Brew guides · 4 min ·
The cafetière, done properly
The most underrated brewer in the cupboard. Four minutes, a coarse grind and one small step most people skip.
A cafetière makes a heavy, sweet cup with no paper in the way, and it is almost impossible to get badly wrong. Almost.
The recipe
- 30 g coffee to 500 ml water — about 1:15
- Coarse grind, like breadcrumbs
- Water just off the boil
- 4 minutes, then plunge
The step most people skip
At four minutes, before you plunge, stir the crust on top and then scoop off the foam and floating grounds with two spoons. It takes ten seconds and it is the difference between a clean cup and a muddy one.
Then press the plunger down gently — only as far as the top of the coffee, not all the way — and pour straight away. Coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps brewing and turns bitter.
Which coffee
Anything medium to medium-dark. La Ilusión and Sítio Bela Vista are both made for it. If you subscribe, choose the “Cafetière” grind and we’ll grind it coarse on the morning it ships.
