To reduce strength while maintaining flavor, what adjustment can be made?

Adding hot water after brewing, often referred to as "brewing over" or "cutting coffee," is an effective method for reducing the strength of coffee while preserving its flavor profile. This process dilutes the coffee, allowing the flavors to mellow without significantly altering the underlying taste characteristics that contribute to the overall experience.

When hot water is added to brewed coffee, it increases the volume while keeping the flavor components intact, allowing for a balanced cup that is less intense but still aromatic and flavorful. This technique is useful for baristas and coffee lovers who want to adjust the strength of a brew to personal preference or accommodate different drinking styles.

Using less coffee in the recipe or grinding the coffee more coarsely could lead to weaker coffee, but they may also compromise the flavor intensity, causing desirable notes to be under-extracted or lost. Meanwhile, opting for higher quality coffee beans generally enhances the overall flavor and complexity but does not directly reduce the strength of the brew. Therefore, adding hot water after brewing is the most appropriate method for maintaining flavor while achieving the desired strength reduction.