Godmadi — Home Coffee Brewing

Godmadi — Home Coffee Brewing | godmadi.com

Most home coffee problems come down to three variables you can control: the coffee-to-water ratio, the grind size and the water temperature. This reference collects the standard starting numbers for every common method and shows how to adjust them when a cup tastes off.

godmadi.com18–22% extraction is the classic target window.Grind coffee right before brewing; ground coffee stales much faster than whole beans.

Method parameters at a glance

Starting parameters for five common home methods
Method	Coffee-to-water ratio	Grind size	Water temperature	Total time
Pour-over (V60)	1:15–1:17	Medium-fine	90–96 °C	2.5–3.5 min
French press	1:15–1:17	Coarse	90–96 °C	~4 min steep
Espresso	tight, dose-based	Fine	90–96 °C	25–30 s at 9 bars
AeroPress	1:15–1:17	Medium	90–96 °C	1–3 min
Cold brew	1:8–1:12 concentrate	Coarse	cold water	12–24 h
Drip machine	1:15–1:17	Medium	90–96 °C	3–5 min cycle
Target extraction	—	—	—	18–22%

Starting parameters for five common home methods

How much coffee per cup of water?

Use 1 gram of coffee for every 15–17 grams of water as a starting point for filter brewing.

The ratio is the single most reliable dial. Weigh both sides: 15 g of coffee to 250 g of water sits at 1:16.7, right in the middle of the standard 1:15–1:17 window. Volume measures (scoops, mugs) drift too much to be useful once you start diagnosing a cup.

A tighter ratio produces a stronger brew; a looser one dilutes it. Change the ratio only after grind and temperature are already in their normal ranges, otherwise you cannot tell which variable fixed the problem.

1:15 — stronger end of the filter window

1:16 — neutral middle, good default

1:17 — lighter end, useful for dark roasts

Espresso uses a much tighter ratio and is not comparable to filter numbers

Adjustment order: what to change first

What water temperature should I use?

90–96 °C (195–205 °F) covers almost every filter method.

Below about 90 °C extraction slows down and the cup trends sour; above 96 °C it speeds up and trends bitter. The window is wide enough that you do not need a variable-temperature kettle to start — bring the water to a boil and let it sit for 30–60 seconds if your kettle has no temperature control.

Light roasts sit at the hotter end of the range and dark roasts at the cooler end. Cold brew is the exception: it uses cold water and relies on time instead of heat.

Which grind size does each method need?

Match grind to contact time: coarse for long steeps, medium-fine for pour-over, fine for espresso.

Grind size controls how fast water can pull soluble material out of the coffee. A coarse grind exposes less surface per second and suits methods where the grounds sit in water for minutes; a fine grind suits espresso, where water passes through in 25–30 seconds under pressure.

If your method and grind do not match — coarse grounds in a pour-over, fine grounds in a French press — no adjustment of ratio or temperature will rescue the cup. Fix the grind first.

Coarse — French press, cold brew
Medium — drip machines and AeroPress with longer steep
Medium-fine — V60 and other pour-over cones
Fine — espresso

How long should the whole brew take?

Total time is a check, not a goal: 2.5–3.5 minutes for pour-over, about 4 minutes for French press, 25–30 seconds for espresso.

If a pour-over finishes in 90 seconds the grind is too coarse or the pour too fast; if it runs past 4 minutes the grind is too fine or the bed is clogged. Time tells you that something in the setup has drifted, and it is the fastest signal you get while brewing.

Cold brew is the outlier: 12–24 hours of steeping in cold water, which is why it tastes smooth — heat is never applied, so the harsher compounds extract slowly.

Common objections and quick answers

My coffee tastes sour — what do I change first?

Grind finer or brew longer. Sour usually means extraction is under 18%, so increase contact time before touching the ratio.

Why does my French press coffee taste muddy?

The grind is too fine or the steep ran long. Use a coarse grind and press at about 4 minutes, then decant promptly.

Can I use boiling water straight from the kettle?

Let it sit 30–60 seconds if you have no temperature control. The target window is 90–96 °C, and fresh boil is often a few degrees above it.

Does a more expensive grinder really matter?

Grind consistency matters more than price. An even particle size keeps extraction uniform; a grinder producing lots of fines will taste bitter even at correct ratios.