Coffee Brew Suite

Brew path:

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

{{ targetYieldLabel }}:

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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

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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 uses the same ingredients across very different machines, but the recipe question changes by method. A pour-over asks how much water should pass through the bed. A French press asks how long the slurry should steep before separation. Espresso asks how much beverage should leave a compact puck under pressure. Moka and cold brew sit between those worlds because they make concentrated drinks that are often diluted or served in smaller amounts.

Weights keep those methods comparable. Dry coffee dose, brew water, retained water, beverage yield, total dissolved solids, and extraction yield can all be expressed in grams or percentages. Once the numbers share a common unit system, the brewer can decide whether a cup changed because the ratio changed, because the grind and contact time changed extraction, or because the final beverage was simply more diluted.

Coffee brewing families and recipe planning emphasis
Method family	Common ratio language	Main planning pressure	Common mistake
Filter and pour-over	Brew water per dry coffee dose	Bloom, pour pattern, grind, and drawdown have to match the batch size.	Changing ratio and grind together, then losing the cause of the improvement.
Immersion	Brew water per dry coffee dose	Steep time, agitation, and separation control clarity, while ratio strongly controls strength.	Letting steep time drift while dose and served mass are not weighed.
Espresso	Beverage out per dry coffee dose	Yield, grind, pressure, and time must agree in a narrow puck workflow.	Chasing shot time before confirming dose and cup yield on a scale.
Moka and concentrates	Concentrated output or brew-water ratios	High strength makes small weighing and dilution errors easier to taste.	Judging the concentrate against a drink-ready filter strength range.

Total dissolved solids, usually shortened to TDS, describes how concentrated the beverage is. Extraction yield estimates what percentage of the dry coffee mass dissolved into the cup. These numbers are related, but they answer different questions. A small espresso can have high TDS and ordinary extraction yield; a filter brew can have lower TDS and a similar extraction yield because far more water reached the final drink.

Diagram comparing filter, immersion, moka, and espresso strength ranges by ratio and TDS.

The common dial-in mistake is changing too much after one disappointing cup. A sour, fast pour-over may need a finer grind or longer contact time before it needs a new dose. A heavy French press may need cleaner separation before it needs a weaker ratio. Espresso can move from sour to bitter with a small grind change because pressure forces water through a compact coffee bed.

Recipe math is still a guide. Water chemistry, grinder distribution, roast level, coffee age, filter type, channeling, agitation, and serving temperature can make two brews with similar TDS and extraction yield taste different. The numbers are most useful when they help you brew one controlled batch, taste it, and make one deliberate change next time.

How to Use This Tool:

Start with the brew style, then use the recipe table and schedule to turn the method choice into weights, timing, and one dial-in move.

Choose Brew path. The preset loads starting ratio, time, temperature, grind cue, retained-water value, and strength targets for pour-over, French press, cold brew concentrate, espresso, or moka pot.
Enter Target beverage for non-espresso recipes or Target shot yield for espresso. Use the finished liquid in the cup or server, not kettle water.
Set Brew ratio for filter, immersion, cold brew, and moka recipes. In espresso mode, set Beverage ratio, such as 1:2 for 18 g in and 36 g out.
Choose Strength target. Balanced is a practical first pass; lighter, richer, and concentrate choices change the modeled TDS and extraction aim.
Adjust Grounds retention, Taste or flow cue, and Brew time. The taste cue changes the grind recommendation while dose math stays tied to yield, ratio, and retention.
Open Advanced when the batch needs servings, water temperature, bloom or preinfusion, pour steps, measured TDS or Brix, or espresso pressure.
Fix any Recipe notes warning before brewing. Increase ratio or lower retention when the plan cannot leave positive beverage, check TDS versus Brix when measured strength looks extreme, and confirm the unit when hot-brew temperature looks implausible.

Use Recipe Sheet for weights, Brew Schedule for timing, and Dial-In Brief after tasting. The two charts help compare mass and strength, but a real brew log still needs actual yield, taste, and any measured TDS.

Interpreting Results:

Read the weighed recipe before the charts. Dry coffee, brew water or shot yield, ratio, and temperature are the numbers that make the next brew repeatable. A good-looking extraction yield does not prove the cup will taste balanced, especially when TDS is modeled instead of measured.

In target band means the active TDS falls inside the preset TDS range for the chosen brew path. It does not guarantee sweetness, clarity, or even extraction.
More concentrated and More diluted compare the entered ratio with the preset ratio. They are style cues, not automatic errors.
Extraction yield is strongest when a real TDS or Brix reading is entered. With Measured strength set to 0, the estimate follows the selected strength target.
Brew Balance Chart compares coffee dose, brew water, beverage yield, retained water, and bloom water when present. Large retained-water assumptions deserve a real post-brew weigh-in.
Ratio Strength Map holds target yield and retention steady while nearby ratios move modeled TDS. Change only one variable when using it to choose the next test.

Technical Details:

Coffee brew planning is a mass-balance problem before it is a flavor problem. Dry coffee provides soluble material, water carries some of that material into the beverage, and wet grounds hold back part of the liquid. Filter, immersion, cold brew, and moka recipes therefore need a retained-water term so planned cup yield is not confused with total water added.

Espresso uses a different recipe convention because the drink is normally planned by dose in and beverage out. Retained water still exists in the puck, but the target is the cup mass. A beverage ratio can therefore solve espresso dose directly, while a filter-style brew ratio must subtract retained water before dose can be solved.

Formula Core:

The main equations use beverage mass as the target output. TDS stays as a percent value, such as 1.30 for a 1.30% filter brew, and Brix readings are converted to approximate TDS before extraction yield is calculated.

\begin{array}{lll} m_{dose, espresso} & = & \frac{Y}{R_{beverage}} \\ m_{dose, other} & = & \frac{Y}{R_{water} - A} \\ W_{other} & = & m_{dose} \times R_{water} \\ EY & = & \frac{TDS \times Y}{m_{dose}} \end{array}

Y is beverage or shot yield in grams, R water is brew water per gram of coffee, R beverage is espresso beverage out per gram of coffee, A is retained water in grams per gram of dry coffee, W is brew water, and EY is extraction yield percent. A Brix reading is converted to approximate TDS by multiplying Brix by 0.85.

A 320 g pour-over at 1:16 with 2.0 g/g retention gives 320 / (16 - 2) = 22.9 g dry coffee. Brew water is 22.9 x 16 = 365.7 g, retained water is about 45.7 g, and a 1.30% TDS estimate gives about 18.2% extraction yield.

Preset Ranges:

Coffee brew suite preset ratios, TDS bands, temperatures, and timing
Brew path	Family	Default ratio	TDS band	Temperature	Schedule cue
Pour-over	Percolation	1:16 water	1.15% to 1.45%	94 C	Dose-based bloom, then even post-bloom pour steps.
French press	Immersion	1:15 water	1.20% to 1.50%	95 C	Combine, steep, separate, and record the served mass.
Cold brew concentrate	Immersion	1:5 water	3% to 5%	20 C	Long steep shown in hours, then filter concentrate cleanly.
Espresso	Espresso	1:2 beverage	8% to 12%	93 C	Preinfusion, pressure, extraction time, and stop-yield target.
Moka pot	Pressure	1:7 water	3% to 5%	92 C	Single pressure-style water path with concentrated output.

Warning Rules:

Coffee brew suite warning rules and corrections
Condition	Why it matters	Correction
Non-espresso ratio is less than or equal to retention.	The retained water would consume all planned brew water before any positive beverage yield remains.	Increase `Brew ratio` or reduce `Grounds retention`.
Measured TDS is below 0.2% or above 15%.	The reading is outside ordinary coffee measurement ranges for these brew paths.	Check the refractometer reading and confirm TDS versus Brix.
Espresso beverage ratio is below 1 or above 4.	The shot is far from common espresso recipe ranges.	Recheck the desired shot yield before changing grind.
Hot-brew temperature is below 80 C or any target is above 99 C.	The setting is outside the normal planning range used by the brew presets.	Confirm the unit and machine or kettle setting.

Accuracy Notes:

The calculations assume the target beverage weight, ratio, retention, and strength reading are entered correctly. They do not measure channeling, uneven extraction inside the bed, water mineral content, roast solubility, filter bypass, grinder fines, or cup temperature. Treat the result as a structured brew plan, then verify it with actual beverage mass, TDS when available, and tasting notes.

Use the same scale, grinder, filter, and water when comparing two runs.
Enter measured TDS or Brix only after brewing and filtering the sample as required by your refractometer workflow.
For cold brew and immersion recipes, ratio has a large effect on strength while grind and temperature mainly change how quickly extraction approaches equilibrium.

Worked Examples:

Balanced Pour-Over

A 320 g Target beverage, 1:16 Brew ratio, 2.0 g/g Grounds retention, and balanced strength produce about 22.9 g Coffee dose, 365.7 g Brew water, and 18.2% Extraction yield. The TDS stays within the pour-over target band, so the next useful check is taste and drawdown time.

Espresso Dial-In

A 36 g Target shot yield at a 1:2 Beverage ratio gives an 18.0 g dry dose. With balanced strength, the modeled 10.00% TDS gives 20.0% Extraction yield. If Taste or flow cue is sour or running fast, the Grind cue moves one step finer while the dose, pressure, and yield stay stable for the next shot.

Retention Failure

A pour-over target with 2.0 g/g retention and a 1:1.5 ratio cannot produce a positive served beverage. The summary changes to Adjust ratio, the warning says to increase ratio or reduce retention, and the result tabs stay hidden until the mass balance becomes possible.

Measured Strength Check

A French press that reads 1.80% TDS will show Richer than preset because the preset band tops out at 1.50%. Before changing dose, confirm the sample was filtered for refractometer use and that the unit was entered as TDS rather than Brix.

FAQ:

Why does espresso use a different ratio?

Espresso recipes are usually planned from dry dose to beverage out, so a 1:2 ratio means 18 g of coffee produces 36 g of espresso. Filter and immersion recipes usually describe brew water per gram of coffee.

When should I enter measured TDS or Brix?

Enter it after brewing when you have a refractometer reading. Leave Measured strength at 0 when you want the selected strength target to drive the estimate.

What should I do when the recipe says to adjust ratio?

For non-espresso recipes, make sure Brew ratio is greater than Grounds retention. If retention is realistic, raise the ratio; if retention was guessed too high, lower it after weighing an actual brew.

Can the charts pick the best brew?

No. Brew Balance Chart and Ratio Strength Map show mass and modeled strength changes. Use them to choose one next test, then brew and taste before making another change.

Why does strength target differ from taste cue?

Strength target changes modeled TDS and extraction aims. Taste or flow cue changes the grind advice while leaving the dose math alone.

Glossary:

Brew ratio: For filter, immersion, cold brew, and moka recipes, the amount of brew water used per gram of dry coffee.
Beverage ratio: For espresso, the grams of beverage out per gram of dry coffee.
Retention: Water held by the grounds, expressed as grams of water per gram of dry coffee.
TDS: Total dissolved solids, the concentration of dissolved coffee material in the beverage.
Extraction yield: The estimated percentage of dry coffee mass that dissolved into the beverage.
Brix: A refractometer scale that can be converted to an approximate coffee TDS estimate.
Bloom: A first wetting step in filter brewing, usually planned as a multiple of dry coffee dose.
Preinfusion: A low-flow or gentle wetting period before full-pressure espresso extraction.

References:

Coffee Standards, Specialty Coffee Association.
Towards a New Brewing Chart, Specialty Coffee Association.
How Hot is Hot Enough? Brew Temperature, Sensory Profile, and Consumer Acceptance of Brewed Coffee, Specialty Coffee Association.
How Strong is the Coffee You're Cupping?, Specialty Coffee Association.
Water and Coffee Acidity: How to Adapt Your Water for Different Extraction Methods, Specialty Coffee Association.
Defining the Ever-Changing Espresso, Specialty Coffee Association.