Your Guide to Brewing on the Ratio

At Able we were the first to launch a permanent filter exclusively for the Chemex. So yeah - we love pour-over. Still, every once in a while it sounds dreamy to have a machine make our coffee for us. For those times, we turn to our Ratio.

Ratio is a coffee brewer that simulates the pour-over method. That is: it does pretty much everything we do, including letting the coffee bloom, saturating all of the grounds, and heating the water to the correct temperature. Most cheap coffee makers don’t do any of those things — and it shows in the (often lackluster) cup. If you must use a machine to brew, try to find one certified by the SCA, as the Ratio is — it really makes all the difference in the world. And did we mention, the Ratio is gorgeous? If robots are going to run the world, we’d at least like them to look as good as this machine does.

So, how do we make coffee on a Ratio? Follow along for the simple steps to great pour-over at the push of a button.

First, choose your brew ratio. This is the ratio of coffee to water you’ll be using to brew. We like to use a 1:15 ratio, and if you don’t have your own opinion, we’d recommend you start with that too.

Our Favorite Ratio recipe:

45g medium-fine ground coffee (about a 16-17 grind size on a Baratza Encore)

675g water

Fortunately for us, 675 grams of water is right about the half-fill line on the Ratio — so just fill your water up to that line, and you’ll be good to go.

Then add your coffee to the Kone (or if using the carafe, the basket) and place the Kone and brew vessel under the brew head of the Ratio.

Now press the button on the front of the Ratio, and get ready for the magic to happen. You’ll notice that the “Bloom” light slowly pulses — the Ratio will let your coffee bloom (allowing CO2 to escape and aiding extraction) before continuing on with the full brew.

What to do while your coffee is brewing? That’s up to you, my friend. Take a 3-minute walk. Go get something you forgot upstairs. Inspect the cartoons in your latest issue of the New Yorker. Before you know it, your coffee will be ready to drink!

As always, compost the coffee grounds and give the Kone or basket a gentle scrub using warm water and fragrance-free soap. We like to clean our Able filter right after we pour our coffee to prevent the buildup of oils in the filter holes, but there’s no rush. Enjoy your coffee!