WASA BREW GUIDE

Slow rituals. Better cups.

Eleven methods. One philosophy. Calibrated for the kind of coffee I roast.

THE RATIO

I brew everything at 1:15.

Fifteen grams of water for every gram of coffee. Heavier than third-wave standard, because lighter roasts need the room to open up.

THE WATER

Singapore tap is the silent killer.

I brew with distilled water and a Third Wave mineral packet. Same beans, cleaner cup, no chlorine flatness.

THE GRIND

Grind is the only lever that matters.

Same beans, same ratio, same water. Two clicks finer and the cup goes from thin to syrupy.

THE V60

Two blooms beat one.

A short bloom, a second pulse, then the main pour. It is the way I dial in every new bag on the bench.

ICED FOR SG

Eight months of summer.

Iced V60 with half the water as ice. Bright, cold, finished in three minutes. Built for the walk home in 32°C heat.

ESPRESSO

Light roasts pull long.

I run 1:2.5 to 1:3 ratios on the lighter coffees. More yield, more clarity, none of the burnt cocoa note people expect from espresso.

PICK A METHOD

Tap a method below.

Each one comes with my exact recipe, the gear I use, and the small adjustments that change everything.

See the recipes

Choose your brew

Eleven methods, one good cup.

Tap a method to jump to its recipe. Filter ratios sit around 1:15. Tweak to taste.

First principles

Six things every brewer gets right.

Use fresh, filtered water.

Coffee is 98 percent water. If your tap does not taste good on its own, it will not taste good in your coffee. See the Water section above for the Singapore-specific reality.

Grind right before brewing.

Pre-ground coffee loses freshness rapidly. Even an affordable hand grinder makes a noticeable difference. The grind is the single biggest variable you control.

Weigh your coffee.

A simple kitchen scale accurate to 0.1 g takes the guesswork out of consistency. The difference between 14 g and 18 g is a completely different cup.

Rest your beans.

Fresh-roasted coffee needs time to degas. For filter, start tasting at 1 week. For espresso, wait at least 2 weeks. Peak flavour for most WASA coffees is 2.5 to 4 weeks after roast.

Mind the temperature.

90 to 95°C for filter brewers (V60, AeroPress at light roast). Moka pot and french press are deliberate exceptions, see their recipe notes for why.

Adjust by one variable at a time.

Change grind, OR temperature, OR pour rate. Never two at once. You will never know what fixed the cup if you change everything together.

V60 conventionalBloom, two pours, no swirl

Reference: James Hoffmann, V60 Pour Over Technique.

Dose 15 g
Water 232 g
Temperature 95°C
Grind Medium-fine
Total time 2:15 to 2:45
  1. Pre Rinse paper, 15 g, 232 g water at 95°C Place a paper filter in the V60 and rinse with hot water to remove papery taste and pre-heat the dripper. Discard the rinse. Add 15 g of medium-fine ground coffee. Have 232 g of water at 95°C ready in your kettle.
  2. 0:00 Bloom to 45 g Pour 45 g of water in slow centre-out circles to fully wet the bed. If a few spots stay dry, a small swirl is fine. Otherwise leave the dripper alone, since swirling slows the drip rate.
  3. 0:40 Pour to roughly 140 g Steady centre-out circles. Stop pouring at 0:55, around 140 g total.
  4. 0:55 Pause Wait for the bed to settle. The water level should fall toward the bed before the next pour.
  5. 1:25 Final pour to 232 g Pour the remaining water in a 20-second push, finishing at 1:45. Stay centred.
  6. 1:45 Drawdown Leave the dripper alone. Aim to finish the brew between 2:15 and 2:45.

Why this recipe

The conventional V60: a bloom and two pours with a pause in the middle, no swirl unless the bloom missed a dry spot. Reliable across most coffees and roast levels at the 1:15.5 ratio.

Use this when you want a predictable cup with no fuss. The unconventional two-bloom recipe below is the one I lean on for lighter roasts when I want to push extraction further.

Try this with these coffees .

V60 unconventionalTwo blooms, fast main pour

Reference: Lance Hedrick, My Most Reliable V60 Method, April 2026.

Dose 15 g
Water 225 g
Temperature 93°C (range 90 to 96 by roast)
Grind Adjust to land brew at 2:00 to 2:30
Total time 2:00 to 2:30
  1. 0:00 to 45 g (first bloom) Pour 45 g of water (3x dose) at a controlled 5 to 10 ml per second pace. Do not swirl, swirling slows the flow.
  2. 0:30 to 90 g (second bloom) Second bloom: pour another 45 g at the same controlled pace. This releases the CO2 still trapped in the bed so the main pour does not channel. Both blooms are mandatory.
  3. 1:00 to 225 g (main pour) Pour rapidly at 9 to 10 ml per second to 225 g total. Stay in the centre, do small coin-sized circles, deliberately agitate the bed. The pour should take about 12 to 13 seconds.
  4. Optional Slow swirl, only if needed If the drawdown is moving too fast (your grind was too coarse), give one small swirl at the end of the main pour to slow it. Otherwise leave it alone.
  5. 2:00 to 2:30 Drawdown done Total brew time should land between 2:00 and 2:30. If faster: grind one notch finer next time. If slower: one notch coarser. Stir the brew before sipping. Target TDS around 1.3, extraction around 18.5 to 19 percent.

Why this recipe

This is the April 2026 baseline, designed to be reliable across any coffee at any roast level. Two mandatory blooms release CO2 before the main pour, so the bed does not channel. The fast centre-circle main pour agitates deliberately, no swirl needed. Swirling slows the flow and is only used at the end if the drawdown is moving too fast.

Ratio is 1:15. Ratio is your taste lever: 1:13 for stronger and more acidic, 1:16 to 1:17 for lighter. Grind is the lever to land your drawdown in the 2:00 to 2:30 window. There is no fixed grind reference because every grinder is different.

Temperature: 93°C is the default. 96 for ultra-light competition coffees, 90 to 92 for medium-light, below 90 for darker roasts.

Try this with these coffees .

AeroPressInverted method

Reference: Lance Hedrick, A Different AeroPress Recipe.

Dose 20 g
Water 120 g + 60 to 100 g dilute
Temperature 80 to 90°C
Grind Medium-coarse
Total time 2:00 + dilute
  1. Setup Inverted AeroPress Set the AeroPress in the inverted position (plunger down, chamber up). Insert paper filter into the cap separately and rinse, but do not attach yet. Add 20 g of medium-coarse ground coffee.
  2. 0:00 Pour 120 g at 85°C Pour all 120 g of water at 85°C in one go directly onto the bed.
  3. 0:05 Stir 10 seconds Stir vigorously for 10 seconds with a paddle or spoon to break up clumps and fully wet the bed.
  4. 1:00 Cap and flip Attach the rinsed paper filter cap. Flip the AeroPress onto a sturdy mug or server.
  5. 1:00 to 2:00 Press 60 seconds Press slowly and steadily for 1 minute. Stop the moment you hear the hiss. Pull the plunger back slightly to break suction.
  6. After press Dilute 60 to 100 g Dilute the concentrate with 60 to 100 g of hot or room-temperature water to drinking strength. Stir and serve.

Why this recipe

Lance's inverted recipe with a high coffee dose, a short steep, and a slow press, then dilution to drinking strength. The high dose and short contact time pull cleanly without over-extraction. Diluting after the press lets the cup keep its body while opening up the aromatics.

Grind around 1000 micron (medium-coarse). For darker roasts you can use 30 g coffee, 80°C water, grind closer to 1200 micron, same procedure.

Try this with these coffees .

Hario SwitchCool bloom, layered immersion

Reference: Lance Hedrick, Switch Gong Fu, July 2025 (tweaked slightly).

Dose 15 g
Water 250 g (50 + 100 + 100)
Temperature 75 (bloom), 90 (pours)
Grind Medium-coarse
Total time 4:30
  1. 0:00 Bloom 50 g at 75 C Switch closed. Pour 50 g of water at 75°C through a spoon held above the bed. The cool Samo bloom retains aromatic volatiles. Stir the slurry gently with a spoon.
  2. 1:30 Drain Open the valve and let the bloom drain fully.
  3. 1:40 Pour 100 g at 90 C Close the valve. Pour 100 g at 90°C through a spoon held above the bed. Stir the surface gently with a spoon. Open the valve.
  4. 3:15 Pour 100 g at 90 C Close the valve. Final 100 g at 90°C, again through a spoon. Stir gently. Open the valve.
  5. 4:30 Done Drain fully. Total brew should land around 4:30. Cup is layered, with both immersion body and percolation clarity.

Why this recipe

Two innovations make this Switch recipe stand out. The cool Samo bloom (75°C) preserves aromatic volatiles that boil off with full-temperature blooms. Pouring every stream over a spoon (Melodrip-style) keeps fines in place so the bed stays uniform across the three immersion-percolation cycles.

Gentle surface stirring with a spoon between pours, not whole-cup swirls. The cup is more layered than V60, with both body and clarity.

Try this with these coffees .

French pressLong steep, shallow plunge

Reference: James Hoffmann, Ultimate French Press (tweaked to 95°C for less bitterness).

Dose 30 g
Water 500 g
Temperature 95°C
Grind Medium-coarse
Total time 9:30
  1. 0:00 Pour 500 g Add 30 g of medium-coarse ground coffee. Pour 500 g of water at 95°C in one steady go. Start the timer.
  2. 4:00 Break crust Stir the crust gently with a spoon. Most of the grounds will sink. Skim off any floating foam and fines.
  3. 9:30 Shallow plunge Push the plunger down just below the surface. Do not press to the bottom. Pour off immediately. The shallow plunge avoids forcing sediment back through the bed.

Why this recipe

Two classic french press faults: over-extraction and gritty body. Skimming the foam at 4 minutes removes the bitter fines that float up. The shallow plunge at 9:30 avoids forcing the sediment back through the bed. The cup is fuller-bodied than V60 but cleaner than a typical press.

Hoffmann's original calls for water just off the boil. I drop it to 95°C for a sweeter, less aggressive cup that respects the long steep.

Try this with these coffees .

Moka potBoiling water start, low heat

Reference: James Hoffmann, Ultimate Moka Pot Technique (tweaked slightly).

Dose 17 to 20 g
Water Below valve
Temperature Preheat with boiling water
Grind Medium-fine
Total time 4 to 5 min
  1. Pre Pre-boil water Boil water in a kettle. Pour into the moka bottom chamber to just below the safety valve. Use gloves, the base will be hot.
  2. 0:00 Fill basket Fill the filter basket level full with medium-fine ground coffee. Do not tamp. Optional: place an AeroPress paper filter on top of the grounds for a cleaner cup.
  3. 0:30 Heat low to medium Assemble the moka pot. Place on low to medium heat with the lid open so you can see the flow start.
  4. First flow Cut heat The moment coffee starts flowing into the upper chamber, kill the heat. Let residual heat finish the brew.
  5. Sputter Cool the base If you hear sputtering, run the bottom chamber under cold water to stop extraction immediately.

Why this recipe

Pre-boiled water and low heat is the trick. It cuts the time the grounds sit on the burner, so the cup is sweet rather than scorched. The optional paper filter on top of the grounds catches oils and fines, giving you something close to filter clarity.

Try this with these coffees .

Iced V60Brew onto ice

Reference: Lance Hedrick, Ultimate Flash Brew (tweaked slightly).

Dose 20 g
Water 240 g brew + 60 g ice
Temperature 93°C
Grind Medium-fine
Total time 3:00
  1. Pre 60 g ice in server Place 60 g of ice cubes in the receiving carafe. Set the V60 with rinsed paper filter on top. Add 20 g of medium-fine ground coffee.
  2. 0:00 Bloom 60 g (3x dose) Pour 60 g at 93°C in a steady centre pour. Saturate the bed. Do not swirl yet.
  3. 1:00 to 150 g Pour to 150 g total in a steady centre pour.
  4. 1:45 to 240 g, gentle swirl Pour to 240 g total. After this pour, give the dripper a gentle swirl to settle the bed onto the ice. Iced is the one method where I still swirl.
  5. 2:30 Stir over ice Drawdown finishes onto the ice. Stir the brew and ice in the server until cooled to 5 to 10°C. Pour over fresh ice in the glass.

Why this recipe

Brewing onto ice fixes aromatic volatiles instantly. The 1:15 effective ratio compensates for ice dilution, so the cup arrives at filter strength rather than weak. This is the one method where I still swirl, between the second and third pour, gentle, to settle the bed onto the ice.

Try this with these coffees .

Iced Hario SwitchHybrid flash chill

Reference: Hybrid flash chill (community standard), tweaked slightly.

Dose 20 g
Water 200 g hot, 100 g ice
Temperature 96°C
Grind Medium-fine
Total time 3:30
  1. Pre 100 g ice in carafe Place 100 g of ice in the receiving carafe. Set the Switch on top with rinsed paper filter. Add 20 g of medium-fine ground coffee. Switch open.
  2. 0:00 Bloom 50 g at 96 C Switch open. Pour 50 g at 96°C. Stir gently. Wait.
  3. 0:45 to 100 g Switch still open. Pour another 50 g, total 100 g. Let it draw through onto the ice.
  4. 1:30 Close switch, fill to 200 g Close the switch. Pour the final 100 g, total 200 g hot water. Immerse.
  5. 2:30 Open and drain Open the switch. Drain. Stir the brew with the ice in the carafe to integrate. Pour over fresh ice in the glass.

Why this recipe

This is the only published recipe that genuinely uses the Switch valve mid-brew for iced. Open valve for the percolation phase, closed for the immersion phase, then drain. Higher hot dose plus reduced water mass compensates for ice dilution. The cup has surprising body for an iced brew.

Try this with these coffees .

Espresso (conventional)Pump dial-in, 1:2

Reference: James Hoffmann, dial-in framework (tweaked slightly).

Dose 18 g
Water 36 g yield
Temperature 93°C (light: 94 to 95, dark: 91 to 92)
Grind Fine
Total time 25 to 32 sec
  1. Setup Grind 18 g Grind 18 g of coffee directly into a clean, dry portafilter basket (VST or IMS, 18 g size).
  2. Prep WDT and tamp Use a needle WDT tool to break clumps and even the bed. Tap the side gently to settle. Tamp level with about 30 lb (13.6 kg) of pressure. Wipe the rim of the portafilter.
  3. 0:00 Lock in, pull Lock the portafilter in and start the pump immediately. Do not let the puck sit in the hot grouphead, it pre-extracts.
  4. 0:25 to 0:32 36 g out Aim for 36 g of espresso in 25 to 32 seconds (1:2 ratio). Sour and thin: grind finer. Bitter and slow: grind coarser.

Why this recipe

This is the standard pump espresso starting point. Adjust grind first for time, then dose, then ratio. For light-roasted specialty beans push temp to 94 to 95°C and lean toward 1:2.5 to 1:3 over 32 to 35 seconds, the cup will be brighter and cleaner. Rest beans at least 2 weeks after roast before dialling in. Fresh beans channel.

Try this with these coffees .

Espresso (SOUP)Low-pressure soak, fast flow

Reference: Lance Hedrick, SOUP method (tweaked slightly to 96°C).

Dose 17 g
Water 70 g yield
Temperature 96°C
Grind Medium to medium-fine
Total time About 30 sec
  1. Setup 17 g, coarse, paper filter Place a paper filter at the bottom of the basket. Dose 17 g of medium-fine ground light to ultra-light roasted coffee. Tamp gently. Add a top screen if you have one.
  2. 0:00 Pour 70 g hot water Pour 70 g of just-off-boil water onto the puck. Lock the brewer in.
  3. 0:05 Soak at 1 bar Apply low pressure, around 1 bar, until the bottom of the basket fully saturates and a few drops fall.
  4. 0:15 Fast flow press Press through quickly, target 6 ml per second flow. Press phase around 15 seconds. Cup arrives bright, tea-like, no bitterness.

Why this recipe

SOUP is Lance Hedrick's low-pressure technique for ultra-light roasts that taste sour or astringent under conventional 9-bar espresso. Medium to medium-fine grind, gentle 1 bar soak until the puck saturates, then a fast 6 ml per second press. The cup is closer to a concentrated filter brew, all sweetness and clarity, no bitterness.

Equipment: Cafelat Robot, Flair 58, Picopresso, OXO Rapid Brewer, or AeroPress with JOEPRESSO. Standard 9-bar pump machines cannot run this profile. Lance's original recipe uses near-boiling water, I dial it down to 96°C for a touch more clarity.

Try this with these coffees .

Cold brewConcentrate, immersion

Specialty community standard, 1:8 immersion.

Dose 60 g
Water 500 g
Temperature Cold or room temp
Grind Very coarse
Total time 12 to 18 hr
  1. Setup Combine in jar Combine 60 g of very-coarse ground coffee with 500 g of cold or room-temperature water in a sealed jar or cold-brew maker. Stir gently to wet all grounds.
  2. 0:00 Steep 12 to 18 hr Cover and refrigerate. 12 hours produces a balanced concentrate, 18 hours produces a heavier, more chocolatey concentrate.
  3. End Double strain Strain through a fine mesh, then through a paper filter for clarity. Discard the grounds.
  4. Serve Dilute 1:1 This is concentrate. Dilute 1:1 with water or milk to drinking strength. Will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Why this recipe

Cold brew brings out chocolate, caramel and nutty notes while reducing perceived acidity. Naturals and honey-process coffees make particularly good cold brews with berry character.

Try this with these coffees .

If something tastes off

Troubleshoot the cup.

Symptom Tastes like Cause Fix
Sour Sharp, lemon-acid, thin Under-extracted Grind one notch finer. Or raise water 2°C.
Bitter Dry, hollow, ashy on the back of the tongue Over-extracted Grind one notch coarser. Or shorten brew time by 15 seconds.
Weak Watery, no body, no aroma Ratio is too lean Increase the coffee dose, keep water the same. Verify your scale reads to 0.1 g.
Muddy Cloudy mouthfeel, gritty finish Fines passed the filter Coarsen the grind. For french press, shallow plunge only. For V60, stop swirling after the bloom.
Astringent Drying, mouth-puckering, like over-steeped tea Late stage over-extraction or stale beans Drop water temperature 2 to 3°C. Check beans are within 4 weeks of roast.
Flat Lifeless, no aromatics, low contrast Water is over-buffered or beans not yet rested Switch from tap to distilled plus mineral packet. For espresso, rest beans 2 to 3 weeks post-roast.

On water

Coffee is 98 percent water.

If your tap does not taste good on its own, it will not taste good in your coffee. Here is the Singapore-specific reality and what I actually use.

Singapore tap reality

PUB tap, honestly.

Singapore PUB tap water carries roughly 75 mg per litre of bicarbonate, plus chloramine for disinfection. The chloramine does not off-gas like chlorine, so a Brita pitcher does not fully remove it.

The bicarbonate buffers acidity, which mutes brightness in light roasts. You can still make great coffee with tap, you just need to fight your water harder.

What I use at WASA

Distilled water plus Third Wave Water.

What I actually use at WASA: distilled water plus minerals. The Third Wave Water sachet is the simple route, one sachet stirred into 4 litres of distilled. The Light Roast Profile packet is calibrated for filter brewing of light single origins, which is most of what I roast.

The result is a clean, predictable mineral profile that lets the bean character come through without buffer-muting. No chlorine, no chloramine, no surprises.

Bottled water

Bottled water works, with caveats.

If buying bottled, look for Total Dissolved Solids on the label. 100 to 200 ppm is the working window. Below 50 ppm is too soft and will flatten the cup. Above 250 ppm over-buffers acidity and mutes brightness.

Evian is too hard at around 300 ppm. Smartwater is closer at around 150 ppm. Distilled plus a mineral packet still beats both, because you control the profile exactly.

Origin journals

The story behind each coffee.

Where each bean came from, who farmed it, and how it ended up in your cup. One short story per single origin.

Panama La Santa

Panama La Santa: Origin Story

CHIRIQUI, PANAMA Panama La Santa: Cold Winds, Bright Cups By Leonard / April 2026 Some coffees earn a permanent spot on a roster. Pana...

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Costa Rica Azul

Costa Rica Azul: Origin Story

WEST VALLEY / COSTA RICA Costa Rica Azul: Red Honey from La Carreta Azul By Leonard / April 2026 The West Valley doesn't get the same ...

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Ethiopia Buku Abel

Ethiopia Buku Abel: Origin Story

HAMBELA WAMENA / ETHIOPIA Ethiopia Buku Abel: Tomatoes, Rose, and a Cup That Resists Easy Categories By Leonard / April 2026 Some coff...

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Peru Los Santos Gesha

Peru Los Santos Gesha: Origin Story

AMAZONAS, PERU Peru Los Santos Gesha: Black Honey from the Ayuyus Mountains By Leonard / April 2026 Amazonas sits in Peru's far north,...

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Kenya Kiaguthu AA

Kenya Kiaguthu AA: Origin Story

NYERI COUNTY, KENYA Kenya Kiaguthu AA: A Washed Coffee That Drinks Like a Natural By Leonard / April 2026 Kenyan AA from Nyeri is supp...

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Colombia Quebraditas Yeast Maceration

Colombia Quebraditas Yeast Maceration: Origin Story

COLOMBIA / HUILA Colombia Quebraditas Yeast Maceration A Sidra lot from Oporapa, processed through passionfruit yeast maceration, where...

Read the story
Colombia Las Margaritas Washed

Colombia Las Margaritas Washed: Origin Story

BRUSELAS, HUILA, COLOMBIA Colombia Las Margaritas Washed: Sidra at 1,800 Metres By Leonard / April 2026 Some coffees announce themselv...

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All journal stories