Sometimes you have to try new things, even if it means getting a little uncomfortable and risk making a few bad cups. What matters most is that you’re stretching yourself to be better, that’s the only way you’re going to grow.

For a long time, my go-to pour over recipe didn't move much: 1:16 or 1:17 ratio, grind set slightly fine, and most often 20g doses. It worked for most coffees, and in the late 2010’s when I started my coffee journey these were the standard recipes going around online touted as the best. Solid, reliable, and I didn't think much about changing it. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. 

A good thing about not changing my recipe much over the years is that I was able to focus on the differences in the coffees that I was drinking and let those do the talking above the other variables. How would a natural Ethiopia do with my recipe, how about a high-altitude dense washed, or even a super-processed Pacamara? Even when I brewed on new drippers like the Orea V4 Narrow, I didn’t change much other than the total pours. Because of this I can say that I learned a lot over the years about how different coffees and processes react in the cup and what my preferences were, and that’s invaluable experience.

With the hype of shorter brewing and coarser grinding that’s been circulating in the online specialty coffee world over the years coming from the minds of those like Lance Hedrick pushing the idea of grinding coarser for all brews, and more recently from the 2026 World Brewers Cup podium finishers showcasing shorter brews, I wanted to dive more into brewing variables that I had not given much thought to.

When I saw multiple interviews with Simon Gautherin, 2nd place at World Brewers Cup this year, emphasize the benefits of shorter ratios, coarser grinding, as well as the importance of properly mineralized water from his company, APAX LAB (though I haven’t delved into this beyond the simplicity of Third Wave Water packets), I thought it would be worth a shot of seeing if it works for me or not. 

Here's where I've landed after a few weeks of testing this out:

Ratio: down to 1:13 or 1:14 (from 1:16/1:17)

Cup size: down to 15g of coffee (from 20g)

Grind: much coarser — around 8–10 on the Gen 1 Fellow Ode, up from a finer setting of 3

Water temp: I was down to 200°F (93°C) for a long time already, but I have tried 190°F (87.7°C) for a few coffees that came out quite nicely.

These are a lot of variables to have changed, though I tested each one on its own to see how it actually changed the cup, it’s the combination of these that I think make them shine. A shorter brew keeps the bitterness out of the cup and keeps it silky, yet the coarseness of the grind allows there to still be florality and clarity when the coffee is right. As far as the cup size going down to 15g, well that’s just me wanting to enjoy a lot more coffees for a little bit longer! 

And it's working! The cups are noticeably smoother and lighter, with florals and clarity coming through that used to get buried, a lot less harshness overall and enjoyably very consistent. And natural coffees keep a silky body, and I haven’t had one that’s lost any bright fruitiness yet.

The recipe I'm landing on for most coffees right now:

Coffee: 15g
Water: 210g (1:14 ratio)
Water type: Third Wave Water Classic Light Roast Profile
Water temp: 190°F (87.7°C) - 200°F (93°C)
Grinder: Fellow Ode Gen 1
Grind setting: 8-10 (coarser end of medium - coarse)
Number of pours: 3
Pour breakdown:
— Pour 1: 45g for 1:00
— Pour 2: 90g
— Pour 3: 210g

Origin: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

Process: Washed

Variety: Ethiopian Landrace Variety

Altitude: 2,000-2,100 MASL

Cupping Notes: This coffee carried a clean tea quality in the body, pleasant white florals, and a hint of citrus acidity especially as it started to cool.

For high-altitude washed coffees I do still tend to enjoy extending the ratio to highlight the tea-like quality of them. So I did do a 1:16-1:17 ratio for this coffee for a few cups. Though there was a pleasant silkiness in the shorter 1:14 ratio that I enjoyed and allowed some lighter red apple notes to come through.

Coffee: 15g
Water: 210g (1:14 ratio) or 255g (1:17 ratio)
Water type: Third Wave Water Classic Light Roast Profile
Water temp: 200°F (93°C)
Grinder: Fellow Ode Gen 1
Grind setting: 7 (medium-coarse)
Number of pours: 3
Pour breakdown:
— Pour 1: 45g for 1:00
— Pour 2: 90g
— Pour 3: 210 g or 255g

Currently I'm enjoying a new normal.

My son was born just 8 weeks ago, and it has been the best 8 weeks of my life. Things are different, I’m reading less, I’m still trying to figure out what daily rhythms look like for our family as I’ve gone back to work, but every day brings new challenges and new blessings and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And as I’m sure you can guess, there is still plenty of coffee part of the journey.

"Simplify, then add lightness." —  (James Clear, 3-2-1: On Time Machines, Principles for High Performance, and the Trap of Titles)

From my Readwise library (https://readwise.io/wolfwinegard/)