Better Coffee & Tea at Home

What's inside

1. Level 1: From Cherry to Cup: Arabica and RobustaFree
   We'll follow coffee from the fruit on the tree all the way to your mug, and meet the two main species, arabica and robusta, so you know what's actually in your bag.
2. Level 2: Origins, Processing and Roast LevelsFree
   You'll see how where coffee grows, how the cherry is processed (washed, natural, honey) and how dark it's roasted all shape the flavour in your cup.
3. Level 3: Freshness and Storage
   We'll find out why roast date matters, how ground coffee goes stale faster than beans, and how to store coffee so it keeps tasting good.
4. Level 4: Grinding and Grind Size: Blade vs Burr
   You'll learn why grind size controls how fast flavour comes out of coffee, and why a burr grinder gives a more even grind than a blade grinder.
5. Level 5: Water Quality and Temperature
   We'll look at the ingredient that makes up most of your cup: how hard or soft water and brewing temperature change the way coffee tastes.
6. Level 6: Ratios and a Simple Kitchen Scale
   You'll start brewing by weight, using a coffee-to-water ratio and an ordinary kitchen scale, so you can repeat a good cup every time.
7. Level 7: Immersion Brewing: Cafetière and Cold Brew
   We'll put grind, water and ratio to work in immersion brewing, making a cleaner cafetière cup and a smooth batch of cold brew.
8. Level 8: Pour-Over Brewing
   You'll learn how a pour-over works, from rinsing the paper to blooming the coffee and pouring steadily, for a clean, bright cup.
9. Level 9: AeroPress and Moka Pot
   We'll try two compact brewers that use pressure: the versatile AeroPress and the stovetop moka pot, and see how each one makes a stronger, richer cup.
10. Level 10: Espresso in Outline and Steaming Milk
    You'll get a clear outline of how espresso machines work, then learn how to heat and texture milk for lattes and flat whites, with or without a steam wand.
11. Level 11: Dialling In by Taste: Sour, Bitter, Weak, Strong
    We'll turn everything you've learned into a fix-it toolkit, using taste to tell whether a cup is under- or over-extracted, too weak or too strong, and what to change.
12. Level 12: Decaf Done Well
    You'll find out how coffee is decaffeinated, why decaf has a poor reputation, and how to choose and dial in a decaf that tastes good.
13. Level 13: One Plant, Many Teas: Black, Green, Oolong, White
    We'll discover that black, green, oolong and white tea all come from the same plant, and that processing, mostly oxidation, makes the difference.
14. Level 14: Tea Temperature, Steeping and Loose Leaf vs Bags
    You'll learn to match water temperature and steeping time to each tea type, and see what loose leaf gives you compared with tea bags.
15. Level 15: Herbal Infusions and Describing Flavour
    We'll explore herbal infusions that aren't technically tea, and build a simple vocabulary so you can describe exactly what you taste in any cup.
16. Level 16: Buying Well and Cost per Cup
    You'll learn how to buy from coffee roasters and tea merchants with confidence, and work out what your home cup really costs compared with a café.
17. Level 17: Cleaning, Descaling and Sensible Caffeine
    We'll keep your kit clean and descaled so it doesn't spoil the flavour, and look at NHS guidance on sensible caffeine amounts, including the 200mg a day limit in pregnancy.
18. Level 18: Final Challenge: Your Perfect Home Brew Exam
    You'll pull the whole course together, from beans, grind, water and ratio to brewing methods, dialling in, tea, buying, care and caffeine, in one comprehensive final challenge.

Access

The first 2 levels are free with a free account. Every level, the podcast edition and the AI tutor come with All Access at £4.99/month or any Creator plan — see pricing.

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