In the Brew

Ratios…..ratios……ratios, so what exactly are they.?

A ratio is a relationship of quantities, in coffee it is the relationship between dry ground coffee and the amount of water used to make that coffee. But why does it matter?

This relationship directly impacts what goes on in your cup of coffee; from its overall strength to the flavour you experience. We’ve all had the experience in coffee shops, the espresso falls flat with no texture or body.. The answer…..too much water. The other side of that it has an unbalanced and over abundant body/ strength….there’s too little water. The same can be said for filter, the difference between the brew systems is volumes overall. In filter we use similar amounts of dry coffee but we use higher overall volumes of water due to there being no pressure to force out flavour.

For espresso we recommend starting with a 1:2 ratio, in other words for every 1 gram of coffee there is 2 grams of water used. Try going with this setup to begin with; 18 grams of dry coffee from which we end up with an espresso that weighs 36 grams.

For filter, like we said a little earlier we need more water so lets use a ratio of 1:15. In this cup we will use 15 grams of coffee to 250 grams of water.

For the moment just get the scales out and just apply this to your brews, in the next post we will look at grind size & brew time.

In The Brew

So we know how much coffee we are using, we know how much drinkable liquid we’re making but there are 2 more factors to consider.

Grind size & Temperature

Now grind size is dictated by brew method and the process of coffee to begin with. Coffee process is a blog in itself so as a quick guide. Washed coffees are slower to brew and natural coffee brew quicker.

For washed we grind medium to course and natural we grind medium to medium fine. Our grind size will dictate the balance of flavour and body but brew too quick the coffee will taste thin, brew too long and you will develop a negative perception of bitterness from caffeine.

This can get rather complex and in our next post we will explain the relation between coffee processing and grind size.

Our other aspect is temperature. The lighter the roast the hotter the water, the darker the coffee the cooler the water. For lovers of a super light boil the coffee and let your brew begin. For fans of the darker side let the water cool down, maybe even try your coffee a low as 80 degrees Celsius.

Grind Size & Process

What we’re referring to here, is the relationship of how the coffee is processed at farm level and end brew grind particle size.

There are 2 main types of coffee processing, washed. In which the green coffee is separated from its fruit and literally “washed” until the water its in runs clear. This process is considered the purest as the coffees enzymatic structure has not been altered in anyway due to the nature of the processing. As a result washed coffees have higher acidity and when brewed after roasting will drain water slower. Meaning they need a larger particle size or we must grind courser.

Dry or natural processing however is very different. In this the fruit is let ferment onto the coffee seed and as a result, causes enzymatic changes to the seed itself. Lowering acidity and increasing sweetness. As such the end roasted product brews much quicker so you need a smaller/ finer particle size to stop the coffee brewing too quickly.

In our next blog we will discuss processing in greater detail across a few posts.

As always, enjoy great coffee