FILTER DRIP
* For each 8 oz of water use three to five level tablespoons of coffee.
* Put double the amount of good quality water than you intend to drink in a kettle or other vessel that is used only for heating water.
* While water is heating, grind the coffee. The grind should be soft but still a little gritty, fine enough that it forms into a clump when pressed between thumb and forefinger. Almost an espresso grind. One of the most common preparation errors in making filter drip is that the grind is too coarse.
* Bring water to the boil.
* Place the kettle on the counter for 45 seconds or so (or, better yet, until an instant-read thermometer reads 198 degrees). Alternatively, pouring boiling water into a glass measuring cup cools the water to nearly the ideal temperature, and allows you to use exactly the amount of water necessary.
* If you use Chemex filters omit this step. If you do not use Chemex filters, pour water through the empty filter into the cup to get rid of as much papery taste as possible and to warm up the filter and cup.
* When water has drained from the empty filter, empty the hot water from your cup, add ground coffee, and pour several tablespoons of water over the grounds. Let the grounds expand for a few seconds, then pour the rest of the coffee in a thin stream over the grounds. While you are pouring, gently but steadily stir the grounds as the water runs through the filter. Stir Stir Stir. This is why a four dollar plastic filter cone will beat a $150 auto drip machine every time. By stirring, you are extracting every speck of goodness from your coffee.  
* When the coffee has drained from the filter, stir. Serve entire contents immediately. Do not let it sit. Do not reheat. Drink your coffee. Now.

If you are making coffee for two, triple the amount of water, so you can heat the cups plus whatever serving vessel is being used. This can be as simple as a mason jar, or a glass carafe, but it should only be used for coffee or hot water. We recommend a porcelain filter holder instead of a plastic one owing to its properties of greater heat retention. Chemex filters are thicker yet somehow less papery-tasting and are our recommendation for the best possible cup, owing to their longer extraction time.