How much coffee to use?

Preparing good coffee depends on several factors, and I invite you to reread this blog which has almost become a “work-in-progress” as I make so many modifications:

10 steps to perfect coffee at home

Today I will focus on the quantity of coffee to use for your preparation. This question comes up very often and can easily be answered using the golden rules of dosage.

Before sharing with you this secret that will take you one step further into the circle of coffee enthusiasts, let me tell you the importance of having a scale.

It is always possible to use a spoon, or any container to calculate your volume of coffee, but this method is imprecise and will not allow you to achieve the bliss of a perfect cup, except when Providence so decides. Especially for the “Full Immersion”, Clever Coffee Dripper or Piston methods , where a difference of a few grams is enough to modify the result.

A scale remains much more precise and allows you to repeat your parameters each time, weighing the ground coffee but also the water in your preparation.

They can be found in supermarkets and kitchen equipment stores. Prices vary from $10 to $100, so it's an essential, inexpensive accessory that will also be used to make your recipes in the kitchen.

So even if you use a measuring spoon, like the one that comes in the box of a Hario V60 which gives around 12g, it's best to use a scale to check yourself.

I use the golden rule of ground coffee dosage according to two preparation families:

-       Filtered

-       Full immersion

NB: I leave out here the explanation of the dosage for the espresso that we work according to an extraction ratio (coffee weight / extraction weight)

Filtered

I classify in this category all the methods in which the water passes directly through the grounds, through a filter, and which ends up flowing into the container by gravity, without remaining in contact with the coffee for long.

With this method, the only way to increase the contact time is to reduce the flow of water which will flow over the grounds of your classic commercial filter coffee maker, using the classic Mélitta or Hario V60 cone infuser

Golden rule : 55 g per liter of water

So for 12 oz - 355 ml of coffee, rule of three = 20 g of coffee

Full immersion

Here, I am referring to the methods in which the coffee comes into contact with water, and remains submerged completely for a certain period of time. The French press, the Clever coffee Dripper, and the Aeropress , if you use the inverted method, are examples of this.

Golden rule : 69 g per liter of water

So for 12 oz - 355 ml of coffee, rule of three = 25 g of coffee

By following these rules you will be able to determine the right amount of coffee to use.

However, be aware that when it comes to coffee preparation there is no equivalent to the Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church and that you will not end up on a stake in front of our roasting workshop if you deviate from these rules.

Trust your palate, your nose, experiment and take note of your parameters when you come close to nirvana.

Also note that coffees have a different density depending on the roasting level, more roasted coffees are lighter and may seem stronger to you, so just modify your dosage accordingly by a few grams to adjust.

Good preparation !

Dany Marquis

Here is the list of coffee makers that we have available on our site:

www.brulerieduquai.com/collections/cafetieres