Brew Better. Think Brighter.

The White Matter Coffee Brewing Guide

Great coffee first. Neuroscience always.

Your next great cup starts here. A good recipe is a starting point, not a rule. Whether you're brewing before a long shift, preparing your morning espresso, or making a batch of cold brew, every White Matter Coffee has something special to offer.

Explore our favorite ways to brew the Fasciculus Series, then experiment to find your perfect cup.

The Basics

• Weigh your coffee and water. A kitchen scale helps you make consistently delicious coffee.
• Grind just before brewing. Freshly ground beans preserve more aroma and flavor.
• Use fresh, filtered water. For most hot brewing methods, start around 195–205°F.
• Start with a 1:16 ratio. That's 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. Prefer something stronger? Try 1:15. Espresso and cold brew use different ratios.
• Experiment. Grind size, temperature, brewing time, and coffee-to-water ratio all affect your final cup.

Espresso

Featured Coffee: Basal Ganglia | Dark Roast Espresso Blend

Recipe: 18 g coffee · 36 g espresso yield · fine grind · 25–30 seconds · 195–200°F

Rich, bold, and full-bodied, Basal Ganglia was made for espresso. Our Brazil–Colombia blend delivers a robust, satisfying shot that's equally enjoyable on its own or as the foundation for a latte, cappuccino, or Americano.

How to Brew

1. Grind your coffee. Finely grind 18 g of Basal Ganglia, adjusting the grind to your espresso machine.
2. Prepare the portafilter. Distribute the grounds evenly in your basket and tamp firmly and level.
3. Pull your shot. Start extraction and aim for approximately 36 g of espresso in 25–30 seconds, measured from when you start the pump.
4. Taste and adjust. If your espresso tastes sour or extracts too quickly, grind finer. If it tastes bitter or extracts too slowly, grind slightly coarser.
5. Enjoy. Sip it straight or add steamed milk for your favorite espresso-based drink.

The Golden Ratio: Start with a 1:2 brew ratio. That means 18 g of ground coffee produces approximately 36 g of espresso.

White Matter Tip: Basal Ganglia is our go-to espresso blend, but don't be afraid to experiment with our other coffees. Different roasts and origins can bring entirely new flavors to your espresso routine.

Fuel the network. One shot at a time.

French Press

Featured Coffee: Hippocampus | Medium Roast Single Origin

Recipe: 30 g coffee · 480 g water · coarse grind · 4 minutes · 200–205°F

Smooth, balanced, and approachable, Hippocampus is the kind of coffee you'll want to remember. French press brewing highlights its body and richness while allowing the coffee's natural character to shine through.

Perfect for slow mornings, shared conversations, or simply enjoying a really good cup of coffee.

How to Brew

1. Grind your coffee. Coarsely grind 30 g of Hippocampus, aiming for a consistency similar to coarse sea salt.
2. Preheat your French press. Rinse the glass carafe with hot water and discard the water.
3. Add coffee and water. Place your grounds in the press and pour in 480 g of hot water, ensuring all the coffee is saturated.
4. Let it steep. Stir gently, place the lid on without plunging, and allow the coffee to brew for 4 minutes.
5. Press slowly. Gently lower the plunger with steady pressure.
6. Pour and enjoy. Transfer the finished coffee into mugs or a separate carafe to prevent continued extraction.

The Golden Ratio: Start with a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio for a balanced, full-bodied cup.

White Matter Tip: French press coffee naturally contains more oils and fine particles than paper-filtered coffee. That fuller texture is part of its appeal. For a cleaner cup, let the coffee settle for an extra minute before pouring.

Because some memories deserve better coffee.

Pour-Over

Featured Coffee: Prefrontal Cortex | Costa Rica Single Origin Medium Roast

Recipe: 20 g coffee · 320 g water · medium-fine grind · 3–4 minutes · 200–205°F

Thoughtful, precise, and worth the extra attention. Prefrontal Cortex is an excellent match for pour-over brewing, a method that gives you greater control over extraction and allows the distinctive characteristics of single-origin coffee to shine.

A little patience goes a long way toward a remarkable cup.

How to Brew

1. Prepare your filter. Place a paper filter in your pour-over dripper, rinse it with hot water, and discard the rinse water.
2. Grind your coffee. Grind 20 g of Prefrontal Cortex to a medium-fine consistency, similar to table salt.
3. Start the bloom. Slowly pour 40–60 g of hot water over the grounds, ensuring they are evenly saturated. Allow 30–45 seconds for the coffee to bloom.
4. Continue pouring. Add the remaining water in slow, gentle circles, avoiding direct pouring against the filter.
5. Complete extraction. Continue until you've added 320 g of water total. Aim for a total brew time of approximately 3–4 minutes.
6. Swirl and enjoy. Gently swirl your finished coffee to combine the extracted flavors before serving.

The Golden Ratio: A 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio provides a balanced starting point for exploring the complexity of this single-origin roast.

White Matter Tip: Pour-over is all about control. If your coffee tastes sour or thin, try a finer grind. If it tastes bitter or drying, try grinding slightly coarser. Small changes can make a big difference.

Executive function, excellent coffee.

Cold Brew

Featured Coffee: Locus Coeruleus | Three-Origin Medium Roast Blend

Recipe: 100 g coffee · 800 g water · coarse grind · 12–18 hours refrigerated

Meet your cold brew specialist. Named after a small but mighty brainstem nucleus involved in arousal and attention, Locus Coeruleus is a natural choice for your next refreshing cup.

Cold extraction produces a smooth, mellow coffee concentrate that can be enjoyed over ice, diluted with water, or combined with your favorite milk.

How to Brew

1. Grind your coffee. Coarsely grind 100 g of Locus Coeruleus, aiming for a consistency similar to coarse sea salt.
2. Combine coffee and water. Add the grounds to a clean cold brew pitcher or large jar. Pour in 800 g of cool, filtered water.
3. Stir gently. Ensure all the coffee grounds are fully saturated.
4. Steep. Cover and refrigerate for 12–18 hours. Start with 14 hours and adjust based on your preferred flavor.
5. Strain thoroughly. Remove the grounds using a fine-mesh strainer followed by a coffee filter, or use a dedicated cold brew filter.
6. Dilute and serve. Start with equal parts cold brew concentrate and water or milk. Pour over ice and adjust to taste.

The Golden Ratio: A 1:8 coffee-to-water ratio creates a strong cold brew concentrate designed to be diluted before drinking.

White Matter Tip: Cold brew isn't necessarily lower in caffeine. The caffeine content depends on the amount of coffee used, extraction, serving size, and dilution. For a refreshing afternoon drink, try Locus Coeruleus over ice with a splash of milk.

Store your filtered cold brew in a sealed container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3–4 days for best freshness.

Small nucleus. Big energy.

Drip Coffee Maker

Featured Coffee: Cerebellum | Colombian Light Roast Decaf

Recipe: 60 g coffee · 960 g water · medium grind · 200–205°F when temperature is adjustable

A great cup of coffee doesn't always need caffeine. Cerebellum delivers the familiar ritual of freshly brewed specialty coffee with substantially less caffeine than regular coffee.

Automatic drip brewing makes it easy to enjoy a consistently delicious batch, whether you're winding down after a long day or simply choosing a decaffeinated cup.

How to Brew

1. Prepare your coffee maker. Place a clean filter in the brewing basket and make sure your machine is ready to use.
2. Grind your coffee. Grind 60 g of Cerebellum to a medium consistency, similar to granulated sugar.
3. Add your grounds. Distribute the ground coffee evenly inside the filter.
4. Measure your water. Add 960 g of fresh, filtered water to the reservoir, provided this amount is within your machine's capacity.
5. Start brewing. Brew according to your coffee maker's instructions. If the machine allows temperature adjustment, start around 200–205°F.
6. Swirl and serve. Gently swirl the finished coffee in the carafe before pouring to distribute its flavors evenly.

The Golden Ratio: Start with 1:16. For a smaller batch, use 30 g of coffee with 480 g of water.

White Matter Tip: Decaffeinated coffee can extract differently from regular coffee. If Cerebellum tastes bitter or overly strong, try a slightly coarser grind. If it tastes weak, consider grinding slightly finer or increasing the amount of coffee.

And remember: decaf doesn't mean completely caffeine-free. It simply contains substantially less caffeine than regular coffee.

Find your balance. Keep your ritual.

Bonus Method: AeroPress

Featured Coffee: Hippocampus or Prefrontal Cortex

Recipe: 15 g coffee · 200 g water · medium-fine grind · approximately 2 minutes · 195–205°F

Compact, versatile, and easy to clean, the AeroPress is perfect for coffee lovers who want a flavorful cup without a complicated setup.

We especially love it with Hippocampus for a smooth everyday coffee or Prefrontal Cortex when you want to explore the character of a single-origin roast.

How to Brew

1. Prepare your brewer. Place a paper filter in the AeroPress cap, rinse it, and attach the cap to the brewing chamber.
2. Add your coffee. Place 15 g of medium-fine ground coffee into the chamber.
3. Add water. Position the AeroPress securely over a sturdy mug and slowly add up to 200 g of hot water, without exceeding your brewer's fill limit.
4. Stir and steep. Gently stir the coffee and allow it to steep for approximately 90 seconds.
5. Press slowly. Insert the plunger and apply gentle, steady pressure for approximately 30 seconds.
6. Enjoy. Drink as brewed or dilute with hot water to achieve your preferred strength.

The Golden Ratio: A 1:13.3 ratio produces a relatively concentrated cup. Adjust the water amount to suit your taste and AeroPress model.

White Matter Tip: The AeroPress is excellent for experimentation. Try brewing Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex using the same recipe to explore how different coffees respond to identical brewing conditions.

Different pathways. Delicious outcomes.

Dial It In: Coffee Troubleshooting

Even exceptional coffee can taste disappointing when brewing variables aren't quite right. Fortunately, most problems can be corrected with a few small adjustments.

Sour or sharp?

Your coffee may be under-extracted. Try grinding slightly finer, increasing water temperature, or allowing more extraction time.

Bitter or drying?

Your coffee may be over-extracted. Try grinding slightly coarser, shortening the brewing time, or lowering the temperature slightly.

Too weak?

Increase the amount of coffee relative to water. A 1:15 ratio will generally produce a stronger cup than 1:16.

Too strong?

Try using less coffee or more water. You can also dilute your finished cup to taste.

Not consistent?

Weigh your ingredients, use the same grind setting, and keep your water temperature consistent. Change only one variable at a time.

Remember: Coffee extraction is part chemistry, part technique, and part personal preference. The best recipe is the one you enjoy drinking.

Find Your Perfect Connection

White Matter Coffee	Our Featured Brewing Method
Basal Ganglia	Espresso
Hippocampus	French Press
Prefrontal Cortex	Pour-Over
Locus Coeruleus	Cold Brew
Cerebellum	Drip Coffee

These are our suggested pairings, not limitations. Every coffee can be brewed using multiple methods, and exploring different recipes is part of the fun.

Ready to put these recipes to work?

Explore the complete Fasciculus Series and discover your next favorite cup at www.whitemattercoffee.com.

White Matter Coffee

Fuel the network. Great coffee first. Neuroscience always.