Same dose, different water
With your dose held fixed, how does a 1:15 recipe compare with 1:17 for strength and enjoyment?
Protocol only: BrewLab has not performed or measured this comparison. Planned numbers are examples, not results. Taste suggestions are hypotheses; no outcome is guaranteed.
A water-to-coffee ratio is arithmetic, not a promise about dissolved solids or taste. This experiment changes water mass at a fixed dry dose. It deliberately observes the combined brewing consequences rather than pretending that only beverage strength can change.
Set up a fair comparison
What you need
40 g of one coffee, a scale, your usual filter brewer and grinder, matching filters, enough of one water source and two tasting cups.
The factor you change
Input water mass. A: 20 g coffee / 300 g water — 1:15. B: 20 g coffee / 340 g water — 1:17.
What to keep consistent
Keep coffee, 20 g dose, grinder setting, 93°C kettle setting, filter preparation, bloom of 40 g and pour style constant. Use the same measurement convention for drawdown; allow final brew time and collected mass to differ.
| Plan | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| Dry coffee | 20 g | 20 g |
| Input water / espresso yield | 300 g | 340 g |
| Ratio (dose : water or yield) | 1:15 | 1:17 |
| Kettle / machine setpoint note | 93°C | 93°C |
| Grind plan | Your baseline grinder setting | Your baseline grinder setting |
| Duration in recipe template | 180 s — replace with observed time | 180 s — replace with observed time |
These are planned settings. Template durations are editable placeholders, not targets to force or measured results. For espresso the water/yield field means collected espresso; otherwise it means input water.
Setup saves two recipes only, without changing existing recipes, creating brew records or deducting stock. Choose a bean bag and confirm usage separately when recording each brew. Local storage details.
Run the comparison
- Check brewer capacity and weigh the two 20 g doses. Label the recipes A and B; these labels describe preparation, not quality.
- Bloom each with 40 g water using the same wait. For A, add the remaining 260 g using your consistent pouring style. Record the actual finish time.
- For B, keep the same grind and bloom but add 300 g after bloom, reaching 340 g input water. Do not change grind to make drainage match A.
- Weigh collected beverage separately from input water. At comparable drinking temperatures, describe intensity and body separately from sweetness or preference.
- Repeat in reverse brewing order. If you use a refractometer, follow its preparation instructions and log TDS independently; do not infer a reading from the ratio.
Record what actually happened
Input water target and actual mass, collected beverage mass, drawdown, perceived intensity, body, preference and optional measured coffee TDS.
Use the unfilled table below as a prompt. To retain your own observations, download the blank CSV sheet or save A and B as separate brew records in My brews. Text typed into a downloaded file stays in that file; it is not synchronized to the journal.
| Record after brewing | Cup A | Cup B |
|---|---|---|
| Actual dose, water or yield | Your observation | Your observation |
| Actual grinder / setting | Your observation | Your observation |
| Actual time and timing convention | Your observation | Your observation |
| Taste and confidence | Your observation | Your observation |
| Enjoyment and next step | Your observation | Your observation |
This download contains labels and blank observation cells, not fabricated sample outcomes.
Interpret without overclaiming
A preference for A may reflect concentration, extraction changes or both. A larger input-water mass does not mean that the same difference reaches the cup: grounds retain liquid. Keep descriptive notes separate from a personal enjoyment score.
What this cannot establish
This is not an isolated concentration experiment. Water mass can also change contact time, bed conditions and extraction. Taste alone cannot assign a numerical extraction yield.
Choose the next test
Choose the more useful recipe for your serving size, then investigate one smaller ratio step if the difference seems too large.
In the journal, select the actual A and B records and check dates before drawing a conclusion. The paired comparison link uses the latest saved record for each experiment recipe; it is not a statistical test and may select different sessions. A repeated pair with reversed preparation order is more informative than a single cup, but it still describes your coffee and conditions.
References and scope
Barista Hustle: strength, extraction and limits of flavour-based advice. This reference supplies background, not a validation of BrewLab’s recipe values or proof of any result. The protocol, example settings and record sheet are independently written for this site.
Use stable equipment and handle hot water carefully. Follow brewer and basket capacity instructions. No recipe, taste or date in this guide establishes food safety or equipment suitability.
All six experiment plans →