Getting the balance of coffee to water right makes a real difference. When you use too much coffee, you end up with an over-extracted, bitter cup that wastes your grounds. Use too little, and you’re left with a weak, under-extracted brew that tastes sour or watery.
The Golden Ratio offers a reliable framework for consistent coffee brewing. Most industry experts agree that the ratio is the right place to start if you’ve just been guessing. From there, you can adjust your coffee to be weaker or stronger, but giving the Golden Ratio a try can give you an understanding of what those who live and breath coffee think it should taste like.
For a better understanding of the variables that influence coffee brewing and other best practices from an expert, I spoke to Kaleena Teoh, co-founder and director of education for Coffee Project New York.
Note: If you’re using K-cups or another pod-based coffee system, the ratio is controlled by the machine, so this lesson doesn’t apply. And those brewing espresso folks have a slightly different set of brewing standards to consider. But for those using a drip coffee maker, French press or pour-over system, learning the basics of balance will set your course for better coffee.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
What is the Golden Ratio?
There is no shortage of nuance when it comes to brewing coffee.
The ratio alone isn’t enough to ensure an optimal cup. The following elements also play a significant role in the outcome of brewed coffee.
Grind size
The size of the grind plays a vital role in how coffee is extracted. Conventional, pre-ground coffee typically has a “medium” grind tailored for most drip coffee machines, but that isn’t always appropriate across all methods. According to Teoh, a French press typically requires a coarser grind, “like sea salt,” whereas pour-over can benefit from a slightly finer grind than what you can find on supermarket shelves.
Temperature
The filter you use has a significant impact on the final result.
The filter you use is the final barrier between what’s happening during the extraction process and what arrives in your cup. “Different filters have different pore sizes, allowing certain elements to pass through or not,” explains Teoh. “Metal filters will allow for all solubles and some insolubles,” she says, “while a paper filter will be able to hold back all of those insolubles, giving you a very clean cup.” Insolubles may refer to minute granules of ground coffee and natural oils present in coffee.
One is not necessarily better than the other; it is a matter of preference. Oil can give coffee additional body, but it isn’t necessarily always desirable for everyone, either visually or texturally.
Best practices from a coffee expert
To achieve the most out of the golden ratio, Teoh suggests practices that can make a noticeable difference in your daily brew.
Measurement
A burr grinder is a worthy good investment, according to Teoh.
More so than the scale, and even more so than the coffee maker itself, Teoh advises one device that can really affect the quality of your coffee. “The best investment is actually the grinder,” she says. “Get a coffee machine that can do its job. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive one. But a burr grinder is actually an excellent investment,” she says. Ideally, as with a cheaper model, you want a grinder with settings that take the guesswork out of determining how fine the grind is.
“If you’ve just been buying pre-ground coffee, and you moved on to grinding it fresh, you will see quite a big difference in the cup,” says Teoh.
Consistency
Finally, the most crucial factor combined with all of the above is consistency, and not committing yourself to products or processes that you can’t follow through with regularly. “Just use a method that is convenient to you, and that you’re able to use every day, because if it’s too much and too complicated, you’ll end up stopping,” says Teoh.
“Pick something that you’re comfortable with and can do consistently,” whether with a particular ratio, particular beans, or particular devices. “And then play with it,” she says. “Experiment with it until you find something that you like.”
