Need coffee measuring advice.

[Liberty_2112]

I recently made the switch from Keurig K Cups to hand ground coffee. I couldn't be happier.

I picked up an AeroPress and I've been quite happy with that as well. During the week I drink one mug of coffee in the morning, and the Aeropress suits this need perfectly. The simplicity of the Aeropress also helps me in regards to measurements.

I'm considering buying a French Press for the weekends when I drink more than one mug or for when my wife and I can drink coffee at the same time.

I have a newbie question relating to measurements and terminology.

Mug, cup, spoonful, scoop, ounces, etc.


For example, I picked up a set of 15oz Bodum Double Walled mugs. If using a French Press to make coffee for these mugs, should I plan to brew 30 ounces of coffee? If so, how many scoops is that? Or is 15 ounces my max volume, meaning I should plan for say 8 oz of coffee to allow for fixings ? (my wife takes a bit of milk).

Speaking specifically in regards to a French Press, is it easiest to approximate volume based on scoops of grounds to ounces of liquid?

Next, beans vs grounds. I assume a scoop of coffee refers to a scoop of grounds, not beans? What is the best way to approximate how much grounds a scoop of beans will yield?

Are all scoops standard size?

Thanks.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

If I am not mistaken! A French press is labeled by demitasse cups (4oz), I.e. my 12 oz bodum press is labeled 3 cup, and my larger is 8cup.

I was taught, and works well for me, to use 7-9 grams (weighed) of beans per cup. I weigh them whole, then grind them fresh before use.e.g I use 21 grams in my 3 cup press.

fill your press to just to about an inch or so from the top and all should come out right.

 

[Liberty_2112]

If I am not mistaken! A French press is labeled by demitasse cups (4oz), I.e. my 12 oz bodum press is labeled 3 cup, and my larger is 8cup.

I was taught, and works well for me, to use 7-9 grams (weighed) of beans per cup. I weigh them whole, then grind them fresh before use.e.g I use 21 grams in my 3 cup press.

fill your press to just to about an inch or so from the top and all should come out right.

So how many Mugs of coffee does your 12oz press make when full?

 

[Shantytownbrown]

So how many Mugs of coffee does your 12oz press make when full?

only one!!

my 32oz makes maybe three

even when i add half and half (which i rarely do now-a-days) the mug is not full...remember, the grinds do displace some of the volume of water, i played with the measures one time to see how much water I actually added..sorry i cannot remember, but i think it was 10-11 oz. With the 32oz'er, you need more grinds, therefore more water, but more grinds means more displacement, I have never got that one quite right!


some press pot tips:
a)as with any coffee, grind beans right before use.
b)preheat your presspot and mug with hot water
c) stir your grinds until they bloom

I suggest you get an electric kettle, if you dont have one, much faster heating of the water than the stove

just a bit of advice, using your bigger 30-36 oz press, it will a) loose heat quickly and b) if not poured right away, the second cup may be more bitter as it still has some grind contact despite the screen, plan to pour into a preheated carafe if not to be consumed immediately.

where in CT are you??

 

[Toothpick]

i have a 32 oz FP. my morning mug is 12oz. the "guidelines" are 2 tablespoons of coffee for every 6oz of water. you do the math

I don't use the recommended measurements of coffee because it's waaaaay to strong. 4 scoops (the scoop that came with my FP is 2 tablespoons) seems to be enough for a full FP of coffee for me. I did 8 scoops for 2 mugs of coffee (24oz of water, 2T for every 6oz) and it was super strong. coming from a guy that's only drank auto-drip coffee his whole life and finally getting to taste "real" coffee It was to much. I want to enjoy my coffee.

 

[NJBob]

For drip brew in my Technivorm I use a ratio of 18 to 1. So that's 56 grams of coffee per liter of water. I bought a cheap (Biggest Loser) scale that does both grams and ounces.

 

[life2short1971]

Aeropress I use slightly heaped 1/8 cup scoop and for 12oz FP I use heaped 1/8 cup as well Double for 24oz of water. The timing is where I make adjustment. in the FP I stir right after adding water than wait about 2 minutes to plunge and pour. i start with water off the stove at a raging boil. Its down to about 200ºf by the time it hits the grounds.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

For drip brew in my Technivorm I use a ratio of 18 to 1. So that's 56 grams of coffee per liter of water. I bought a cheap (Biggest Loser) scale that does both grams and ounces.

that seems about right, that's 7:1 grams to 4 oz cups if i did my math correctly as i calc'd above...(right? 1 ltr is about 33 oz thats 8, 4 oz cups and you use 56 grams)

weight makes all the difference, scoops/tablespoons just cant get it consistent enough, especially since some beans seem to be denser than others

if not using/making real espresso, a cheaper scale as NJbob suggests is fine, no need for decimal places...(btw 21g=3/4 oz, if you need this info)

 

[Liberty_2112]

Aeropress I use slightly heaped 1/8 cup scoop and for 12oz FP I use heaped 1/8 cup as well Double for 24oz of water. The timing is where I make adjustment. in the FP I stir right after adding water than wait about 2 minutes to plunge and pour. i start with water off the stove at a raging boil. Its down to about 200ºf by the time it hits the grounds.

Do you use the same grind size for your Aeropress and your FP? Are you using the paper filters in your AP or the disc?

 

[life2short1971]

If I think about it I'll make the grind a bit finer. I just like a good cup of coffee. I don't use the digital scale and temp thermometers and my coffee seems pretty consistant to me.I buy my beans green and roast them myself in my Behmor and have for almost a year now I think. My FP has a metal screen and my Aeropress I use the paper filters which I rinse before assembly. I enjoy the Aeropress but I prefer the French Press in spite of the bit of mud in the bottom of the cup. I use a $40 burr grinder and I am content with it as it was a big improvement over the blade grinder I started with. Its just coffee and as long as its as fresh as you can get it and roasted to your liking the rest falls into place imo.

 

[Liberty_2112]

If I think about it I'll make the grind a bit finer. I just like a good cup of coffee. I don't use the digital scale and temp thermometers and my coffee seems pretty consistant to me.I buy my beans green and roast them myself in my Behmor and have for almost a year now I think. My FP has a metal screen and my Aeropress I use the paper filters which I rinse before assembly. I enjoy the Aeropress but I prefer the French Press in spite of the bit of mud in the bottom of the cup. I use a $40 burr grinder and I am content with it as it was a big improvement over the blade grinder I started with. Its just coffee and as long as its as fresh as you can get it and roasted to your liking the rest falls into place imo.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. For now I need to perfect my Aeropress and French Press techniques. As you mentioned, my goal is to be able to do it without the use of scale and thermometer. I want to be able to intuitively know what I am doing without needing the scale & thermo.

Once I can do that, my next step is to roast my own beans.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. For now I need to perfect my Aeropress and French Press techniques. As you mentioned, my goal is to be able to do it without the use of scale and thermometer. I want to be able to intuitively know what I am doing without needing the scale & thermo.

Once I can do that, my next step is to roast my own beans.

after much repetition, you will know how many scoops makes the required weight, i know now that three rounded scoops is 21 grams, but i am a bit obsessive, so I weigh it anyway...dont ask!! (as I laugh at myself)

 

[life2short1971]

Your welcome.
If you don't already have one get one of those little metal 1/8 cup scoops. I use the scoop every time and I can tell by how it digs in to the grinds whether I am using a denser bean or not mainly because its the same scoop I have used for a very long time.Pick a tool and stick with it.

 

[rxonmymind]

My way of measuring....scoop....look at it..that looks about right. Enjoy!

Keeps the taste buds jumping. Adventure! Predictability is so over rated.

 

[benvh]

For Aeropress I use 17g of coffee and 200g water. I pour 150g in a circular motion and then finish off the lat 50g with a straight pour. Stir and then start pressing at 25-30 seconds.

Got the tip when I was at Sightglass coffee last time and it works well for me.

Ben

 

[smalltank]

I grind my coffee beans in an electric grinder..my mom always told me..max coffee you should use is half the coffee filter..works everytime...

 

[Alacrity59]

For Aeropress I use 17g of coffee and 200g water. I pour 150g in a circular motion and then finish off the lat 50g with a straight pour. Stir and then start pressing at 25-30 seconds.

Got the tip when I was at Sightglass coffee last time and it works well for me.

Ben

How many bars of pressure do you use?

Just kidding . . .

 

[Redzone]

Best tip I ever got regarding using a FP or Coffee Plunger as it's called in this part of the world was to scoop off the top immediately before plunging. Of course if you like a muddy cup (many people do) then don't do this. As long as you have grinds in your cup it's still brewing or more correctly "stewing" but again if that's how you like it, go for it. With regard to Aeropress I prefer the inverted method, this allows a brewing time as well as the benefit from the pressure plunge of the seal. I actually gave my metal filter away as I prefer a pre-flushed paper filter. (this again highlights my OCD nature of stopping the stewing flavors getting through)

Enjoy

 

[StillShaving]

Many people will use a small scale to get precise measurements. But that is not necessary, as you can experiment with your brew, trying a little more or less coffee by volume each time until you find what works well for you.

If you are brewing for two, and your wife wants a milk coffee and you want a black coffee, it may be more complicated to get the right ratio. You might find that you need to add more coffee in order to get a stronger brew that will stand up to adding lots of milk, so strong that you will want to add some hot water to your cup after brewing to restore proper balance.