The Art of Home Brewing: Weight a minute! What Am I Weighting For?

By Valorie King, Owner & Coffee Maven

I am amazed at how often I am asked the same questions. Over the coming two months, I am going to revisit some key factors for brewing amazing coffee at home.

Have you ever wondered how to get the same results each time you brew coffee? Usually that means making the recipe the same way each time. I could even say make the recipe the same weigh each time. One of my goals for brewing coffee is to create repeatable results. One of the variables that I work with is how much coffee I use to brew. Several years ago I began weighing how much coffee I was using for each brewing method. When I brew using a pour over method, I even weigh the water. Sound a little bit over the top? Maybe. I am able to repeat getting an excellent cup or pot or shot of coffee. That's a good thing! 
 
The specialty coffee industry standard for coffee to water ratio is 1 part coffee to 16 parts coffee. Generally speaking that's a great place to start. By recording how much coffee and water I use along with notes about the cup I have brewed, I am able to adjust how much coffee I use to improve what's in my cup. Using the 1:16 ratio, sometimes - ok, ok, ok, usually - I have to increase the amount of coffee for brewing. The best way to determine how much coffee to use is to weigh my coffee. Here are some basic weights for the Lamppost (aka King) Family favorite brewing methods.
 

• American Drip Brewer: 6.5-7 grams of coffee for each 4 ounces of water. In our 40 ounce drip brewer, we like 68-70 grams for a full pot (10 cups).
• Clever Coffee Dripper: 24 grams of coffee for 360 grams of water. Remember, I weigh my water when I do a pour over. 
• Chemex: 44 grams of coffee to 700 grams of water.
• French Press: Same as the American Drip Brewer: 6.5-7 grams of coffee to 4 ounces of water. The "8" cup French Press is usually a 32 ounce pot. That's the size of French Press we have and that is a 4 ounce "cup" of coffee. We own an "8" cup French Press and have found 56 grams of coffee brews a pretty good and strong cup of coffee. Note: One cup is not the same thing as 8 ounces like you measure in your kitchen liquid measuring cup. The actual size of the "cup" of coffee each brewer makes is dependent on what country is was created in and how many ounces that country deems in a cup of coffee. Usually you can find that in the instruction manual. What?! Yes, now I am recommending you actually read the instruction manual. Or you could measure water into your preferred brewing method to see how much is a "cup" or four or eight of coffee for the method you use to brew coffee.) When Roastmaster Jeff is out in the field camping or fishing, he knows about how much coffee he needs so he doesn't weigh it then. 
• Espresso: 19 grams of coffee for a double shot. Yep, I weigh that too!

 
The other variable that I work with is fineness or coarseness when grinding coffee. That's another day's blog, though! I like my coffee strong. I am willing to experiment with both how much coffee (weight) and the fineness/coarseness of coffee to make my cup enjoyable. When I find the right weight and grind, I record it. I keep a journal on my smartie phone so I can quickly find my notes. I also have quick reference personal notebook in the cupboard over the drip coffee maker so everyone making coffee here in the King house can get the same results. I would encourage to try out a similar process and write it down.

Now it's your turn to venture into coffee...