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As far as the coffee goes, yes: a pack of filter-ground coffee suits a freshbrew machine and a drip filter machine equally well. The difference lies in the brewing. A freshbrew machine makes one cup at a time and measures the coffee for you. A filter machine brews a whole jug, and you measure the coffee yourself, about 55 to 65 g per litre.

A freshbrew machine needs ground coffee in a medium-coarse filter grind, not espresso grind and not whole beans. The Gala and Landhaus packs here need no grinding at all; for our own coffee, select "Freshly ground - Filter". For an office machine that runs all day, the 1 kg bags of our own coffee are the most practical size.

Buy coffee in an espresso grind, which is fine enough to hold back the water in a portafilter machine. A filter grind lets the shot rush through in a few seconds and tastes watery. The illy, Lavazza, Segafredo and Pellini espressos here come ground that way already, and our own coffee gets the same grind after you order. For a bean-to-cup machine, buy beans instead.

Weigh out 7 to 9 g for a single shot and 14 to 18 g when you pull a double. Where you land in that range depends on the basket and on the shot time, which should be around 25 to 30 seconds. If the shot runs faster, add a gram or so. More on dosing is in our blog on ground coffee per espresso.

Not in the bean hopper: a bean-to-cup machine is built for whole beans and grinds them just before brewing. Some models have a separate chute for a single scoop of ground coffee, handy for the odd decaf. For everyday use, fill the machine with coffee beans. Ground espresso coffee is meant for a manual espresso machine with a portafilter.

You can, but the result is disappointing. Filter coffee is ground much coarser than espresso, so the water runs through the basket in a few seconds and you get a thin, sour shot with little crema. A pressurised basket masks some of that, yet the machine is designed for an espresso grind. Our blog on the difference between espresso and filter coffee explains more.

A French press needs a coarse grind, coarser than for filter coffee or a Chemex. The plunger filters through metal mesh rather than paper, and only coarse grounds stay behind it. On our own coffee, that grind is the option "Freshly ground - Cafetière". Espresso or filter grind is too fine: expect sediment in the cup and a bitter taste.

Four minutes is the standard for a French press, counted from the moment the just-boiled water goes onto the coffee. After that, press the plunger down gently and pour straight away. Coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps extracting and gets more bitter, so if you want a stronger cup, add more coffee rather than more time.

Sludge in French press coffee nearly always comes from grounds that are too fine. Small particles pass through the metal mesh and settle in your cup. Use coarsely ground coffee, push the plunger down slowly and leave the last mouthful in the pot. A little sediment is part of a French press; if you want none at all, brew through a paper filter instead.

No, although neither method uses pressure. In a French press the coffee steeps in the water and a metal mesh holds back the grounds, so oils and a trace of sediment reach the cup and the coffee tastes fuller. Filter coffee runs through paper, which catches those oils and gives a cleaner, lighter cup. More in What's the difference between French press and filter coffee?

Use a medium-coarse grind for a Chemex: just a little coarser than the filter grind for a drip machine, because the thick Chemex paper slows the water down. With finer coffee the brew can almost come to a standstill and taste bitter. On our own coffees, choose the option "Freshly ground - Chemex" and we grind it to that size for you.

Allow about 60 g of coffee per litre of water. For half a litre, enough for two big mugs, weigh out around 30 g. Pour a little water on first so the coffee can bloom, then add the rest; from first pour to last drip, allow 4 to 5 minutes. If the cup tastes too light, add a few grams next time rather than grinding finer.

A Chemex is a pour-over coffee maker: an hourglass-shaped glass carafe, used with its own thick paper filters. You pour hot water by hand over medium-coarse ground coffee, and the filter holds back most of the oils and fine particles, so the cup is very clean and clear. The brewer and its filters are in our equipment range under Chemex.

A fine to medium-fine grind suits the AeroPress: coarser than espresso, finer than filter. The coffee is only in contact with the water briefly, so the grounds have to give up their flavour quickly while still letting you press easily. Our own coffee is ground to that size when you choose "Freshly ground - AeroPress". The brewer is forgiving, so finer with a shorter steep or coarser with a longer one both work.

Use about 15 g of ground coffee per AeroPress brew, which makes one cup, so a 250 g bag gives you roughly 16 brews. Scales are more reliable than a scoop, because how much a scoop holds depends on the coffee and the grind. Let it steep for 1 to 2 minutes, then press over about half a minute.