Pour-Over Ratio (1:15 to 1:17 Coffee to Water)

1

ground coffee — Medium-to-coarse grind for pour-over; finer than French press, coarser than espresso

15 to 17

brew water — Off-boil water cooled to 90–96 °C (194–205 °F); lighter roasts tolerate hotter water

Rinse paper filter with hot water and discard rinse water. Add ground coffee to filter and tare scale to zero. Begin with a bloom pour: add 2–3× the coffee weight in water (e.g., 30–60 g for a 20 g dose) and wait 30–45 seconds for CO₂ to degas. Pour remaining water in a slow, circular motion in 2–4 stages, keeping water level consistent without flooding the slurry. Total brew time for a 20 g dose should be 2:30–3:30 minutes. Stop when the target total water weight is reached (300–340 g for a 20 g dose at 1:15–1:17). The coffee bed should dewater evenly with no dry patches (indicating channeling).

• Weigh both coffee and water on a scale accurate to 0.1 g — kitchen spoons introduce significant dose variance (a tablespoon can be 5–8 g of coffee depending on grind and packing).
• Coarser grinds shift the optimal ratio toward 1:15 (more coffee to compensate for lower surface area); finer grinds tolerate 1:17 because extraction is more efficient.
• The bloom pour is especially critical for freshly roasted beans (within 2 weeks of roast) where CO₂ degassing disrupts extraction — older beans need a shorter or no bloom.
• Water temperature matters more with lighter roasts: 94–96 °C for light roasts (higher temps improve extraction of stubborn compounds); 90–93 °C for dark roasts (reduces harsh extraction of surface-level solubles).
• Grinder uniformity (few fines) is more important than absolute grind size: a burr grinder at medium-coarse outperforms a blade grinder at any setting, regardless of ratio.
• If the brew drains too fast (under 2 minutes total), grind finer; if it stalls (over 4 minutes), grind coarser — both before adjusting the ratio.

• 1:15 (strong cup)

  Full-bodied, ideal for milk-forward drinks or bold single-origins; favored by those transitioning from espresso

• 1:16 (balanced cup)

  The most common specialty default; hits the SCA ideal center at most roast levels

• 1:17 (light cup)

  More delicate; recommended for very light roasts where high extraction yields clarity over body

• 1:12 concentrate

  Used when brewing for iced coffee (the dilution from ice brings the final ratio to ~1:15–1:16 once ice melts)

• Bypass brewing

  Brew at 1:10–1:12 for maximum extraction, then add hot water to taste post-brew; decouples extraction from strength dialing

• Espresso Brew Ratio (1:2)

  Espresso uses radically less water per gram of coffee but extracts under 9 bar of pressure rather than gravity

• French Press Ratio (1:12 to 1:15)

  Immersion brewing uses slightly more coffee per unit water because full immersion saturates extraction faster than percolation

• Cold Brew Concentrate Ratio (1:4 to 1:5)

  Coarse immersion in cold water for 12–24 hours; ratio is much higher coffee-to-water to compensate for lower extraction efficiency at cold temperatures

1. 1.Specialty Coffee Association, Brewing Control Chart and Brewing Handbook (SCA, 2017)
2. 2.James Hoffmann, The World Atlas of Coffee (Mitchell Beazley, 2014)
3. 3.Jonathan Gagné, The Physics of Filter Coffee (Scott Rao, 2021)
4. 4.Scott Rao, Everything but Espresso (Scott Rao, 2010)

Confidence: high