Dumb question: water used vs. coffee brewed

[JackieMarie1989]

Hello everyone,
please bear with me because I have a dumb question, as in, I have a feeling that the answer will be obvious and I must just be missing something.
I have recently gone back to a basic drip coffee pot after years of using a keurig (Black and Decker, to be specific). I'm re-learning how to make a good cup of coffee the old fashioned way and there is some trial and error involved.
I am experiencing a discrepancy between the amount of water I pour in the reservoir and the amount of coffee it brews. This morning, we filled the reservoir up to line 8 with water, but it only brewed 6 cups of coffee. (By 6 cups, I mean up to line 6 on the carafe, not 6 mugs full. I do understand that a "cup" on the carafe differs from an actual cup of coffee that the average person drinks). There is no water leftover in the resevoir.
This is a brand new machine so it shouldn't be clogged or in need of cleaning. Am I missing something obvious?
Thank you very much for your time.

 

[Musicphan]

No dumb questions... we all can learn everyday.

Coffee absorbs water... if your uber concerned weigh your coffee grinds pre & post brew. When I brew cold brew I use 4 lbs of coffee / 7 gallons of water... I only get about 5 gallons of finished product.

 

[Duffyjr]

I had a Bunn Phase Brew that was similar only it wasn't that far off, if I remember correctly it was more like a cup off. I think the issue was the lines on the tank didn't jive with the lines on the carafe and always seemed like I wasn't getting what I should. I mainly brewed half pots with it most of the time and eventually just stopped thinking about it, that Bunn made a great cup.

Do you use the carafe to measure the water your pouring into the tank? Do they match up?

 

[JackieMarie1989]

I had a Bunn Phase Brew that was similar only it wasn't that far off, if I remember correctly it was more like a cup off. I think the issue was the lines on the tank didn't jive with the lines on the carafe and always seemed like I wasn't getting what I should. I mainly brewed half pots with it most of the time and eventually just stopped thinking about it, that Bunn made a great cup.

Do you use the carafe to measure the water your pouring into the tank? Do they match up?

I am using the carafe to measure and pour it in there, and they seem to match up, as in 8 cups of water in the carafe equals 8 cups in the reservoir. The only reason it's an issue is because I use the measurements of water to determine how many tablespoons of coffee grounds to use, so it effects the strength of my coffee if it ends up brewing less.
This morning I used 8 tablespoons of coffee grounds for 8 cups of water, but then it only brewed 6 very strong cups. A bit too strong for me, I'm feeling pretty jittery. So it's a bit of guesswork to know how many grounds to actually use.

 

[JackieMarie1989]

I hadn't thought about the absorption. I'm not super concerned, it just makes it hard to know how much coffee to use

 

[JackieMarie1989]

@Musician, I hadn't thought about the absorption. I'm not super concerned, it just makes it hard to know how much coffee to use

 

[shadow745]

I am using the carafe to measure and pour it in there, and they seem to match up, as in 8 cups of water in the carafe equals 8 cups in the reservoir. The only reason it's an issue is because I use the measurements of water to determine how many tablespoons of coffee grounds to use, so it effects the strength of my coffee if it ends up brewing less.
This morning I used 8 tablespoons of coffee grounds for 8 cups of water, but then it only brewed 6 very strong cups. A bit too strong for me, I'm feeling pretty jittery. So it's a bit of guesswork to know how many grounds to actually use.

I'd suggest keeping your current brew ratio as is and just add a bit of hot water to the mug. Cutting back on the amount of coffee used usually throws off the balance. Better to brew a bit stronger then dilute if needed for most.

 

[shadow745]

@Musician, I hadn't thought about the absorption. I'm not super concerned, it just makes it hard to know how much coffee to use

The coffee/paper filter (if you're using them) will absorb some water, but it shouldn't be absorbing 1/4 of it.

 

[Musicphan]

Best thing to do is get a scale... start with a 15:1 or 16:1 ratio of water:coffee

 

[Duffyjr]

Best thing to do is get a scale... start with a 15:1 or 16:1 ratio of water:coffee

Yes a scale is right up there with having a good grinder and brewer if you ask me. If you have to adjust ratios with a certain bean it's easy to get that cup again.

I picked this one up at amazon for a little over $20. I like that it has a lid so the actual weighing mechanism won't get damaged.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SVQHWY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[JackieMarie1989]

I'll look into it. Thank you everyone for your input.
I did discover that the scoop I have, which I thought was a tablespoon, was actually 2 tablespoons. So that accounts for the super strong coffee, and maybe the excess grounds caused more water than usual to be absorbed as well. This morning after fixing my measuring error I did not lose nearly as much water (more like a few ounces).