The correct dosage of coffee

But what good are scales if you don't know exactly how much coffee you should use for your chosen preparation method? As already mentioned, there are basic values ​​for the brewing ratio for each preparation method. In other words, an exact ratio of water to coffee. These amounts naturally vary depending on the preparation method, but can also be adjusted according to personal taste. Scales are necessary for this, because they allow you to weigh your coffee to the exact gram and achieve an optimal brewing result. Units of measurement such as the almost legendary "coffee spoon" or specially supplied dosing scoops from the manufacturers of the respective brewing method are doomed to failure. The amount of coffee is determined far too imprecisely and the cup profile also suffers as a result. Too much coffee makes for a drink that is far too strong, while too little coffee creates a drink that is too thin and undrinkable.

How many grams is needed for each preparation method:

When you first look at the guidelines for coffee dosage, it becomes clear why scales are essential when making coffee. It all depends on the ratio between water and coffee, which is best measured using scales. But the brewing time is also crucial, although this is more related to the degree of grinding of the coffee.

Hand filter: 20 g coffee - 300 ml water

AeroPress: 16 g coffee – 200 ml water

Chemex: 40 g coffee – 600 ml water

French Press: 60 g coffee – 1,000 ml water

Portafilter: 17-19 g coffee – 40-60 ml water (double espresso)

But the dosage of coffee is not only essential when making coffee. As a coffee drinker, you should also know roughly how much coffee you can drink every day. The quality of the coffee plays a major role here. The quality should always be the best, because this way you can guarantee that the coffee has been traded fairly and directly and cultivated ecologically and sustainably. Ideally, organic farming is used during cultivation, so that all fertilizers and pesticides used are free of toxins and of purely natural origin.

If this is the case, you can enjoy 4 to 5 cups of filter coffee per day without worry. With unfiltered variants such as those from the portafilter, you can enjoy between 3 and 4 cups of coffee per day. This is not necessarily due to the caffeine content, as this is pretty much the same for most preparation methods. Coffee from the portafilter, French press or moka pot is made without filter paper, so that the suspended particles and oils remain in the cup. With filter coffee, AeroPress coffee or Chemex coffee, these substances are almost completely filtered out with the filter paper. You can tell this from the taste, which contains significantly less bitter substances than with methods without filter paper. If you do exceed your coffee dosage, there is no need to panic. As long as you take enough days with a short caffeine break, days with several cups of coffee are no problem at all. However, 400 mg of caffeine per day should be about the maximum. All in all, that's five cups of filter coffee, or six double espressos. However, you should note that other foods such as green tea or chocolate also contain caffeine. These must therefore also be included in your calculation.