Does Ratios Matter in Taste. Are we too rigid with our ratios

It Smells Better Than It Taste — a quiet coffee newsletter where I share what I'm learning about coffee, curiosity, and daily rituals, this channel is an extension of that space: https://www.itsmellsbetterthanittaste.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=veP22rSQWxc I have a confession. For the past couple of weeks I've been loose on my ratios. I'm a 1:15 guy, but lately I have not felt like doing the math — 12 grams here, 13 grams there, eyeball it to 150 and get in the ballpark. And the coffee has been tasting fine. So I wanted to find out whether that is getting away with something, or whether the ratio matters less than we all act like it does. Same coffee, same grind size, nothing else touched: 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:25. Taste all four, then read the numbers on all four. - The full test: one grind size, a 50 gram bloom, two pulses, four ratios - TDS and extraction for every cup, read out as I go - Why extraction climbs hard from 1:10 to 1:15 and then barely moves - The point where more water stops buying you anything at all - Why I could not finish the 1:20 or the 1:25 - The one I actually liked was the least extracted one, and what that means He asks it in the video, so I'll ask it here: are you loose with your ratios, or do you keep everything exact? And have you found the number matters less than what the cup tastes like? Tell me in the comments. Timestamps: 0:00 A confession: I've been loose with my ratios 0:48 The real question, and it isn't about flavor 1:33 The test: same grind, four ratios 2:05 The recipe — 50 gram bloom, two pulses 2:25 Brewing all four 4:01 Tasting 1:10, and the first TDS reading 4:37 1:15, and it already fell off 5:09 1:20 — the one I'm not finishing 5:52 1:25 is mostly water 6:06 The extraction numbers, ratio by ratio 7:15 Diminishing returns, and what this actually tells us 8:12 So are you loose, or exact? #coffeebrewing #pourovercoffee #specialtycoffee