Born in the
Highlands of Kenya

Grind coarse, like rough sea salt or breadcrumbs. Too fine and the plunger will be hard to press and the cup will be muddy. Consistency matters more than precision here. (Skip this step if you bought pre-ground coffee.)

Pour hot water into your French press, swirl, and discard. This keeps your brew temperature stable throughout the steep and prevents a jarring temperature drop at first contact.

Add grounds, then pour water at 92 to 95°C in one steady pour. Stir gently once to ensure all grounds are saturated. Place the lid on but do not press yet.

Let it steep undisturbed for exactly 4 minutes. Set a timer. Over-steeping brings out bitter tannins; under-steeping misses the full-bodied depth that makes French press so rewarding.

Press the plunger down slowly and steadily over 20 to 30 seconds. Pour immediately into your cup. Leaving brewed coffee on the grounds continues extraction and turns bitter.

Grind fine, like powdered sugar but not talcum. Dose 18 to 20g into a double portafilter basket. Consistency of grind size is critical for even espresso extraction. (Skip this step if you bought pre-ground coffee.)

Use a distribution tool or finger to level grounds evenly in the basket. Tamp with 15 to 20kg of pressure, keeping the tamper level. An uneven tamp causes channelling and sour shots.

If your machine allows, enable pre-infusion for 3 to 5 seconds at low pressure. This gently saturates Kenyan's dense high-altitude beans before full pressure, improving extraction evenness.

Extract at 9 bar pressure. Target a yield of 36 to 40g of espresso from 18g of grounds (a 1:2 ratio) in 25 to 30 seconds. Watch for honey-golden crema forming steadily.

Too sour and fast? Grind finer. Too bitter and slow? Grind coarser. Expect intense stone fruit and wine notes, unusual and remarkable in espresso form.

Fill the bottom chamber with pre-boiled water to the pressure valve. Starting with hot water shortens brew time, preventing the coffee from over-heating on the stovetop and turning bitter.

Grind finer than drip but coarser than espresso. Fill the basket level. Do not tamp or press down. An overfilled or tamped basket can build dangerous pressure and cause over-extraction. (Skip this step if you bought pre-ground coffee.)

Screw the chambers together tightly. Place on a medium-low flame. A low, steady heat gives you control. High heat forces water through too fast, producing a harsh, scorched cup.

Keep the lid open and watch the coffee flow into the upper chamber. It should emerge as a steady, honey-coloured stream. A spluttering or spitting flow means heat is too high.

As soon as you hear a gurgling sound, remove from heat. That sound means steam is forcing through. Any coffee extracted after that point will be harsh and over-done.

Grind even coarser than French press, almost like coarse ground pepper or rough breadcrumbs. A coarser grind prevents over-extraction during the long steep and keeps the cold brew clean and sweet. (Skip this step if you bought pre-ground coffee.)

Add 100g of grounds to 800ml of cold, filtered water in a jar or dedicated cold brew maker. Stir well to ensure all grounds are saturated. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 12 to 16 hours. Shorter steeps (12h) give a brighter, fruitier concentrate. Longer steeps (16h) deepen into chocolate and caramel. Do not steep at room temperature. It ferments.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve or coffee filter. Do not squeeze the grounds. This pushes bitter compounds into your concentrate. Let gravity do the work.

This is a concentrate. Dilute 1:1 with cold water or milk before drinking. Serve over ice. Keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, though it won't last that long.

Grind to a medium-coarse consistency, slightly coarser than pour over. Think coarse sea salt. The thick Chemex filter needs a coarser grind to allow proper flow without over-extraction. (Skip this step if you bought pre-ground coffee.)

Open the Chemex bonded filter with three layers facing the pour spout. Rinse with hot water to remove any paper taste and pre-heat the vessel. Discard the rinse water before adding coffee.

Bring water to 93 to 96°C (200 to 205°F). The Chemex rewards precision. A gooseneck kettle gives you the slow, controlled pour needed to saturate grounds evenly.

Pour twice the weight of water over the grounds (e.g. 60g water for 30g coffee) and wait 45 seconds. The Chemex bloom is longer than most methods because the thick filter slows CO2 release.

Pour in slow concentric spirals, pausing between pours to let the bed drain slightly. Add water in three equal stages over 4 to 5 minutes total. Never let the water level drop completely between pours.

Once dripping stops, pinch the filter at the three-layer side and lift cleanly. Swirl the Chemex gently to mix the brew and serve immediately. Chemex coffee stays hot longer thanks to the thick glass walls.