How to Calculate Pour-Over Coffee Grounds to Water Ratio? What's the Ideal Three-Stage Pouring Ratio for 20g of Coffee Grounds?

Just like every type of wine has its own way of being tasted, coffee beans are no different. Different coffee beans require different roasting methods and brewing parameters to highlight their unique flavors. Those who follow FrontStreet Coffee often hear these figures: 15 grams of coffee grounds to 225 grams of water. However, FrontStreet Coffee also frequently mentions another ratio: 15 grams of coffee grounds to 150 grams of water. Which ratio is correct? Which one produces better-tasting coffee?

The Principles of Hand-Poured Coffee Extraction

First, we need to understand the principles of hand-poured coffee extraction. When coffee beans are ground to the consistency of fine sugar, the surface area of the coffee particles increases upon contact with hot water. When they encounter hot water, flavor compounds within the coffee particles undergo material exchange. As time progresses, the amount of material exchange increases, and the coffee concentration becomes stronger.

Actually, both ratios mentioned above by FrontStreet Coffee are used when brewing hand-poured coffee. When serving hot hand-poured coffee, FrontStreet Coffee uses a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio; when serving iced hand-poured coffee, FrontStreet Coffee uses a 1:10:5 coffee-to-water-to-ice ratio, but once the ice completely melts, it still results in a 1:15 ratio. FrontStreet Coffee's menu features nearly a hundred different coffee beans, and almost every coffee bean on the menu can be brewed using a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. However, some coffee beans are exceptions - namely, Panama Geisha coffee beans.

The Exceptional Panama Geisha

Geisha coffee is known for its intense floral aroma and sweet-tart flavor, a departure from the classic "nutty notes, caramel sweetness" typical of Central American coffees, making it a treasure in the coffee world. Geisha's outstanding flavor is attributed to the unique local growing conditions.

When discussing Geisha coffee, we must mention Hacienda La Esmeralda. In the early 21st century, to improve the quality of their estate coffee, Hacienda La Esmeralda compared and recorded multiple coffee varieties, discovering the uniquely flavored Geisha coffee variety. They participated in the 2004 Best of Panama (BOP) competition and won the championship that year.

Although the Geisha coffee variety originated in Ethiopia, the owner of Geisha Village Estate went to great lengths to trace its roots, even finding Geisha's place of origin and establishing Geisha Village Estate near the Geisha forest. Some newcomers to specialty coffee might confuse Ethiopian Geisha Village Geisha with Panama Geisha, even trying to find Panama Geisha flavors in Ethiopian Geisha coffee.

However, scientific verification has shown that Panama's Geisha variety and Ethiopia's Geisha Village variety have significant genetic differences, which means they also have notable flavor differences.

To prevent Geisha varieties from stealing the spotlight, the BOP competition specially established Geisha and non-Geisha categories. Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda is both the discoverer of the Geisha coffee variety and a promoter of Geisha coffee flavors. Panama's Geisha coffee beans are mostly grown near the Baru Volcano, where fertile volcanic soil, year-round mist, mild climate but large temperature differences between day and night create ideal conditions. Most coffee beans grown here are sweet and tart. In the early days, coffee beans from the Baru Volcano area were exported under the name "Baru Coffee." Hacienda La Esmeralda is situated in a corner of Baru Volcano.

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Geisha Green Label

Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda washed green label Geisha coffee beans are grown at altitudes above 1,600 meters, using a multi-lot blending approach, so they cannot be traced to specific lots. However, even though the green label doesn't have the same grade as the red label, its quality remains excellent. Sometimes it exhibits flavors highly similar to the red label, while other times the flavors may differ.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha Coffee Beans

Region: Boquete, Panama

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Altitude: 1,600-1,800 meters

Variety: Geisha

Processing: Washed processing method

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda washed green label Geisha coffee beans astonished FrontStreet Coffee's baristas with their unique Tieguanyin-like aftertaste. It was precisely because of this Tieguanyin-like aftertaste that some customers returned to FrontStreet Coffee's store within an hour to purchase a bag of green label Geisha, wanting to preserve that Tieguanyin-like lingering finish.

Brewing Panama Geisha: Special Parameters

When FrontStreet Coffee brews Panama Geisha coffee beans, the brewing parameters used are also different. During coffee brewing, the acidic, sweet, and bitter compounds that everyone cares about are extracted in three distinct stages over time.

Panama Geisha coffee is known for its intense white floral aroma and sweet-tart juice-like characteristics. Some coffee enthusiasts, when brewing, choose to remove the filter cup before all the water has completely dripped through, in order to capture the early-stage sweet-tart flavor compounds while avoiding the late-stage bitter compounds as much as possible. FrontStreet Coffee believes that when using 15 grams of coffee grounds with 225 grams of hot water, removing the filter cup before all the water has dripped through means the final coffee-to-water ratio cannot truly be considered 1:15.

Some people may have heard of the term "high concentration, low extraction" and should understand that this hand-pouring method typically uses a smaller coffee-to-water ratio, close to 1:10, but the resulting coffee has only full-bodied sweet-tart juice characteristics, with concentrated flavors that become hollow in the later stages.

In reality, the late-stage extraction of coffee is equally important. Late-stage extraction can dilute the concentration and increase the body. Although concentrated flavors can be extended with bypass water, the final mouthfeel lacks substance. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests that once you've determined your coffee-to-water ratio, you should wait for all the water to completely drip through before removing the filter cup, as this ensures you capture the complete flavor profile.

Because Panama Geisha coffee beans are extraction-resistant, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio when brewing Panama Geisha coffee beans.

Brewing Parameters:

Filter: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 91°C

Coffee Dose: 20 grams

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:16

Grind Size: 80% retention on China standard #20 sieve

First, pour 40 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. Then, starting from the center, pour in a thin stream, slowly spiraling outward to 200 grams. When the water level in the filter cup drops to just expose the coffee bed, continue spiraling to reach 320 grams. Total extraction time should be approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Why FrontStreet Coffee Uses Different Ratios

Normally, FrontStreet Coffee always recommends using a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio for brewing. However, when FrontStreet Coffee brews Panama Geisha coffee beans, it typically uses a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio. This is because Panama's Geisha coffee beans are extraction-resistant, and when brewed with a 1:15 ratio, acidic compounds and other flavors become too concentrated. When brewing with a slightly larger ratio of 1:16, the flavors become clearer and more distinguishable, floral aromas more prominent, and the sweetness in the finish more pronounced.

The washed green label Geisha brewed by FrontStreet Coffee using the above parameters delivers distinct white floral notes in the aroma, citrus acidity in the cup, and a very refreshing mouthfeel. The finish features a Tieguanyin-like aftertaste, and when you take a sip of water afterward, you can still perceive that unique lingering sweetness.

Brewing the Last 10 Grams

So, with only 100 grams in a bag, if you use 15 grams for one cup, how should you brew the remaining 10 grams? You can use the same water temperature, grind size, and coffee-to-water ratio. If using 10 grams of coffee grounds, according to a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, that means adding 150 grams of hot water; if following a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio, add 160 grams of hot water.

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For professional coffee knowledge exchange, please add WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473