Why 1:16 Is the “Golden Ratio” for Pour Over Coffee (And When to Use 1:15 Instead)
After customers buy coffee beans in the shop, they often ask me about recommended brewing parameters—water temperature, grind size, and, of course, the coffee-to-water ratio. Whenever I mention a ratio of 1:15 , some people are surprised. That’s because most cafés on the market tend to use 1:16 when brewing pour-over coffee. Just yesterday, someone said to me, “I see everyone using 1:16. I thought that was the best—like the golden ratio for pour-over.” And to be fair, from a certain perspective, 1:16 really can be called a golden ratio . We know that coffee contains a limited amount of soluble material—only about 30% of the bean’s weight . Based on this fact, Dr. Ernest Lockhart conducted a series of studies and found that the coffees most people enjoy tend to fall within a specific range of strength and extraction : Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): 1.15%–1.35% Extraction Yield: 18%–22% Any brew that lands within this range is known as a Golden Cup extraction , and the coffe...