If you are a lover of coffee then you definitely know the difference between a good cup of coffee and a poor quality cup. However, maybe you want a powerful cup, without all the acidic, bitterness we so often associate with the stronger brews.
We might be quick to put the blame on the coffee maker itself, but is this accurate?
Coffee makers brew weak coffee when the coffee itself is of poor quality or weak, when your water-to-coffee-grind ratio is off, when the beans are old or not properly ground, when the water supply is too cold to carry flavor, when the water doesn’t have enough contact with the beans, when the coffee maker leaks, or when the coffee maker malfunctioning.
If you’re wondering how to brew the best coffee, then this is the place for you. Below we will show you how to brew the perfect cup and just how much coffee and water to use for your preferred flavors.
How Much Coffee Should You Put In a Coffee Maker?
The proper dosage of grinds to water depends on the method of brewing and the desired strength. However, the general rule of thumb is the ratio should be comparable to the amount of water.
This typically translates as 7-8 grams of grinds (1 tbsp) per 100-150 milliliters of water (3-3.5 oz).
Proper dosage is one of the most important parts of a well-crafted cup of coffee. There is a close connection between the water and the grinds which you should follow if you want the perfect cup.
Another important distinction to understand regarding coffee dosage is that a coffee cup is not the same thing as an 8 oz glass.
A cup of coffee consists of 6 oz of water, rather than the traditional 8 oz. Therefore, when measuring out your water, make sure you remember to adjust the water for this little distinction. Those 2 ounces will make a significant difference in the taste and strength of your coffee.
Below is a basic guide for brewing your coffee based on the quantity you make and the desired strength. Although this applies specifically to a traditional, automatic drip brewer, you can follow similar dosages for french press and pour-over coffee.
You will probably notice the measurements of the grinds varies as does the resulting strength. As a general rule, you can tweak your coffee measurements by about 1 tablespoon to alter the strength of the brew.
There is more to the strength than just ratio, including the intensity of the roast, but this is the root of the coffee strength.
If you want your coffee stronger or lighter, simply tweak the amount of grinds by between 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon.
Never alter the amount of water for drip, pour-over, or french press. Expresso is somewhat different, but we will delve into this later.
| 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
The most obvious reason for your weak coffee is it does not have enough grinds in the basket. This is because the coffee loses its potency as the hot water pours over them since the hot water extracts the flavor from the grinds.
If there’s an insufficient amount of grinds in the basket, the water will continue extracting from grinds that have already lost their flavor. This will result in the coffee being watery and diluted.
The best way to fix this is to pay attention to the preparation direction given by your coffee maker. If your coffee maker came with a scoop, for example, it might not be a true tablespoon.
Thus, when you measure out your grinds using this scoop, you might not be adding enough or too much.
Reason 2: Too Much Water
Adding too much water will impact the coffee strength in a similar way to what happens when you use insufficient grinds. The excess water will continue extracting from the grinds even after they’ve lost all potency and strength.
The resulting coffee will be weak and watery since there was too much water for the ratio of coffee grinds. The best way to fix this is to follow the directions either given in your machine’s manual or the measurements we gave above.
Reason 3: Grinds Improperly Ground (How to Grind for the Brewer Type)
This may sound like a strange one for anyone who uses pre-ground grinds made for simple drip coffee machines. However, each coffee brewing method has a specific grind which should be followed for optimal favor.
If the grinds are ground too fine, it could cause the basket to overflow and damage your machine. This means grinds will pour out into the coffee pot and your machine. However, if the grinds are ground too coarse, it will cause the water to pass over them too quickly.
Hot water doesn’t just pass over coffee grinds as the coffee brews, however. It needs time to steep in the grinds before it passes through and falls into the coffee pot.
The steeping process is important for the proper extraction to occur, and if the grinds are either too fine or too coarse it impacts the flavor.
| Machine Type | Grind |
| Drip (Traditional Coffee Machine) | Medium to Medium Fine Grind |
| Pour Over | Medium Grind |
| French Press | Coarse |
| Espresso | Fine |
If you visit your local coffee shop to grind your coffee, they may ask you on a number scale from 1-10. This can sound confusing, but try to keep in mind that the lower the number the coarser the grind, and the higher the number the finer the grind.
Reason 4: Improper Brew Time
If you have a self-brewing coffee pot, such as a typical drip coffee pot, then you don’t need to worry too much about brewing time. The brewing time is usually programmed into the coffee pot itself, and you just need to be sure to properly fill the water and basket.
However, this is why the grind matters. Brew time includes the time it takes for the hot water to steep and passes through the grinds.
Therefore, if you notice your machine producing weak coffee, it’s probably not the machine. It’s probably the grind.
Brewing time matters more for manual coffee makers. This includes french press coffee makers and other heat-based coffee machines which rely on the steeping process. Typically, this system takes 4-5 minutes to brew, so make sure you give it this amount of time before drinking.
Reason 5: Old, Stale, or Damaged Beans
Last, one of the most likely causes of your weak coffee is the quality or age of your coffee beans. In fact, if your machine is making poorly tasting coffee, it’s far more likely to be the grinds rather than the machine itself.
Old, stale, and damaged beans tend to lose their potency and flavor, which leads to a tasteless brown liquid. They also tend to create an acidic brew, rather than the smooth flavor people enjoy from a fresh cup.
The best way to ensure the freshness of your coffee is to purchase your beans as whole and unground. Ground beans experience more oxidation, which results in them becoming stale and acidic faster than whole bean coffee.
If you do not have a grinder, then you should only purchase enough ground coffee to last two weeks. The shelf life of coffee drastically decreases from a couple of months to a few weeks once they’ve been ground.
Reason 6: Water Supplied Is Too Cold
If the water flowing through your coffee maker doesn’t heat up enough, it won’t be able to transfer the aromas from the ground beans in the filter down to your coffee pot. You need the water that’s distributed through the ground in the filter to be hot or you will end up with a watered-down version of coffee.
If your machine is unable to heat the water, then there’s most likely something wrong with the heating element or wiring inside the machine.
Reason 7: The Water Is Channeling
As hot water starts dripping through the filter, the ground beans in the filter can start moving to create a path for the water to stream through. If the path made through the ground beans is too big, the water will flow through with ease.
This means that the water and the beans will be in contact for a short period of time. The water shouldn’t flow through the filter, it should drip slowly to ensure that the aromas from the beans are fused into the water before it goes down into the pot.
If you end up with a watered-down coffee pot, inspect the filter to see if the water has created tunnels through the ground beans. If that seems to be the case, water the beans before starting the machine and press firmly against the ground with a spoon or with your fingers to make them more solid, then try again.
Reason 8: Water Isn’t Even Flowing Through the Filter
There’s one thing that’s even worse than channeling, and that’s when the water doesn’t even go through the filter at all.
Instead, it’s being transported through other parts of the appliance, causing leaks. So, if your appliance is leaking or if it’s brewing watery coffee, open the top lid to inspect if the heated water goes through the filter or not.
Can You Rebrew Coffee to Make It Stronger?
You can rebrew coffee to make it stronger, but there are several recommendations you should follow. Re-brewing coffee consists of taking already brewed, fresh coffee, and pouring it over fresh grinds.
The process causes the hot coffee to extract the coffee from the grinds and thus become more intense, yet not bitter or acidic.
Re-brewing coffee does not mean brewing over the same grounds twice. This is a common misconception we discovered online. This will only make watery, acidic, and flavorless coffee, rather than a more potent brew.
Double brewing or re-brewing coffee takes the hot coffee and pours it through another batch of grinds. This will result in stronger coffee since you’re using twice the amount of grinds for a single batch of coffee. This must be done in a two-step process, though
You should never try to brew a single batch with double the grinds in one go. This means, rather than using 2-3 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water, some try to brew 6 tablespoons for 6 ounces of water. We do not recommend this.
When you add too many grinds to a single brew it will lead to an extremely bitter and nasty tasting pot. The princess must be done by brewing a proper batch of coffee and then pouring this coffee over another serving of coffee grinds.
Additionally, this process should only be done through a pour-over method. So not add brewed coffee to your water tank in your coffee machine. This could damage your machine and will result in burnt-tasting coffee.
How Can You Make Your Coffee Stronger But Not Bitter
Coffee can be made stronger by adding a shot or two of espresso, double brewing it, or adding less cream and sugar. Usually, the flavor of coffee is made weaker when the added milk or cream is more potent than the coffee. Or, if too much water was added during the brewing process.
Adding espresso is one of the best ways to increase the caffeine and the potency of the coffee. Espresso can be rich and powerful to the taste when consumed on its own.
However, if you add it to your coffee, it will mingle well with the weaker brew and add a much-needed kick.
Some people online recommend that you increase the amount of grinds when brewing your coffee. This is only a good idea if you increase it by small amounts (such as by a tablespoon or so) but no more. Never double the serving of grinds, this will only create a very bitter and acidic brew.
Make sure you’re careful when adding cream to your coffee, and avoid sweetened creamers. Each of these additions weakens the potency of the coffee and masks it beneath flavors and sweeteners.
Try adding cream one tablespoon at a time and be careful to maintain a dark brown color, rather than the light brown they give at coffee shops so often.