BARISTA GUIDES · NOT RECIPES
Learn the skill behind the cup.
Practical videos and evidence-aware field guides for technique, gear, care, milk, and coffee knowledge. Drink recipes stay in Recipes; everything here teaches you why and how.
FEATURED GUIDE · 3 MINPour-over that tastes the same every morningLearn the repeatable method →
01 · 4 min read
Conical vs flat burrs: what actually changes
The most repeated claim in home coffee is that flat burrs give clarity and conical burrs give body. Here is what the geometry really does, and how much of the rest is folklore.
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02 · 3 min read
Does burr size actually matter?
38 mm, 64 mm, 83 mm, 98 mm. Bigger burrs cost more and are marketed hard. Here is what the extra diameter buys you, and where the returns stop.
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03 · 3 min read
Grinder habits that quietly cost you shots
Retention, static, stale grounds and dull burrs. None of them announce themselves. All of them change what comes out of your machine.
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04 · 3 min read
Grind size by brew method, in microns
Clicks and dial numbers mean nothing between grinders. Microns mean something. Here is roughly where each method sits, and why the published ranges disagree more than most charts admit.
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05 · 3 min read
Roast levels, and why they change how you grind
Light, medium and dark are not just flavour preferences. They change the physical structure of the bean, which changes the grind, which changes the shot.
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06 · 3 min read
Washed, natural, honey: what processing does to the cup
Processing is what happens to the coffee cherry between the tree and the green bean. It shapes the cup at least as much as origin does.
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07 · 3 min read
How long to rest coffee, and how to store it
Coffee that is too fresh brews badly and coffee that is too old brews flat. The useful window is wider than roasters imply and much narrower than supermarkets pretend.
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08 · 3 min read
Espresso ratios, and which one to use
Ristretto, classic, lungo, turbo. They are all the same three numbers arranged differently. Here is what each does and when it makes sense.
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09 · 6 min read
Puck prep: what actually stops channelling
We measured what seven puck prep tools do to extraction. Six helped, one made it worse, and the most argued-about variable barely mattered.
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10 · 3 min read
How to dial in without wasting half a bag
Most dial-in advice tells you to change things until it tastes good. That works eventually. This is the faster version.
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11 · 3 min read
Water: the ingredient you are not measuring
A brewed coffee is about 98% water. Change the water and you change the cup more than most equipment upgrades ever will.
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12 · 3 min read
Extraction and strength are not the same thing
Two numbers describe every cup you brew. Confusing them is why making coffee "stronger" so often makes it worse.
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13 · 3 min read
Pour-over that tastes the same every morning
Repeatability is the entire skill. Once the same recipe reliably gives you the same cup, making it better becomes straightforward.
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