How to Brew Coffee with 15g, 20g, and 30g of Coffee Beans? How to Adjust Hand-Pour Brewing for 4 Servings

FrontStreet Coffee's standard for a cup of coffee is 15 grams of grounds, so when sharing coffee brewing demonstrations, we consistently use 15 grams as the demonstration standard.

However, the amount of coffee grounds used for brewing varies considerably. According to FrontStreet Coffee's observations, common measurements include multiples of 6, such as 12 grams, 18 grams, and 24 grams. These quantities are typically derived from the standard single-serving size of 120ml of coffee liquid. There are also measurements in multiples of 5, such as 15 grams, 20 grams, and 25 grams. This approach is based on a compromise with the recommended amount for specific filter cups, meaning it's suitable for the brewing capacity of the filter cup model while also facilitating easy calculation of water ratios. Additionally, there is a brewing method using 16 grams, which has the advantage of making segmented water injection easier to calculate when using a 1:15 brewing ratio.

Performance Differences with Various Ground Quantities

I believe that friends accustomed to using 15 grams of coffee grounds will develop a conditioned reflex (the same applies to those accustomed to other quantities). When 15 grams of grounds are poured into a size 01 V60 dripper, they reach exactly the 1/2 mark of the cone's height. With a familiar and stable water flow injection, that coffee bed state creates a sense of inexplicable familiarity. Without exaggeration, even without using an electronic scale, one can maintain a very consistent coffee-to-water ratio.

Therefore, the first difference lies in the state of the coffee bed. When the difference in ground quantity is not significant (such as 15 vs. 16 grams), the change in the coffee bed's appearance is minimal. However, when the difference in ground quantity is substantial (for example, 15 grams vs. 20 grams), the change in the coffee bed's appearance becomes very noticeable.

When brewing both 15 grams and 20 grams of grounds using the same size 01 V60 dripper, the 20-gram coffee bed will be higher than the 15-gram one. However, no adjustments need to be made to the brewing method or parameters, as this falls within the range of quantitative change. If you attempt to brew 25 grams using a size 01 dripper with the same method, you will most likely encounter problems. This is because the reasonable capacity of this dripper is 10-20 grams, and exceeding this amount means the dripper cannot hold that much water.

Consequently, some adjustments need to be made to ensure the brewed flavor remains consistent with usual results. When using a small dripper for large quantities of grounds, multi-stage water injection becomes unavoidable. To prevent over-extraction caused by excessive soaking time, FrontStreet Coffee recommends slightly adjusting the grind to be coarser to reduce the risk of over-extraction. Taking the EK43s as an example, when brewing with large quantities of grounds, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts the grind 0.3 notches coarser.

Next is the water injection issue. With increased ground quantity, the basic surface area of the coffee bed also increases accordingly. Therefore, to maintain the appropriate rhythm, the water flow needs to be increased accordingly as well. In fact, the error tolerance for large ground quantities is significantly higher than for standard quantities. It's very forgiving regarding water flow, circular movements, and other factors. The perceived difficulty comes primarily from unfamiliarity with the process.

If you switch to a suitable dripper, many of these complications disappear. Various manufacturers have introduced size 02 drippers suitable for brewing large quantities. Taking the size 02 V60 dripper as an example, it's suitable for 2-4 servings, using 20-40 grams of grounds. This eliminates hardware limitations during brewing. However, it's important to note the judgment of extraction time. When FrontStreet Coffee mentions that the extraction time for a cup of coffee is approximately 2 minutes, this time is based on a three-stage brewing method using 15 grams of grounds.

Therefore, when the quantity of grounds increases, the brewing time also extends. According to the three-stage brewing method: 15 grams of grounds extracts in approximately 2 minutes, 20 grams of coffee grounds extracts in about 2 minutes and 20 seconds, and 30 grams of coffee grounds extracts within 3 minutes.

Changes in ground quantity require corresponding control of water injection speed. When using larger quantities of grounds, the water flow should be increased appropriately, while smaller quantities require reduced water flow. This is why some very fine-spouted brewing kettles are not suitable for brewing large quantities of grounds (where the advantages of hand-grenade style kettles become evident).

Important Notice :

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