Coffee guide

Make better coffee at home

What we show you at the bar in the Rocademy, to read at your own pace: espresso, milk, filter coffee. 15 articles, straight to the point.

Double espresso running from the portafilter into two cups

Espresso & Milk · 5 min

How to Make Espresso with a Portafilter, Step by Step

A good espresso from a portafilter is no accident. It is the result of a handful of variables you can measure and change on purpose. This guide gives you a reliable base recipe, walks you through the process from grinding to cup and shows you how to spot typical faults in the shot.

Espresso and Milk

Portafilter, grind size, milk foam and latte art – step by step, just as we teach it in the Rocademy.

Espresso & Milk · 5 min

How to Make Espresso with a Portafilter, Step by Step

A good espresso from a portafilter is no accident.

Portafilter being filled with freshly ground coffee

Espresso & Milk · 4 min

How to Set the Grind Size for Espresso

Grind size is the dial you turn most often when making espresso.

Fine milk foam being poured from the jug

Espresso & Milk · 7 min

Frothing Milk with a Steam Wand: How to Get It Right

Fine milk foam doesn’t happen by chance.

Espresso & Milk · 6 min

Learning Latte Art: the Heart, Step by Step

The heart is the first pattern almost every barista learns, because it contains all the basic movements of latte art.

Espresso & Milk · 4 min

Cappuccino, Latte, Flat White and More: What’s the Difference?

All of these drinks are made from espresso and milk, and yet they taste distinctly different.

Filter Coffee

Pour-over, coffee-to-water ratio, good beans, grinder and machine – and what helps when your cup tastes sour.

Filter Coffee · 4 min

Pour-Over V60: How to Brew Filter Coffee by Hand

With a pour-over dripper like the Hario V60, you brew filter coffee without a machine and control every step yourself.

Filter Coffee · 3 min

Coffee to Water Ratio for Filter Coffee: Grams, Ratio, Temperature

How much coffee goes into the filter shapes the taste more than almost any other factor.

Filter Coffee · 4 min

Sour or Bitter Filter Coffee: Causes and Solutions

If your filter coffee tastes sour, bitter or watery, it’s almost always down to extraction, not the beans.

Filter Coffee · 3 min

Espresso vs Filter Coffee: What Sets Them Apart?

Espresso and filter coffee can come from the same bean and still taste completely different.

Filter Coffee · 3 min

Is Filter Coffee Healthier? Paper Filters Make the Difference

Filter coffee differs from other brewing methods in one way that can matter for your blood lipid levels: the paper filter holds back certain coffee oils.

Coffee label showing origin, variety, process, altitude and tasting notes

Filter Coffee · 6 min

Best Filter Coffee: How to Spot Good Beans

There’s no single best filter coffee, but there are clear signs that tell you a bean is good.

Filter coffee being poured by hand from a kettle

Filter Coffee · 6 min

Filter Coffee Without a Machine: How to Brew Coffee by Hand

You don’t need a machine for great coffee, often not even electricity.

Filter Coffee · 5 min

Grinder for Filter Coffee: What Really Matters

Your grinder affects your filter coffee more than almost any other piece of gear.

Filter coffee in a glass carafe next to two cups

Filter Coffee · 6 min

Filter Coffee Machine: What to Look for When Buying

You can’t judge a good filter coffee machine by its design or the number of buttons, but by how it heats the water and spreads it over the coffee.

A single cup on a wooden table, next to a carafe of filter coffee

Filter Coffee · 4 min

Single Cup Filter Coffee: Getting One Serving Just Right

If you only want one cup of filter coffee, you don’t have to brew a whole pot and pour the rest away.

Filter Coffee overview

Rocademy

Rather learn at the machine than read?

From your first espresso to pour-over: in our courses at the café in Maxvorstadt you practise at the bar.

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