Brewing guide

How to Make Drip Coffee Coffee

The everyday carafe, done properly.

Demonstration content — review and verify before publishing.

Automatic drip coffee maker filling a glass carafe

Difficulty: Easy
Brew time: 5–6 minutes
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16 to 1:17
Grind size: Medium
Water temperature: Set by the machine (ideally 198–205 °F)

Overview

Automatic drip gets unfairly dismissed. The machine handles the pour; your job is dose, grind and cleanliness.

Most disappointing drip coffee comes from stale pre-ground coffee and a scaled-up machine, not from the brewing method.

What You Need

Drip coffee maker
Paper or mesh basket filter
Fresh beans
Scale

Step-by-Step Instructions

1
Weigh the coffee
Use about 2.1 oz of coffee per 34 fl oz of water rather than scoops.
2
Grind medium
Aim for the texture of coarse sand, ground right before brewing.
3
Level the bed
Shake the basket flat so water passes through evenly.
4
Use filtered water
Fill the reservoir with filtered water, not softened or distilled.
5
Serve promptly
Decant into a thermal carafe; hot plates cook coffee within 20 minutes.

Common Mistakes

Measuring by scoops instead of weight
Leaving coffee on a hot plate
Never descaling the machine
Buying pre-ground coffee weeks in advance

How to Improve the Flavour

Descale monthly in hard-water areas.
If your machine brews weak, reduce water rather than adding more coffee.

Equipment Recommendations

Coffee Makers Coffee Grinders

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Links are added only after a product has been assessed. Read our full disclosure.