How much tea should I use and how long should I brew it?
Quantities, temperatures and times for each type of tea, and why one set of numbers does not fit all of them.
beginner5 min2 min read
Coffee, Tea & Drinks
Most drink problems come down to a small number of variables: grind, ratio, temperature and time. These guides fix the immediate problem and point you at the specialist HEKNO products when you want to go deeper.
89 guides
How do I make a good smoothie?
The ratio and blending order for a smoothie that is neither watery nor sludge, and how to make them cheaply.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make an espresso martini with good foam?
Fresh espresso, a hard shake and the sugar that makes the foam hold rather than collapse.
intermediate10 min2 min readHow do I make non-alcoholic drinks that actually taste good?
Replacing what alcohol contributes — bitterness, warmth, body — rather than just leaving it out.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I spend less on coffee and tea?
Where the money actually goes, and the changes that reduce cost without reducing quality.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I host people who are not drinking?
Offering something as considered as the alcoholic options, and handling it without making it a topic.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I make a proper gin and tonic?
The ice, the tonic and the ratio that make the difference between a good G&T and a flat, watery one.
beginner5 min2 min readHow do I make drinks for a party?
Batching cocktails, quantities per person, and how to serve a group without spending the evening behind a bar.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I make iced tea?
Cold-brewed and hot-brewed iced tea, why cold brewing avoids bitterness, and how to stop it going cloudy.
beginner4 hr2 min readHow do I use an AeroPress?
A reliable starting recipe, the two orientations, and what to change when the cup is not right.
beginner5 min2 min readWhy has my coffee machine stopped working properly?
Scale, blockages and worn seals — the three causes of nearly every home coffee machine problem.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I make a smoothie that is not watery or gritty?
The ratio, the order of loading the blender and the frozen component that gives thickness without ice.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make an Old Fashioned?
The template for spirit-forward stirred drinks, using the Old Fashioned as the clearest example.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make instant coffee taste better?
Water temperature, dissolving properly and the additions that make a genuine difference to instant.
beginner5 min2 min readDoes roast level change how strong coffee tastes?
Why dark roast tastes stronger but contains marginally less caffeine, and what actually controls the strength of a cup.
beginner5 min1 min readHow do I make lemonade and cordials?
Homemade lemonade and fruit cordials, the sugar-to-acid balance that makes them taste right, and how long they keep.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I make shaken cocktails at home?
The shake, the ratio and the strain that make sours work, using a whisky sour as the template for a whole family of drinks.
intermediate10 min2 min readWhat do I need to stock a home bar?
A short list of bottles and tools that between them make dozens of drinks, in the order worth buying them.
beginner45 min2 min readWhat do the words on a coffee bag mean?
Roast level, origin, process and roast date — which of these actually predict how the coffee tastes.
beginner20 min2 min readDoes water quality affect coffee and tea?
Why the same beans taste different in different places, and what to do about hard, soft or heavily treated water.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I batch cocktails for a party?
Scaling drinks up correctly, including the water you must add to replace the dilution shaking would have given.
intermediate45 min2 min readHow do I choose and store tea so it stays good?
What separates the tiers of tea, how long each type keeps, and the storage that preserves it.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I store tea?
Keeping tea fresh — the four things that degrade it and the storage that protects against all of them.
beginner10 min2 min readHow should I serve wine?
Temperature, glassware and decanting — the three things that change how a bottle tastes without changing the bottle.
beginner20 min2 min read
Going deeper: CoffeeHQ
Everything about coffee beyond a single fix: origins, roast profiles, grinder and machine choice, and recipe-level brewing control.
CoffeeHQ is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.