There is no reason to drink bad coffee.

We are a small society.

We believe coffee should taste good. We are not difficult about this. We are not snobs. We simply do not see the point of drinking something bad when drinking something good is so close at hand.

I. Good beans

A coffee bean is a seed. It is alive, and then it is roasted, and then it begins to die. Within weeks of being roasted, most of what made it interesting is gone.

Buy beans from someone who roasts them. Use them within a month. Grind them just before you brew.

This is not a luxury. This is the lower bound.

II. Good water

Coffee is almost entirely water. Your tap is doing most of the work in the cup. If your water is rough on a kettle, it is rough on a palate. Filter what you brew with. The cheap things matter.

III. Then, method

Coarse for the press. Medium for the filter. Fine for espresso. About sixty grams of coffee for every litre of water, give or take. Just off boil, never boiling. Four minutes, near enough.

Everything past that — the scale, the timer, the gooseneck kettle — is for people who already enjoy this part. You do not have to.

IV. The society

We are not selling anything. We are not certifying anyone. We are saying, plainly:

It does not take much.