Scaling recipes up and down

Key Principle

• Brewing recipes scale linearly: keep the brew ratio (coffee : water) constant.
• Example: If 20 g coffee → 300 g water (1:15), then 40 g coffee → 600 g water, still 1:15.

Scaling Up

• Larger brews (batch brewers, cupping bowls, big pour-overs):
• Maintain brew ratio and grind setting.
• Watch for longer drain times in filter brews due to bed depth.
• Agitation may need adjustment to avoid channeling.
• Larger batches cool slower, affecting extraction dynamics.

Scaling Down

• Smaller brews (single-cup V60, AeroPress):
• Maintain ratio, but contact time decreases.
• May require slightly finer grind to compensate.
• Small errors in dose measurement have bigger impact—precision is key.

Practical Example

• Original: 18 g coffee, 270 g water (1:15).
• Scale up: 54 g coffee, 810 g water (still 1:15).
• Scale down: 12 g coffee, 180 g water (still 1:15).

Challenges & Adjustments

• Filter Brewing: Larger beds extract differently; adjust grind if drawdown slows.
• Immersion Brewing: Scaling is straightforward; just multiply ingredients.
• Espresso: Less scalable due to puck resistance and machine limits—adjustments often non-linear.

Summary

Scaling recipes is about keeping the brew ratio constant, then fine-tuning grind and technique to account for size-specific variables. With care, both large batch brews and single cups can match the flavor balance of the original recipe.

• Tags:
• Coffee Water
• Flavor Balance
• Brew Ratio
• Adjust Grind
• Filter Brewing
• Ratio Coffee
• Finer Grind
• Grind Setting
• Bed Depth
• Water Coffee
• Batch Brewers
• Puck Resistance
• Fine Tuning
• Ratio Grind
• Practical Example
• Immersion Brewing
• Summary Scaling
• Filter Brews