Coffee Brew Suite

Brew path:

Choose the closest brewing style, then tune the recipe from that baseline.

{{ targetYieldLabel }}:

{{ ratioLabel }}:

Strength target:

Use balanced for a first recipe; move lighter or richer after tasting.

Grounds retention:

Adjust this after weighing actual served beverage; method presets load a practical starting value.

g/g

Taste or flow cue:

Pick the current cup symptom, or keep balanced when planning a first brew.

{{ brewTimeLabel }}:

Use seconds for espresso and hot brewing; cold brew presets display long times as hours.

sec

Recipe notes

{{ warning }}

Servings:

Use this as the number of cups or shots the planned yield should serve.

servings

Water temperature:

Enter the target water or machine temperature; unit switch keeps the displayed value coherent.

Bloom or preinfusion:

For filter brewing, bloom water is dose multiplied by the first value; for espresso, time becomes preinfusion.

x dose sec

Pour steps:

Use 1 for simple immersion or espresso, 2 to 6 for pulsed pour-over recipes.

steps

Measured strength:

Keep 0 to use modeled TDS, or enter a measured TDS/Brix value after brewing.

Espresso pressure:

Use 9 bar as a common starting point, then adjust by machine and basket behavior.

bar

Recipe sheet
Field	Target	Use note	Copy
{{ row.field }}	{{ row.value }}	{{ row.note }}

Brew schedule
Step	Start	End	Action	Target	Copy
{{ row.step }}	{{ row.start }}	{{ row.end }}	{{ row.action }}	{{ row.target }}

Dial-in brief
Cue	Status	Adjustment	Copy
{{ row.cue }}	{{ row.status }}	{{ row.adjustment }}

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Coffee brewing becomes easier to repeat when the recipe is written as weights, not as scoops, minutes, and guesswork. Dry coffee dose, brew water, finished beverage yield, contact time, and cup strength all move together. Change one without noticing the others and the next brew can taste different even when the grinder and beans are the same.

Brew ratio is the usual starting point, but the word ratio means different things across methods. Filter, French press, cold brew, and moka-style recipes usually compare dry coffee with total brew water. Espresso recipes usually compare dry coffee with finished beverage weight in the cup. A 1:16 pour-over and a 1:2 espresso shot are both ratios, but they answer different weighing questions.

Finished yield adds another trap. Ground coffee holds water after brewing, so a filter recipe that serves 320 g needs more than 320 g of kettle water. Espresso planning is usually anchored to output weight because the shot is stopped by cup mass and time. Concentrates, especially cold brew and moka pot, sit in a stronger range and should not be judged as ordinary hot filter coffee.

Flow from beverage yield to ratio, brew schedule, and dial-in strength cues.

Strength and extraction estimates make the plan more useful, but they are still estimates unless a measured TDS reading is entered. Total dissolved solids, or TDS, is beverage concentration. Extraction yield estimates the share of dry coffee mass dissolved into the drink. These numbers help compare recipes; they do not replace tasting, grinder notes, roast age, water quality, or signs of uneven flow.

Technical Details:

Coffee recipe math connects mass balance with beverage concentration. For non-espresso brewing, finished beverage weight is brew water minus retained water in the grounds. For espresso, the common planning convention starts with beverage output and beverage ratio, then derives the dry dose. That is why the same ratio value cannot be carried from pour-over to espresso without changing its meaning.

TDS and extraction yield form the second part of the calculation. TDS is entered or modeled as a percent. Extraction yield uses the finished beverage mass and dry coffee dose to estimate how much soluble coffee moved into the cup. The value is an average, so channeling, uneven grind distribution, bypass, and incomplete wetting can still make two cups taste different even when the final number matches.

The core relationships are compact. Y is finished beverage yield in grams, R is the selected ratio, A is retained water in grams per gram of dry coffee, D is dry dose, and W is brew water.

\begin{array}{lll} D_{non-espresso} & = & \frac{Y}{R - A} \\ W_{brew} & = & D_{non-espresso} \times R \\ D_{espresso} & = & \frac{Y}{R} \\ EY & = & \frac{TDS \times Y}{D} \end{array}

A 320 g pour-over at 1:16 with 2.0 g/g retention gives a dry dose of 320 / (16 - 2), or 22.9 g. Brew water is then 22.9 g × 16, or 365.7 g. If the beverage is modeled at 1.30% TDS, extraction yield is 1.30 × 320 / 22.9, or about 18.2%.

Coffee brew suite preset values
Brew path	Default target	Default ratio	Time	Temperature	TDS band	Grind cue
Pour-over	320 g	1:16 water	210 sec	94 °C	1.15% to 1.45%	Medium-fine
French press	500 g	1:15 water	240 sec	95 °C	1.20% to 1.50%	Coarse
Cold brew concentrate	500 g	1:5 water	12 hr	20 °C	3.00% to 5.00%	Coarse
Espresso	36 g	1:2 beverage	28 sec	93 °C	8.00% to 12.00%	Fine espresso
Moka pot	180 g	1:7 water	320 sec	92 °C	3.00% to 5.00%	Medium-fine

External coffee guidance gives useful comparison points rather than a declared standard for this calculator. Specialty Coffee Association home brewer requirements begin testing around 55 g/L, evaluate water at the coffee bed in the low-to-mid 90s Celsius, and judge brewed coffee by beverage strength and solubles yield. The SCA espresso survey describes common specialty practice around an 18 g dose, about 36 g out, a 25 to 30 second extraction window, and roughly 9 bar pressure. Those are starting points, not quality guarantees.

Coffee brew suite warning rules and interpretation limits
Cue	Trigger	Why it matters
Increase ratio or reduce retention	Non-espresso ratio is <= retention g/g	The denominator for dry dose is zero or negative, so the recipe cannot produce a positive beverage yield.
Enter a positive beverage target	Target yield is zero or below	Dose, water, schedule, and extraction estimates cannot be calculated from a non-positive target.
Measured strength is outside common coffee ranges	Measured TDS, or Brix × 0.85, is below 0.2% or above 15%	The reading may be the wrong unit, an unfiltered sample, a meter issue, or a deliberately unusual concentrate.
Espresso ratio is far from common shot ranges	Beverage ratio is below 1:1 or above 1:4	The shot may be intentional, but dose, basket, and timing should be checked before brewing.
Temperature is outside typical hot-brew planning range	Hot brew is below 80 °C or any brew is above 99 °C	Extraction behavior may no longer match the preset's ordinary hot-brew assumptions.

Everyday Use & Decision Guide:

Choose the brew path first, then let the preset set a sensible baseline. Pour-over gives a pulse-pour plan with bloom water. French press and cold brew use immersion schedules. Espresso uses shot yield, preinfusion, pressure, and beverage ratio. Moka pot keeps the stronger cup target without treating it like a filter brew.

For a first recipe, keep Strength target at Balanced cup and change only Target beverage or Target shot yield. The summary should show a reasonable dry dose, a water or output target, a grind cue, TDS, and extraction yield. If a warning appears, fix it before copying the recipe table.

Brew ratio means total water per gram of coffee for non-espresso methods, and beverage-out per gram of coffee for espresso.
Grounds retention is worth adjusting after you weigh the actual served beverage from a filter, immersion, cold brew, or moka run.
Taste or flow cue changes the grind recommendation after tasting without changing dose math.
Measured strength should stay at zero unless you have a TDS or Brix reading from a refractometer.
Pour steps splits post-bloom water for percolation brews; espresso and immersion paths simplify the schedule automatically.

The result tabs serve different jobs. Recipe Sheet is the scale target list. Brew Schedule is the timer plan. Dial-In Brief tells you whether the next move should be grind, ratio, time, temperature, or pressure stability. Brew Balance Chart compares coffee dose, brew water, beverage yield, retained water, and bloom water when bloom applies. Ratio Strength Map shows how modeled TDS changes as ratio moves around the current recipe.

A stronger result does not mean a better cup. Concentrate targets, moka-style strength, and espresso TDS can be correct for their method while looking far above filter coffee. Use the output fields to keep the recipe measurable, then judge flavor by changing one main variable between brews.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Use the controls in this order when you want a complete run sheet instead of a rough ratio note.

Set Brew path. Watch the summary badges update to the method label, ratio convention, grind cue, strength status, and temperature.
Enter Target beverage or Target shot yield with the right unit. Non-espresso paths treat this as served liquid; espresso treats it as grams out in the cup.
Check Brew ratio. If Increase ratio or reduce retention appears, raise the ratio or lower Grounds retention until the summary returns to Brew Run Sheet.
Pick Strength target. This changes the modeled TDS and extraction aim used by the recipe and map.
Pick Taste or flow cue after a test brew. Sour or running fast points finer, while Bitter or running slow points coarser or shorter.
Open Advanced for Servings, Water temperature, Bloom or preinfusion, Pour steps, Measured strength, and Espresso pressure.
Use Recipe Sheet for dose, water, yield, ratio, strength, extraction yield, grind cue, temperature, time, bloom or preinfusion, servings, and pressure when espresso is selected.
Use Brew Schedule while brewing. Pour-over rows show bloom and pours; immersion rows show combine, steep, and filter; espresso rows show puck prep, preinfusion, extraction, and logging.
Review Dial-In Brief before the next brew. If Measured strength is outside common coffee ranges appears, recheck the meter scale or sample before trusting the extraction value.

Interpreting Results:

Start with Coffee dose, Brew water or Water through puck, Beverage yield or Shot yield, and the displayed ratio. Those fields decide whether the recipe can be brewed as written. If the ratio convention is wrong, the later strength and grind guidance will still look tidy but will point at the wrong cup.

Modeled TDS and Extraction yield are planning estimates unless Measured TDS is entered. A filter recipe in the target band can still taste uneven if the bed channels, the grind throws too many fines, the water is unusual, or the brewer misses the planned contact time. Use TDS as a comparison aid, not as proof that flavor is correct.

In target band means the active TDS sits between the selected brew path's preset lower and upper bounds.
Lighter than preset means active TDS is below the lower bound for the selected brew path.
Richer than preset means active TDS is above the upper bound for the selected brew path.
Preset ratio means the current ratio is within 0.5 of the method default.
More concentrated means the current ratio is lower than the method default; More diluted means it is higher.

Worked Examples:

Pour-over run sheet

A 320 g pour-over target at 1:16 with 2.0 g/g retention returns about 22.9 g for Coffee dose and 365.7 g for Brew water. The balanced preset reports Modeled TDS at 1.30% and Extraction yield near 18.2%, with In target band in the summary.

If the cup tastes sharp and drains quickly, choose Sour or running fast. The recipe weights remain the same, while Grind cue moves one step finer and Dial-In Brief recommends longer contact before raising temperature.

Espresso double shot

A 36 g espresso target at a 1:2 beverage ratio calculates an 18.0 g Coffee dose. The default 28 second Shot time target, 5 second Preinfusion, and 9.0 bar Pressure target produce a schedule with puck prep, preinfusion, extraction, and taste logging.

The balanced espresso preset reports 10.00% TDS and 20.0% extraction. If the shot tastes harsh and crawls past the target time, Bitter or running slow changes the grind cue to one step coarser and tells you to shorten contact before lowering temperature.

Concentrate that should not read like filter coffee

A 500 g cold brew concentrate at 1:5 water and 2.2 g/g retention produces a large dry dose, roughly 178.6 g, and about 892.9 g Brew water. The balanced preset sits at 4.00% TDS, which is inside the cold brew concentrate band of 3.00% to 5.00%.

That result is correct for concentrate planning, even though it is far stronger than the pour-over band. Record dilution separately if the final drink will be cut with water, milk, or ice after brewing.

Invalid retention setup

Set a non-espresso recipe to 1:1.5 while leaving retention at 2.0 g/g and the dose formula has no positive denominator. The summary changes to Check Recipe Math, and the warning says Increase ratio or reduce retention.

Raise the ratio above the retention value, or enter a lower retention value measured from your brewer. Once the dry dose and beverage yield become positive again, the recipe, schedule, brief, charts, and JSON output return.

FAQ:

Why is brew water higher than the target beverage?

Filter, immersion, cold brew, and moka paths add retained water because grounds keep some liquid after brewing. The served beverage target stays the same, but total brew water rises enough to cover that loss.

Why does espresso use beverage ratio?

Espresso is planned from grams in and grams out. A 1:2 espresso setting means 18 g dry coffee for a 36 g shot, while a 1:16 pour-over setting means 16 g brew water per 1 g dry coffee.

Can I enter Brix instead of TDS?

Yes. Set Measured strength to Brix and the value is converted to approximate TDS by multiplying by 0.85 before extraction yield is calculated.

What should I fix when the recipe shows a warning?

Use the warning text first. Positive-target warnings need a beverage target above zero, ratio-retention warnings need ratio above retention, and measured-strength warnings need the TDS or Brix reading checked.

Does the recipe math leave the page?

The recipe calculations run in the page. Copy, CSV, DOCX, chart image, and JSON actions create clipboard content or browser downloads that you control.

Glossary:

Brew ratio: Total brew water divided by dry coffee dose for non-espresso recipe planning.
Beverage ratio: Finished beverage weight divided by dry coffee dose, used here for espresso.
TDS: Total dissolved solids, expressed as the percent concentration of dissolved coffee material in the beverage.
Extraction yield: The estimated percent of dry coffee mass dissolved into the finished beverage.
Retention: Water held by the coffee grounds after brewing, measured as grams of water per gram of dry coffee.
Preinfusion: A low-flow or low-pressure wetting step before espresso extraction reaches the main pressure target.

References:

SCA Certified Home Brewer Program Minimum Certification Requirements, Specialty Coffee Association, 2017.
Beverage Ratio vs. Brewing Ratio, Specialty Coffee Association.
Defining the Ever-Changing Espresso, Specialty Coffee Association.
Analysing extraction uniformity from porous coffee beds using mathematical modelling and computational fluid dynamics approaches, PLOS ONE, July 31, 2019.