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Coffee Brew Ratios What You Need to Know
Explaining what you need to know about brew ratios to make the perfect cup of coffee.
Published February 2, 2022
Daniel Hedlund
Expert@The Coffee Lab
A cup of hot water and a few grams of well-ground coffee should be enough to make a cup of coffee. This is the simplest form of coffee, and mixing coffee and water this way is the basis of some coffee-making methods. However, things are not so easy, especially if you would like to make a good cup of coffee. A good cup of coffee depends on the types of coffee beans you use and how you mix the water and the coffee. The proper ratio of water to coffee grounds is responsible for a balanced, complex, and aromatic cup of coffee. But how do you achieve this balance? You start by learning about brew ratios.
What is a Brew Ratio?
In the simplest terms, the brew ratio is the ratio between the amount of water and coffee used to make a cup of coffee. The brew ratio affects the coffee’s strength, how it feels in the mouth, and many of its other properties.
Why Does the Brew Ratio Matter?
The reason is that imbalanced coffee tastes terrible. The brew ratio is what you base your coffee recipe on. As with making other foods and beverages, you need a recipe to make coffee. It is this recipe that dictates the quantities of the ingredients (water and coffee) and how to make the coffee (different brewing methods).
By adjusting the amount of water or coffee, you can drastically alter the coffee’s properties even when using the same brewing method. To ensure a consistent cup of coffee, baristas use timers and scales to control variability in brewing time and ratios. The aim is to keep the cups of coffee they make consistent. Additionally, they can easily replicate a certain taste or coffee profile in the future if they like.
One thing to note is that for many people, brewing ratios and controlling for as many variables as possible does not matter. However, if you like a good cup of coffee, these ratios should matter. Everyone is different, so there are different ratios depending on personal preferences. That said, there are standard brew ratios for different types of coffee.
Understanding the Brew Ratio
Brew ratio is measured in parts and grams and given as a ratio. For example, you might see a brew ratio of 1:15. This means one part (gram) coffee to 15 parts (grams) of water. Let’s assume you want to make 300ml of coffee with this ratio. Since the density of water is roughly 1g per ml, this translates to 300g of water and thus you will need 20g of coffee.
Now that you can calculate how many grams of coffee per cup (volume) you will need, let us look at the different options you have.
Most people prefer filter coffee because it is easy to make and does not require expensive equipment. It is also a great way to taste all the flavors and enjoy all the aromas in the coffee. The drink is also longer which means the flavors are cleaner. An espresso is shorter and more intense which makes it great for showcasing more than one flavor.
For a short espresso, you need a ratio of 1:1 or 1:3. You need to use a very fine grind and brew the coffee for around 25-30 seconds. The small amount of water between these ratios can help you produce extremely short or long espressos.
When using a French press or other types of immersion coffee, the ideal cup is made using a coarse grind and brewed for a longer time. For pour over and drip coffee, the grind size and the brew time can both vary depending on personal preference. What remains relatively unchanged for both types of coffee is the brew ratio which is usually between 1:15 and 1:18. You will need more coffee with drip and pour over coffee than you will with immersion coffee. The perfect drip coffee ratio is therefore 1:15.
Remember that all of these are guidelines, and they will depend on a lot of things. While baristas can use scales to measure the grams of coffee per cup that they need to ensure consistency, you can experiment a little with the ratio to see what works best for you.
The Golden Ratio
If you are around coffee aficionados for long enough, you will hear them talk about the golden ratio. The golden ratio is thought to be the perfect ratio for a great cup of coffee. The golden ratio is said to be 1:18 which translates to 55g of coffee mixed with 1000g (1liter) of water.
In America, an average cup is about 8 to 12 oz. With 1oz being 30 ml, the average cup is therefore 240-360ml. With the golden ratio, you need 1 tablespoon of coffee for every 4oz of water, so you need two tablespoons of coffee for each cup of coffee.
To avoid making mistakes when taking these measurements, it is always best to use a scale. Measuring and using weight is more accurate than using volume. A common problem you encounter using volume instead of weight is differences in particle size. A finer grind packs more tightly than a coarse grind so a tablespoon of fine coffee might weigh more than a tablespoon of coarse coffee.
The Brew Ratio and Coffee Strength
According to research, only about 30% of all solids in a coffee ban can dissolve in water. Of all these solids, only about 18-22% of them have the desired flavor. Finding a balance between taste, aromas, sweetness, and acidity becomes very important when brewing coffee.
With coffee that tastes woody or bitter, the coffee was over-extracted by either using too much water or brewing for too long. If the coffee is too sour and tastes like it needs a lot of sweetener, the coffee was under-extracted.
If you are not within the correct brew ratio, you can always adjust the ratio to use the correct amount of water with the right amount of coffee. However, you can adjust the brew time and coffee grind to adjust the strength and the taste.
Is There an Ideal Brew Ratio?
The answer is both yes and no. The brew ratio mainly depends on your personal preferences. Some people like their coffee delicate while others like it intense and you can play around with the brew ratio to see where you land. The other thing to think about is that different people will recommend different ratios, which is often informed by their research.
For example, some coffee shops have done enough research to know which brew ratios to use for the types of customers they serve. On the other hand, there are a lot of coffee shops that ask you what ratio you would like, especially for espressos. If you don’t know, they will typically apply the golden ratio.
The ratio you use at home should be between 1:10 and 1:20. The former is extremely dilute, and the latter is quite intense. Experiment until you find something that works for you. To know if you have gotten it right, you should be able to differentiate between the different aromas, flavors, fragrances, and notes. You also want a hint of acidity, but not so much that it makes the coffee unpalatable.
Use the Bypass Method
If you have not yet refined your coffee-making technique, you may have a hard time landing on the perfect brewing ratio. You may not also know what ratio would appeal best to you. You can use the bypass brew method to find out what you like and to land on the perfect ratio.
The way it works is that you brew coffee with a very small amount of water. Once you feel that the coffee is extracted as you wish, you dilute it until you find what works best for you.
Beyond the Brew Ratio
The brew ratio is extremely important, especially when making drip coffee. You need to know the drip coffee ratio grams of water and coffee required for this and other types of coffee. However, there are other factors you need to keep in mind.
The type of water you use, the water’s temperature, the grind as well as how you pour the coffee will determine how it tastes.
If you find that your coffee is not up to your liking, you should change these variables. Alter the variables one at a time to find out which ones have the biggest impact on making your coffee taste great. The easiest ones to change are the coffee type and grind size. How coarse or fine the coffee is determines how it is extracted. This variable goes hand in hand with the water temperature as it also affects extraction.
Many people are okay with making their cup of coffee without thinking about the brew ratio. However, the cups of coffee may not taste the best. Knowing about and adhering to the brewing ratio is one of the best ways to make a balanced cup of coffee that has great taste and aroma.
About the author
Daniel Hedlund
Working with the Era of We initiative and loves knowledge sharing and a really good cup of coffee.
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