Home Espresso Tips #3 - Brew Ratio

If you’ve ever remembered having that perfect cordial to water ratio for your favorite glass in your cupboard, then Brew Ratios should make a lot of sense. You would also know that if you use too much or not enough cordial in water, then taste is definitely affected, sometimes for the worst. This is exactly the same for espresso.

When we discuss Brew Ratios or Recipes when brewing coffee, we capsulate it into Coffee In to Liquid Out.

Coffee In, as discussed in our blog regarding Dose, relates to the weight of ground coffee used to fill your portafilter. We suggest you use the maximum amount your portafilter can hold and keep this as a constant in your recipe. The weight will generally be within the realm of 17 - 21g depending on filter basket size.

Liquid Out is the amount of espresso or brewed liquid yielded from the extraction. You can use volumetric measuring glasses or vessels but accuracy will be improved by weighing the yield in grams.

Now that we know the variables, the rule of thumb with espresso brew ratios is loosely like this:

Ristretto = 1g : 1g (ie, 17g in to yield 17g out)

Normale = 1g : 2g (ie, 17g in to yield 34g out)

Lungo = 1g : 3 - 4g (ie, 17g in to yield 51g out)

Generally, your local cafe is pulling Normale’s. These taste good in milk and as an espresso / long blacks. They tend to be quite balanced in either direction and are great at home as well. I would always suggest to aim for a Brew Ratio of 1 : 2, 99% of the time and is the ratio we use for That Coffee Van.

Ristretto’s are great for milk based drinks with low volumes of liquid (ie, Piccolo, Cortado, Small Flat Whites, etc). They tend to be quite intense as espresso for some people but can sweeten up darker roasted coffee extractions in my opinion. This could be a good ratio to try if you like smaller espresso based beverages with less milk.

Lungo’s are very suitable for lighter roasts and black coffee drinkers. The extended contact time required to pull the increase in water helps bring out the flavor and can produce “filter” like espresso’s which are lower in intensity. Try this ratio if your all about the espresso shot in the morning and are using lighter roasts. Great for single origin coffee’s.

To adjust the volume of water used when you use a particular button on your machine, check your manufacturers instructions and weigh the espresso as it is extracted to get it just right. Remember, a gram or 2 off your recipe won’t make a big difference, but taking the time to dial in your espresso for the long run, will. See the video below for an example on how to adjust your shot volume. Happy brewing.