# Bean weight



## Gottzi (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi all,

All of the talk on ratios refers to the weight of ground coffee to weight of coffee produced.

Why not the weight of beans?

Doesn't 18g of Beans grind into 18g of ground coffee?

David


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

No, 18g of beans does not = 18g of ground coffee, you always lose/gain some in grinding.

For manual brewed, immersion methods you might weigh to the gram, for drip & espresso it's best to weigh to 0.1g (takes very little time to do).


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## Gottzi (Dec 7, 2014)

Ok so is the loss / gain always the same or does it vary from bean to bean?

I can understand maybe losing a bit in the grinder but how can the weight increase?

Only just got my scales so I haven't tried the yet.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

First dose & a bit gets stuck in the grinder, second dose & a bit more gets stuck in the grinder, then 3rd dose (for example) nothing gets stuck in the grinder & may carry a few of the old previously stuck bits out with it, producing more grounds than beans you put in for the last dose.

Think of those coin cascade machines you get at seaside amusement arcades, after a point you should get out exactly what you put in....but life's not that simple


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Exactly what mark said. Some grinders are better than others in this regard. Once you get to "0.1g" accuracy level for espresso you'll find most grinders are at best accurate to +/- 0.2g (so a total variance of at least half a gram). Some coffees are more liable to 'get stuck' (static, or oily beans)


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