What Does Coffee-to-Water Ratio Mean in Pour-Over?

The coffee-to-water ratio compares the coffee grounds that take part in extraction with the water poured in; 1:15 means 15 ml of water for every 1 g of grounds. The coffee-to-liquid ratio compares those same grounds with the finished liquid in the cup, so 1:12 describes the brewed coffee after the grounds have absorbed their share of water.

Most brewing methods suit the coffee-to-water ratio because it is easier to calculate, lets the brewer control the poured volume, and reduces errors from differences in how much water beans absorb. Confusing the two shifts the final flavor, and separating the definitions is a practical step toward reproducing results under the Golden Cup extraction standard.

When brewing coffee, the concepts of coffee-to-water ratio and coffee-to-liquid ratio may seem similar, but their meanings are actually quite different. Many beginners often confuse the two, leading to deviations in the flavor of the final cup. Today, Front Street Coffee will break down the definitions, applicable scenarios, and conversion methods of these two ratios in detail to help everyone control the extraction process more precisely. Understanding the essential difference between the coffee-to-water ratio and the coffee-to-liquid ratio is a key step in mastering the Golden Cup extraction standard and consistently reproducing good flavor.

The coffee-to-water ratio and the coffee-to-liquid ratio are two common measurement methods in coffee brewing. Because their names are extremely similar, many friends who are just getting into pour-over coffee easily mix them up, causing the flavor in the final cup to deviate from expectations. Therefore, today Front Street Coffee will sort this out again: what exactly is the difference between the coffee-to-liquid ratio and the coffee-to-water ratio?

Let's first talk about the word "ratio." Ratio (Proportion) itself is a mathematical concept used to express the comparative relationship between quantities. Once you understand the meaning of this term, the coffee-to-water ratio and coffee-to-liquid ratio in the context of coffee will not be difficult to understand.

The coffee-to-water ratio refers to the ratio between the coffee grounds participating in extraction and the extraction water poured in. For example, the commonly mentioned 1:15 means that for every 1g of coffee grounds, 15ml of water is used to complete the extraction. The coffee-to-water ratio has a fairly wide range of applications. It can be said that, apart from a few coffee methods where the amount of poured water cannot be measured, most coffee extractions are better suited to using the coffee-to-water ratio: first, it is easier to calculate; second, it allows more accurate control of the amount of water poured, thereby extracting the target flavor compounds; and third, it can reduce errors caused by differences in the water absorption of coffee beans.

Next, let's look at the coffee-to-liquid ratio. The coffee-to-liquid ratio indicates the ratio between the extracted coffee grounds and the final coffee liquid obtained. Taking 1:12 as an example, it means that 1g of coffee grounds needs to extract 12ml of coffee liquid. It sounds somewhat similar to the coffee-to-water ratio, but the actual meaning is very different, because these two units cannot be directly converted as equivalents.

Suppose we use 225ml of hot water to brew coffee. The server will not end up with the same weight of coffee liquid, because the coffee grounds will retain some of the water, so the liquid that finally drips into the server must be less than the hot water poured in. Usually, coffee grounds absorb about twice their own weight in water. Based on this principle, we can roughly estimate the weight of the coffee liquid, and this is also the conversion formula between the coffee-to-water ratio and the coffee-to-liquid ratio.

For example, if you use 225ml of hot water to extract 15g of coffee grounds, then the 15g of grounds will absorb about twice their own weight in water, that is, about 30ml. Subtract 30ml from 225, and you can estimate that the weight of the coffee liquid is about 195ml. The reason we say "about" and "approximately" is that the water absorption rate of coffee beans is not exactly equal to twice their own weight, but is only relatively close to this value.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.