Brew Strength Slider

The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) Golden Cup standard recommends a ratio of 1:16.7 (about 55g of coffee per liter of water). In practice, most specialty coffee is brewed between 1:15 and 1:17. This tool lets you explore outside that range based on your personal taste preference.

Not necessarily. A stronger coffee (lower ratio like 1:13) uses more coffee relative to water, so the total caffeine per cup can be higher. But the caffeine per gram of coffee is roughly the same regardless of ratio. What changes is the concentration of flavor compounds, not the extraction of caffeine specifically.

Yes, slightly. When you use more coffee (stronger ratio), a slightly coarser grind helps prevent over-extraction because there is more coffee mass for the water to pass through. When you use less coffee (lighter ratio), a slightly finer grind helps ensure adequate extraction from the smaller dose. The adjustments are small -- one or two clicks on your grinder.

Most specialty cafes brew filter coffee between 1:15 and 1:17. Espresso uses a much tighter ratio, typically 1:2 (18g in, 36g out). Cold brew concentrate uses 1:5 to 1:8, then gets diluted. If your home coffee tastes weak compared to a cafe, try a 1:15 ratio -- you are probably using too little coffee.