Making coffee seems like it should be so simple. After all, there’s only two ingredients when you’re brewing a cup of coffee. Coffee beans and water. Yet so many people ask about the coffee to water ratio when they’re brewing a cup of coffee.
The coffee to water ratio is different for each type of brewing method. Whether it’s a drip coffee maker, french press, or espresso each brewing method has a different ratio off coffee to water. Don’t worry. We’re going to get in to all of them.
The Golden Ratio For Coffee
The rule of thumb for the coffee ratio we mentioned earlier is called the “Golden Ratio”. To determine the proper coffee to water ratio you need to know if you’re brewing in an auto drip coffee maker, french press, or an espresso machine. After all, there’s so many different types of coffee out there with so many different ways to brew coffee.
The golden coffee ratio will be calculated and measured slightly different for each of these coffee makers. We’re going to give you the standard coffee ratio for all of the machines to use as a baseline. That way, you can start to tweak your ratios in the future to satisfy your own taste.
Tip: Use a small kitchen scale to weight the grinds for your coffee ratio. This is what baristas normally do.
Check the cup lines or indicators on your specific coffee maker to see how they actually measure out. It’s important to know that a cup on your coffee maker is 5 fl ounces. So if you set your coffee machine to make 2 cups, you get 10 ounces of coffee. So a full 12 cup pot is actually 7.5 regular 8-ounce cups. This ratio makes a really good, strong cup of coffee. Also remember that some water is lost because of evaporation.
Why Is The Coffee To Water Ratio Important?
The coffee to water ratio is important no matter what your method of brewing coffee is. Most of the time this question is asked when it comes to drip coffee makers where you might brew a pot depending on the number of people being served.
The amount of coffee beans compared to the volume of water can greatly effect the taste of the coffee. We’ve probably all been there where we have to brew more or less coffee than we’re used to. We know how much water should go in the pot and guess how much coffee to put in the filter.
The problem is that it’s likely that we’ll end up with coffee that’s too strong or too week. Luckily, by using a coffee ratio we can always brew great tasting coffee.
Rules Of Thumb And Measurements For Coffee Ratios
Auto Drip Coffee Maker
As a general rule of thumb you should use 2 Tbsp of coffee for every 6 oz of water. You should adjust the measurement to your specific tastes.
French Press
For a French press you need to experiment with the strength of coffee you like. The French press coffee ratio will help you figure out how much coffee to use. The ratio for a French press is around 1:18. The 1 is coffee in grams and the 18 is water in milliliters. This will give you a lighter tasting coffee. If you want to go bolder with your coffee than you should increase the grams of coffee to milliliters of water. For example, a 1:13 ratio will yield a much stronger coffee than a 1:18 ratio.
If you need help with the ratios there is a good calculator to help you along the way.
Espresso
An espresso coffee also uses a coffee to water ratio. But the meaning of the numbers in the ratio are different. Espresso coffee uses a 1:2 ratio. The 1 is the amount of coffee in grams and the 2 is the output of coffee in grams from the espresso machine. So in many standard machines you may use 18 grams of coffee for an output of 36 grams of coffee.
Coffee To Water Ratio For An Auto Drip Coffee Maker
How Much Coffee For 1 Cup Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 1 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 1 Cup Indicator = 5 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 1 Heaping Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 0.63 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 0.42 Cups
How Much Coffee For 2 Cups Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 2 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 2 Cup Indicator = 10 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 2.5 Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 1.25 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 0.83 Cups
How Much Coffee For 4 Cups Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 4 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 4 Cup Indicator = 20 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 5 Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 2.5 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 1.66 Cups
How Much Coffee For 6 Cups Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 6 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 6 Cup Indicator = 30 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 7.5 Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 3.75 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 2.5 Cups
How Much Coffee For 8 Cups Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 8 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 8 Cup Indicator = 40 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 10 Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 5 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 3.33 Cups
How Much Coffee For 10 Cups Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 10 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 10 Cup Indicator = 50 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 12.5 Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 6.25 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 4.16 Cups
How Much Coffee For 12 Cups Of Coffee
How much coffee you need when you fill water to the 12 cup indicator line on the coffee pot?
- 12 Cup Indicator = 60 Fluid Ounces
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 15 Tablespoons
- How Many 8-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 7.5 Cups
- How Many 12-Ounce Cups of Coffee Will You Get? = 5 Cups
French Press Coffee To Water Ratio
With a French press coffee maker the coffee to water ratio will work a little differently. Here, we’re going to measure the coffee in grams and keep the water in milliliters. We’re also going to list the water measurement in fluid ounces. Here we’re following a 1:18 coffee to water ratio. This ratio will brew a lighter coffee than let’s say a 1:13 coffee to water ratio. Now, you’ll also need to adjust the brew to taste so as the water part of the ratio decreases the stronger your coffee will be.
To do the math you should take the volume of water (in milliliters) and divide it by 18 in this example. This will give you the number of grams of coarse ground coffee you need for a delicious cup of coffee from a French press.
How Much Coffee For 3 cups (0.35 liters)
- 12 Fluid Ounces Brewed Coffee or 350ml
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 19.5 grams
How Much Coffee For 4 cups (0.5 liters)
- 17 Fluid Ounces Brewed Coffee or 502ml
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 28 grams
How Much Coffee For 8 cups (1 liter)
- 34 Fluid Ounces Brewed Coffee or 1000ml
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 55.5 grams
How Much Coffee For 12 cups (1.5 liters)
- 51 Fluid Ounces Brewed Coffee or 1500ml
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 83.5 grams
Espresso Coffee To Water Ratio
- The ratio is 1:2
- How Much Coffee Do You Need? = 18 grams for 36 grams of brewed coffee
Recommended Grind For Different Coffee Makers
French press – coarse, as breadcrumbs
Pour over – fine to medium
Drip coffee maker – medium, as beach sand
Espresso machine – extra fine
Reusable k-cup – medium, drip grind
Final Thoughts On The Coffee To Water Ratio
Like a house or a building you want to have a good foundation when it comes to brewing coffee. The coffee to water ratio is what gives us the foundation to create great tasting coffee. Another analogy to home building is you want to use good quality products in your home. This means you should use good ingredients in your coffee which includes your coffee beans. It also helps to make sure that your coffee machine along with the filters are clean for a better and fresher taste.
By using a coffee ratio you can ensure that you’re coffee will come out perfect every time.
Now that we’ve started with a good coffee to water ratio we can now focus on making tweaks to our coffee to make it taste better to our own tastes. This is much like an interior designer redecorating the inside of the home. Hopefully, we’ve laid the foundation for a strong and solid house so you can turn your coffee into something special.
