Are You Using Too Much Water in Your Brew?
If you’ve ever felt that your coffee tastes flat, watery, or inconsistent—your coffee-to-water ratio might be the reason. While many baristas and café owners focus on equipment or beans (and rightly so), the ratio between coffee and water is one of the most crucial variables in achieving a consistently excellent cup.
In this article, we’ll break down the importance of brew ratios, answer common questions café owners ask, and offer simple steps to elevate your coffee game.
What Is a Coffee-to-Water Ratio?
Simply put, it’s the ratio of the amount of ground coffee to the amount of water used in brewing.
The standard measurement is written like this:
1:15 or 1:18
Which means:
1 gram of coffee for every 15–18 grams (or mL) of water.
Why It Matters:
• A smaller ratio (e.g., 1:15) means stronger coffee because there’s more coffee in less water.
• A larger ratio (e.g., 1:18) results in lighter, more diluted coffee.
What’s the Best Coffee-to-Water Ratio?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but the specialty coffee industry generally agrees on a starting point known as the Golden Ratio:
1:15 to 1:18
This works well for most manual brew methods like pour-over, AeroPress, French press, and batch brewers.
Start here, then adjust based on your:
• Brew method
• Coffee Roast level
• Customer preferences
• Grind size and brew time
What Happens When You Use Too Much Water?
Using too much water doesn’t just make your coffee taste weak—it also wastes your beans.
• You’re diluting flavor without necessarily extracting more of the good stuff.
• You’re giving customers a poor experience.
• You’re reducing the perceived value of your cup—even if you use high-quality beans.
Remember:
We’re trying to caffeinate, not hydrate.
(But yes, hydration is still important.)
Formula to Get It Right Every Time
Dose × Brew Ratio = Brew Water
Where:
• Dose = amount of ground coffee (in grams)
• Brew Ratio = your chosen multiplier (15, 16, 17, 18, etc.)
• Brew Water = total water (in grams or mL)
Example:
20g of coffee × 15 = 300g of brew water
Pro Tip:
1 gram of water = 1 mL
Isn’t the metric system beautiful?
How Can I Keep My Coffee Consistent?
1. Use a Scale
Eyeballing it won’t cut it. Even a 2g variation in coffee dose can shift the entire flavor profile. A digital scale ensures consistency across all baristas and shifts.
2. Train Your Team
Make sure everyone on your team understands extraction theory. Knowing the “why” helps them execute the “how” more precisely.
3. Dial in Based on Feedback
Use the Golden Ratio as a starting point. Get customer feedback and adjust as needed.
Why Does Coffee Extraction Matter to Café Owners?
Because consistency = customer loyalty.
If your brew tastes different every day, your customers notice—even if they don’t always know why.
Better extraction means:
• Fewer complaints
• More repeat orders
• A stronger brand identity
• More efficient use of coffee stock
TL;DR for Café Owners:
• Start with a 1:15–1:18 coffee-to-water ratio.
• Use a scale to stay consistent.
• Train your baristas in the basics of extraction theory.
• Use data (like brew ratio) to make better brewing decisions.
• Stronger doesn’t always mean better—better means balanced.
Need Help Dialing in Your Brew?
At Pure Grounds Coffee Co., we help cafés get the most out of every bean. From roast profiling to brew consultation, our goal is to empower you to serve coffee that your customers remember—and come back for.
Let’s chat!
We offer calibration support and sample kits to help you find the perfect ratio, roast, and workflow for your shop.
Facebook: Pure Grounds Coffee Co.
Instagram: @puregroundscoffeeco
