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Coffee nerds,What ratio of coffee to water do you use? I’m hearing anywhere from 1 (gram) of coffee per 16 (grams) of water, up to 1 to 12, all the way down to 1 to 24.
-Alan
Oh man, there are a lot of answers, opinions, and robots that can help you with this question. Here are some:
- The Intelligentsia Coffee Brewing Guides — Looks like Intelligentsia does 16:1
- There’s also Death Wish Coffee’s “proper coffee brewing ratio” — it’s a very emphatic 1:12
- I let my coffee robot decide for me
What is ratio of coffee to water do YOU use?
I have been lurking for a while, and this is the topic to get me out of lurkdom. First off: I salute anyone who possesses the wherewithal to accurately measure any kind of ratio in the morning. I do a tablespoon per cup in an (admittedly crappy) coffee maker. It helps that we mix some espresso in with the regular grinds.
I also do 1 tablespoon per cup. But, it’s a 6oz cup of coffee not an 8oz measuring cup. And if I’m making a small amount, I add a little extra. So, if I’m making a full 12 cup pot, I generally use 12 tablespoons (or 3/4 cup if I don’t want to count 12). But, if I’m making a 6 cup pot, I tend to use 6-7 tablespoons. (If I use six, I make them heaping).
I also just heap the tablespoons (literal spoons, not measuring spoons) as high as I think I need. I like coffee, I’m just not the most precise person. My partner does the precision work when he blends the espresso in with the regular. He claims to have reached a “perfect mix” that doesn’t taste “weird” like when I do it 😉
I do a 1:1 ratio – 1 tablespoon per 1 cup of water. Although now that we’ve started grinding our own (because my husband is the best and bought me a coffee grinder for Christmas), I do 9 cups of grinds to 8 cups of water, or if i’m making a full pot, its 13 cups of grinds to 12 cups of water.
I’m a trash gremlin who eyeballs how many scoops–erring on the too-much-coffee side. Then, if it’s too strong, I add hot water until it’s just right.
I use an AeroPress (http://www.aeropress.com/product/aeropress/) which is different measurement-wise, but has spoiled me terribly. I don’t much like the taste of drip coffee now that I’ve been using the AeroPress for so long.
I used to use an AeroPress. It’s great! We had to abandon ours to the moving gods, but I must admit that it does make good coffee. These days, my partner makes cold brew, which also tastes awesome (and totally different from regular drip coffee). I’ll pretty much take coffee in most forms with a preference for espresso style.
I’ve been a barista for a lot longer than anyone ever should, and I’m here to tell you that there are so many factors that affect this answer. Brewing method, freshness of the beans, grind size, ect. You know what the single greatest factor is here, folks? Personal taste. Go with what you like! I spent so long going to coffee shops and ordering based on what I thought would make me seem the most legit before I realized that was totally stupid. So give it a try based on the recommended guides of very smart people first, and if you really like it, stick with it. If you don’t, tweak it until you do. The right way to do make coffee is the way you like it the best.
As a former barista, I agree with everything you said! Use the recommendations as guidelines, but feel free to experiment.
According to my husband (my coffee maker most of the time) we stick pretty close to the recommendation of the SCAA (http://www.scaa.org) of 17.42:1. (between 16-18 to 1) We’ve done the conversions, and for a while actually weighed our beans every morning before grinding them, but our grinder is pretty good at getting the correct amount with its own settings. So we’re mostly on auto pilot. We also drink our coffee black for the most part.
If we use the areopress while traveling, we will pre-weigh out the individual servings. (I also use it inverted rather than the directions on the box.) because we’re kinda snobby about our coffee and my in laws only drink tea 🙂
I use my areopress most mornings at work, and I use it inverted too. There are a whole bunch of people at my work that have them. My work used to provide us coffee and then the quality of the coffee declined and many of switched to other methods (e.g., areapress, French press, buying it) so now they don’t provide coffee anymore.
1 Tablespoon dark roast per 4-oz water. Brewed in a French Press 4 minutes. Liberally doused with half-and-half, 1 Tablespoon per 4-oz