HOW TO MEASURE COFFEE WITHOUT A SCALE
FOR BETTER COFFEE RESULTS
In the specialty coffee world, we love our coffee scales. They tell us exactly how much coffee and water we’re using, which allows us to be super precise, helps us dial in our brew’s flavor, and enables us to make every single cup as delicious as the one before...
But we also realize that not everyone has a kitchen or coffee scale. And, especially when you’re still new to coffee, the $20 purchase can seem overkill.
Here's how.
Your Goal: The golden ratios
Your Goal:
The golden ratios
While there’s no objective best ratio of coffee to water, there is a range that most people agree on as the ‘sweet spot’.
Here are the Golden Ratios: 1 gram of coffee to 15-18 grams of water (1:15-18)
The acids and bitter notes balance each other out.
The sweet sugars are pleasant and refreshing.
GET THE PERFECT GRIND
CUSTOMIZE YOUR COFFEE GRIND TO SUIT YOUR TASTES AND STYLE
GET THE PERFECT DRIP
GET THE JAVAPRESSE POUR OVER AND ENJOY THE AROMA OF FRESH COFFEE
How to use the ratios with volume measuring
With a scale, using the golden ratios is easy—you just weigh the beans and water, and the scale tells you exactly how much there is.
Without a scale, we’ve got to get just a bit creative. All you need are either of these two tools: a tablespoon or a liquid measuring cup. Here's how you use them.
TABLESPOON
Generally, a level tablespoon of whole coffee beans is roughly 4-7g of coffee. To keep things rather simple, just assume it’s 5g each level scoop.
LIQUID MEASURING CUP
1g of liquid water is exactly 1ml of liquid water. The two units of measurement are based on each other, which is why it’s a direct translation.
TIME TO MAKE A SINGLE 8OZ COFFEE
1
8oz of coffee is about 225ml, measure 225g of water in your liquid measuring cup and pour into your kettle.
2
For practice sake, let’s say you’re using a 1:15 ratio (it’s golden). Divide your total water weight by the ratio (225 / 15) to produce 15. That’s the amount of coffee you need (15g).
3
You now know that, if you’re using a 1:15 ratio, you’ll need 15g of coffee and 225g of water to brew your 8oz mug.
4
Since you’re assuming each level tablespoon holds 5g of coffee, divide the total coffee weight by 5 to see how many tablespoons you need (15 / 5). You need 3 level tablespoons of coffee beans.
Want to read more about measuring coffee without a scale?
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