Coffee Over Coffee: Episode 5 - Brew Ratio

Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Over Coffee, where we discuss coffee over coffee. One of the questions I'm always asked, I mean regularly asked, is how do you brew your coffee? Somebody will call or email me and say they're trying to brew their coffee, trying to get the right ratio between coffee grounds and water. They'll give me the name of some brewing system I've never heard of, with a bunch of numbers and digits behind it. Unfortunately, I just can't keep up with every single brewer or brewing system out there.

Brew Ratio - Rule of Thumb 

So what I wanted to give you is a rule of thumb you can use on almost any brewing system that works well. This rule of thumb will get you a very good and a very consistent cup of coffee from one brewing system to the next. The rule of thumb is simply a ratio of water to coffee; 15 to 1 or 16 to 1. If you like a bolder coffee, go with 15 to 1 . If you want a coffee that's not quite as bold, go with 16 to 1. Now, what do I mean by 15 to 1 and 16 to 1? I have some examples here.

Brew Ratio - Measuring Water to Coffee

When I brew coffee, the ratio I use is 15 parts water to 1 part coffee. Here is how it works. We use 38 grams of coffee and 570 grams of water. That is 15 gram of water for every 1 gram of coffee.

Now, we have a nice scale that's very accurate down to the gram. But many people may not have a scale that measures down to the grams or even ounces for the matter. But the point of the ratio is it is a rule of thumb that will work whether it is grams, ounces, tablespoons or are other units of measure. That is the beauty of the ratio.

Brew Ratio - Adjusting the Strength of Brew

If I wanted a cup of coffee that wasn't as bold, I can keep the same 38 grams of coffee and increase the amount of water to 608 grams. That slight increase of 38 grams of water, will dilute the brew every so slightly and the coffee will not be as strong. The extra 38 grams of water now changes the ratio to 16 parts water  to 1 part ground coffee. 

The point is that this relationship works whether you're brewing on a pour-over system or a Mr. Coffee—any system where you can control the amount of water dispensed. You can even do this with a French press.

Brew Ratio - Making the Brew Easy

Now, do I weigh out the water every time? No, I don't. If you do not have a scale or do not want to drag out a scale each time you want to brew., just make some reference marks on your decanter.  On my decanters, there's a line with the number 4 for the 4-cup mark when the coffee is brewing. If I want a little stronger coffee, I just stop brewing at 3 cups.

You could also just put less coffee in and keep the same amount of water. That will also adjust the ratio as well.

For those of you who don't use grams, we typically do approximately 1.4 ounces. If you have a scale at home, try 1.4 ounces of coffee with around a 20-ounce cup of water. You should be close to your 15 to 1 ratio. You could also use 3 tablespoons to 20z ounces of water. If you want it a little less strong, add another ounce of water to dilute it slightly.

Quick Reference for Brewing

• Brew Ratio Recommendations  (15 to 1)
• Pour-Over - 38g coffee to 570 grams water
• Pour-Over - 1.4oz coffee to 21 ounces water
• Pour-Over - 3 tbsp. coffee to 22 ounces water (so you could use 3 tablespoons of coffee and a 20oz cup of water) 

A 15 to 1 ratio is for strong coffee, while 16 to 1 is for less strong coffee. This should give you a good flavor across all brewing platforms.

I hope that's helpful to you. Have a good day!

- Ryan