How Much Coffee Should You Use? A Simple Coffee-to-Water Guide

How much coffee should you actually use? It sounds like it should be an easy question, but it can get confusing once you start looking at coffee-maker cup measurements, tablespoons, grams and different brewing methods.

For a standard drip coffee maker, 1 tablespoon of ground coffee per coffee-maker cup is a good place to start. If you prefer to measure by weight, a ratio of about 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water is a useful starting point for brewed coffee. Once you have a starting point, you can adjust the recipe to suit your taste.

How Much Coffee Should You Use in a Coffee Maker?

For a standard drip coffee maker, start with approximately 1 tablespoon of ground coffee for each coffee-maker cup of water. The tricky part is that the “cup” marked on your coffee maker is usually smaller than the cup you drink from. A coffee-maker cup is often around 150 ml, although the exact measurement varies between machines.

So, if your coffee maker is set to 8 cups, you are not necessarily making eight 250 ml mugs of coffee. You are using roughly 1.2 litres of water, which means starting with about 8 tablespoons of ground coffee.

The tablespoon measurements are there because they are easy to use at home. The gram measurements are useful if you want to be more consistent, since a tablespoon of coffee can weigh slightly more or less depending on the grind and the coffee itself.

What Is the Best Coffee-to-Water Ratio?

There is no single ratio that will make the perfect coffee for everyone. For many brewed coffee methods, though, 1:16 is a good starting point. A 1:16 ratio means using 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. If you use 20 grams of coffee, for example, you would use about 320 grams, or roughly 320 ml, of water.

Using a ratio becomes particularly helpful when you want to make a different amount of coffee without changing the strength of the recipe. Once you find a ratio you like, you can simply scale it up or down. It also gives you a better starting point when trying a new coffee. You can begin with the same ratio, taste the result and make a small adjustment rather than guessing at the amount of coffee.

Should You Measure Coffee by Weight?

If you want more consistent coffee, measuring by weight is worth trying. Tablespoons are convenient, but the amount of coffee they hold can change depending on the grind size, roast level and how the grounds settle in the spoon. A scale takes that guesswork out of the equation.

You do not need an expensive coffee scale. A basic kitchen scale that measures in grams is enough to help you repeat a recipe once you find one you like.

Can You Just Use a Coffee Scoop?

Yes. There is nothing wrong with using a coffee scoop. If you use the same scoop and roughly the same amount every morning, you will quickly get a feel for how much coffee you need. For many people, that is all the consistency they need.

A scale is more useful when you are trying to troubleshoot your coffee or reproduce a recipe very precisely.

Does More Coffee Make Stronger Coffee?

Generally, yes. If you keep the amount of water the same and add more coffee, the resulting brew will usually taste stronger. 

If your coffee tastes too weak, make a small adjustment the next time you brew. If you normally use 4 tablespoons for 4 coffee-maker cups, try 4½ or 5 tablespoons and see how it tastes.

If the coffee is too strong, do the opposite and reduce the amount slightly. You can also add a little more water if you have already brewed the coffee.

Strong and bitter are not the same thing. If your coffee tastes bitter, simply using less coffee may not fix the problem. Grind size, brewing time and extraction can all affect the flavour.

Does the Roast Level Change How Much Coffee You Should Use?

You can start with the same coffee-to-water ratio whether you are brewing a light, medium or dark roast, but the finished coffee will have a different character. There is no need to completely change your recipe every time you open a new bag. Start with what has worked for you before, then adjust if the coffee tastes different from what you expected.

A darker roast will generally have a more pronounced roast flavour, while a lighter roast can bring out more of the individual characteristics of the coffee. Because of that, you may find that you prefer slightly different recipes depending on the coffee you are using.

How Much Coffee Should You Use for Different Brewing Methods?

The amount of coffee you use also depends on how you are brewing it. A drip coffee maker, pour-over, AeroPress, Bialetti and espresso machine all work differently, so the same recipe does not apply to all of them. These are good starting points for each method though.

Pour-Over

Starting point: 20 g of coffee + 320 ml of water

A ratio of approximately 1:16 is a good place to start with pour-over coffee. Use a medium-fine grind and adjust from there depending on how the coffee tastes and how quickly the water moves through the grounds.

If the coffee tastes too weak, you can try using a little more coffee. If it tastes too strong, increase the amount of water or reduce the amount of coffee.

Bialetti Moka Pot

Starting point: Fill the basket with coffee and the lower chamber with water

A Bialetti Moka pot is a little different because the size of the pot determines the amount of coffee it is designed to brew. You do not need to calculate a drip-coffee ratio for each cup size.

Fill the coffee basket with finely ground coffee and level it off without pressing the grounds down. Fill the lower chamber with water to just below the safety valve, then assemble and brew according to your Moka pot's instructions.

A 6-cup Bialetti will use considerably more coffee than a 3-cup model, so use the basket as your guide rather than the coffee-maker measurements above.

AeroPress

Starting point: 15 g of coffee + 230 ml of water

Start with a medium-fine grind and brew for approximately 1 to 2 minutes before pressing. The AeroPress is forgiving and easy to adjust, so there is plenty of room to change the recipe once you know what you like.

For a stronger cup, try adding a little more coffee. For a lighter cup, increase the water or reduce the coffee.

Manual Espresso Machine

Starting point: 18 g of coffee will give you approximately 36 g of espresso with an extraction time of 25 to 30 seconds

For a typical double espresso, start with 18 grams of finely ground coffee and aim for approximately 36 grams of espresso in the cup. An extraction time of around 25 to 30 seconds is a useful starting point, although the right result will depend on the coffee, grinder and espresso machine.

Espresso is different from brewed coffee because the grind size has a major effect on how quickly the water moves through the coffee. If the shot is running too quickly, try a finer grind. If it is running too slowly, try a slightly coarser grind.

Once your dose and target yield are set, make small adjustments to the grind and extraction. Simply letting an espresso shot run for much longer is not usually the answer, since over-extraction can lead to bitter or harsh flavours. 

A scale is greatly recommended for this method, so you can get your extraction time just right. 

What Should You Change If Your Coffee Does Not Taste Right?

Start with the simplest adjustment.

If the coffee tastes weak, try a little more coffee. If it tastes too strong, use a little less or add more water. If it tastes bitter or harsh, look at the grind size and brewing time before assuming you need to change the amount of coffee.

With espresso and pour-over coffee in particular, small changes to the grind can make a noticeable difference.

The easiest way to figure out what works is to change one thing at a time. If you change the coffee, grind, water and brewing time all at once, it becomes difficult to know what actually improved the cup.

Coffee-to-Water Ratio Cheat Sheet

So, How Much Coffee Should You Use?

For a standard drip coffee maker, 1 tablespoon of ground coffee per coffee-maker cup is a simple place to start. If you prefer to measure by weight, try a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio for brewed coffee.

For other brewing methods, start with the recipe that fits your equipment and make small adjustments as you go. You may end up using a little more coffee than the starting point, or a little less.

There is no reason to make coffee more complicated than it needs to be. Start with a reasonable recipe, pay attention to how the coffee tastes and adjust from there.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Much Coffee to Use