Different Ways to Brew Coffee: From Tried-and-True to Interesting and Unique

There are infinite ways to brew a cup of coffee. Some methods have been part of our morning routine for generations, while others offer a completely different way to experience your favorite beans. From the convenience of an automatic coffee maker to the simplicity of Cowboy Coffee, here are six brewing methods worth trying.

Drip Coffee Maker / Automatic Brewer

The Everyday Classic

For many of us, coffee starts with the familiar sound of an automatic coffee maker brewing in the kitchen. Drip coffee is one of the most popular ways to brew coffee, and for good reason. It's convenient, consistent, and makes enough coffee to share—or to get you through the morning.

Automatic drip brewers work by heating water and distributing it over ground coffee. The brewed coffee then passes through a filter and collects in a carafe below.

It's hard to beat for everyday coffee. You can set it up, press a button, and let the coffee maker do the work while you get on with your morning.

The Cup: Balanced, clean, and familiar
Best For: Everyday coffee and brewing multiple cups
Grind: Medium
Brew Time: About 4–6 minutes

And don't let the convenience fool you. An automatic coffee maker can produce an excellent cup of coffee. Start with fresh, quality beans, use the right grind, and pay attention to your water, and that everyday pot can be something worth looking forward to.

Try it with: Almost anything! Drip brewing is versatile enough for light, medium, and dark roasts, blends, and single-origin coffees.

How to Brew It

• Coffee: 1–2 tablespoons per 6 oz of water
• Water: Start with 60–65 g of coffee per liter of water
• Grind: Medium
• Water temperature: About 195–205°F
• Brew time: 4–6 minutes
• Tip: Use fresh coffee and filtered water. If your coffee tastes weak, slightly increase the coffee; if it's too strong, adjust the other direction.

Pour Over

When You Want to Be in Control

If automatic drip coffee is about convenience, pour over is about participation.

Instead of pushing a button and walking away, you slowly pour hot water over the coffee grounds yourself. The water passes through the grounds and a filter, eventually making its way into your cup or carafe.

Popular pour-over brewers include the Hario V60, Chemex, and Kalita Wave. While each brewer has its own design, the basic idea is the same: you control the pour, and you control the brew.

That hands-on process is part of the appeal. You can adjust the amount of water, the pouring speed, and the timing to fine-tune the cup.

The Cup: Clean, bright, and nuanced
Best For: Exploring the individual characteristics of a coffee
Grind: Medium-fine
Brew Time: About 2–4 minutes

Pour over can be especially enjoyable with single-origin coffees because the brewing method allows subtle flavors and aromas to stand out.

If you really want to explore the personality of a coffee, pour over is a great place to start.

Try it with: Coffees with interesting floral, fruity, citrus, or other distinctive flavor characteristics.

How to Brew It

• Coffee: 20 g
• Water: 320 g (about 11 oz)
• Ratio: 1:16
• Grind: Medium-fine
• Water temperature: 195–205°F
• Brew time: About 3 minutes
• Bloom with about 40–50 g of water for 30–45 seconds, then slowly pour the remaining water in controlled circles.

Cold Brew

The Coffee That Takes Its Time

Most coffee brewing happens in minutes. Cold brew takes a different approach: slow down.

Cold brew is made by steeping coarsely ground coffee in cool or room-temperature water for an extended period, often 12 to 24 hours. Once the coffee has finished steeping, the grounds are filtered out, leaving a smooth coffee concentrate that can be served over ice or mixed with water, milk, or cream.

The result is very different from a traditional hot-brewed cup.

The Cup: Smooth, mellow, full-bodied, and refreshing
Best For: Iced coffee and those who prefer a smoother-tasting cup
Grind: Coarse
Brew Time: About 12–24 hours

And here's something that often causes confusion:

Cold Brew Isn't the Same as Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is generally brewed with hot water and then cooled or poured over ice. Cold brew is brewed with cold or room-temperature water from the beginning.

Same basic ingredient. Completely different process.

Cold brew is also a great way to experiment with different coffees. Coffees with naturally sweet, chocolatey, nutty, or smooth flavor profiles can make particularly enjoyable cold brews.

Try it with: Smooth, full-bodied coffees with naturally sweet or chocolatey flavor characteristics.

How to Brew It

• Coffee: 1 cup coarse-ground coffee
• Water: 4 cups cold or room-temperature water
• Ratio: About 1:4 for a concentrate
• Grind: Coarse
• Steep: 12–18 hours
• Strain thoroughly, then dilute with water or milk to taste and serve over ice.

We could also explain that a 1:8 ratio makes a ready-to-drink cold brew rather than a concentrate.

Percolator

Grandfather's Brew

Before programmable coffee makers, automatic shutoffs, and machines that seem to do everything except drink the coffee for you, there was the percolator.

For many coffee drinkers, the sound and aroma of coffee percolating on the stovetop brings back memories of grandparents, family gatherings, camping trips, and slow weekend mornings.

A traditional percolator uses heated water to create pressure that pushes water up through a tube and over the coffee grounds. The brewed coffee then flows back into the pot and continues circulating through the grounds as the coffee brews.

The longer it percolates, the stronger the coffee becomes.

The Cup: Bold, robust, and full-bodied
Best For: Traditional coffee drinkers who enjoy a hearty cup
Grind: Medium to medium-coarse
Brew Time: About 8–15 minutes

Percolator coffee isn't trying to be delicate. It's a bold, old-school approach to brewing, and that's exactly why many people still love it.

There is also something satisfying about watching—and smelling—the coffee brew rather than simply pressing a button.

Try it with: Bold blends, medium-dark roasts, and coffees with rich, robust flavor.

How to Brew It

• Coffee: About 1 tablespoon per 6 oz of water
• Grind: Medium to medium-coarse
• Fill the bottom chamber with water, add coffee to the basket, assemble the percolator and heat until the coffee begins cycling through the tube.
• Reduce the heat and let it percolate for approximately 8–12 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let it settle briefly before serving.

Turkish Coffee

Small Cup. Big Coffee Experience.

If you've never had Turkish coffee, prepare for something completely different from your typical filtered cup.

Turkish coffee is traditionally brewed in a small pot called a cezve or ibrik using coffee ground extremely fine—almost to the consistency of powder. The coffee and water are combined and heated together, often with sugar added during brewing according to preference.

And unlike drip coffee or pour over, there is no paper filter.

The coffee grounds remain in the cup and eventually settle to the bottom.

The Cup: Rich, intense, thick, and full-bodied
Best For: Strong coffee lovers and anyone interested in traditional coffee preparation
Grind: Extra-fine
Brew Time: Just a few minutes

The preparation is part of the experience. Turkish coffee is traditionally served in small cups, and the coffee is enjoyed slowly as the grounds settle.

It's a great reminder that coffee doesn't have to mean a large mug filled to the brim. Sometimes a small cup can deliver a very big coffee experience.

Try it with: A rich, flavorful coffee that stands up to the intensity of the brewing method.

How to Brew It

• Coffee: 1 heaping teaspoon (about 6–7 g)
• Water: 3 oz
• Grind: Extra-fine—almost powder-like
• Sugar: Optional
• Combine coffee, water and sugar if desired in a cezve. Heat slowly until the coffee begins to foam, then remove from the heat. Traditionally, the coffee may be returned to the heat briefly before serving.
• Pour carefully and allow the grounds to settle before drinking.

Cowboy Coffee

Coffee Doesn't Need Complicated Equipment

Coffee doesn't get much simpler than Cowboy Coffee.

No coffee maker. No paper filter. No special brewing equipment.

Just coffee, water, a pot, and a heat source.

To make Cowboy Coffee, coarsely ground coffee is added directly to water and heated until the coffee has brewed. After the grounds settle toward the bottom, the coffee is carefully poured into a cup.

It's an especially popular method for camping and outdoor adventures, but you don't have to be sitting around a campfire to enjoy it. Cowboy Coffee is proof that you don't need a countertop full of equipment to make a satisfying cup of coffee.

The Cup: Full-bodied, rustic, and robust
Best For: Camping, outdoor brewing, or keeping things simple
Grind: Coarse
Brew Time: About 4–5 minutes

There's something appealing about stripping coffee down to the basics.

Coffee. Water. Heat. That's it.

Try it with: A hearty, full-bodied coffee that can stand up to a rustic brewing method.

How to Brew It

• Coffee: About 1 tablespoon per 6 oz of water
• Water: 4 cups
• Grind: Coarse
• Bring the water to a boil, remove from direct heat and add the coffee. Stir, then let it steep for about 4 minutes.
• Add a small splash of cold water to help settle the grounds, then slowly pour into your cup.

So, Which Brew Is Your Style?

The fun thing about coffee is that there isn't one right way to brew it. The method you choose depends on what you want from your cup—and sometimes simply what you're in the mood for.

Want easy and dependable? Reach for the drip coffee maker.

Want to slow down and control the process? Try pour over.

Want something smooth and refreshing? Make cold brew.

Want bold and nostalgic? Bring out the percolator.

Want to experience an old-world coffee tradition? Try Turkish coffee.

Heading outdoors or just keeping things simple? Make Cowboy Coffee.

And don't stop with one method. Experiment. Try the same coffee brewed two or three different ways and see how the flavor, aroma, body, and overall experience change.

Because there may be infinite ways to brew a cup of coffee—but there's always another one worth trying.

Find Your Next Coffee to Brew

Once you've found a brewing method you enjoy, the next step is finding the coffee to go with it. Explore coffees from growing regions around the world, along with classic blends and flavored favorites, and discover how different coffees come alive in different brewing methods.

There's always another coffee worth brewing.

Check out our best Coffees and find great coffees to brew.

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