☕ All About Coffee

Roast & Brew

🧪 Brew Lab

One card: pick a method, enter your dose, see water, grind and steps. These are typical starting ranges, not rules. Adjust to taste.

Water: 288 g/ml
Grind: Medium-fine
Bloom with about 2× the coffee weight, then pour slowly in circles. Typical total time about 2:30–3:30.

🔥 Roasting Academy

Drag the slider to travel through a roast. This is an illustration to explain, not a recipe.

1st crack
Drying · ≈83°C (illustrative)

Green beans (about 8–12% moisture) lose water; grassy, hay-like aromas.

🃏 Roast Level Cards

General guidance. Roast names and colours vary between roasters and there is no single naming standard everywhere. Check the roaster's own description. Taste is personal.

🟤 Light
🟫 Medium
🍫 Medium to dark
⚫ Dark

🟫 Medium

Look: Medium brown beans, usually dry surface.
Taste direction: Usually more balanced: sweetness and body increase while some acidity remains.
Often used for: A flexible all-rounder for most brewing methods.

⏱ Development Time Ratio (DTR)

DTR 20.0%

Within a commonly used range.

A tendency, not a rule (often about 15–25%).

⚖️ Roast Weight-Loss Calculator

Enter your own measured weights. Weight loss depends on moisture and bean, and is generally higher in darker roasts; it is not a fixed number.

Common roast defects

Scorching

Too much heat early burns the bean surface and can add burnt, bitter notes.

Tipping

Burnt tips or edges from excessive heat; the bean looks marked.

Baking

A stalled roast where the temperature rise slows too much; the cup can taste flat or bready.

Underdevelopment

Too little time after first crack; the cup can taste grassy or sharply sour.

❄️ Cooling, degassing & storage

  • Cool beans quickly to stop the roast.
  • Freshly roasted coffee releases CO₂ (degassing); espresso often settles after some days.
  • Store airtight, away from light, heat and moisture; the freshness window depends on bean and roast.

⚠️ Home roasting carries fire and smoke risk. Ventilate well and never leave a roaster unattended.

Sources & References

EXPERT/EDUCATIONALRoasting guides and roaster technical notes agree on three broad phases (drying, Maillard/browning, development), green moisture of about 8–12%, Maillard starting around 150°C, first crack near 196°C and second crack near 224°C bean temperature, and a typical development ratio of roughly 15–25%. SCA
Temperatures depend on probe placement, bean and roaster; times and ratios are not rules. Last updated: Oct 2026.

🔬 Interactive Lab

🔥 Roast Slider

Medium — Often balanced: sweetness, body, caramel notes.
General tendency; varies by bean and roaster.

This is a computer-made simulation, not a real recording.

⚙️ Grind Size Guide

Medium — Pour-over, drip

⚙️ Grinding Guide

Grinding decides how fast water pulls flavour from coffee. This guide explains the ideas; it recommends no grinder brand.

The core idea

Finer grounds expose more surface and slow the water, so extraction goes up. Coarser grounds do the opposite. Too little extraction tends to taste sour or thin; too much tends to taste bitter or harsh.

Typical direction by method

  • Coarse: French press, cold brew
  • Medium to medium-fine: pour-over and many filter brewers
  • Fine: espresso and moka pot (moka usually a little coarser than espresso)
  • Very fine: Turkish coffee
  • These are starting points. Your coffee, brewer and taste will move them.

Burr or blade?

  • Burr grinders crush or cut beans between two surfaces, which generally gives a more even size. You can set the gap.
  • Blade grinders (and many kitchen mixer-grinders) chop at random, so you get a mix of dust and chunks. This makes extraction uneven.
  • If you only have a blade or mixer-grinder, grind in short pulses, shake it between pulses, and sieve out the very fine dust if you can.

A calm way to dial in

  • Keep dose, water amount and time the same. Change only the grind, and only a little at a time.
  • Sour, weak or watery: go finer. Bitter, harsh or dry: go coarser.
  • Taste each change and note it in your tasting journal.

Freshness and care

  • Ground coffee loses aroma faster than whole beans, so grind just before brewing when you can.
  • Clean the grinder regularly. Old oils and fine dust can taste stale.
  • Keep it dry. Moisture is bad for both coffee and grinders.

⚠️ General guidance. Many other things (roast, water, freshness) also change taste. See the Interactive Lab for the grind slider.

🏷️ How to read a coffee bag label

Roast date, process, altitude, chicory %… a coffee bag says a lot. Tap any line on the sample bag to see what it means and what to look for.

⚜ SAMPLE HILLS ESTATE ⚜

MADE-UP BAG FOR LEARNING

1📅 Roast date

The day the beans were roasted. Fresh coffee smells and tastes better. Most people enjoy whole beans from a few days after roasting to about a month or so. Ground coffee loses its aroma much faster.

💡 A 'best before' date is not the same as a roast date. If a bag only shows best before, the coffee could have been roasted many months ago.
2📍 Origin, region and estate

Where the coffee was grown. 'Single origin' means one country, region or even one farm. A 'blend' mixes coffees from different places for a balanced taste.

💡 Indian regions you will often see: Chikmagalur, Coorg (Kodagu), Baba Budangiri, Wayanad, Nilgiris, Shevaroys, Araku and Koraput. More detail is a good sign.
3🌱 Species: Arabica or Robusta

The two main coffee species. Arabica is usually softer, sweeter and more fruity. Robusta is bolder and more bitter, with about twice the caffeine. Most of India's coffee is Robusta, and India grows some fine washed Robustas too.

💡 '100% Arabica' does not automatically mean great coffee. Freshness, origin and roast matter just as much.
4🧬 Variety

Like mango has Alphonso and Langra, coffee plants have varieties. Each one tastes a little different. S795 and Chandragiri are well-known Arabica varieties developed in India.

💡 You don't need to memorise varieties. Just notice which ones you like, the way you would with mangoes.
5💧 Process

How the bean was taken out of the coffee cherry. Washed: clean and bright taste. Natural (dried in the fruit): fruity and sweet. Honey: in between. India also has Monsooned Malabar, where beans are exposed to monsoon winds and taste mellow and earthy.

💡 If you love fruity flavours, try a natural. If you like a clean cup, pick washed.
6⛰️ Altitude

How high the farm is, in metres above sea level (often written 'masl'). Coffee from higher, cooler places grows slowly and often tastes brighter and more complex.

💡 Higher is not always better. It is one clue, not a score.
7🔥 Roast level

Light roasts keep more of the fruit and flower flavours. Medium is balanced and sweet. Dark is bold, smoky and bitter-sweet, and is great with milk.

💡 Dark roast tastes stronger but does not have more caffeine. By weight, the caffeine is about the same.
8🍫 Tasting notes

Flavours that the roaster tasted in the coffee, like how people describe wine or tea. They come naturally from the bean and roast.

💡 Tasting notes do not mean chocolate or orange was added. Added flavours must be listed as ingredients, like 'flavoured coffee'.
9⚙️ Whole bean or ground

Whole beans stay fresh longer, and you grind just before brewing. Ground coffee is easy, but pick the right grind size for your method: fine for espresso, medium for filter and pour-over, coarse for French press and cold brew.

💡 No grinder? Ask the shop to grind it for your method, and buy smaller packs more often.
10🌼 Coffee + chicory (very common in India)

Many South Indian filter coffee powders mix in roasted chicory root. It adds body, a darker colour and a slightly bitter taste, and many families love it. In India, FSSAI rules say a coffee-chicory mix must have at least 51% coffee, and the pack must show the percentage of both.

💡 Chicory is not bad. Just check the percentage so you know what you are paying for. A blend should not be sold as 'pure coffee'.
11⭕ The little round valve

Fresh beans release gas for days after roasting. The one-way valve lets this gas out without letting air in, so the bag doesn't puff up and the coffee stays fresher.

💡 After opening, squeeze out the air, close the bag tightly and keep it away from heat, light and moisture. The fridge is not a good place for an open bag.
12🏅 Certificates and scores

Logos like organic, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance tell you about how the coffee was farmed or traded. A 'specialty' score is a cupping score out of 100; coffees scoring 80 or above are usually called specialty.

💡 Many small farms in India grow carefully but cannot afford certificates. No logo does not always mean bad farming.
✅ The 5-second check in the shop
  1. Is there a roast date, and is it recent?
  2. Does it say where the coffee is from?
  3. Is it the right grind (or whole bean) for how you brew?
  4. If it's a filter coffee powder, what is the chicory %?
  5. Do the tasting notes sound like something you'd enjoy?
Sources and note

The bag above is made up for learning and is not a real brand. Rules can change, so check the latest FSSAI notices. FSSAI: coffee-chicory labelling (2021) · Coffee Board of India · Specialty Coffee Association: cupping protocols

☕ Brewing Guide (typical ranges)

MethodRatio (coffee:water)GrindTime
Espresso1:1.5–1:3Very fine~25–35 s
Pour-over / V601:15–1:17Medium-fine2.5–3.5 min
French Press1:12–1:16Coarse~4 min
AeroPress1:12–1:16Medium-fine1–3 min
Moka PotFill basketFine-medium~4–5 min
South Indian FilterVaries by homeMedium-fineSlow drip
Cold Brew1:5–1:8 (concentrate)Coarse12–18 h

These are starting points, not one universal recipe. Taste and adjust: sour → grind finer or extract longer; bitter/harsh → grind coarser or shorten.

How to read the table

  • A ratio of 1:16 means 1 part coffee to 16 parts water by weight, so 18 g of coffee takes about 288 g of water.
  • Weighing coffee and water in grams is more reliable than spoons, because the weight a spoon holds changes with roast and grind.
  • Grind size steers the brew time: finer grounds slow the water and dissolve more; coarser grounds dissolve less.
  • Espresso needs a machine that pushes water under pressure; a moka pot can taste strong and concentrated but it is not true espresso.

If it tastes off, what to change

  • Sour, sharp, thin: grind finer or brew a little longer.
  • Bitter, dry, harsh: grind coarser or shorten the brew.
  • Weak or watery: use more coffee for the same water (a lower ratio number).
  • Too strong or heavy: add water (a higher ratio number) or use less coffee.
  • Change one thing at a time and write the result in the tasting journal so you learn what worked.

These are general guides; results vary with the bean, roast, water and equipment.

🎓 Brewing Academy

Pick a method. Ranges are starting points; adjust to taste.

Espresso

Equipment: Espresso machine, burr grinder, scale, tamper
Grind: Very fine · Temp: 90–96°C (machine-dependent) · Time: ≈25–35 s

36 g
  1. Weigh the dose to match your basket.
  2. Grind, level the bed and tamp evenly.
  3. Start the shot with a timer and scale.
  4. Stop at your target yield.
  5. Taste, then adjust grind.

⚠️ Uneven tamping or distribution causes channeling; stale beans give thin shots.

Sources & References

INDUSTRYSpecialty Coffee Association: its home-brewer standard (SCA 310) tests at about 55 g coffee per kg water (≈1:18) with water at 90–96°C.
Other numbers here are common practitioner ranges, not a single official recipe. Latte-art tutorials are next in the roadmap. Last updated: Oct 2026.

🥤 Coffee Recipes

Filter Coffee (South Indian)
Cold Coffee (café-style)
Iced Americano
Cappuccino
Café Latte
Affogato
Whipped Coffee
Iced Oat Latte
Spiced Milk Coffee
Flat White
Cortado
Café Mocha
Homemade Cold Brew
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Coffee Tonic
Frappé (shaken)

Filter Coffee (South Indian)

Easy⏱ 15 min

Servings: 2

Equipment: Two-chamber filter, saucepan

  • 2 tbsp filter-coffee powder
  • 150 ml hot water (just off boil)
  • 200 ml milk
  • 2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
  1. Add powder to the upper chamber and level it; set the disc gently.
  2. Pour hot water, cover and let the decoction drip slowly.
  3. Heat the milk and add sugar.
  4. Mix decoction with hot milk to taste.

Variations: Add a little chicory blend, or serve black.

⚠️ Pressing the disc hard stalls the drip; weak decoction means more powder.

Quantities are starting points; adjust to taste and cup size. Watch for milk, nut or other allergens.

⏱ Brew Timer & Converter

0:00

Pour water, wet all grounds, lid on.

Times are typical ranges, not one fixed recipe. On some phones the timer may pause when the screen locks.

🔁 Unit converter

🧮 Free Tools

Brew Ratio Calculator

Water: 288 g/ml

🧾 Cost-per-Cup Calculator

Fill every field with your own figures. No prices are pre-filled here.

Enter at least the coffee amount and price.

Excludes rent, staff, utilities and wastage; see the break-even estimator below for those.

Café Break-even Estimator

Margin/cup: ₹95 (63%) · Break-even: 53 cups/day (30 d)

Estimates only. Actual costs vary by location, supplier, scale and business model.

🔎 Find Your Coffee

☕ Try this

Latte, or milky South Indian filter coffee

Try a medium roast.

See the Brewing Guide for ranges, then adjust to taste.

Suggestions are subjective starting points, not rules.