Coffee review

What is the proportion of gold powder and water in hand-brewed coffee? What is the most suitable ratio of powder to water to make coffee by hand?

Published: 2025-08-21 Author:
Last Updated: 2025/08/21, For coffee brewing, the ratio of powder to water is one of the important factors that need to be prioritized. But because it does not need to be adjusted according to the roasting degree of coffee beans like water temperature and grinding, many times we always have a fixed ratio to brew coffee with all roasting degrees. Like Qianjie, it often recommends new ones

For coffee brewing, the ratio of powder to water is one of the important factors that need to be prioritized. But because it does not need to be adjusted according to the roasting degree of coffee beans like water temperature and grinding, many times we always have a fixed ratio to brew coffee with all roasting degrees. For example, Qianjie often recommends novice friends to use a conservative ratio of 1:15 or 1:16 to brew coffee. Over time, when we become accustomed to brewing a certain amount of powder with a certain ratio for extraction, the amount of water is easily "fixed." Even if the amount of powder changes, we still easily inject the previous amount of water habitually.

For example, the amount of powder that is often brewed on Qianjie is 15g, and then a ratio of powder to water of 1:15 is used, and the water injection volume will be fixed at 225ml. But when the amount of powder to be brewed one day becomes 14g or 16g because it is not enough or there is a little more, according to the powder-to-water ratio of 1:15, the amount of water to be brewed at this time also needs to increase or decrease accordingly. However, we may habitually inject 225ml of water. So what kind of result will a situation like this lead to? That's right! It will change the flavor and texture of the brewed coffee to a certain extent. Even if there is only a 1g difference in the amount of powder before and after, because the amount of water is fixed, the ratio of powder to water will change accordingly. The powder-to-water ratio refers to the ratio of coffee powder and water used. The size of this parameter affects the extraction rate and concentration of coffee. When other parameters remain unchanged, the greater the proportion of powder and water, the lower the extraction rate and the higher the concentration of coffee; conversely, the smaller the proportion, the higher the extraction rate and the lower the concentration.

The extraction rate and concentration of coffee determine the flavor and texture of coffee, so when the ratio of powder to water changes, the flavor of coffee will also change. As for the specific size of this change, Qianjie will share it with you through an experiment ~

Brewing comparison In this experiment, Qianjie will use the same amount of water, i.e., use 225ml of hot water to brew 14, 15, and 16g of coffee beans respectively. Then the corresponding powder and water ratios will be approximately 1:16, 1:15, and 1:14 respectively. Then compare the differences in taste and concentration through concentration measurement and tasting.

In order to reduce human influence during brewing, Qianjie will use Switch Smart Cup to make coffee this time. Immersion extraction not only reduces human influence, but also makes coffee extraction more uniform! The coffee beans used this time are Qianjie Yejia Shefei·Red Cherry in Qianjie Bean List. The extraction parameters are as follows: water volume is 225ml, water temperature is 100°C, time is 9 minutes, grinding degree is 10th scale of Ek43, 75% sieving rate of No. 20 sieve, fine granulated sugar is ground, and C40 is 24 - 26 grids.

Because the brewing process is relatively complicated and Qianjie has also shared it in previous articles, I will skip it directly here. Interested friends can search and understand it by themselves ~

Each pot of coffee was tasted and measured on the front street when it was brewed. The final results were as follows: 14g: concentration 1.40%, extraction rate 20.83%; the flavor was expressed as strawberry, citrus, floral, oolong tea. The overall aroma is relatively flat and the mellow is low.

15g: concentration 1.47%, extraction rate 20.22%; flavor is citrus, strawberry, apricot, berry, white floral fragrance, oolong tea. The overall aroma is clear, the mellow degree is appropriate, and the sweet, sour and bitter are balanced.

16g: concentration 1.53%, extraction rate 19.55%; flavor is lemon, berry, white floral fragrance, and oolong tea tail rhyme. The overall aroma and finish are relatively heavy, but the acidity is slightly higher.

It can be seen that although there is only a difference of 1g powder in the amount of powder, there has been obvious changes in terms of taste, flavor or taste, and this change can be clearly recognized by people. As the amount of powder increases, the proportion of powder and water becomes smaller and smaller, the taste of coffee becomes thicker and thicker, and the flavor begins to concentrate. This is the impact of the change in the proportion of powder and water. So if you want the brewed coffee to perform the same as before when increasing or decreasing the amount of powder, it is best to remind yourself when brewing and remember to adjust the amount of water injected accordingly. (If you remember...)

It should be noted that the difference in powder amount in the examples cited here is only 1g, so it will not have much impact on the extraction and taste. However, if the difference in the amount of powder is too large, for example, if the difference from the original amount of powder is more than 5g, then in addition to the amount of water injected that needs to be adjusted, the way the coffee powder is ground and brewed, and the filter cup used may all be the objects of adjustment. Because the more powder you use, the more water you need to inject, and vice versa. The amount of water will directly affect the brewing time, which will also affect the extraction rate and concentration. Therefore, everyone needs to pay attention. When the amount of powder differs too much from the original, other parameters may also need to be adjusted. object ~

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