How to Brew Better Coffee at Home — Our Go-To Pour-Over Recipes
Just getting started with coffee? That journey can feel overwhelming — especially with so many ways to brew, and not to mention the endless options when it comes to gear, filters, grinders, and techniques.
We know — because we’ve been there. At Nordic Brew Lab, we meet coffee lovers every day who are excited and passionate about brewing better coffee. But many of them fall into the same trap:
They start looking for new gear before they’ve nailed a go-to brew recipe.
What Is a Go‑To Recipe & How It Helps
We’re very serious about choosing high-performing gear — but we always recommend starting with entry-level tools and focusing first on learning how to actually brew coffee.
The first step to brewing better coffee isn’t buying a fancy grinder. It’s learning to repeat a recipe.
A go-to recipe helps you:
- Brew consistently
- Understand how you can affect flavor
- Dial in new coffees quickly and confidently
Why Does It Work?
When you follow a recipe, all variables stay constant — except one.
You’ll use the same dose, yield, brew time, and number of pours. The only thing you adjust is grind size.
This lets you troubleshoot easily and progress much faster.
How to Start
There are endless brew recipes out there — but these are our personal go-to recipes, the same ones we use at home, behind the bar, and even in competition.
Håkan’s Go-To Recipe
Coffee: 12g
Water: 200g
0:00 — Add 50g of water and let sit for 35 seconds
00:35 — Add 70g of water (total weight 120g)
01:15 — Add 80g of water until you reach 200g
Target brew time: 2:00 – 2:30 minutes
This recipe has a fast brew time due to using Sibarist FAST filters, which allow a quicker drawdown even with a finer grind. When using more conventional filters, aim for a drawdown closer to 2:30. This recipe brings out bright acidity and a silky mouthfeel.
Pierre’s Go-To Recipe
Coffee: 15g
Water: 250g
0:00 — Add 30g of water
00:30 — Add 110g of water
01:10 — Add the final 110g of water
Target brew time: 2:40 – 3:00 minutes
This recipe works beautifully with our Sibarist B3 filters and tends to produce a fuller, sweeter cup with more roundness and body.
Stick with Your Recipe
Pick one of these recipes and aim for the target brew time. Stick with a single bag of coffee and try it a few times until you're happy with the result.
The goal is for the steps to feel automatic. Avoid overly complex recipes — choose something simple and repeatable.
Once you’ve nailed one coffee with your go-to recipe, it’s time to try a new one! All you need to do is adjust the grind — and nothing else.
Grind finer when:
- Brew time is too fast < 2:00 min
- Tastes watery, sour, or sharp
- Lacks body or sweetness
Grind coarser when:
- Brew time is too long > 3:00 min
- Tastes dry, bitter, or astringent
- Has a chalky, heavy mouthfeel
Signs that you nailed it
- Smooth texture
- Balanced sweetness & acidity
- Long, clean finish
- Clear and expressive flavours
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