Show HN: Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator

honestcoffeeguide.com

I wish you had posted this at a time of day (in my time zone) when it is appropriate to drink coffee.

I have never weighed the coffee in my espresso because its strength is, to the brewer, a factor of grind size and packing force. The volume of coffee and water is consistent. That means that someone who is on the weaker side might user a finer grind to compensate for a lower packing force whereas someone who is stronger and does not take care to use appropriate force might use a courser grind to compensate for their excessive force. If those two people each pull a shot and the infusion pressure gauge reads the same for each, the weight of the coffee in the filter basket should be the same, right?

The weight will be the same, but the coffee won't. The biggest factor is the grind size, and packing force has little effect—so long as you tamp the coffee evenly to stop channeling. There's also a million other factors that effect taste, including things like the weight of the coffee cup. So it's a bit of an endless nightmare.

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