And that is good advice on the grind — exactly what I was looking for. I think I may be doing close to that for my press, so now I know I’m not too far off.

Thanks for the tips!

Once you’ve gotten the hang of things, you’ll find you recognize the sound your water kettle makes just before the boil. And its arguably a good thing to catch it just before boiling rather than let it cool off after boiling… boiling water drives off its dissolved oxygen, making water taste a little — well, a little flat.

As for grind… the hash-marks on grinders are all relative. Given the same grinder, what might be two clicks from the left for me may be two ticks from the right for you. So instead, I’ll tell you that what I use daily in a pour-over cone is about the same texture and particle size as Diamond Crystal kosher salt… or somewhat coarse sand. I vary that grind slightly for a given bean, or a given roast.

It’s still all a matter of taste. Start fairly fine, and then tweak your grinder setting a little more coarsely cup after cup until you’ve found its sweet spot.

What is the best way to know how hot your water is? I’ve seen some mention electric kettles, and I’ve read about how to approximate, but I’ve never tested my own temp and figure its about time.

What is your grind for the pour over? I recently got a burr and I’m still learning the nuances of grind. My burr doesn’t have #s, but has tick marks within each category. I’m currently almost half way into medium for my press, and wasn’t sure how much finer I should go for the pour over.

Thanks for your blog, I can’t imagine anyone criticizing it! Must be a flatlander ;)