Brewing Essentials I: Water & Proportions

Now that we’ve posted some of the basics of storing, grinding and brewing your coffee, we’d like to begin Brewing Essentials 101. These are the essentials of brewing (usually minor changes) that will vastly improve your coffee experience.

Use Good Water

Here’s a seemingly obvious, but quite important fact to remember: coffee is over 98% water. That said, there are very few places on earth where the water tastes great right out of the tap. If you don’t like the taste of your tap water you shouldn’t be using it to make your coffee.

Think back to your chemistry class. Remember acids and bases — opposites on the pH scale? Well, “hard’” water (water that contains a lot of dissolved minerals or alkaline) is basic. Those minerals can actually react with the acids in coffee, neutralizing the very compounds that give it its flavor. “Soft” water isn’t any better, as it’s phosphates could give your coffee a soapy taste.

The best way to quickly and cheaply remove chemicals is with a filter. If you’d like to filter water directly as it comes out of the tap, we recommend a faucet mounted filter. These just screw on (quite easily) and you can get the Pur 2-stage filter for about $25 (on Amazon). Another easy and affordable option (for coffee and drinking water alike) is the Brita Water Pitcher, currently $21 on Amazon.

Once you’re dealing with clean, fresh water…

Use the Right Proportions

The table below shows what are - generally speaking - the best proportions for brewing coffee (i.e., the ratio of coffee grounds to water). Ultimately these are just “rules of thumb” and while they should produce the appropriate potency/flavor, you should obviously brew coffee to your taste (you’re the one drinking it, after all).

Since some coffee “scoops” vary, the measurements are provided in tablespoons (most scoops are 1 tablespoon). Also, keep in mind that in most electric drip coffee machines, the lines indicating “cups” are not necessarily accurate. We recommend using a measuring cup and seeing how true 8 oz. cups line up in your particular coffee machine.

Lastly, you may be wondering why the final output of brewed coffee is less than the water supplied in the process. This is because ground coffee retains a fair amount of water (a certain amount is given off in steam, as well).

Coffee Grounds	Water	Brewed Coffee
4 tablespoons	1 cup (8 oz.)	3/4 cup (6 oz)
6 tablespoons	2 cups (16 oz.)	1.5 cups (12 oz.)
8 tablespoons	3 cups (24 oz.)	2.25 cups (18 oz.)
10 tablespoons	3.5 cups (28 oz.)	2.75 cups (22 oz.)
12 tablespoons	4 cups (32 oz.)	3 cups (24 oz.)
14 tablespoons	4.5 cups (36 oz.)	3.5 cups (28 oz.)
16 tablespoons	5.5 cups (44 oz.)	4.5 cups (36 oz.)
18 tablespoons	6.25 cups (50 oz.)	4.75 cups (38 oz.)

Enjoy!

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