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Coffee guides

How we brew at BIGFACE, step by step. Start with one of the two recipes below, taste, then adjust. Looking for drinks? See our recipes.

Start here

Two starting recipes that work with every BIGFACE coffee. Weigh everything: a gram either way changes the cup more than you'd think.

Pour-over and drip
Filter

Ratio
1:16 to 1:17
Dose
20 g coffee to 320–340 g water
Grind
Even, medium
Water
199–201°F
Bloom
Twice your dose in water, 30–45 seconds
Total time
2:30–3:30
1. Weigh your coffee and water. Start at 20 g coffee to 320 g water.
2. Grind medium and even. Clarity comes from consistency.
3. Bloom: pour about twice your dose in water to wet all the grounds, then wait 30–45 seconds.
4. Pour slowly in steady circles, keeping the water level constant instead of stopping and flooding.
5. Finish between 2:30 and 3:30. Taste, then adjust one thing at a time.
Read the full filter guide
Shots and milk drinks
Espresso

Ratio
About 1:2
Dose
18–19 g in, 36–38 g out
Grind
Fine, like sand
Tamp
Level and even, about 15–20 lb
Water
199–201°F
Shot time
27–32 seconds
1. Weigh your dose. Start at 18 g.
2. Distribute the grounds so the bed is level before you tamp.
3. Tamp level and even. It's about a flat surface, not force.
4. Pull to about twice your dose in liquid espresso: 36 g out.
5. Watch the flow: slow and syrupy at first, then a steady, thinning stream. Taste and adjust your grind.
Read the full espresso guide

Taste, then adjust

Change one thing at a time, and keep notes.

If it tastes	Try
Sour or thin	Grind finer. The water is running through too fast.
Bitter or heavy	Grind coarser. The brew is dragging and over-extracting.
Sharp or perfume-like	Lower the water temperature, staying within 199–201°F.
Muddy or unclear	Even out your grind, and level the bed before you tamp.
Flat or watery	For espresso, pull a shorter shot, closer to 1:2.

Dialing in never really ends. Humidity, your grinder and your water all shift the cup, so taste, adjust and repeat.

Know your coffee

What's the difference between Omni and Isolated Origin?

Omni coffees are blends from more than one origin, built for balance and to work in any brewer. Isolated Origin coffees come from one farm or community, with no blending, so you taste one specific place. Want an everyday coffee for any brewer? Start with Omni. Want to taste what one farm and process can do? Choose an Isolated Origin.

What do “espresso” and “filter” mean on our coffees?

Each Isolated Origin coffee is roasted for one brew method. Espresso roasts extract well under pressure and hold up in milk. Filter roasts show clarity and brightness in pour-over and drip. Omni blends are roasted to work for both.

Which coffee should I start with?

The Omni Trio: Doublestar (fruity and bold), Earthshine (sweet and balanced) and Nebula (bright and smooth). All three are forgiving by design and taste good on your first dial-in. Once you know what you like, go deeper with an Isolated Origin.

Single origin or blend: which is better?

Neither. They're different tools. Single origins show off one place and reward slower methods like pour-over. Blends are built for consistency and versatility, and they're the more forgiving choice for home espresso and milk drinks. Most serious coffee drinkers keep both in rotation.

What does “washed process” mean?

After harvest, the fruit is removed from the coffee before it ferments and dries. That gives a cleaner, more defined cup, with bright acidity, floral notes and clarity. Washed coffees also tend to be more consistent shot to shot.