As a coffee enthusiast, you can distinguish between a high-quality and low-quality cup of coffee. Nevertheless, it’s possible that you desire a potent cup without the typical sourness and bitterness associated with strong brews.
Is it fair to solely blame the coffee maker for brewing weak coffee?
If your coffee is weak, it could be due to poor quality or weak coffee, an incorrect water-to-coffee-grind ratio, old or improperly ground beans, cold water that can’t carry flavor, insufficient contact between the water and beans, a leaking coffee maker, or a malfunctioning coffee maker.
If you’re seeking guidance on brewing the ideal cup of coffee, you’ve come to the right place. In the following section, we’ll demonstrate how to prepare a flawless cup and provide precise measurements for both coffee and water to achieve your desired taste.
How Much Coffee Should You Put In a Coffee Maker?
The ideal proportion of coffee grounds to water varies based on the brewing technique and the preferred potency, but typically, the ratio should be similar to the volume of water used.
The usual recommendation is to use 7-8 grams of coffee grounds (equivalent to 1 tablespoon) for every 100-150 milliliters of water (around 3-3.5 ounces).
Proper dosage plays a crucial role in achieving a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, as there exists a significant correlation between the amount of water and coffee grounds used.
It is crucial to comprehend that a coffee cup and an 8 oz glass are not equivalent when it comes to coffee dosage.
When brewing coffee, it is important to note that a standard cup of coffee contains 8 oz of water, but weak coffee may result from using only 6 oz of water. Thus, it is crucial to adjust the amount of water used in accordance with this difference to ensure the desired taste and strength of your coffee.
Here is a simple manual for preparing your coffee according to the amount you want and the intensity you prefer. While this is tailored to a standard, automated drip brewer, comparable measurements can be used for french press and pour-over coffee.
It is likely that you will observe differences in the size of the coffee grinds and the resulting potency. Typically, adjusting your coffee measurements by approximately one tablespoon can modify the strength of your coffee maker’s brew.
The intensity of the roast is a factor that contributes to the strength of coffee, but the ratio is the fundamental aspect.
To adjust the strength of your coffee, you can modify the quantity of grinds by adding or reducing 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon.
It is important not to change the quantity of water used for drip, pour-over, or French press coffee brewing methods, while espresso brewing has its own unique considerations that will be discussed separately.
Grinds
Water
Quantity
Strength
2 tbsp/3 tbsp
6 oz
1 standard coffee cup
Medium/Strong
5 tbsp/6 tbsp/7 tbsp
24 oz
4 standard cups of coffee
Light/Medium/Strong
11 tbsp+2 tsp/12 tbsp/12 tbsp+2 tsp
36 oz
6 standard cups of coffee
Light/Medium/Strong
15.5 tbsp/16 tbsp/17.5 tbsp
48 oz
8 standard cups of coffee
Light/Medium/Strong
22 tbsp+2 tsp/24 tbsp/25 tbsp
72 oz
12 standard cups of coffee
Light/Medium/Strong
Why Your Coffee Is Weak and How to Fix It
Reason 1: Insufficient Amount of Grinds
Insufficient amount of coffee grinds in the basket is the primary reason for weak coffee as hot water extracts flavor from them, causing the coffee to lose its potency.
Insufficient amount of grinds in the basket can cause weak coffee as the water will extract from already flavorless grinds, leading to a watery and diluted coffee.
To address weak coffee, it is advisable to follow the preparation instructions provided by your coffee maker. For instance, if your coffee maker includes a scoop, it may not accurately measure a tablespoon.
Consequently, if you use this scoop to measure your coffee grounds, there is a possibility that you may add an insufficient or excessive amount.
Reason 2: Too Much Water
When you add an excessive amount of water, it can affect the strength of your coffee just like using too few grinds does, as the surplus water will keep extracting from the grinds even after they have lost their potency and power.
If there is an excess of water in proportion to the amount of coffee grinds, the coffee produced will be diluted and insipid; to rectify this, it is advisable to adhere to the instructions provided in your coffee maker’s manual or use the measurements we suggested.
Reason 3: Grinds Improperly Ground (How to Grind for the Brewer Type)
For those who use pre-ground coffee intended for basic drip coffee makers, it may seem odd, but it’s important to use the appropriate grind size for each brewing method to achieve the best flavor.
When the grinds are too fine, there is a risk of overflowing the basket and damaging your coffee maker, leading to grinds spilling into the pot and machine. Conversely, if the grinds are too coarse, water will pass over them too quickly.
However, it is important to note that during the coffee brewing process, hot water does not simply flow over the coffee grinds, but rather requires sufficient time to steep within them before filtering through and ultimately ending up in the coffee pot.
For the correct extraction to take place, the steeping process plays a crucial role, and any alteration in the size of grinds, whether too fine or too coarse, affects the taste.
Machine Type
Grind
Drip (Traditional Coffee Machine)
Medium to Medium Fine Grind
Pour Over
Medium Grind
French Press
Coarse
Espresso
Fine
When you go to a coffee shop to have your coffee ground, they might inquire about the coarseness of the grind on a scale of 1-10, where a lower number indicates a coarser grind and a higher number indicates a finer grind.
Reason 4: Improper Brew Time
If you possess a coffee maker that brews automatically, like a standard drip coffee maker, then the brewing time is already set in the machine, and all you have to do is ensure that you fill the water and basket correctly.
Nevertheless, the grind is crucial as it determines the duration of the brew time, which encompasses the steeping of hot water and its passage through the grinds.
So, in case you observe that your coffee maker is making weak coffee, the issue is most likely not with the machine, but rather with the grind.
Brewing time is crucial for manual coffee makers such as French press and other heat-based machines that rely on steeping. It usually takes around 4-5 minutes to brew, so it’s essential to allow this amount of time before consuming.
Reason 5: Old, Stale, or Damaged Beans
One possible reason for your coffee maker producing weak coffee could be the quality or freshness of the coffee beans. It is probable that if your machine is brewing unsatisfactory coffee, the issue lies with the grinds rather than the machine.
Old, stale, and damaged coffee beans have a tendency to lose their strength and taste, resulting in an insipid brown liquid that is also more acidic than the pleasant flavor that people prefer in a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
The best way to maintain the freshness of your coffee is by buying whole and unground beans, as grinding the beans increases oxidation, causing them to become stale and acidic more quickly than whole bean coffee.
If you lack a grinder, it is advisable to buy ground coffee in quantities that will last for two weeks only since the shelf life of coffee reduces significantly from a few months to a couple of weeks after grinding.
Reason 6: Water Supplied Is Too Cold
If the temperature of the water in your coffee maker is not high enough, it will fail to extract the flavors from the ground beans in the filter and transfer them to your coffee pot, resulting in a diluted version of coffee.
If your coffee maker cannot heat the water, it is probable that there is an issue with the heating element or wiring inside the machine.
Reason 7: The Water Is Channeling
When the hot water begins to drip through the filter, it can cause the ground beans to shift and create a channel for the water to pass through; however, if this channel is too large, the water will flow too easily and result in weak coffee.
For a stronger coffee, it is important that the water and beans are in contact for a short duration, with the water dripping slowly through the filter to allow the fusion of aromas from the beans into the water before it goes down into the pot.
If your coffee turns out weak, check the filter for tunnels caused by water passing through the ground beans. In such a scenario, moisten the beans and press them firmly with a spoon or fingers to compact them before brewing again.
Reason 8: Water Isn’t Even Flowing Through the Filter
When the water doesn’t pass through the filter, it’s worse than channeling.
Instead of going through the filter, the heated water in your coffee maker may be leaking through other parts of the appliance, resulting in weak coffee. To check if this is the case, open the top lid and inspect whether the water is passing through the filter or not.
If you want to make your coffee stronger, you can opt for rebrewing it, but it is essential to follow specific guidelines. The process of rebrewing involves pouring freshly brewed coffee over fresh grinds.
The brewing process allows the hot water to draw out the coffee from the grounds, resulting in a stronger flavor without any bitterness or acidity.
Re-brewing coffee does not involve brewing over the same grounds twice, which is a common misconception found online. Doing so will result in weak, sour, and tasteless coffee instead of a stronger brew.
If you want your coffee to be stronger, you can try double brewing or re-brewing it by pouring the hot coffee through another batch of grinds, which will require twice the amount of grinds for a single batch of coffee and result in a stronger brew. However, this process must be done in two steps.
It is not advisable to attempt brewing a single batch with twice the amount of grinds. Instead of using the recommended 2-3 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water, some people try to use 6 tablespoons for the same amount of water, but we do not suggest this method.
Overloading the coffee maker with too many grinds can result in a bitter and unpleasant taste, so it’s important to brew a proper batch of coffee first and then pour it over an additional serving of coffee grinds.
It is important to note that the pour-over method should be used exclusively for this process, and adding already brewed coffee to your coffee machine’s water tank could cause damage and produce a burnt taste in your coffee.
How Can You Make Your Coffee Stronger But Not Bitter
If you want to make your coffee stronger, there are a few ways to do it such as adding a couple of shots of espresso, double brewing it, or reducing the amount of cream and sugar. The taste of coffee usually becomes weaker when the added milk or cream is more powerful than the coffee or if too much water was used during brewing.
Increasing the caffeine and strength of coffee can be achieved by adding espresso, which has a rich and potent taste when consumed alone.
Adding it to your coffee can effectively blend with the weaker brew and provide the necessary boost.
If you want to make your coffee stronger, some online sources suggest adding more grinds during the brewing process. However, it is advisable to increase the amount by a small quantity like a tablespoon and not double it as doing so will result in an excessively bitter and acidic taste.
When trying to avoid weak coffee, it is important to be cautious while adding cream and steer clear of sweetened creamers as they can diminish the strength of the coffee and conceal its taste with added flavors and sweeteners.
To avoid weak coffee, add cream gradually, one tablespoon at a time, and ensure that the color remains dark brown instead of the lighter shade commonly served in coffee shops.
You can also check this video about “Why Your Coffee Maker Brews Weak Coffee”
