Brewing Guides
Every gram, degree, and second matters. We've distilled years of brewing experimentation into these guides so you can unlock everything Vana Brew coffee has to offer - from the very first cup.
AeroPress
Portable and lightweight, the AeroPress is a great travel companion - brew a full-bodied cup wherever you are. The standard method makes a concentrated dose similar to espresso.
What You'll Need
- AeroPress
- AeroPress filter
- 15 g Vana Brew medium roast coffee, AeroPress grind
- 190 ml water at 84 °C (about 5 minutes off boil)
- Kettle
- Scales and timer, if available
- Cup
Brewing Recipe
-
Add 15 g coffee.
-
Add 40 ml of 84 °C water and start a timer.
-
Stir a few times to wet all the grinds, then wait 30 seconds.
-
Add the remaining water (190 ml total) and vacuum seal the AeroPress with the plunger.
-
At 90 seconds on the timer, press down evenly and gradually for 30–50 seconds, until you hear a hissing sound.
Pro Tips
AeroPress typically uses lower brew temperatures than pour-over because the pressure does much of the extraction work.
Slow pressing is key to using the pressure correctly and avoiding an unclean cup.
Bloom (pre-infusion) helps reduce sourness - pour a little water to wet the grinds, wait, then add the rest. The bubbles you see are CO₂ escaping, which lets the remaining water absorb more flavour from freshly roasted coffee.
Cold Brew
Our summer favourite - cold brew is perfect for smooth, chocolatey coffee with low acidity. Brew it at home and drink within 4–5 days. Note: 1 litre of water yields about 750 ml of cold brew, since up to 20% of the water is absorbed by the coffee during brewing.
What You'll Need
- Vessel (ideally 1 litre or larger)
- Cling wrap (if your vessel has no lid)
- Filter (muslin cloth, or pour over cone + filter paper)
- 100 g Vana Brew coffee (about 1 cup), cold brew grind
- Spoon
- 1 litre filtered water at room temperature
- Scales, if available
Brewing Recipe
-
Place your coffee grinds into the vessel.
-
Pour in half the water and stir well until all the grinds are wet.
-
Pour in the remaining water and stir once more.
-
Cover with a lid or cling wrap and rest at room temperature.
-
After 16 hours, strain through a filter.
-
Strain once more if you prefer a cleaner cup.
-
Refrigerate.
-
Serve black or with milk.
Pro Tips
Cold brew can be prepared in any vessel - even a French press.
Follow a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water and adjust the recipe to your taste.
For light roasts, a 14–16 hour steep is preferred. After 16 hours, the brew may become sour.
For medium-dark roasts, a longer brew time of 16–18 hours helps avoid a weak cup.
For dark roasts, 14–16 hours is enough - the coffee is less dense and extracts more easily.
Brew with a lid or cling wrap to keep oxygen levels consistent.
Straining more than once removes murky residue, but straining more than 3 times may make the brew too weak.
A light film of oil is normal in darker roasts and will not affect the flavour.
Espresso
Espresso is the foundation of any café - the base for cappuccinos, lattes, and americanos. It is one of the most demanding brew methods: humidity, coffee age, roast level, and water quality all affect whether you pull a good shot.
What You'll Need
- 15 g Vana Brew coffee (about 2.5 teaspoons), espresso grind
- Espresso machine
- Cup
- Scales, if available
Brewing Recipe
-
Top up the water tank of your espresso machine.
-
Place the coffee in your portafilter and gently tamp to even out the grinds and create a compact, level bed.
-
Lock the portafilter into the machine and start the brew. Pull for 35 seconds.
Pro Tips
If the coffee tastes sour, grind finer or tamp with more pressure to improve extraction. If it is bitter or astringent, it is over-extracted - tamp more gently or use a coarser grind.
Water temperature and bar pressure have a huge impact on flavour. If your machine allows it, aim for 94–96 °C extraction.
For a lighter roast, increase the dose for more extraction. For a dark roast, decrease the dose for a balanced cup.
Tamp evenly - the coffee bed should be level. Uneven tamping causes channelling and an inferior shot.
A 35-second extraction should move through three visual stages: a thin dark stream, a steady caramel colour, then a lighter faster stream at the end. Too much of that final light phase makes the coffee bitter and woody.
French Press
There's a reason the French press has survived a century of coffee innovation. Immersion brewing extracts a wide spectrum of oils and solids, giving you a cup that is bold, full-bodied, and undeniably satisfying. For Vana Brew's natural-process Robusta - with its deep cocoa and earthy sweetness - this is the ritual that does it justice.
What You'll Need
- French press (350–400 ml size)
- Kettle
- Grinder (burr grinder strongly recommended)
- Scale + timer
- Wooden or plastic spoon (no metal on glass)
Brewing Recipe
-
Preheat the French press by filling it with hot water and swirling. Discard before brewing.
-
Add 20 g of coarsely ground Vana Brew coffee to the empty press.
-
Start your timer and pour all 350 ml of 95 °C water in one steady pour, ensuring all grounds are saturated.
-
Stir gently 3–4 times to ensure even saturation, then place the lid on the press with the plunger pulled all the way up.
-
At 4:00 minutes, press the plunger down slowly and evenly. Do not force it.
-
Pour immediately into your cup - don't let the coffee sit in the press, or it will over-extract and turn bitter.
Pro Tips
A coarse, even grind is everything with French press. Blade grinders produce an inconsistent grind that leads to muddy, bitter cups.
Serve immediately once pressed. If you need to delay drinking, transfer the brewed coffee to a carafe first.
Add a 30-second bloom (add just enough water to saturate the grounds, wait, then pour the rest) for a noticeably cleaner, sweeter cup.
Moka Pot
The moka pot is a straightforward way to make a rich, strong brew on the stove. Compact and affordable, it delivers a concentrated dose of coffee - not an espresso replacement, but close in intensity.
What You'll Need
- 12 g Vana Brew coffee (about 6 teaspoons), moka pot grind
- Moka pot
- Cup
- 100 ml water at 30–40 °C (¾ cold water + ¼ boiling water)
- Kettle
- Spoon
- Scales, if available
Brewing Recipe
-
Add 100 ml warm water to the lower chamber of your moka pot.
-
Place the filter basket onto the lower chamber.
-
Add 12 g coffee to the filter basket.
-
Screw the upper and lower chambers together.
-
Heat on medium until you hear a gurgling sound, or when the water has finished bubbling through.
-
Pour immediately into your cup.
Pro Tips
For light roasts, hot starting water can under-extract. Aim for a 3–4 minute brew time with starting water at 30–40 °C - use 75% cold water and 25% hot water.
For medium to dark roasts, use starting water at 50–60 °C (50% cold, 50% boiling). Keep on a medium-low boil for a 2–3 minute brew time.
Too high a heat pushes dirty grinds through the filter and makes for an unclean cup.
Pour Over
Pour Overs are a great way to brew a complex and delicate cup. This versatile brewer lets you control all the key variables - dose, grind, temperature, and time. We recommend this method to anyone who enjoys their coffee black.
What You'll Need
- Pour Over cone
- Pour Over filter paper
- 16 g Vana Brew coffee (about 2 tablespoons), pour over grind
- Tablespoon
- Cup
- 240 ml water at 92 °C (about 3¾ minutes off boil)
- Kettle
- Scales and timer, if available
Brewing Recipe
-
Fold the seam of the filter paper, place it in the cone, and rinse with hot water over your cup.
-
Discard the rinse water and place the cone back on the cup.
-
Add 16 g of coffee into the filter.
-
Pour 60 ml of hot water over the grinds - the bubbles you see are called the bloom.
-
Stir 3 times to lightly mix the coffee grinds, then wait 30 seconds.
-
Pour 60 ml of water every 30 seconds until you have poured 240 ml total.
-
Let the brew drip through the filter.
-
At 3 minutes, remove the filter cone from your cup. The water should have just finished dripping through.
Pro Tips
Rinsing the paper and cone removes any paper taste and preheats your cup and cone.
Darker roasts need cooler water - if the temperature is too high, the brew will over-extract and taste bitter (90–92 °C).
Lighter roasts are denser and need hotter water to extract fully (94–96 °C).
A bloom is the first pour that releases carbon dioxide - you'll see it as tiny bubbles rising from the grinds.
Stirring the grinds during the bloom is called agitation. It's essential for light to medium roasts - it releases trapped gas, lets the remaining water absorb more flavour, and reduces sourness.
No agitation is needed during the bloom for dark roasts - it can cause over-extraction.
If the water drips through too fast and the brew finishes early, use a finer grind. If it drips too slowly, use a coarser grind.
South Indian Filter
Traditional South Indian filter coffee is made by infusing frothed milk with a strong coffee decoction. Also known as Madras filter coffee, this rich, milky brew is a comforting cup of hot coffee.
What You'll Need
- South Indian filter set (including the plunger)
- 18 g Vana Brew coffee (about 9 teaspoons), South Indian filter grind
- Tablespoon
- Cup
- 100 ml water at 95 °C (about 1½ minutes off boil)
- Kettle
- Scales and timer, if available
Brewing Recipe
-
Add 18 g coffee powder to the upper chamber of the filter.
-
Place it over the lower chamber where the decoction will collect.
-
Use the plunger to level the coffee grinds, then leave the plunger on top.
-
Pour 100 ml hot water into the top chamber, keeping the plunger in place.
-
Place the lid and let it drip through for 9:30 to 10 minutes.
-
Take 50 ml of decoction and add 60 ml of hot milk, or 50 ml of hot water for a black cup.
-
Add sugar to taste.
Pro Tips
Use a higher water temperature than other brew methods - it helps maintain optimum heat through the long drip for a consistent decoction.
Use the plunger only to level the grounds - no pressure is needed.
Keep the lid on the chamber for the entire brew time to prevent heat loss.
This makes a strong decoction that yields 2–3 cups - store any leftover in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For traditional foam on top, pour the brew back and forth between two vessels from enough height to create bubbles.