Free reader bonuses · How to Make Better Coffee Every Day
Your coffee, dialed in.
Thanks for reading the book. This page holds the quick version of its troubleshooting system — readable right here, no sign-up — plus three printable tools to keep by your coffee station.
The golden rule: change one variable at a time, brew again, and stop as soon as the problem resolves.
Sour or sharp — under-extracted
Something moved too fast
Grind finer (one step). The first and most effective fix.
Still sour? Extend contact time — French press: +30 seconds. Pour-over & espresso: a finer grind is the time adjustment.
Still sour? Slightly hotter water, staying inside 90–96°C (194–205°F).
Check first: actually sour, or just weak? Weak means faint and diluted — that's a ratio problem, not an extraction problem.
Bitter or harsh — over-extracted
Something moved too slowly
Grind coarser (one step).
Still bitter? Shorten contact time — French press: −30 seconds, and always decant immediately after pressing.
Still bitter? Slightly cooler water, staying inside 90–96°C.
Brewing a very dark roast? Smoky-bitter may be the roast itself, not your technique — test with a medium roast.
Weak — a ratio problem, not extraction
Not enough coffee for the water
Add 1–2 g of coffee, same water. (French press: 2–4 g.)
Keep the grind exactly where it is.
Re-taste before changing anything else.
Never grind finer to fix a weak cup — you'll get a cup that's still weak and now also bitter.
Dull or lifeless — a freshness problem
Usually upstream of your technique
Fresher beans — look for a roast date and brew within about four weeks of it. No roast date on the bag is itself the answer.
Grind just before brewing. Airtight container, in a cupboard — never the fridge.
Then, if needed: a few degrees hotter, inside 90–96°C.
No grind, ratio, or time change can restore freshness already lost.
Thin or watery — a body problem
Adequate flavor, not enough texture
Add 1–2 g of coffee.
Still thin? Grind one step finer — the compounds that give coffee body dissolve mid-extraction.
Check the clock: pour-over 2:30–3:30 · French press 4:00 steep · espresso 25–30 s. Finishing fast? A finer grind fixes the time and the thinness together.
If it persists after all three, reconsider the beans.
Inconsistent — a process problem
Great yesterday, flat today
Weigh coffee and water. Every brew.
Mark your grind setting and check it before each brew.
Same steps, timer on, temperature checked — not estimated.
Control enough variables and the next off cup will tell you exactly what caused it.
The baselines
Pour-Over
French Press
Espresso
Coffee
20 g
30 g (solo: 15 g)
18 g
Water / yield
320 g water
480 g water (solo: 240 g)
36 g espresso out
Ratio
1:16
1:16
1:2
Grind
Medium — coarse sand
Coarse — breadcrumbs
Fine — table salt or finer
Water temp
90–96°C (194–205°F)
90–96°C (194–205°F)
Machine-controlled
Time
2:30–3:30 total
4:00 steep, press & decant
25–30 s to 36 g
Scaling any brew: coffee (g) × 16 = water (g). No temperature-controlled kettle? Boil, then wait about 30 seconds before pouring.
The printables
The Coffee Troubleshooting Card
The six symptoms and their fixes on one page — print it and stick it near the kettle.