Weighing in on Coffee Dose
Deciding how much ground coffee to use is a key factor in troubleshooting your home brew. Changing variables such as temperature, grind size, or steep time affect how much is extracted, or what percentage of the coffee is removed by the water during brewing. The coffee dose, however, determines the concentration of the flavors in the cup. It is the deciding factor in the strength, or perceptability, of the brew.
For example, suppose we have determined that the optimal flavors for a
specific coffee result from extracting 20% of the grounds, and have
achieved this through a combination of brewing variables. It then
remains to decide how concentrated those flavors are, or what
percentage of the brewed coffee is made up of soluble compounds. Since
we are extracting 20% of the dose, changing the dose will increase or
decrease the amount of extracted coffee in the same amount of water by that
percentage.
The upshot of this is that using more or less coffee doesn't really affect the flavor profile of your brew. That should be determined by changing some of the other variables mentioned above. You should adjust your dose to change the "strength" and the mouthfeel of your brew. Weak flavor perceptability and watery mouthfeel require an increase in the dose, while excessive perceptability and syrupy mouthfeel require a decrease.
The upshot of this is that using more or less coffee doesn't really affect the flavor profile of your brew. That should be determined by changing some of the other variables mentioned above. You should adjust your dose to change the "strength" and the mouthfeel of your brew. Weak flavor perceptability and watery mouthfeel require an increase in the dose, while excessive perceptability and syrupy mouthfeel require a decrease.
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Colin Feb 17, 2009 – 5:50 PM
Cool article on dose. After buying an aeropress, I'm pretty interested in brewing techniques. I've seen articles from amateurs comparing home brewing techniques. What about from you experts? What do you use to brew at home?
Gabe Feb 17, 2009 – 7:49 PM
Colin,
I love the Chemex. Hands down. French Press is a close second. I love the Chemex because it gives you a clean cup, without all the sediment of the FP. Love it. I am curious about the Aeropress though. Might have to purchase one myself!
Jeremy Feb 18, 2009 – 2:13 PM
Colin,
I second Gabe's choices, but stay tuned for more home brewing instructionals. The aeropress is going into the lab in the not-too-distant future for some testing and, of course, a photo shoot.
stylee Feb 18, 2009 – 9:29 PM
what about the Santos?