Coffee & water
Record both weights. A ratio describes how much water you use for each gram of coffee. For espresso, record the weight of the drink in the cup instead.
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Coffee Brewing Guides
Better coffee starts with a recipe you can repeat. Find your method, weigh your ingredients, and learn what to change when a cup tastes sour, bitter or too strong. These guides cover pour-over, espresso and immersion cold brew, with a separate introduction to cold drip.
At a glance
Choose your coffee brewing method
Choose pour-over for a hands-on morning routine, espresso for a short, concentrated cup, or immersion cold brew for a batch you can prepare ahead. Compare the starting recipes below: pour-over and cold brew measure water added; espresso measures the drink in your cup.
| Method | Coffee & liquid | Grind & timing | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pour-over | 15g coffee + 250g water added About 1:16.7 |
Medium-fine; about 2½ minutes | Manual paper-filter cone dripper |
| Espresso | 18g coffee → 36g drink 1:2, if the basket accepts 18g |
Fine; roughly 25–30 seconds as a reference | Conventional ground-coffee espresso machine |
| Cold brew concentrate | 284g coffee + 1,200ml water added About 1:4.2 |
Coarse; 12–24 hours in the referenced room-temperature method | Immersion brewer, followed by dilution |
Treat these recipes as starting points. Adjust to your beans and taste, and check your brewer’s capacity and instructions before you begin.
Make the recipe yours
Pour-over ratio calculator
Choose your coffee dose and water-to-coffee ratio. The result is water to add, including the bloom — not the weight of the finished drink.
Start with 15g coffee + 250g water. Use a dripper and server large enough for your batch; brew time may change when you scale up.
Start here
Three habits for more consistent coffee
Grind & method
Keep the same beans and routine while you find a useful grind setting. Numbers on different grinders are not interchangeable.
One change at a time
Write down what you liked and what you would change. Changing dose, grind and temperature together makes the result harder to understand.
01 / Pour-over
How to make pour-over coffee
A simple one-cup recipe for a manual cone dripper with a matching paper filter.
15g coffee250g water92–96°C
For automatic pour-over brewers or reusable filters, use the device instructions as your starting point.
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water, warm the server, then discard the rinse water.
- Add medium-fine ground coffee, level the bed and zero your scale.
- Start your timer, wet all the grounds evenly and wait about 30 seconds. This first pour, called the bloom, is included in your 250g total.
- Pour gently in circles until the total water reaches 250g. Let the coffee drain, then swirl the server before serving.
Time from the first pour. Around 2½ minutes is a reference, not a deadline. If the drawdown stalls, try a slightly coarser grind. Pour-over source.
A steady stream is easier to control with a gooseneck kettle. If you are putting together your first setup, a glass dripper and carafe set gives you the two main pieces; choose matching paper filters.
02 / Espresso
How to dial in espresso
For a conventional ground-coffee espresso machine with a suitable double basket.
1:2 starting ratioFine grindWeigh the output
Capsule and portable brewers may use a different dose and process. Follow their instructions.
- Warm the machine as directed. Use the dose recommended for your basket; do not overfill it.
- Distribute the grounds evenly and tamp level. Keep this preparation consistent.
- Start with roughly twice the coffee dose as the drink weight: for example, 18g of coffee to 36g of espresso, if your basket accepts 18g.
- Record the yield and extraction time. Taste, then adjust the grind in small steps while keeping the dose and yield steady.
A shot around 25–30 seconds can be a useful reference. Timing depends on the machine, pre-infusion and coffee; it does not prove a shot tastes good. Record whether your timer includes pre-infusion. Espresso source.
If your grounds clump, a WDT tool can help distribute them before tamping. Keep the same dose and yield while you work on an even coffee bed.
03 / Immersion cold brew
How to make immersion cold brew
Let coarse coffee steep in water, then filter and dilute to taste. Choose a recipe that fits both your brewer and its filter basket.
Coarse grindConcentrateServe diluted
- Use your brewer’s recommended batch size. The OXO concentrate reference uses 284g coffee with 1,200ml water; do not pour this full batch into a smaller bottle. Water, grounds and the filter all take up space, so stay within both the vessel’s fill limit and the filter’s capacity.
- Wet all the grounds. Follow the brewer’s steeping instructions; OXO’s room-temperature method takes 12–24 hours.
- Filter into a clean container and refrigerate the finished coffee.
- Start with one part concentrate to two or three parts water or milk, then adjust the serving strength.
Keep milk separate until serving. For an ice-drip maker, follow its flow-control recipe rather than this immersion method. Refrigerated steeping is another method and may need different timing; follow a recipe written for that temperature. Cold brew source.
For a smaller batch with less loose-ground cleanup, a cold brew infuser bottle holds the grounds in a removable basket. Use its recommended dose and fill level instead of the full concentrate batch above.
04 / Cold drip
Cold drip is a different brewing method
Instead of steeping coffee in a bottle, a tower releases water gradually through a bed of grounds.
Before your first batch
- Use the coffee dose, water quantity and filter arrangement recommended for your model.
- Level the grounds and wet them evenly as directed, so water does not travel through just one part of the bed.
- Adjust the valve to the recommended starting flow. Check it during brewing: the rate can change as the reservoir empties.
- Record the batch size, grind and total time, then taste before deciding what to change.
The immersion recipe above is not a cold-drip recipe. Do not use its steeping time or concentrate ratio as the default for an ice-drip tower.
Which one suits your routine?
Choose immersion for a simple steep-and-filter process. Choose cold drip if you enjoy watching and adjusting the flow as your coffee brews.
If you enjoy adjusting the brew as it runs, an adjustable-flow glass cold drip maker lets you follow the water through separate chambers. Start with the recipe supplied for that brewer.
Make it yours
How to adjust sour, bitter or strong coffee
Let the cup cool slightly before tasting. Keep your dose and recipe steady, then try one small change. Roast and water can also affect the result.
| What you notice | Try next |
|---|---|
| Sharp or sour | For hot brewing, try a slightly finer grind with the same recipe. Compare before changing anything else. |
| Bitter or drying | Try a slightly coarser grind. Check for old residue on your equipment, too. |
| Too strong | Add a little water to the finished cup. If that helps, record the dilution for next time. |
| Different every time | Check your weights, grind setting and timing. Keep a short brew note for each attempt. |
Useful details
Coffee brewing questions
How do I scale the pour-over recipe?
Keep coffee and water in proportion: 15g with 250g water, 18g with 300g, or 30g with 500g. The larger batch needs a dripper and server with enough capacity. Do not assume it will finish in exactly the same time.
Does 250g of brew water make 250g of coffee?
No. Some water remains in the grounds and filter, so the drink weighs less than the water added. This is why a pour-over input ratio should not be compared directly with an espresso output ratio.
Is cold brew the same as cold drip or iced coffee?
No. Immersion cold brew steeps the grounds in water. Cold drip passes water through a coffee bed gradually. Iced coffee can be hot-brewed coffee served over ice. Use a recipe designed for your method.
Should I change the ratio or the grind first?
If the strength is comfortable but the flavour is sharp or drying, keep the ratio fixed and try a small grind adjustment. If the flavour is pleasant but too intense, dilute the finished drink first. Record the result before changing the next variable.
Keep a brew note you can use tomorrow.
Record: method · coffee name · dose · water added or drink yield · grind setting · water temperature · time · taste · one change for next time.
Example note: “Pour-over, 15g / 250g, setting 18 on my grinder, 94°C, 2:45, a little sharp. Next brew: one step finer.” The setting is a personal reference, not a recommendation for another grinder.
A fresh start for your next cup.
Remove yesterday’s coffee residue before changing today’s recipe.
Continue learning
Pour-over coffee ratio chart
Scale a manual pour-over recipe for your usual batch.
Coffee grind size chart
Compare grind guidance across six brewing methods.
Sources & scope
Published by Yozcoffee. Recipes are adapted from the manufacturer guides below. Follow your own brewer’s instructions for capacity, setup and care.
Recipe references: general starting points, adapted for learning. Your equipment’s instructions take priority.
Hario: pour-over methodBreville: espresso recipeOXO: immersion cold brewUpdated · Yozcoffee