flavours.
Here are the variables you can play with:
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Grind size: Coarser is standard, but you can experiment within reason.
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Water temperature: Hotter water extracts more soluble flavours. Too hot, though, and you risk bitterness. A good range is 93–96°C (200–205°F).
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Agitation: Most people give the slurry a good stir after adding water. The more you agitate, the faster the brew extracts. Think of steeping a teabag — swirl it gently, and the colour seeps out slowly; plunge it up and down, and the water changes colour instantly.
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Dwell time: For French press, the golden rule is a 4-minute steep before plunging and serving. Longer dwell time equals a stronger brew.
French press is a great example because you can alter nearly every factor. But once you understand how these variables work, you can apply that knowledge to any brew method — whether it’s pour-over, AeroPress, or espresso.
Pro Tip: Change One Variable at a Time
If you want to improve your brew, resist the urge to change everything at once. If you adjust your grind size, stir more vigorously, and change the water temperature all at once, you won’t know which change made the difference — or if it made things better or worse.
Tweak one variable at a time, taste the results, and build from there. That’s how the pros do it — and how you’ll start brewing coffee at home that tastes just as good as what you enjoy at the shop.
Brewing Coffee Is Part Science, Part Ritual
At the end of the day, our job — and our passion — is to help people start their day right. Brewing coffee might seem technical, but it’s also an everyday ritual that gets you centred, present, and ready for whatever comes next.
Whether you're brewing at home or enjoying a cup in our shop, understanding the science behind coffee helps you unlock better flavour — and a better start to your day.
Have questions? Feel free to hit us up anytime — helping you brew better coffee at home is one of our favourite parts of the job.