Salvador El Cocal

A fine grind with a texture somewhere between fine sand and flour. The dense puck of ground coffee resists the water, so under 9 bars of pressure a concentrated, rich flavor with crema is pulled in just a few seconds.

A fine grind and ~9 bars of pressure — a concentrated, rich flavor with thick crema in 25–30 seconds. A bean-to-cup machine doses itself.

A touch coarser than espresso, roughly like fine crystal salt. The lower steam pressure in a moka pot calls for a slightly more permeable grind — otherwise the coffee would overheat and turn bitter.

About 15–17 g for a 3-cup pot — fill the basket loosely to the rim (don't tamp), water up to the valve

A medium grind like table salt or sand. The water flows through by gravity alone, so it needs enough time and flow — this method really lets the clean, aromatic flavor of single origin coffees shine.

15 g of coffee per 250 ml of water (1 cup, 1:16 ratio), water at 92–96 °C

A coarse grind like sea salt or breadcrumbs. The coffee steeps directly in the water for a long time, so the coarser particles keep it from over-steeping and the metal mesh holds them back when you press, leaving your cup clean.

30 g of coffee per 500 ml of water (2 cups) — steep for 4 minutes, then press the plunger down slowly

A versatile method — for a short steep, reach for a medium to medium-fine grind. Hand pressure and a paper filter give you a clean cup with no sediment, and it handles a wide range of recipes.

15 g of coffee per 220 ml of water (1 cup) — steep for about 1–1.5 minutes and press for 30 seconds

The coarsest grind of all, like cracked peppercorns. Cold water extracts slowly over many hours, so the coarse particles keep the brew from turning bitter and give you a smooth, naturally sweet drink with low acidity.

80 g of coffee per 1 liter of cold water (made in a batch) — steep for 12–18 hours in the fridge, then strain