Knowledge Base
Coffee & Tea Guides
Brew better and explore more — buying guides, how-tos, and explainers for every coffee and tea ritual.
How-To
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home
Cold brew is the easiest coffee you can make: coarse grounds, cold water, patience. Here is the ratio, the steep time, and how to store it.
How-To
How to Make Coffee: A Step-by-Step Beginner's Guide
A beginner-friendly hub on how to make coffee at home — the four things that matter most (ratio, grind, fresh beans, water) plus a quick tour of every popular brewing method.
How-To
How to Make a Proper Afternoon Tea at Home
A simple, do-it-yourself guide to hosting afternoon tea at home: the three-course menu, a quick scone recipe, which tea to brew, how to stack the tiered stand, and relaxed etiquette.
How-To
Frappuccino Recipes: Vanilla, Caramel, Mocha and Strawberry
Five copycat Frappuccino-style recipes built on one blender method: vanilla bean creme, caramel, mocha, java chip and strawberries-and-cream. Flavor swaps, ratios and topping ideas included.
How-To
How to Make a Frappuccino-Style Blended Coffee at Home
The master method for Frappuccino-style blended iced coffee at home: the right coffee, milk, ice and sweetener ratio, how to get a thick non-watery texture, and the coffee-versus-creme base choice.
How-To
How to Grind Coffee Beans: Sizes and Methods
Your coffee grind is the single setting that decides whether a cup tastes bright and sweet or thin and bitter. Here is the grind-size ladder for every brew method, how to grind coffee on a burr or blade grinder, and what to do when you have no grinder.
How-To
How to Brew Pour-Over Coffee With a V60
A clear, repeatable method for brewing pour-over coffee with a Hario V60: the gear, ratio, grind, bloom and pulse pours, plus how to fix a brew that runs too fast or too slow.
How-To
How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea the Right Way
A clear, practical guide to brewing loose leaf tea well: gear that gives leaves room, how much leaf per cup, water temperature and steep time by tea type, re-steeping, and quick fixes for a bitter or weak cup.
How-To
How to Become a Barista: Skills and the Craft of Coffee
Becoming a barista is a craft you learn by doing: pulling espresso, steaming milk, reading customers, and moving fast under pressure. Here is what the work really takes and how people get good at it.
How-To
Fresh Ginger Tea: How to Brew With Real Ginger Root
Learn how to make ginger tea from fresh ginger root the right way: slicing, the simmer-versus-steep choice, ratios, timing and add-ins like lemon, honey and turmeric for control over strength.
How-To
The French Press, Explained: How to Brew Great Coffee
A French press makes rich, full-bodied coffee with almost no skill required. Here is the exact ratio, grind, steep time and plunge technique to brew a great cup every time.
How-To
How to Find Specialty Coffee Roasters Near You
A practical, worldwide method for finding great specialty coffee roasters near you: the search terms that work, the quality signals that matter, and what to order to test a roaster.
How-To
How to Find Great Espresso and Cappuccino Near You
A repeatable, go-anywhere method for finding genuinely great espresso and cappuccino near you: how to search, read reviews for patterns, spot quality signals, and what to order to test a cafe.
How-To
How to Find Cold Brew and Iced Coffee Near You
A practical, worldwide method for finding genuinely good cold brew and iced coffee near you. Learn the searches that work, the quality signals to look for, and what to order to test any cafe.
How-To
How to Find a Starbucks Near You and Check Starbucks Hours, Anywhere
The reliable way to find the closest Starbucks to you and confirm its hours, anywhere in the world: use the official store locator and the Starbucks app, filter for what is open now, and know why a Barnes and Noble Starbucks works a little differently.
How-To
How to Find a Great Tea Room or Tea Shop Near You
Searching "tea near me" anywhere in the world? Here's a repeatable method to find a genuinely great tea room or tea shop using maps, reviews, and the quality signals that separate a real tea house from a place that just pours hot water on a bag.
How-To
How to Make an Espresso Martini: The Classic Recipe
The classic espresso martini is vodka, coffee liqueur and a fresh shot of espresso, shaken hard over ice into a silky, foam-capped cocktail. Here is the recipe, the ratios and the technique that gets that glossy crema every time, plus a non-alcoholic version.
How-To
Drinking Matcha Tea: How to Prepare and Enjoy It Every Day
A practical how-to for drinking matcha tea: sift it, whisk it, get the water temperature right, and enjoy it as thin usucha, thick koicha, or a modern iced latte.
How-To
Coffee Percolator Guide: How It Works and How to Brew
What a coffee percolator is, how the perking cycle works, stovetop vs electric models, a step-by-step brew, and why percolated coffee tastes bolder than drip.
How-To
Coffee Cake Recipe: The Classic Crumb Cake (and a Coffee-Flavoured Version)
A clear, classic coffee cake recipe with a thick cinnamon streusel, plus a real coffee-flavoured version and blueberry, blackberry and berry coffee cake variations.
How-To
Caramel Macchiato Recipe: How to Make It at Home
A caramel mach is the sweet, layered cafe drink of vanilla, steamed milk, espresso and a caramel crosshatch. Here is how to build it at home, hot and iced.
How-To
AeroPress Guide: How to Brew Great Coffee
A complete, no-nonsense guide to the AeroPress: how the brewer works, the standard and inverted methods step by step, the right grind and ratio, and how to fix a sour or bitter cup.
How-To
How to Find a Great Coffee Shop Near You, Anywhere
A traveller's playbook for finding a great coffee shop in any new city or country: the worldwide finder apps that work anywhere, how to read maps reviews like a local, and how to size up a coffee scene in five minutes.
How-To
How to Find the Best Coffee Shop or Cafe Near You
A cafe is a place, not just a coffee. Here is how to find the right one near you for work, study, a date, brunch or your dog by reading maps, reviews and photos for vibe, wifi, seating and noise.