So you just bought a new coffee machine, freshly roasted coffee beans and you just have not been able to make great coffee. What if we assured you that there is nothing wrong with the coffee beans or machines, that it's because you are missing out on something. 

Before you start dismantling your coffee machine, trying to figure out what went wrong and how to make great coffee, you should read this post to the end. The solution you are looking for may be quite simple, you just haven't found a balance between your coffee grounds and the amount of water to use that can yield delicious coffee that gives a satisfying mouthful. Knowing the ideal coffee to water ratio is an important factor in the coffee-making process. 

THE BASICS OF BREW RATIOS FOR COFFEE 

To be honest, some of us are guilty of just adding water and coffee grounds carelessly into the coffee maker, not even checking the proper ratio or worrying about fine-tuning the brew in a way that it will give a mouthful when taken. There's no time right? But we are wrong! These mistakes should be on the wrong foot early days so we might as well just give ourselves a forgiving past, those days are over. 

As we have become coffee aficionados, we should learn to brew our coffee properly. We have to start caring about the details and when we say the actual details, we mean the measurements, the numbers! If professionals in coffee shops can follow these ideal brew ratios, why shouldn't we?

It's not like the ingredients are so much that you have to know mathematics fully to get the brew correct. There are just 2 ingredients, coffee, and water. So it's a good idea to start measuring the coffee grounds and water to be used. That is the basics of brew ratios- learn to care for the weight of the ingredients.  

WHY DO RATIOS MATTER IN COFFEE MAKING?  

The answer is simple, taking an imbalanced cup of coffee is not an experience you’d want to have in the morning. The ratio is the very base of your coffee-making recipe. You have to also be mindful of any adjustments you make because any mistake can drastically affect the taste of your brew. So be watchful! 

HOW TO CALCULATE COFFEE BREW RATIOS 

Before we start, you’ll have to get a good kitchen scale. This will help you get the best results. But if you are not ready to invest in scale and measure in grams and milliliters, we’ll show you another approach to calculating ratios.  

One of the straightforward methods is to measure both ingredients in grams- that is the coffee and water. For example, if you have measured a gram of water and a gram of coffee that means you have a 1 is to 1 ratio. Let's go further, if you measured 1 gram of coffee to go with 15 grams of water, that means you have a 1:15 ratio. 

Now we’ll use the 1:15 ratio to know how much coffee grounds you’ll need for about 350 grams of water. To get this correctly, you have to divide the mass of the water by a portion. 

Hey, don't leave the post and go back to making whack coffee without measurements, you can calculate this. All you have to do is divide the 350 grams by 15. You’ll get 23.3, which is the correct amount of coffee you need for 350 grams of water if you want to get a delicious cup of coffee. 

You know, you can do it in another way. For example, if you have already measured 20g of coffee and you want to know the correct measurement of water, you can still use that 1:15 ratio. Just multiple the grams you have gotten by the ratio. That is, 20 multiplied by 15 = 300 grams. This is what you will use for that brew. 

You can always scale the ratio up and down and adjust your measurements. If you don't have a scale, you can take a step farther from precision. It's still better than brewing without measurements. Since there is no scale, you can measure with cups and tablespoons. If a cup will amount to 8 ounces of water and one tablespoon will give you about 5-7 grams of coffee ground, then you'll be able to know the approximate weight.  

RATIO FOR FRENCH PRESS COFFEE 

To brew French press coffee, you’ll need to use a coarse or even grind. The coffee grounds will be in the water at the same time so you’ll have to make sure all the grounds are fully saturated as you pour. If the grounds are not fully saturated, they won't be able to fully reach the required extraction peak. 

You can fix this by stirring the coffee. However, to get the perfect French press coffee, the cup needs to be bolder- that is, to have more flavors. To get a bold cup of coffee, we recommend using a 1:12 ratio- this should give you 30 g of coffee and 350 g of water. But if you don't like a bold cup of coffee, you can carry on with the 1:15 ratio and scale the ratio down once you get comfortable.  

RATIO FOR POUR-OVER COFFEE 

Most coffee lovers see the drip coffee makers and pour-over brewers as efficient. The pour-over method extracts the coffee beans in a much better way so you won't need to use plenty of coffee for extraction. A 1:15, 1:16, or 1:17 will give you a delicious and smooth cup of coffee.

Some coffee experts have discovered a sweet spot which is using 23 grams of light roast coffee beans and 350 grams of water. 

RATIO FOR COLD BREW

You’ll like this brewing method. Cold-brew is entirely different from other coffee brewing methods. This is because the water used is cold. For this method, you wouldn't have to worry about over-extracting the coffee grounds.

The concentrate can always be diluted. But that doesn't mean you don't measure properly and plan. This method takes more time than others. This is because the coffee is steeped for about 12 to 24 hours in a jar. The required ratio depends on you and how much coffee you’ll need. Since you won't is worrying about over-extraction or bitterness from the coffee. This will give you more time to be creative. 

You can use the 1:5 to 1:8 ratio for this method. It will do the extraction job perfectly. You can scale the ratio up and down and get your perfect spot.  

RATIO FOR ESPRESSO 

The ideal ratio for making espresso is 1:2, except you are making a short ristretto that requires a 1:1 ratio or a lungo where you’ll have to use a 1:4 ratio. But if you are new to espresso drinks, and this ratio we gave is too strong for your taste buds, you can start brewing with a 1:3 ratio and make adjustments later on. 

In addition to the ratio, you should consider the grind time (grinding some minutes before brewing), the ideal water temperature which is 90 to 96 degrees Celsius. If the water is too cold the coffee will under extract, if the water is too hot, the coffee may burn. 

Also, take note of the brewing time. For the drip machine, it takes about 5 minutes, for French press, about 3-5 minutes works. Check our coffee brewing methods to find out more! 

FINAL WORDS 

We know that some things are beyond your control but your morning cup shouldn't be one of them. You should be able to nail the correct amount of coffee and water needed for brewing your morning cup. 

A good cup of coffee is very important, it gives you all the caffeine kick needed to start your day. That's the reason why it has to be rich, flavorful, full-bodied, and smooth. So measure your coffee grounds and water properly to get a balanced brew.

Note that you may get the coffee ratio very well and still brew bland coffee because you didn't use freshly roasted coffee beans. You don't want that in the morning. That's why you should order freshly roasted coffee beans from Coffee Hero. We roast every day and there are different coffee beans to choose from with chocolatey, nutty, blueberry, and fruity flavors. Click here to find out more.