Brew It Right

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.

Follow steps 1 to 6 in the Kifaru Spice Cold Brew tab: 225g of coarse Savanna Gold with the ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla bean in 4 cups of cold water, steep, then strain through a mesh bag or fine sieve and squeeze the grounds.

Pour the strained concentrate straight into your 64 oz mini-keg or growler. Add about 6 cups (48 oz) of cold, filtered water to bring it to roughly 64 oz, leaving a little headspace if your keg needs it. Lock the lid down tight and give it a quick shake.

Hook up a small nitrogen capsule to your mini-keg setup to press and infuse the cold brew, following the instructions that came with your keg. This is what gives you the velvety, cascading nitro pour.

Dispense into a glass at a 45° angle and watch the bubbles cascade into a creamy head. Serve without ice, since the nitrogen already makes it smooth and ice only dilutes the texture.

Grind 225g (about 8 oz) of Savanna Gold very coarse, like rough breadcrumbs. (Skip this step if you bought pre-ground coffee.)

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds with the back of the blade. Lightly crack the 4 cardamom pods with the bottom of a heavy mug. Slice the ginger thin and smash it firmly to break up the fibers.

Put the grounds, smashed ginger, cracked cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, and the vanilla pod plus its seeds into a clean 1-gallon jar or container.

Pour in 4 cups of cold, filtered water. Stir well so every ground and spice is submerged, with no dry pockets.

Seal tightly and refrigerate for 20 to 24 hours. Don't steep at room temperature, since fresh ginger and vanilla can ferment.

Pour through a mesh cold-brew bag, or a fine sieve lined with a paper coffee filter. Squeeze the grounds firmly to get all the aromatic oils. The tiny vanilla seeds pass through the mesh, which gives your pour a premium look.

The strained concentrate is only about 17 oz. Add about 6 cups (48 oz) of cold, filtered water to bring it to roughly 64 oz, then stir or shake. That puts it at drinking strength. Serve over ice and keep it refrigerated.

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.