How to use your coffee equipment
Plain, step-by-step guides to the brewers most of us actually own — with the grind size, ratio and timings for each, photographed with real (never AI-generated) public domain photography.
Every photograph on these guides is a real CC0 / public domain image — see photographers and sources.
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How to use a filter coffee machine
Get consistent, hands-off batches from an electric drip machine — the right grind, dose and maintenance.
Read the guide →
How to use a cafetière
Full-immersion brewing with a plunger — simple, forgiving, and the classic British way to brew.
Read the guide →How to use a French press
The same brewer as a cafetière, with the method laid out step by step.
Read the guide →
How to use a vacuum (siphon) coffee maker
Vapour pressure pushes water up, vacuum pulls the brew back down — theatrical, and remarkably clean in the cup.
Read the guide →
How to use a coffee grinder
The single biggest upgrade for home brewing — and the one piece of gear every method depends on.
Read the guide →
How to make pour-over coffee
Hand-poured, paper-filtered coffee — the clearest way to taste what a specialty roaster has done.
Read the guide →
How to use a coffee dripper
The cone itself — how the shape and filter change the brew, and how to get the best from yours.
Read the guide →Beans and kit to go with it
Every guide links to the gear we recommend. For the coffee itself, browse UK specialty roasters in our directory.