Reference Cards

Nine one-page charts to print and keep by the roaster, the brewer or the till. Each is a single landscape page built around one table. They collect the working numbers from the pages of this section, so each card says on its last line where its figures come from, and which of them are judgement and not measurement.

Each card is offered two ways: a PDF to download and print, and a web version to read on a screen.

Coffee to Water: the Ratios, by Weight

How much coffee for how much water, by weight, from one cup to a 3.8-litre airpot, with the special ratios for cupping, flash brew, cold brew, phin, AeroPress and espresso.

Download the PDF · Web version

Brewing Methods: When to Use Each, and Why

Eleven methods side by side: grind, ratio, water temperature, time, what the cup is like, when to use it, and how it behaves at a market stall.

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Roast Levels: How Dark, and Why

From too light to burnt: where to stop the roast, the weight lost, what the bean looks like, what the cup tastes of, and when not to roast it that way.

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Green Coffee: What to Buy, How to Roast It, and How Not To

Eight green coffees: what each tastes of, what it costs, how to roast it and, in its own column, how not to.

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Grinders: From a Market Table to a Shop Counter

From a hand grinder for a market table to a shop grinder, with burrs, power, speed and price, and the answer to whether each coffee needs its own grinder.

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What Goes In the Cup: Milks, Creams and Flavors

Milk, cream, condensed and evaporated milk, oat, soy and almond milk, honey, vanilla and spice: what each is, what it does, and whether it needs a cooler.

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Syrups and Sweeteners: Recipes by Weight

Simple, rich, demerara, vanilla, honey, maple and sugar-free syrups, by weight, with the dose for an 8 oz and a 12 oz cup. The reasoning, and the case for and against glycerine and gum arabic, is on Syrups.

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Honey and Coffee: Which Honey With Which Cup

Nine honeys, from a light spring wildflower to buckwheat, and the coffee each suits.

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What to Eat With It: Coffee and Pastry Pairings

Which bake goes with which cup and why, and the pairings that belong to a place: cinnamon buns in Sweden, beignets in New Orleans, dates with Arabic coffee.

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Using them

• Print on plain letter paper, landscape, at 100%. The type is small on the densest cards; card stock or a laminate makes them last on a bench.
• The numbers are starting points. The roast, the grinder and the water all differ from one kitchen to the next; write the corrections on the card.
• Prices on the cards are from October 2026.