Coffee Brew Ratios: How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee

We all love that morning coffee, however when we are at home it can be a struggle to get it right. Ever wondered what your local coffee shop does to get it right? My mum always said there is a big difference between cooking and baking. You cook on instinct but bake on recipes.

Brewing coffee is more baking than cooking. There are four aspects that make up a prefect brew:

1. Brew Ratio

2. Grind Size

3. Brew Time

4. Water Temperature

In this blog we will touch on brew ratio as it’s a critical part to standardize your coffee recipe.

What is coffee brew ratio?

A coffee brew ratio is the proportion of coffee grounds to water that you use to brew your coffee. This is expressed in the following way 1:16 or 1 part coffee grounds for 16 parts coffee in the cup. It can also be seen as grams in to grams out.

The coffee brew ratio is one element that lets you know how much extraction occurs during the brewing process. Extraction is the process of dissolving the soluble compounds from the coffee grounds into the water, which gives coffee its flavor, aroma, and body. Too much coffee or too little water, you will get over-extraction, which results in a bitter, harsh, and dry brew. If you use too little coffee or too much water, you will get under-extraction, which results in a weak, sour, and watery brew.

How to use coffee brew ratios

The best way to get your brew ratio right is with a scale. That scale needs to be accurate to 10th of a gram as you’ll be using small numbers, especially if you are brewing espresso. Brew ratios are going to be different for different brew methodologies, but the process remains the same.

1. Weigh your coffee beans.

2. Grind them according to your brewing methodology.

3. Place the cup, carafe, pot or bottle onto your scale and zero it out.

4. Take your water run it though your ground coffee until you get the output that matches your ending brew ratio.

Coffee brew ratios

The recipes for your favorite coffee?

Conclusion

Coffee brew ratios are a simple and effective way to improve your cup of coffee. By using the right proportion of coffee and water, you have a way to standardize your coffee making. Then you can start to play around with the other aspects that make up a perfect cup of coffee. Grind size, brew time and water temperature.

Next Up: Grind Size