BREW GUIDE
Stovetop
Stovetop coffee is one of the quickest ways to make an espresso like cup without the hassle or expense.
Roast level
Medium and medium-dark roasts work best for stovetop because they balance sweetness, acidity, and reduce bitterness.
Grind size
The grind size should be medium fine and feel like white sugar with a little grittiness.
Roast date
Stovetop coffee typically tastes best from around 10 days right through to 90 days after roasting.
RECIPE
20g
DOSE
Medium-fine ground coffee
3-5mins
TIME
Total extraction time
~250g
YIELD
Espresso liquid in your cup
a 1:6 ratio in around 4minutes.
Let's break it down some more.
DOSE
Getting Your Dose Right
The dose refers to the amount of coffee grinds going into your basket.
So what amount should you dose at?
A standard 4 cup stovetop can hold about 30g of coffee grounds.
If you dont know how many cups your stovetop makes, just fill the basket loosely to the brim but don't tamp it down at all.
TIME
Getting Your TIME Right
How long your stovetop takes largely depends on the time it takes for the water to boil. We recommend using a kettle to boil your water first as this not only speeds up the coffee but also reduces bitterness.
Stovetop usually takes 3-5mins for a full extraction.
Over a medium flame, heat your water until the coffee starts to come through then as soon as its starts to gurgle remove from heat and let the rest come through.
Remove the heat quickly because it can easily burn your coffee if left on the flame while it extracts.
YIELD
Getting Your YIELD Right
The ratio is fixed based on the amount of water you put in the bottom of the stovetop. Some of the water will be absorbed into the coffee grounds but generally speaking you stovetop should be about 1:6 ratio from coffee grounds to liquid (ie: 40g of coffee will result in about 250g of coffee liquid)
Some people like to use boiling water to begin with as the idea is to create a less bitter result.
Troubleshooting Espresso
What coffee is best for Stovetop?
Medium-dark roast is best. Depending on the flavours you prefer you can experiment with different types of darker roasts and see what suits your tastebuds. Generally speaking, the darker the roast the less sour, floral or fruity flavours will be present.
Is Stovetop hard to make?
No, Stovetop is quite easy to make. All you need is a mokapot and some good coffee and water and you can make espresso quality coffee easily.
Why does my stovetop coffee taste so bitter?
Stovetop brewing is one of the easiest ways to burn your coffee and give a bitter taste.
Try coarser grinds if you find the coffee too bitter, or bring it off the heat earlier.
Which brew method is best for beginners?
Plunger (French Press) is probably the easiest of them all if you just want to get started with a good coffee. All you need is a French Press, some great coffee coarsely ground, and some boiling water. Alternatively, if you like your coffee iced cold, then making cold brew is super simple and all you need is ground coffee, a cold brewer and cold water. Put it all in the fridge for 12-14 hours and voila!
What grind size should I use for each brew method?
Each method uses a different grind size but as a rough guide: Cold Brew is very coarse (like salt flakes), French Press or Plunger is coarse, Filter/Pourover and Drip coffee is medium, Stovetop is fine, and espresso is very fine. Every brew guide includes a recommended grind range to make it easy.
Do different coffees need different recipes?
Yes. Each coffee extracts differently depending on the how it was roasted, when it was roasted, how the coffee was processed, and what flavours you want to highlight. However, Espresso is the most temperamental, and thats why every product page includes a specific recipe with the ideal dose, yield, time and temperature for that coffee.
My coffee tastes sour or bitter - what should I adjust?
If you know that your coffee is high quality and well roasted like ours it eliminates many of the reasons that make coffee sour and bitter so try these fixes instead:
- Sour = under-extracted. A coffee can be underextracted if the grind is too coarse. Try making the grind a little finer in your next brew. Bitter = over-extracted → grind coarser or brew shorter.
- Bitter = over-extracted. If your grind is too fine it can cause bitterness but also, coffee that stays in contact with hot water for too long keeps extracting even when all the nice flavours are gone. Try adjusting the grind to be coarser or remove the coffee from heat or hot water sooner.
Check out our coffee brew guides for more tips on how to get the best taste from your coffee.
Do I need special equipment to follow these brew guides?
Nope. You only need the appropriate brewing device. A grinder does make for a better tasting coffee in the long run, and a precision kitchen scale helps with accuracy. But don’t get caught up in the hype to buy fancy expensive coffee accessories!
Our brew guides help you understand what affects the flavour the most.
Which roast level works best for each brew method?
As a guideline:
- Filter / Pourover / Batch Brews→ Omni, light and filter roast
- Plunger / Drip / Cold Brews → medium and medium-light roast
- Espresso & Stovetop → medium and medium-light roast
Each coffee on our site notes which method it’s best suited to.
Coffees we recommend for Stovetop/Mokapot brewing
These coffees are selected for balance, solubility and flavour clarity when brewed using Stovetop/Mokapot
