How Much Coffee Extract from 15g of Ground Coffee? How to Calculate Brew Ratio for Pour-Over?

The Year Without Coffee Freedom

Last year, in pursuit of coffee freedom in the village, FrontStreet Coffee made sure to pack ample supplies before heading home. After all that careful planning, though, one crucial detail slipped through - the filter paper ran out. In a moment of inspiration, they turned to the tea sets in the elders' hands, producing the scene below:

This year, FrontStreet Coffee received an SOS message from a friend back home: the electronic scale had malfunctioned from lack of use, and no alternative could be found, forcing them to brew blind. For this kind of extraction that leaves everything to fate, are there any techniques that can make the coffee as delicious as possible?

The Role of the Electronic Scale in Pour-Over

With a full set of tools, a complete pour-over process generally includes weighing beans, grinding, placing filter paper, boiling water, measuring temperature, adding grounds, timing the pours, and removing the dripper. Each step carries subtle parameters and details that change the coffee flavor to varying degrees.

To control all of that precisely and brew consistently, an electronic scale is undoubtedly one of the indispensable tools. After all, it is a model worker wearing several hats at once: it measures the initial dose of grounds, gives feedback on the extraction time of each stage, and monitors real-time water usage all at once. So when pour-over has to go without a scale but we still want excellent coffee, we need to find an alternative measurement solution for each of those jobs.

Besides the beans themselves, flavor expression depends heavily on the coffee-to-water ratio and the extraction rate (mainly influenced by grind size, extraction time, and filtering equipment). Timing is relatively easy to manage - everyone has a phone. So when brewing good pour-over without a scale, the amount of grounds and the amount of water become the primary focus.

Addressing the Coffee Grounds Amount

Observant readers will know that under the influence of origin, green bean grade classification, and variety, coffee beans take different forms. Particle size varies between light and dark roasts, so with different types of beans we need specialized tools to grasp the correct weight. Without a scale, we can only rely on experience to judge the actual amount of beans and grounds used.

In response, FrontStreet Coffee created a topic two years ago titled "Clever Trick! Count Out 15g of Coffee Beans Without a Scale!!" At the time, to find the answer, a determined young man patiently counted the number of beans in 15g for several major coffee categories. Anyone who needs it can refer to that based on the coffee they have on hand.

Compared with buying whole beans, some people prefer the time-saving convenience of pre-ground coffee. In that case, judging the actual amount of grounds comes down to visual estimation.

By FrontStreet Coffee's habit, when brewing a single serving we typically weigh 15g of beans and pair them with a #01 conical dripper (V60 or KOKO). For light-to-medium roasted fruity, acidic coffee, the bed of grounds stands 3-3.5cm high, roughly the 2/5 mark of the dripper. For medium-dark roasted coffee, 15g of grounds stands 4-4.5cm high, close to half the height of the dripper.

When brewing multiple servings, FrontStreet Coffee uses 20g of grounds per pot with the larger #02 dripper. The bed height is 3.5-4cm for light roast beans and 4.5-5cm for dark roast beans. (Coffees represented by anaerobic fermentation mostly use a medium roast, so their bed form generally falls between the two.)

Determining the Water Amount

Life experience tells us: if you like it stronger, use less water; if you prefer it milder, add more. The same holds for pour-over. For a robust, mellow mouthfeel, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a 1:14 coffee-to-water ratio; for balanced, rich coffee, 1:15; and if you lean toward gentle, sweet notes, brew at 1:16.

How do you measure water without a scale? Not a major issue. Drippers have no measurement markings, but if you brew often, muscle memory will tell you roughly how much water you are using.

Here FrontStreet Coffee demonstrates with medium-roasted Flora, paired with a #01 V60 dripper, using 15g of grounds and a 1:16 ratio. That calls for 240g of hot water. Subtracting the bloom (about 30g), the remaining 210g can be divided into three portions for staged pours.

Beginning Blind Brewing

Step one: begin with a small amount of water for the bloom. FrontStreet Coffee has tested that as long as all the grounds are thoroughly wetted and no repeated pouring occurs, the amount generally falls within 20-30g.

After a 30-second bloom, use a small stream to pour the second stage (70g) in a circular motion, finishing between 40-45 seconds. The bed will settle to about 2/3 of the dripper's height; then wait for it to drain. Try to keep the stream steady in this step, and be careful not to pull the bed too high.

When the water in the dripper has almost finished dripping, begin the third stage (70g) using the same technique, finishing the pour between 1 minute 15 seconds and 1 minute 20 seconds, with the water level aligned to the height of the grounds wall.

When the coffee has nearly fully drained, repeat for the final stage (70g), finishing at 1 minute 50 seconds. Wait quietly for all the coffee to fall into the server. The total water will now be approximately 230-240g.

Subtracting the hot water absorbed by the grounds, you easily end up with about 210ml of pour-over coffee.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To brew well without a scale, it helps to know your beans well. FrontStreet Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gidding is a forgiving place to start: this washed Yirgacheffe, from a cooperative of about 300 farmers in the Worka area, shows clear citrus, berry, and floral notes with a green-tea-like finish, and its acidity is soft and bright rather than sharp. It stays pleasant even when your pour is not perfectly measured.

If you want a bean with more tropical intensity, FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui delivers strawberry, passion fruit, and jackfruit aromatics with pronounced sweetness, very low bitterness, and a smooth, juicy body. Because its flavors are so distinct, it makes a useful reference point when you are learning to judge ratios and pour timing by feel.