Tailor Your Coffee Recipe to Your Brew Method
Why do I need to tailor my coffee recipe?
Well, strictly speaking I suppose you don't! But for maximally delicious coffee, some tweaking always makes for a tastier cup.
Broadly speaking, there are two basic brew methods: percolation and immersion. For percolation methods, you will grind your coffee slightly finer and use slightly less of it. For immersion methods, you'll grind slightly coarser and use slightly more. These are both on average—each specific brew method has its own needs.
What is a good coffee recipe to start with?
Different people have different preferences when it comes to coffee. Some like it stronger than others; some like more of it than others. You really have to experiment to find something you like—I can't just give you the exact ratio that will taste best to you!
But here's a good place to start: many coffee guides recommend brewing at a 1:16 ratio. That means however much coffee you're brewing with, use 16x that much water. Here's some examples of how that stacks up with real-world measurements (remember that we're measuring coffee by weight):
| Coffee | Water (g) | Water (oz) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Cup* | 7.5g | 120g | ~4 oz |
| 2 Cups | 15g | 240g | ~8 oz |
| 3 Cups | 22.5 | 360g | ~12 oz |
| 4 Cups | 30g | 480g | ~16 oz |
* One "cup" of coffee equates to ~4 fluid oz.
Remember that immersion brew methods generally need a bit more coffee than percolation. If you're using an immersion method, try switching to a 1:15 ratio instead.