Drip

Brew guide

Consistent, effortless, everyday.

A well-dialled drip brewer is hard to beat for reliability. Good for larger volumes and for households where the machine earns its counter space every morning. The key is using a good grind size and fresh beans — the machine does the rest.

A good drip brewer is one of the most reliable ways to make coffee consistently well, without having to think too much about it. Set up your dose, add water, press a button. That's the appeal.

What most people don't realise is how much difference the coffee and grind size make, even in an automatic machine. A drip brewer with a fresh bag of properly ground coffee will outperform an expensive machine running stale pre-ground. The machine is only part of the equation.

The tips and recipe below will help you get the most out of whatever brewer you're using — whether it's a basic countertop model or a specialty brewer with bloom and temperature control built in.

how to brew

equipment list

Drip coffee maker
Paper filter (basket or cone, depending on your machine)
Freshly ground coffee — filter grind
Kitchen scale (recommended) or a consistent scoop
Filtered water

at-a-glance recipe

Coffee 60g per litre of water (approx. 1g per 16ml)
Ratio 1:16 (coffee : water)
Water temperature 90–96°C / 195–205°F — most machines hit this automatically
Grind size Medium — similar to coarse sea salt
Total brew time Varies by machine — typically 4–6 minutes for a full carafe

If your machine doesn't have temperature control, let freshly boiled water sit for 30 seconds before adding it manually, or run the machine as normal — most decent drip brewers reach the right range on their own.

step-by-step instructions

Drip brewing is largely automated, but a few small habits make a consistent difference.

1. Rinse the filter

Place the filter in the basket and run a small amount of water through it before brewing. This removes any papery taste and preheats the carafe or server. Discard the rinse water.

2. Grind and dose your coffee

Weigh out 60g of coffee per litre of water (or adjust proportionally for smaller brews). Grind to a medium consistency — if the brew runs fast and tastes weak, go finer; if it runs slow and tastes bitter, go coarser.

3. Add water and brew

Fill the reservoir with filtered water to the desired level and start the machine. If your brewer has a bloom or pre-infusion setting, enable it — it allows the coffee to degas briefly before the main brew begins, which improves extraction..

4. Serve promptly

Drip coffee is best drunk soon after brewing. If you're not drinking it immediately, transfer it to a thermal carafe rather than leaving it on a hot plate — heat degrades the coffee quickly and introduces a burnt, bitter aftertaste

5. Clean regularly

Rinse the carafe and basket after every use. Run a full descale cycle every one to three months depending on your water hardness. A clean machine brews noticeably better coffee.

coffees we’d reach for

Drip brewers work well with filter roasts that have good body and a balanced profile. Single origins are great if you want to taste what's in the bag; blends are reliable if you want a consistent everyday cup