Getting started with coffee at home

Getting started with coffee at home

Håkan Sävlind

☕️ Getting Started With Coffee at Home (The NBL Way)

You don’t need a lab or a four-figure budget to brew great coffee at home. You need good beans, a grinder, and a scale—plus a simple recipe to keep things consistent. This guide is your fast track to brews you’re proud of.

The 3 Core Pieces (don’t skip these)

1) Good Coffee

No matter how good equipment you have, your coffee can only be as good as the raw material - the coffee itself! Stop buying pre-ground supermarket blends. Buy fresh, light-roasted, single-origin coffee from a specialty café or roaster you trust. That way, you have the chance to get a smoother, sweeter and more complex cup of coffee.

2) A Dedicated Grinder

Grind right before brewing. Pre-ground stales fast and tastes flat. The quality of your grinder also has a big impact on your brew. Most burr-grinders out there do a decent job for a beginner - but stay away from blade grinders at all costs! As they use blades, the ground coffee gets cut into very uneven shapes and grind sizes. 

  • Pour-over only: an entry-level hand grinder(~€100) is perfect to start. At Nordic Brew Lab, we recommend the Kinu M47 Phoenix - this one provides excellent grind quality and ease of use!

  • Espresso: the barrier to entry is higher. Get a hand grinder that can do espresso properly or an espresso-capable electric grinder. The Kinu M47 phoenix are perfectly capable of doing tasty espresso - however we recommend choosing an electric grinder as hand grinders require a long grinding time(1-2 minutes) non-stop. 

3) A Coffee Scale (with timer)

You’ll dial in three things every brew: dose (g of coffee), yield (g of water), time (mm:ss). A scale that reads 0.1 g and has a timer is non-negotiable. Bonus: auto-timer (like the Hario Polaris) that starts when you pour.

Together, these three give you control, repeatability, and better coffee—every day. 

And you don't necessarily have to do a pour-over to make great coffee, batch-brew works as well but is more limited when it comes to the variables that you can control.

Helpful Extras (nice to have)

  • Brewer: timeless and consistent. We love the Hario V60 Metal Black.

  • Gooseneck kettle: for precise pouring and stable flow. The Fellow Stagg Kettle is our daily driver.

  • Filters: high-quality paper matters (try Sibarist for maximum clarity).

  • Water: if your tap water is hard/soft or tastes off, use a simple filter like BWT to soften the water. This improves the mouthfeel, gives you a smoother flavor experience and less astringency.

Why Pour-Over? (control, clarity, and zero waste)

Compared with an automatic drip machine, pour-over gives you full control over temperature, pour structure, and flow. You can brew exactly one cup with minimal waste, and you’ll taste origin character with better clarity and sweetness.

Start With A Real Recipe (the same one we use in our cafés)

This is the Nordic Brew Lab House Recipe—the exact method our baristas use behind the bar. It’s designed for light-roasted, single-origin coffees.

Brewers: V60 / Kalita 155 / Orea 01
Dose: 18 g coffee
Total Brew Volume: 300 g water
Grind: Medium (a touch finer than table salt)
Target Brew Time: 2:30 – 3:00

Pour structure

  • 0:00 — 60 g bloom (don't swirl or stir)

  • 0:30 — +60 g (to 120 g)

  • 1:00 — +60 g (to 180 g)

  • 1:30 — +120 g (to 300 g)

Result: clean, sweet, and transparent cups.

Calibrate The Smart Way (adjust one thing only)

When dialing in a new coffee, change only grind size. If you change dose/water/temp/pours, that’s a new recipe—start over.

  • Sour / thin / hollow: grind finer

  • Bitter / harsh / drying: grind coarser

Keep notes: dose, yield, time, grinder notch. Two or three brews and you’ll be locked in.

Pro Tips From Our Baristas

  • Rinse the filter with hot water to preheat and remove paper taste.

  • Pour low (5–10 cm) to keep a stable stream and avoid turbulence spikes.

  • Center-out circles keep the bed even; avoid pouring on the filter walls.

  • Don’t chase flavors—chase balance. First get sweetness + clean finish, then fine-tune nuance.

Freshness & Resting (don’t rush it)

Ultra-fresh coffee often tastes cloudy or metallic. Resting lets CO₂ and unstable “green” volatiles (e.g., methanethiol) dissipate, opening the cup.

  • Filter: 1–2 weeks off roast; sweet spot often 2–6 weeks

  • Espresso: at least 2 weeks; peak 3–4 weeks (often great up to 6–8)

Full guide: Resting Coffee & Freshness (internal link)

Espresso At Home? Read This First.

Espresso multiplies sensitivity: very fine grind, high pressure, narrow margins. If you’re starting from zero, we suggest:

  1. Nail pour-over with the House Recipe.

  2. When ready, invest in an espresso-capable grinder first.

  3. Then choose a machine that fits your routine and budget.

Common Beginner Mistakes (and quick fixes)

  • Changing too many variables at once → Lock the recipe; adjust only grind.

  • No scale → You can’t repeat what you can’t measure.

  • Water problems → If your water tastes odd, your coffee will too. Filter or remineralize.

  • Brewing too fresh → Give the coffee time to open up.

Quick Starter Checklist

  • Fresh specialty beans

  • Grinder (hand/electric; espresso-capable if needed)

  • Scale to 0.1 g with timer

  • Brewer + filters

  • Gooseneck kettle

  • NBL House Recipe saved in notes

Next Steps (pick your path)

Happy brewing!