Getting Into Specialty Coffee

What started as an interest in getting a decent cup at home has turned into a proper hobby. I keep brewing notes and kit thoughts on GitHub, the same way I keep everything else: version controlled and a bit over-engineered for the problem at hand.

If you want to follow along, my notes live at github.com/laywill/coffee-notes.

A French Press Starting Point

16g

Coffee, ground coarse for a French press.

92°C

Water temperature at the start of the brew.

6 Minutes

Steep time before plunging.

600ml

Water, giving a ratio just over 1:37.

That is the recipe I keep coming back to as a baseline before adjusting for a particular bean. It is not gospel, just a solid place to start if you want to try it yourself.

I have also picked up James Hoffmann's book on coffee, which has been a good steer on the theory behind why these variables matter, rather than just what numbers to dial in.