Gift Box 1: Mixed Beans
Home Brewing Guide
Espresso machine
With ground coffee (fine grind advised), fill your portafilter with approx. 7 grams for a single shot, and 18-21 grams for a double shot. Gently tamp down to make smooth and even.
Stovetop Percolator/ Espresso Maker
Add approximately 20 grams of ground coffee (fine grind advised) to the pot's filter basket and shake to settle the grounds evenly before starting. No need to tamp down hard when filling the basket.
French Press
Best results are with a course, even grind. As a guide, start with a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio.
Pour Over
We recommend ground coffee of a thicker coarseness. For blends, approximately 30 grams of coffee. With single origin coffee, try approximately 22 grams for every 350 grams of water.
Grading, Cupping & Scores
Specialty Coffee often has references to coffee grading and coffee cupping scores.
How is Coffee Graded?
Coffee beans are graded to judge the relationship between coffee beans with imperfections and the resulting coffee’s quality. Coffee is rated on a scale of one to five based on the number of defects in the beans. Examples of primary defects include sour beans, a pod or cherry, or stones or sticks found in the batch. Secondary defects can include husk, broken or chipped beans, or damage as a result from insects.
Grade 1 coffee is considered Specialty Coffee. To classify as a Grade 1 specialty coffee, both the beans and resulting cup must be tested, assessed and reviewed. Specialty coffee beans may only have up to 3 full defects and must be consistent in size during review. Beans must also display uniqueness in one or more either taste, acidity, body, and/or aroma.
What is coffee cupping, and why is it important for specialty coffee?
Coffee cupping is the process used by coffee producers, buyers, and graders to evaluate coffee aroma and flavour profile. As part of the cupping process, freshly roasted beans are immersed in hot water, ensuring all grounds are fully wet and left to steep for 3-5 minutes. The cup is then stirred, and any foam is removed before cooling. Cupping, coffee professionals, and roasters review each cup in multiple categories including fragrance/aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, clean cup, sweetness, defects, and overall.
What is a good score when cupping coffee?
Cupping scores are the scores assigned to a cup based on a cupping evaluation of the brew. Coffee that scores 80 points or above is considered specialty coffee, and anything less than 80 points is not considered specialty coffee. For specialty coffees scoring more than 80 points, additional levels of quality continue to differentiate coffee. Specialty Coffee that achieves a cupping score of 90 or more is considered truly exceptional!