How Much Coffee Grounds for Pour-Over Coffee: The Impact of Coffee-to-Water Ratio on Flavor

Among the various parameters that affect flavor, the coffee-to-water ratio is often one of the most important factors to prioritize. FrontStreet Coffee, for example, recommends using a conservative range of 1:15 or 1:16. Over time, when we become accustomed to using 15 grams of coffee grounds with a 1:15 ratio, the water injection amount naturally becomes fixed at 225ml.

However, in our daily coffee brewing, we don't always maintain the precision of competition baristas. For instance, when only 14 grams remain in a bag of coffee beans, or when we have 1-2 grams more than our usual brewing amount, we might still treat it as a single serving for extraction. Some might habitually inject 225ml of water. So, with the water amount remaining unchanged, would a 1-gram difference in coffee grounds significantly affect the coffee's flavor?

Constant Water Amount, Variable Coffee Grounds = Changing the Coffee-to-Water Ratio

When all other parameters remain unchanged, increasing or decreasing only the coffee grounds directly alters the coffee-to-water ratio. (Coffee-to-water ratio = coffee grounds : water) This ratio controls both extraction rate and concentration. A larger ratio results in lower extraction rate but higher coffee concentration; conversely, a smaller ratio yields higher extraction rate but lower concentration. When extraction rate and concentration change slightly, will the coffee's flavor also vary accordingly?

Changing Only 1 Gram of Coffee Grounds

FrontStreet Coffee conducted tests using 14 grams, 15 grams, and 16 grams of coffee grounds, all "treated" as 15 grams for extraction, with the same 225ml water injection. The corresponding coffee-to-water ratios were approximately 1:16, 1:15, and 1:14 respectively. For this experiment, FrontStreet Coffee selected Papua New Guinea's Bird of Paradise coffee beans, using a Hario V60 01 dripper, EK-43s grinder setting at 10, and water temperature at 90°C.

The brewing process was divided into three stages: first, 30ml of water was injected for blooming, with a blooming time of 30 seconds; second, injection continued to 125ml, with a 10-second pause; third, injection continued until reaching 225ml. The total extraction times for the three coffees were 1 minute 56 seconds, 1 minute 58 seconds, and 1 minute 58 seconds respectively. The measured concentrations were 1.04-1.28%, 1.34-1.40%, and 1.52% respectively.

14 grams of coffee grounds:

Nuts, citrus, tea-like notes, with acidity as the primary characteristic, slightly muted aroma, and lower body.

15 grams of coffee grounds:

Toasted bread, dark chocolate, citrus, sugarcane sweetness, with relatively clear flavors and balanced sweet, sour, and bitter taste.

16 grams of coffee grounds:

Dark chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, caramel, with subtle acidity and a relatively heavy finish.

It's not difficult to see that as the coffee grounds gradually increase and the coffee-to-water ratio decreases, the coffee's mouthfeel becomes increasingly heavy and concentrated, yet it reduces the clarity of various flavors.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee believes that when we increase the amount of coffee grounds and want the coffee flavor to perform as usual, we should honestly increase the water injection accordingly to maintain stable extraction.

Adjusting for Reduced Coffee Grounds

If there's a small reduction in coffee grounds, we can also adjust just one parameter to compensate. When the coffee grounds are 1-2 grams less than usual, without reducing the water injection amount, you can appropriately use a finer water flow to extend the contact time between water and grounds, or adjust the grind slightly finer to reduce the space between coffee particles, allowing water to flow more slowly. Both methods achieve the effect of enhancing extraction concentration and flavor. FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend increasing water temperature here, as too high a temperature can easily cause coffee to release bitter compounds, especially with medium to dark roasted coffee beans, where flavors become masked by bitterness, making it difficult for aromas to emerge.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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