How to brew the perfect cup

Brew Guides | How to Make the Perfect Cup

Great coffee starts with great beans — but even the finest specialty coffee can fall flat without the right technique. Whether you’re pulling your first espresso or perfecting your pour over, these guides will help you get the most from every bag of Mahalia Coffee. These are starting points, not rules. Taste as you go, adjust as you learn, and enjoy the process.

Domestic Espresso Machine

Best coffee: Blend 2 — Berries & Toasted Almonds | Blend 4 — European Dark Roast | Blend 3 — Cafe Crema

Grind size: Fine, like table salt
Water temperature: 92–96°C (filtered water recommended)
Dose: 20g for a double shot
Yield: 58–62ml in 25–30 seconds

Method:
1. Grind your Mahalia Coffee beans fresh immediately before brewing.
2. Distribute grounds evenly in the portafilter and tamp with firm, level pressure.
3. Lock in and brew — aim for 25–30 seconds extraction time.
4. Enjoy as espresso, or add steamed milk for a latte or cappuccino.

Troubleshooting:

• Bitter or burnt taste: Your grind is too fine, water too hot, or you’re over-extracting. Try a coarser grind or shorter extraction time.
• Sour or sharp taste: Under-extracted. Grind finer or slow the extraction down.
• Weak and watery: Check your dose — you may need more coffee, or your grind is too coarse.
• Uneven extraction or channelling: Focus on even distribution and level tamping before locking in.
• No crema: Coffee may be too old or stale. Always use freshly roasted beans. We roast in small batches and ship fast.

Pour Over & Drip

Best coffee: Blend 1 — Fruity & Sweet | Blend 3 — Cafe Crema | any of our single origins

Equipment: Clever Coffee Dripper | Hario Drip Kettle | V60 Filter Papers

Grind size: Medium, like coarse sand
Water temperature: Just off the boil (93–96°C, filtered)
Ratio: 1g coffee to 15–18g water (e.g. 15g coffee to 250ml water)

Method:
1. Place your filter in the dripper and rinse with hot water to remove paper taste. Discard the rinse water.
2. Add your ground Mahalia Coffee to the filter.
3. Start your timer. Pour just enough water to saturate the grounds (about 2x the coffee weight) and wait 30 seconds — this is the bloom, releasing CO2 for a cleaner cup.
4. Continue pouring in slow, steady circles from centre outward until you reach your target water weight.
5. Allow to drip through completely before serving. Total brew time should be 3–4 minutes.

Troubleshooting:

• Dripping too slowly / taking forever: Grind is too fine. Go coarser.
• Dripping too fast / weak cup: Grind is too coarse. Go finer, or slow your pour.
• Bitter taste: Water too hot, or over-extracted. Try lower temperature or shorter brew time.
• Flat or dull flavour: Coffee may be too old, or you skipped the bloom. Always bloom for 30 seconds.
• Sour taste: Under-extracted. Grind finer or use hotter water.

Plunger (French Press)

Best coffee: Blend 3 — Cafe Crema | Blend 4 — European Dark Roast

Equipment: French Press Coffee Plunger | Bodum Eileen French Press 8 Cup

Grind size: Coarse, like breadcrumbs
Water temperature: Just off the boil (filtered)
Ratio: 1g coffee to 15–18g water

Method:
1. Preheat your plunger with hot water, then discard.
2. Add coarsely ground Mahalia Coffee.
3. Pour in hot water and stir gently with a wooden or plastic spoon.
4. Place the lid on (plunger up) and steep for 4 minutes.
5. Press the plunger down slowly and steadily. Serve immediately — leaving coffee in the plunger continues extraction and turns it bitter.

Troubleshooting:

• Gritty or muddy cup: Grind is too fine. Use a coarser grind for plunger.
• Bitter taste: Over-steeped. Reduce brew time or serve immediately after plunging.
• Weak or thin: Increase your dose or steep for slightly longer.
• Plunger hard to press: Grind is too fine — go coarser.

Stovetop (Moka Pot)

Best coffee: Blend 4 — European Dark Roast | Blend 3 — Cafe Crema

Equipment: Bialetti Moka Express — 3 Cup | Bialetti Venus Copper — 4 Cup

Grind size: Medium-fine (slightly coarser than espresso)
Water: Filtered, pre-heated if possible
Dose: Fill the filter basket level — do not tamp or compress

Method:
1. Fill the bottom chamber with water up to just below the safety valve.
2. Fill the filter basket with ground coffee, levelled off but not tamped.
3. Screw the top and bottom chambers together firmly.
4. Place on medium-low heat with the lid open.
5. When coffee begins to flow from the spout and you hear a gurgling sound, reduce heat to low.
6. Remove from heat once the flow slows and the chamber is full. Serve immediately.

Troubleshooting:

• Bitter or burnt taste: Heat is too high, or you left it on too long. Use medium-low heat and remove promptly.
• Weak coffee: Grind too coarse, or not enough coffee in the basket.
• Sputtering or uneven flow: Heat is too high. Lower it.
• Coffee not coming through: Grind may be too fine, blocking flow. Go slightly coarser.
• Metallic taste: Run a few cycles with water only before first use, or descale your Moka Pot.

Pods & Capsules

Our capsules: Blend 2 Capsules — 30 pack (Nespresso® Compatible) | Blend 4 Capsules — 30 pack (Nespresso® Compatible)

Our compostable Nespresso® compatible capsules are filled with the same freshly roasted specialty coffee as our whole bean and ground range — no compromise on quality. Simply insert into any Nespresso® Original Line machine and brew as normal.

Tips for the best capsule coffee:

• Use filtered water in your machine’s reservoir for a noticeably cleaner cup.
• Run a water-only cycle before your first coffee of the day to flush the machine and bring it to temperature.
• Descale your machine every 2–3 months — scale buildup is the most common cause of poor capsule coffee.
• Store capsules in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Troubleshooting:

• Weak or watery: Your machine may need descaling, or try the ristretto setting for a shorter, more concentrated shot.
• Bitter taste: Machine needs descaling, or water temperature is too high — check your machine settings.
• Capsule leaking: Check the capsule is seated correctly and the machine lid is fully closed.

General Brewing Tips

• Always grind fresh. Pre-ground coffee goes stale within days. A burr grinder makes a significant difference to flavour — even an entry-level hand grinder like the Hario Classic outperforms pre-ground.
• Use filtered water. Coffee is 98% water — tap water with high chlorine or mineral content will affect the taste.
• Store coffee correctly. Keep in an airtight container, away from light and heat. Don’t freeze it.
• Taste and adjust. If your coffee tastes bitter, go coarser or shorter. If it tastes sour, go finer or longer. Small adjustments make a big difference.
• Clean your equipment. Coffee oils go rancid and will make even great coffee taste stale. Rinse after every use and deep clean weekly.