Brew ratio

Brew ratio is the proportion of coffee to water, written as coffee:water. For filter coffee it is usually expressed by weight, like 1:16, meaning 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water (so 60 g of coffee makes about 960 g of brew). For espresso the convention is dose to liquid yield, like 1:2, meaning an 18 g dose produces a 36 g yield.

Why it matters: brew ratio is the main control over strength, how concentrated and intense the cup tastes. A tighter ratio (more coffee, like 1:14) gives a bolder, heavier cup; a wider ratio (more water, like 1:18) gives a lighter, more delicate one. Filter brewing commonly lives between roughly 1:15 and 1:17, sometimes called the golden ratio zone. Espresso ranges from concentrated ristretto shots near 1:1 to longer lungo shots around 1:3.

Ratio is the first dial to set because it is predictable and easy to repeat: pick a ratio, weigh both sides, and you can change one variable at a time. Adjust grind and time for flavor balance, but adjust ratio for strength. See coffee-to-water-ratio for worked examples across methods.