Coffee ratio chart by method
These are the starting ratios this site uses for each of the six methods the calculator covers, with the coffee you need for a 350g mug of water and for a full litre. Start in the middle, then move within the range to taste.
| Method | Start at | Range | Coffee for 350g water | Coffee for 1 litre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroPress | 1:12 | 1:10 – 1:17 | 29 g | 83 g |
| Drip | 1:16 | 1:10 – 1:18 | 22 g | 63 g |
| Pourover | 1:16 | 1:15 – 1:17 | 22 g | 63 g |
| French Press | 1:16 | 1:14 – 1:17 | 22 g | 63 g |
| Cold Brew | 1:10 | 1:5 – 1:12 | 35 g | 100 g |
| Vietnamese Coffee | 1:7.5 | 1:6 – 1:9 | 47 g | 133 g |
Cold brew and Vietnamese coffee run strong on purpose. Cold brew at 1:10 is poured over ice that melts into it; go down to 1:5 to 1:8 for a concentrate you dilute. Vietnamese coffee is made to stand up to sweetened condensed milk.
How do coffee ratios work?
A brew ratio is simply coffee to water by weight. A 1:16 ratio means one gram of coffee for every sixteen grams of water — so 20g of coffee needs 320g of water. Because a millilitre of water weighs a gram, you can read grams of water as millilitres.
Lower numbers mean a stronger, more concentrated cup. Higher numbers mean a lighter one. Most methods have a range that works well, listed on each method's guide, and the difference between the ends of that range is real but not dramatic — it is worth trying both.
If you would rather not think in ratios at all, you do not have to. Each scalable brewing method page has a strength control in its recipe box — Gentle through Extra strong — that moves through that method's own range and shows you the grams. Use this calculator when you already know the ratio you want, or when you need to scale a recipe to the coffee or water you actually have.
Can you use it without a scale?
Yes. Set I know my to Coffee (Tbsp) or Coffee (scoops), enter how many level spoons you use, and the calculator gives you the water to match. It counts a level tablespoon as about 5g of ground coffee and a scoop as two tablespoons.
That is close, not exact. A level tablespoon can weigh anywhere from about 4g to 7g depending on grind and roast, so treat the answer as a starting point and adjust by taste. Water is the easy half: a liquid measuring cup is as accurate as a scale, and the calculator gives the water in fluid ounces too. How much coffee per cup shows how to check what your scoop really holds.
What is the golden ratio for coffee?
The Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup standard is 55g of coffee per litre of water, which works out to about 1:18. Most home brewers find that a little light and start nearer 1:16, which is where the pourover, drip, and French press recipes on this site begin. Neither is more correct; the right ratio is the one that tastes the way you like at your usual grind.
Why the yield is less than the water
Coffee grounds hold onto water. Roughly two grams stay behind in the bed for every gram of dry coffee, which is why brewing 320g of water over 20g of coffee leaves you with about 280g in the cup rather than 320g. The calculator accounts for this when it estimates yield.
Immersion methods that you press or plunge, like the AeroPress, recover a little more than that estimate. Treat the yield figure as a close guide rather than an exact measurement.
If the ratio is right but the coffee isn't
Ratio sets strength. It does not fix a cup that tastes sour or bitter — that is usually grind size. Sour, sharp, and thin means under-extraction, so grind finer. Bitter, hollow, and drying means over-extraction, so grind coarser. Calibrating the grind walks through the whole diagnosis.