Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be talking about all the elements that make up a great cup of coffee. The first element we’re going to be talking about is your brew ratio! You can use this ratio as a basis for every cup of coffee you ever make, whether you are using a pour-over or a french press. As you read, remember the point of using brew ratios is not to have the exact amount of grams to the nearest decimal of the gram. Brew ratios help you to be consistent and help you to replicate the exact same cup again. As we begin to introduce more elements of a great cup of coffee you’ll be able to replicate and change one element next time. There are so many things I could start with in terms of elements, but figuring out your brew ratio is a great place to just get your feet wet!

What you’ll need today:

-200 degree water (use a regular kettle and thermometer or use an electric kettle)

-a Pour Over Cone, Aeropress, French Press, or Chemex (plus the appropriate filters)

-Your favorite mug

-a bag of your favorite From the Grounds up coffee beans (Message me if you need some!)

-a Grinder (preferably one that you can adjust how fine or coarse the grind is)

-a Scale that measures in grams

First things first, the coffee industry uses grams (g) as the universal unit of measurement. However, most of the time when we buy a drink from a coffee shop it’s measured in ounces (oz). So, your first step in understanding and developing your brew ratio is to make sure you convert everything to grams. To do that we need to know that 1 oz. of liquid weighs 28.34 g. Below is an example of how to calculate the weight of a cup of coffee in grams, using a 16 oz. cup as the amount of water.

16 (# of ounces) x 28.34 (grams per ounce) = 454 (# of grams of water used in a 16 oz cup)

Now that we have how much water we need, we can start to figure out how much coffee we need. I’m going to start breaking down how to use a “strong” brew ratio, 1:12, for this next example. I put strong in quotations because it’s based on opinion. You might think my brew ratio is strong or weak based on how you like your coffee. However, below you’ll find a list of common brew ratios that you can use until you figure what ratio you like and how strong (or not strong) you like your coffee.

1:16 - Weak

1:14 - Average

1:12 - Strong

1:10. Stronger

These ratios tell us that for every 1 gram of coffee we will have 16, 14,12, or 10 grams of water. The larger numbers in the brew ratios represent how many grams of water you will use per grams of dry coffee grounds.

So, let’s take the strong brew ratio and figuring out how much coffee you need to go with the 453 g. of water you just converted. Take your amount of water (453 g.) and divide it by the larger number (12 g) in your brew ratio (1:12).

454/12 = 37.83 (round to 38g)

This number tells us you need 38g of coffee. So, a 1:12 brew ratio for a 12 oz cup of coffee comes out to 38:454 (38 grams of coffee to 453 grams of water).

There you have it! Now, If you want a larger or smaller cup of coffee use the same formula and brew ratio and you will have very similar tasting coffee! Remember, this is only the first element to a great cup of coffee! Make sure you subscribe to receive all of the tips as they role out!