Analysis Tutorial | What is the ratio of coffee powder to water in making coffee?

Extracting espresso may seem simple, but there are actually a number of variables that need to be controlled and balanced to ensure the best flavor of the coffee. Understanding and mastering all of these variables takes time and practice, but the most important and simplest variable is the coffee powder to water ratio. By the so-called coffee powder to water ratio, we mean the ratio of the weight of the coffee powder (for extraction) to the weight of the coffee liquid (extracted). By changing the weight of the coffee powder or the weight of the liquid, we can adjust the taste and mouthfeel of the espresso.

If you use a digital scale, it is easier to control the coffee powder to water ratio, and it does not require a lot of practice (we recommend using a scale that is accurate to 0.1 grams). When using a digital scale, we can easily and stably control the weight of the coffee powder poured into the brewing portafilter and the weight of the espresso liquid that finally flows into the coffee cup.

According to the traditional naming of Italian coffee, we call espresso with a ratio of 1:1 (18 grams of ground coffee, 18 grams of liquid) to 1:2 (18 grams of ground coffee, 36 grams of liquid) a "ristretto", 1:2 to 1:3 is a normal espresso, and 1:3 to 1:4 is a "lungo". Experimenting with different ratios using the same weight of ground coffee (such as 18 grams) and comparing the different flavors, cleanliness, and mouthfeel will give you a good understanding of the impact of the ratio. The question of ratio is ultimately a question of personal preference, and only after trying different ratios will you know which one you like. People in different parts of the world often have different preferences for ratios, which adds more exotic flavor to espresso. Although espresso is not a very ancient drink, it contains cultural traditions and is deeply influenced by the taste preferences of different regions.

For example, when you walk into Vivace Espresso in Seattle, you’ll probably get a ristretto, which is somewhere between a 1:1 and 1:1.5 coffee-to-water ratio. David Schomer, founder of Vivace, is an espresso pioneer who brought this new trend to the Northwest. Ristretto has a stronger viscosity and body, but is less clean. This ratio works best with dark roasted, low altitude coffees with a pronounced chocolate caramel flavor. What it lacks in cleanliness, ristretto makes up for in body and mouthfeel. When Schomer introduced this ratio, Americans were still accustomed to adding a lot of milk to their coffee, and ristretto not only shined in these large cups of milky coffee, but also brought a whole new espresso experience.

In recent years, coffee beans with lighter roasting and higher altitude have become more and more popular, and the coffee powder to water ratio has also changed accordingly. At present, in most boutique coffee shops in the United States, Europe and Australia, the coffee powder to water ratio of 1:1.5 to 1:2 is more popular. At the same time, the popularity of single origin espresso (SOE) has also made people more likely to try higher coffee powder to water ratios. A higher coffee powder to water ratio can bring better cleanliness to espresso, and it can also ensure that this more difficult to extract coffee is more properly extracted.

Of course, we can't talk about espresso without mentioning the birthplace of espresso. If you've been to Italy, there's a good chance you've had espresso, or at least been to a café that serves it. But you might be surprised to learn that the traditional Italian coffee powder to water ratio is 1:3. They've stuck to this ratio for decades. So while specialty coffee shops in the U.S. and Europe use 16-19 grams of ground coffee to make one shot of espresso (which yields 24-38 grams of liquid), Italian cafés use just 7 grams of ground coffee to produce a single shot of 21 grams of espresso.

The coffee market has been changing over the past few years, and along with it, espresso and our understanding of it have also been constantly changing. Some baristas and professionals are constantly pushing the limits, using a 1:4 or even higher coffee to water ratio to make "lungo" espresso. A higher coffee to water ratio will result in better cleanliness, but the body and viscosity will decrease, and the flavor of the coffee will become more pronounced. This type of coffee will taste more like traditional drip coffee, and more and more high-quality boutique coffee shops have begun to offer this type of coffee.

Matt Perger of St. Ali, Australia, has also been advocating a high coffee-water ratio in the past few years, and even named his coffee with a coffee-water ratio of 1:17 "coffee shots". Although this is not very common, it also represents a trend in the coffee industry. We are redefining espresso and trying to figure out how to use espresso machines to extract better coffee. This is also our ultimate goal.

Every coffee bean is different, so the powder-water ratio that suits each type of coffee bean may be different, but understanding the concept of powder-water ratio and finding out your powder-water ratio preference can help you make better use of your coffee machine and extract better coffee.