I mentioned dosing ratios in my articles. Quite often, actually.

It is a fundamentally important concept for beginners to understand. Once you get the hang of it, you can apply that knowledge to your daily brewing and dialing in coffee. 

Remember that coffee preferences are personal to you and the coffee dosing that works for you is the one that gives you the coffee you like. But if you don’t know how to find what you enjoy, this guide will help.

Note: We’ll cover the concepts using weight in grams, but ratios still apply if you use volume measures

What is a dose?

The coffee dose is the amount of coffee you add to the water for the brew. 

“Dosing your water with coffee.”

Why do I need to understand the coffee dose?

The amount of coffee grounds added to water indicates the coffee’s strength at the end of the timed extraction period.

Understanding the dose will help you adjust your coffee to your taste. But remember, the outcome is also related to your brewing method, the coffee grind size, or the coffee roast. I’ll cover those influencing factors later. 

What is a coffee ratio?

The coffee ratio is the shorthand way of representing the dose.

The coffee amount is set to 1. The water amount is set to some multiple of 1. 

For example, 1 to 15 or 1:15 is a ratio that describes 1 gram of coffee to 15 grams of water. 

Or if you are using volume, it would be 1 ml of coffee to 15 ml of water.

But we don’t just want 15 ml of coffee, so how is this even helping? The answer to that is math.🫠

How do I adjust the coffee ratio for the volume of coffee that I want in my cup?

To get 250 g or 250 ml of coffee from the brewing process, you must figure out how much coffee to add to the brewing water.

So for a ratio of 1 coffee to 15 water, it will be 16.67 g of coffee to 250 g of water.

The math goes like this: 250 (g of water) divided by 15 = 16.67

Note: this discussion does not account for the water lost in the grounds. 

Another example: for a 1:17 ratio using 250 g of water —> 250 divided by 17 = 14.7 —> So it will be 14.7 g of coffee into 250 g of water.

What is the right ratio?

Dosing ratios are related to the brewing method and the associated grind size.

An important factor is how you take your coffee. For example, black coffee might need a different ratio from coffee with milk and sugar added. 

You might want to start with a lighter ratio if you’re drinking black coffee. Then try a stronger ratio on the next round if it was too weak. 

You could start at “regular” and adjust after that if you’re drinking your coffee with milk and possibly sugar.

Here are some general guides for dosing ratios:

What are the factors that influence the outcome of the brew?

All of these factors relate to the extraction of the soluble coffee from the insoluble bean fibers. Our goal is to find the sweet spot of that extraction by adjusting the ratio in some way. But, of course, the ratio adjustment more directly affects the brew strength. Still, we’ll also deal with other brewing adjustment options and considerations related to the flavor.

Grind size 

Let’s assume you are using pre-ground coffee. The brew might be stronger than anticipated if the grounds you used are finer than prescribed for the brewing method and you are following the standard brewing process.

It’s easier to dissolve the soluble coffee when the grinds are finer. More dissolved coffee means a stronger brew.

When coffee is too strong, it can taste bitter. 

If you’ve tasted the brew and find it bitter, you can add water and taste it again to see if it resolves the bitterness. If it does, the solution is to use a “lighter” or “milder” ratio for brewing that coffee at that grind size. 

CHECK OUT OUR HELPFUL ARTICLE ON REDUCING BITTERNESS

Take the opposite approach if you find the brew too weak or watery. 

Roast Level

You’re stuck with the roast level and the grind size until the bag is finished, assuming you are using pre-ground coffee.

So, if the roast is dark or extra dark, the bitter, burnt aspects may be heightened in the brew. It could be overpowering. Try a milder ratio to help soften the harshness.

On the other hand, lighter roasts may not be as intense as you want. So here, you would choose a stronger ratio.

Bean density

Beans grown at higher altitudes are typically denser. Denser beans are harder to extract. 

It is not too much of an issue if you have a blend of beans. However, if you use a single-origin bean from a high altitude and want to increase the brew strength, you would opt for a stronger ratio.

You can make other adjustments to your brew in addition to or independent of the ratio. It’s best to understand how the ratio works so you can use it to your benefit. Still, I don’t want to leave you thinking that ratios are your only option when dialing in your brews. 

Here are some other methods to tweaking your brew other than the ratio adjustments

Grind size - if you have a grinder, you can grind the bean finer for a stronger extraction. Courser grounds extract less, so it would be like applying a weaker ratio. 

Brew duration - if you’re stuck with your grind size and the roast, adjusting the brew time could help extract a more pleasant brew. If the coffee is too strong and bitter, try a shorter brew time if the method allows it. Else go for a longer brew time if your coffee is tasting sour. 

Water temperature - lighter roasts are harder to extract, so using water straight off the boil can improve the extraction result. But if the roast is dark, allow the water to cool off a little to avoid drawing out all those intense burnt roast flavors.

Getting better at coffee requires learning techniques and brewing models and then applying them in your brewing. 

Experiment with your ratios, and let us know how it went. 

References:

• Moka Pot Ratio