Coffee Brewing Times for Every Method

Quick reference

A ratio of 1:16 means 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams (or millilitres) of water. For example, 30g of coffee to 480ml of water. Using scales rather than spoons is the single easiest way to make your coffee more consistent.

Why timing matters

Brewing coffee is a process of extraction. Hot water dissolves flavours from the ground coffee, but not all at once. The bright, acidic flavours come out first, followed by sweetness, and finally the heavier, bitter compounds. Stop too early and your cup tastes sour and thin. Leave it too long and it turns harsh and bitter.

Brew time works together with grind size. A finer grind exposes more surface area, so it extracts faster and needs less time. A coarser grind needs longer. That is why a French press, with its coarse grind, takes around four minutes, while espresso, with a very fine grind under pressure, takes under half a minute.

French press (cafetière)

1. Add coarsely ground coffee to the jug, for example 30g for a 500ml press.
2. Pour in water just off the boil and start a 4 minute timer.
3. After about a minute, give the crust on top a gentle stir.
4. When the timer sounds, press the plunger down slowly and steadily.
5. Pour straight away, or decant into another jug, so the coffee does not keep brewing.

Some people prefer a longer, gentler method: brew for 4 minutes, skim off the foam, wait another 5 minutes for the grounds to settle, then press only to the top of the liquid. It gives a cleaner cup with less sediment.

Pour over (V60, Kalita and similar)

1. Rinse the paper filter with hot water and discard the water.
2. Add medium fine ground coffee, for example 15g for a single cup of 250ml.
3. Start your timer and pour about twice the coffee's weight in water (around 30g) to wet all the grounds. This is the bloom.
4. Wait 30 to 45 seconds while the coffee releases gas and puffs up.
5. Pour the rest of the water slowly in circles, aiming to finish pouring by about 1 min 45 to 2 minutes.
6. Let it drain. The total time should be roughly 2 min 30 to 3 min 30.

If it drains much faster than that, grind finer. If it takes much longer, grind coarser. The coffee timer has presets from 1 to 4 minutes, and you can type any time into the boxes.

AeroPress

The AeroPress is forgiving and fast. A popular starting recipe is 15g of fine to medium ground coffee with about 220ml of water, stirred for 10 seconds, steeped for 1 to 2 minutes in total, then pressed gently over about 20 to 30 seconds. There are hundreds of published recipes, including the upside down or inverted method, so treat this as a base and experiment.

Espresso and moka pot

Espresso is usually timed from the moment the pump starts. A common target is about 18g of coffee in and about 36g of liquid out in 25 to 30 seconds. If your shot runs much faster, grind finer; if it runs much slower, grind coarser.

A moka pot is not really timed in the same way. Fill the bottom with hot water to just below the valve, fill the basket level without pressing, and heat on a medium flame. Take it off the heat as soon as the coffee starts to sputter, usually after about 4 to 5 minutes, so it does not scorch.

Cold brew

Cold brew steeps coarsely ground coffee in cold or room temperature water for a long time, usually 12 to 24 hours in the fridge. The result is a smooth, low acid concentrate that you dilute with water or milk. Because the times are so long, a phone alarm is more practical than a web timer for this one.

Fixing your coffee

Change one thing at a time and write down what you tried. Within a few brews you will know exactly how you like it.

Water and temperature

Coffee is mostly water, so the water matters. Fresh, filtered water often tastes noticeably better than very hard tap water. For most methods, aim for water between about 90 and 96 degrees Celsius. In practice that means letting the kettle sit for 30 seconds or so after it boils.

Related timers and guides

• Coffee Timer: time your brew to the second
• Tea Timer: steeping times for tea
• Tea Brewing Times and Temperatures: the full guide to tea