Brew at Home, the home espresso course
Nail coffee at home. On the machine you own.
Bring your espresso machine to our roastery in Port Kennedy. In two hours, hands on, we get it dialled in and show you how to keep it that way: the recipe, the grind, a little milk and the clean. You go home making coffee like your local does.
Every second Thursday, 5pm to 7pm. $179 a person, GST included. Machine too big to move? We come to you.
You bought the machine. The coffee's still better down the road.
What's your coffee doing?
Pick the one that sounds like your kitchen. It nearly always comes down to grind, dose, time or a clean, and we fix all four on the night.
Sharp, sour, a bit thin
It ran too fast
The water raced through the coffee and left the sweet part behind. Baristas call it under-extracted. A finer grind slows the water down.
- Why
- Grind too coarse
- Try tonight
- Go a step finer
- On the night
- We set your grind
Two hours, hands on
Your machine. Dialled in.
A small group round the bench at our roastery, each of you at your own machine. We talk a little while they warm up, then you make a lot of coffee. Everything you learn, you learn on the machine you'll be using tomorrow morning.
You'll learn
- What coffee goes through before it reaches your hopper, and why fresh beans matter
- Our three blends, tasted side by side, and which one suits how you drink it
- What every part of your machine and grinder does, and the settings worth touching
- A recipe for your machine: how much goes in, how much comes out, how long it takes
- How to fix a sour shot or a bitter one, one change at a time
- Milk that's silky instead of bubbly, at the right heat
- The two minute clean that keeps it tasting right
You leave with
- Your machine dialled in, with your dose, yield, time and grind setting written down
- A 250g bag of the blend you dialled in on
- A cleaning routine for your machine: every day, every week, every few months
- The know-how to fix it yourself when the coffee changes
Your recipe
- Coffee
- People Everyday
- In
- 20g ground, in the basket
- Out
- 40g of espresso, in the cup
- Time
- 27 to 30 seconds
- Grind
- yours, set on the night
Gush? Go finer. Drip? Go coarser.
Our People Everyday recipe, the same one the brew timer on this site runs. Yours gets set for your basket and your grinder.
The night, block by block
Inside the two hours.
A little about coffee, our blends, your machine, the clean, then the good part: nearly an hour of extraction and milk.
5pm to 7pm
Most blocks end with you doing it on your own machine. Tap a block.
Find your bench, plug in, fill up with our filtered water and switch on. Your machine warms up while we talk.
The recipe
In, out, time
- 20gIn the basket
- 40gIn the cup
- 27-30Seconds
Our People Everyday recipe. Smaller basket? Keep the ratio: twice as much out as you put in.
Taste it, fix it
One change at a time
- Sour, thin
- Grind finer
- Bitter, harsh
- Grind coarser
- Gushing
- Finer, and check the roast date
- Dripping
- Coarser
Change one thing, pull another shot, taste again. That's the whole method.
Keep it clean
Two minutes a day
- Every coffee
- Purge and wipe the steam wand
- Every day
- Flush the group, rinse the basket, empty the tray
- Every week or two
- Backflush, if your machine can
- Every few months
- Descale, by your machine's book
You leave with the routine for your own machine.
The testBefore you leave, you pull a shot on your own machine that you'd happily pay for, and you know how to do it again tomorrow.
$179A person, GST included. Coffee, milk and a 250g bag to take home.
Book a seat
How the night runs
Your gear. Our bench.
Most coffee classes put you on a cafe machine you'll never own. This one happens on yours, so what works on the night still works in your kitchen the next morning.
- Six people at most, so there's time at every machine.
- Your own machine, grinder, tamper and jug. The way you'll use them at home.
- We bring the coffee, the milk, the water and the cleaning gear, with spare scales and jugs if you need them.
- Mostly doing. The talking happens while the machines warm up.
- Any level. Never pulled a shot, or years in and still not happy with it.
We've roasted in Port Kennedy since 2017, and we train the baristas at the cafes that pour our coffee. This is that training, on your machine.
What to bring
Your whole setup. Empty of water.
Bring it the way it sits on your bench at home. One job first: tip the water out before it goes in the car. Tick these off as you pack.
Before you leave home
Pack
0 of 9 ticked
Leave these at home. We've got them.
- Coffee
- Milk
- Filtered water
- Cloths
- Cleaning gear
Use your own gear wherever you can. It's what you'll have at home. Forgot your scales or your jug? We've got spares. Wear closed shoes: there's hot water and steam about. No grinder, or no machine yet? Come anyway. See the questions.
The coffee on the night
Three blends. Pick one to dial in.
You taste all three, choose the one you like, and set your machine up for it. A 250g bag of it goes home with you.
People EverydayTastes like Coco Pops and vanilla milkshakes.20g in40g out27 to 30 sec
No Sleep Till BrooklynLike dipping Jaffa cakes into a dark chocolate thickshake.19.5g in37g out27 to 30 sec
HyperdriveDeep-space chocolate, with malt and honey.19g in34g out27 to 30 sec
Each blend has its own recipe. They're the ones on , so you can run it again at home with a clock on it.
Dates and prices
Pick your Thursday.
Every second Thursday, 5pm to 7pm, at our roastery: Unit 1/5 Crowley St, Port Kennedy. Six seats a night. Tap a night to see what's left.
Every second Thursday, 5pm to 7pmAt the roastery
Bring your machine to Port Kennedy and work at our bench with up to five others. All the coffee and milk on the night, and a 250g bag of the blend you dialled in on to take home.
- Your machine
- Our bench
- Coffee and milk on us
- 250g to take home
$179A person, GST included
Pick your Thursday
A time that suits youAt your place
The same two hours at your own bench, with your water and your cups. Your machine never leaves the kitchen. Good for a plumbed in machine, a few mates, or a present.
- Plumbed in machines
- A few mates
- A present
QuotedOn your suburb and how many of you
Ask for a price- TodayPick your ThursdayTap a night on the calendar, tell us what machine and grinder you're bringing and pay online. It takes a minute.
- Straight afterYou're on the listYour order confirmation is your booking, with your night on it. Nothing else to do.
- The night beforeEmpty the tankLet it cool, drain it, wrap it. The packing list is on this page.
- Thursday, 5pmBring it inPark out the front. We'll give you a hand carrying it.
In the price
Two hours at your own machine, all the coffee and milk on the night, and a 250g bag of the blend you dialled in on.
A present
Pick a night for them, then print the voucher. If the night doesn't suit them, we move it.
Moving your date
Tell us up to 48 hours before the night and we move you to another Thursday with a free seat.
A night of your own
Got a crew? Take the whole bench: up to six at the roastery, or we come to you. Ask us.
Questions we get
Before you book.
Any home espresso machine with a group handle: Breville, Sunbeam, DeLonghi, Gaggia, Rancilio, Lelit, Rocket, ECM and the rest. A grinder built into the machine is fine. Pod machines and push-button automatics aren't what this night is for. Not sure about yours? Ask us before you book.
Water sloshes out in the car, and a wet boot or wet electrics is a bad start to the night. Switch it off, give it half an hour to cool, then empty the tank and the drip tray. We fill it with filtered water when you arrive.
Yes. We grind for you on the night and you learn everything else on your own machine. You'll also taste what a good grinder changes, which helps when you buy one. Our guide to grinders under $500 is a good place to start.
Yes. You learn on one of ours and leave knowing what to look for, and we can supply the machine when you're ready. The home machine guide is a good read before you come. Tell us when you book so we set a machine up for you.
Yes. Book a seat each and bring the one machine. You share a bench and you both get your hands on it.
Yes. If you've never pulled a shot, we start you from the first one. If you've had your machine for years and still aren't happy with it, we start from what it's doing now. With six of you at most, every machine gets its own time.
Brownes Extra Creamy on the night. Drink oat, soy or almond at home? Bring a carton of yours. Every milk steams a little differently, so it's worth practising on the one you'll use.
Then we come to you. The same two hours, at your bench, with your water and your cups. It's quoted on where you are and how many of you there are. Use the form at the bottom and tell us your suburb.
Pick your Thursday on the calendar on this page. It shows how many seats are left on each night. Tell us what machine and grinder you're bringing, so we're ready for them, then pay online. Your order confirmation is your booking, with your night on it. Buying it for someone? Pick a night for them and print the voucher. If the night doesn't suit them, we move it.
Ring us on 08 9518 2390 or send us a line, up to 48 hours before, and we move you to another Thursday with a free seat. Inside 48 hours the seat is held for you, so send a mate in your place if you're stuck.
A night runs with two or more. If you're the only one booked two days out, we'll ring you and move you to the next Thursday, or give you your money back if no other night suits.
Our roastery, Unit 1/5 Crowley St, Port Kennedy. There's plenty of parking outside. We start at 5pm, so give yourself a few minutes to carry the machine in.
Book a seat. Or ask us first.
Brew at Home runs every second Thursday, 5pm to 7pm, with six seats a night. Not sure your machine suits, after a session at your place, or buying it for someone? Send us a line and one of us comes back to you.
JosTaught by our founder. Every night is run by the person who started the roastery, standing beside you at your machine.
Still choosing a machine? Read the home machine guide. Want the recipe now? . After the beans? See all three blends.