A coffee lover knows how much energy and goodness one can get from a perfectly brewed cup. If you can’t picture a day without coffee, then you better start learning how to make one yourself. It won’t only ensure you get the specific taste that you love, but will also help you save money from buying cafe coffee.
The fundamentals are pretty easy: get the right equipment, the proper technique, and of course, the right measurements. Not getting any of these factors correct will give you nothing but poor-quality coffee.
You may wonder and ask, “How much coffee beans to grind to have the perfect cup of coffee?” We are here to give you a guide you can follow along with the basics of making the perfect cup.
How Much Coffee Beans To Grind
This question has been one of the most common ones asked by people who want to start making their own coffee. As simple as it may sound, you can only grasp the concepts with the right understanding of all the concepts involved. So let’s start with the basics.
Why Getting the Right Amount of Coffee Matters
The importance of getting the right measurement for your coffee-making pursuit is crucial. There are several ways to measure ingredients. You can go for a kitchen scale or use a different technique. There are also basic recommendations on coffee to water ratios.
A lot of enthusiasts master the basics then move on to experiment on their own. However. if you are trying to learn the basics, learning about the outcomes comes first.
Not knowing how much coffee to use can lead to two possible errors: over-extraction and under extraction. When you use too much coffee, you may get an under-extracted outcome.
Under-extracted coffee leads to salty, sour, or depth and sweet-lacking coffee. Meanwhile, not using enough coffee will leave you with a saturated, thin, and weak-tasting coffee. The key to making a good cup is knowing how much coffee and water to use.
The Science Behind Coffee to Water Ratio
Every single coffee bean is unique in terms of mass, and the moisture content of each bean decreases throughout the roasting process. It reduces from the original three to five percent to zero percent.
This reduction happens since water gets released and turned into steam. This incident leaves the beans weighing around 15 to 20 percent less than they were before roasting them. That said, the Specialty Coffee Association of America set the optimum starting point.
It is about 55 grams of coffee per 1L of water with a 10% margin error. This has an interpretation of a 1:18 ratio.
As a guideline when measuring coffee for brewing, you can make minor adjustments to get the appropriate strength of your brew. Just keep in mind that excessive deviation from the ratio results in difficulties with over-or under-extraction of the solvent. Utilizing a digital scale to weigh your coffee improves precision and uniformity in the cup, so it’s best to invest in a high-quality one.
When To Measure: Before or After Grinding?
Pre-measuring your coffee beans is a good idea so you don’t wind up with extra ground coffee. With the short shelf life of coffee grinds, it is best to grind as much as you need for every batch of coffee you want to make.
Coffee To Ratio Measurements: How To Use Them
We are going to follow the ratio of 1:18. Here’s an excellent example of how to use this for your measurements. You can start with the amount of coffee you plan to brew, then work your way up.
For instance, you wish to fill a 300ml (10oz) cup. To find out how many grams of coffee you’ll need to brew 300ml of coffee, divide 300 by 18, and you’ll get 16 grams of total coffee.
To put it simply, you would need 16 grams of coffee beans to prepare a 10-ounce mug of espresso. There are 300 milliliters of water needed for this task (10oz). To prepare ten cups of coffee, each cup weighing ten ounces, multiply 16 grams by ten cups. This will give you 160 grams of coffee.
Determine the weight of the coffee beans that you will need to brew. Set some coffee beans on a scale and weigh the beans to determine the correct number of beans to use.
The Benefits of Using Scales to Measure Coffee
While it is possible to measure using a tablespoon or a liquid measuring cup, using a scale is more beneficial. To give you a picture of how it can help make your coffee brewing experience easier, let’s look at some specific benefits you’ll enjoy when using a scale.
High Level of Accuracy
Getting the precise ratio of ground coffee to water is critical when making a great cup of coffee. When comparing volumetric measures to weighted measurements, it is essential to remember that different beans might be more or less dense.
The amount of your espresso can vary greatly depending on its freshness and roast degree. This makes a scale even more critical in determining your actual brew ratio.
Consistent Results
An electronic scale allows you to measure coffee and water several times and achieve the same result each time. Using scales is easier than any other method too.
Waste Minimization
When utilizing the grind time feature on your grinder, it’s possible to grind more coffee than you’ll need accidentally. It might leave you with a waste of valuable coffee. Using single dosages that are weighted can decrease your waste on almost every occasion.
Better Ratio Experimentation
Using a scale allows you to experiment with different espresso brew ratios until you discover one just right for your taste. Some coffee will taste better when prepared in a 1:2 ratio. This ratio can mellow the body and highlight subtle notes.
In contrast, other coffee may have a more satisfying body when prepared in a 1:1 ratio. A good quality scale will also play a significant role here. It ensures you can experiment on new flavors, and achieve the right amount needed for the exact coffee taste that you want.
Different Brewing Methods and Coffee Brew Ratios
If you want to discover what ratios to use on your favorite brews, we have lined up a couple of guidelines for you. Remember that changing the water to coffee ratio is usually done for personal preference on the brew’s strength. That said, here are the most recommended standard ratios for the most popular ways of preparing coffee:
Cold Brew
The cold brew is concentrated because of its brewing process and then diluted after. Most people prefer a mild-level intensity brew, so you can start with a 1:8 ratio. Those who want a stronger one can use the 1:5 ratio.
The trick to getting the perfect cold brew is to add water as you go gradually. Diluting it all at once is more difficult to correct.
French Press
This is a favorite brewing method for many. If you plan to use the French press, you can do a 1:10 ratio for a bolder, stronger, rich, and thick flavor.
However, a 1:16 ratio can work for achieving a lighter brew. You can make some adjustments to match your taste and preference along the way.
Pour Over
When creating a pour-over brew, you can start with a 1:17 ratio. Again, for this method, it is vital to use scales as it has a lot to do with the taste of your coffee.
If you don’t have a scale available, you can go for one or two tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water. That said, you have to set your expectations as this does not guarantee the same results when you use a scale.
Preparing a Good Cup of Coffee
Having love and interest in coffee eventually draws out the need to learn how to make it. Everyone starts with a few questions and basic brewing methods.
A good cup of coffee involves ratios and good combinations of several factors. One of the main things is understanding how measurements are done. It also lies in knowing why they are important and how to use them.
Now that you’ve read the fundamentals, you can now know how much coffee beans to grind. Make sure to use these concepts the next time you brew your coffee.