How much coffee should you use? A guide to coffee dosage

How much coffee should you actually use?

For standard filter coffee, 60 grams of coffee per liter of water is a really good place to start.

This corresponds to a coffee-to-water ratio of approximately 1:16.7 – that is, about 16.7 grams of water for every gram of coffee.

However, the optimal dosage depends on the brewing method, the coffee beans, and your own taste.

An AeroPress, for example, can be used with many different coffee-to-water ratios, while espresso is usually described in a completely different way, comparing the amount of ground coffee to the weight of the finished espresso.

In this guide, you will get concrete dosages for different amounts of water and learn how to adjust the coffee if it becomes too strong or too mild.

Quick answer: How much coffee per liter of water?

A good starting point for standard filter coffee and many manual brewing methods is:

60 grams of coffee to 1 liter of water

This gives you:

You don't need to follow the numbers slavishly.

Use them as a starting point and then adjust based on the coffee you are using, the brewing method, and your own taste.

What does coffee-to-water ratio mean?

Coffee-to-water ratio describes how much coffee you use in relation to the amount of water.

If you use, for example:

60 g coffee + 1,000 g water

the ratio is approximately:

1:16.7

This means that about 16.7 grams of water are used for every gram of coffee.

You will also often encounter recipes written as, for example:

1:15
1:16
1:17

The lower the number after the colon, the more coffee is used in relation to the water.

A ratio of 1:15 therefore uses more coffee than 1:17.

This does not automatically mean that 1:15 makes a better cup. The ratio between coffee and water works in tandem with grind size, brew time, temperature, and brewing method.

If you want to understand how the size of the coffee particles affects brewing, you can read our grind size guide.

How many grams of coffee to 1 liter of water?

Start with 60 grams of coffee to 1 liter of water.

It is easy to remember and works as a good practical starting point for regular filter coffee and many other filter-based brewing methods.

If the coffee turns out stronger than you prefer, you can try using slightly less coffee next time.

If it seems too mild, you can try slightly more.

However, avoid using the amount of coffee to solve all taste problems.

For example, if the coffee tastes sharp, bitter, or dry, grind size, brew time, and temperature can also play a major role.

How much coffee for 500 ml of water?

At 60 grams of coffee per liter, you need:

30 grams of coffee for 500 ml of water.

This again corresponds to approximately 1:16.7.

500 ml is a practical size for, for example, smaller filter brews and some pour-over recipes.

How much coffee for 750 ml of water?

Using the same starting point, you need:

45 grams of coffee for 750 ml of water.

If you are brewing manually with, for example, a Chemex, you should also be aware of grind size and draw-down time.

You can see the full procedure in our Chemex guide.

How much coffee for 1.25 liters of water?

For 1.25 liters of water, 60 g/L yields:

75 grams of coffee.

This is a relevant amount because many larger filter coffee machines have a capacity of around 1.25 liters.

However, always use the actual amount of water rather than relying solely on the machine's indication of the number of "cups".

How much coffee for 10 cups?

That depends on the coffee machine.

A "cup" on a coffee machine is not necessarily the same as a regular coffee mug.

Therefore, 10 cups is not a precise amount of water.

If, for example, the 10-cup marking on your machine corresponds to 1.25 liters of water, the dosage becomes:

75 grams of coffee to 1.25 liters of water.

If the machine's 10 cups correspond to a different amount, the amount of coffee must be adjusted accordingly.

It is therefore far more accurate to calculate in grams of coffee per liter than in spoons or "cups".

How much coffee per cup?

That depends first and foremost on how large your cup is.

If we use 60 grams of coffee per liter as a starting point:

Therefore, there is no one precise answer to the question "how many grams of coffee per cup?".

A small coffee cup and a large mug can hold more than twice as much coffee.

Use the amount of water as your basis.

Should you measure coffee with grams or spoons?

We recommend grams.

A tablespoon or a coffee scoop is a volume measure, and the amount of coffee in the spoon can vary depending on, among other things:

• the size of the spoon
• the grind size
• how densely the coffee is packed
• the coffee beans
• whether the spoon is leveled or heaped.

A scale makes it much easier to replicate a good brew.

If you always use the same coffee scoop and do not wish to weigh every day, you can keep it simple:

Weigh once to see how many grams your own scoop holds.

Then, in the future, you will know how many of your specific scoops you need to use.

If you want to work more precisely with coffee and water, you can see our coffee scales.

How much coffee for filter coffee?

For regular filter coffee, 60 grams of coffee per liter of water is a good starting point.

Example:

• 30 g coffee to 500 ml water
• 45 g coffee to 750 ml water
• 60 g coffee to 1 liter water
• 75 g coffee to 1.25 liters water.

Use a medium grind size as a starting point and then adjust according to your coffee machine and taste.

If you are brewing on a standard coffee machine, we recommend using our complete guide to filter coffee. Here we also cover grind size, water, and the brewing process itself.

How much coffee for Hario V60?

For Hario V60, about 60 grams of coffee per liter is a simple place to start.

A practical recipe is, for example:

15 g coffee to 250 g water.

This corresponds to approximately 1:16.7.

V60, however, makes it possible to adjust both dosage, grind size, and pouring technique, so the ratio does not always have to be the same.

If you change the coffee-to-water ratio, you should be aware that it can affect both strength and extraction.

You will find a complete recipe in our Hario V60 guide.

How much coffee for Chemex?

60 grams of coffee per liter is also a good starting point for Chemex.

This yields, for example:

30 g coffee to 500 g water

45 g coffee to 750 g water

60 g coffee to 1,000 g water

For larger Chemex brews, the grind size may need adjustment because the total draw-down time changes.

Therefore, coffee dosage should not be evaluated in isolation.

Read our Chemex coffee guide if you want the full recipe.

How much coffee for AeroPress?

AeroPress is more flexible.

A simple starting point for a regular cup is:

15 grams of coffee to 250 grams of water.

This is again around 60 grams of coffee per liter.

However, AeroPress can be used with both more and less concentrated recipes.

You can, for example, brew a more concentrated coffee and subsequently dilute it with hot water.

Therefore, it does not make sense to say that AeroPress always requires one specific coffee-to-water ratio.

In our AeroPress guide, you will find a simple basic recipe and suggestions for how to adjust the result.

How much coffee for a French press?

For a French press, you can also use about 60 grams of coffee per liter as a starting point and then adapt it to your taste and recipe.

Example:

30 g coffee to 500 ml water

or

60 g coffee to 1 liter water.

The French press differs from pour-over because coffee and water stay together during most of the brewing.

Therefore, brew time and grind size play an important role along with the dosage.

You can find our concrete procedure in the French press guide.

How much coffee for espresso?

Espresso is different.

Here, it usually makes more sense to talk about the ratio between:

the amount of ground coffee in

and

the amount of finished espresso out.

A common starting point could be, for example:

18 g coffee in → 36 g espresso out

This corresponds to an espresso ratio of around 1:2.

This must not be confused with 1:16 or 1:17 for filter coffee.

When we say 1:2 for espresso, the 36 grams are the finished drink in the cup – not the total amount of water the espresso machine uses during the process.

Espresso therefore requires its own way of working with ratios.

Read our espresso guide if you want to work with dose, yield, brew time, and grind size.

How much coffee for cold brew?

Cold brew varies significantly more from recipe to recipe.

Some cold brew recipes are brewed as a ready-to-drink coffee, while others are brewed as a concentrate that is subsequently diluted with water or milk.

Therefore, the coffee-to-water ratio can be very different.

First, follow the recipe for the specific cold brew maker or method you are using.

This is more accurate than applying the general 60 g/L rule to all types of cold brew.

Is 60 grams of coffee per liter always right?

No.

60 grams per liter is a starting point, not a rule.

Coffee is a product where raw materials, roast, grind size, and brewing method all influence the result.

You may therefore very well prefer, for example, a little more or a little less coffee.

The important thing is that you change the dosage intentionally.

If you randomly use 50 grams one day, 70 grams the next, and change the grind size at the same time, it becomes very difficult to figure out why the coffee tastes different.

Start with a fixed recipe.

Taste.

Then change one thing at a time.

Should you use more coffee if you want stronger coffee?

You can.

More coffee relative to the water will usually provide a more concentrated cup.

But the word "strong" can mean different things.

Some mean:

• more concentrated
• more bitter
• more dark-roasted
• more full-bodied
• more intense flavor.

These things are not the same.

If the coffee tastes too thin, a higher coffee dosage might be relevant.

However, if the coffee tastes sour or lacks sweetness, the problem could also be the grind size or extraction.

Therefore, using much more coffee without changing other parts of the recipe will not necessarily solve the problem.

What do I do if the coffee tastes too mild?

Start by checking how much coffee you are actually using.

If you are significantly below approximately 60 g/L for standard filter coffee, you can try increasing the dosage.

If the dosage is already appropriate, you can then look at the grind size.

For example, the coffee might be ground so coarsely that the water does not have enough time to extract sufficiently during brewing.

Use our grind size guide to find a better starting point.

What do I do if the coffee tastes too strong?

You can try a slightly lower coffee dosage.

But first, assess what you mean by “strong.”

If the coffee is simply very concentrated, less coffee might be the solution.

If, on the other hand, it tastes very bitter, dry, or unpleasant, the problem might be the brewing process rather than the amount of coffee.

For instance, a slightly coarser grind size or a changed brew time might be relevant depending on the method.

Should you weigh the water?

For precise coffee brewing, it is an advantage.

For regular water, it is practically true that 1 ml of water weighs approximately 1 gram.

250 ml of water can therefore be treated as approximately 250 g when making a coffee recipe.

This makes a coffee scale particularly practical for V60, Chemex, and AeroPress, because you can place the entire brewer on the scale and monitor the water volume as you pour.

In our selection of coffee scales for espresso and filter coffee, you will find models for both manual brewing and espresso.

How to calculate the coffee amount yourself

If you use 60 grams of coffee per liter, the calculation is simple:

Liters of water × 60 = grams of coffee

Example with 0.75 liters:

0.75 × 60 = 45 grams of coffee

Example with 1.25 liters:

1.25 × 60 = 75 grams of coffee

If you work in milliliters, you can use:

ml of water × 0.06 = grams of coffee

Example:

600 ml × 0.06 = 36 grams of coffee

Then you don't need to look up all quantities in a table.

Coffee dosage is only one part of a good brew

The right ratio between coffee and water gives you a stable starting point.

But it does not stand alone.

The result also depends on:

• the coffee beans
• the grind size
• the water temperature
• the brew time
• the brewing method
• the water
• your equipment.

Therefore, we recommend viewing the dosage as one of the variables you can control.

Start with a simple recipe.

Feel free to use whole freshly roasted coffee beans, grind them close to brewing, and weigh the coffee and water.

Once you can repeat the same brew, it becomes much easier to adjust it to your own taste.

You can find specific recipes for individual methods in our collected brew guides.

Frequently asked questions about coffee dosage

How much coffee should you use per liter?

60 grams of coffee per liter of water is a good starting point for standard filter coffee and many manual filter methods. Then adjust according to the brewing method and taste.

How many grams of coffee do I need for 500 ml of water?

At 60 grams per liter, you need 30 grams of coffee for 500 ml of water.

How much coffee do I need for 750 ml of water?

45 grams of coffee for 750 ml of water is a good starting point.

How much coffee do I need for 1 liter of water?

Start with 60 grams of coffee for 1 liter of water.

How much coffee do I need for 1.25 liters of water?

At 60 grams per liter, you need 75 grams of coffee.

How much coffee do I need for 10 cups?

This depends on how much water the coffee machine's 10-cup marker corresponds to. If it is, for example, 1.25 liters, you can start with 75 grams of coffee.

How many grams of coffee per cup?

This depends on the size of the cup. For 250 ml of water, 60 g/L corresponds to 15 grams of coffee. For 200 ml, it corresponds to 12 grams.

How many spoons of coffee per liter?

Spoons and coffee scoops vary in size, so grams are more precise. Weigh the contents of your own coffee scoop once if you want to dose with the same scoop in the future.

What does 1:16 coffee mean?

It means one part coffee to 16 parts water measured by weight. For example, 20 grams of coffee at a 1:16 ratio corresponds to 320 grams of water.

Is 1:2 espresso the same as a coffee/water ratio?

No. With espresso, 1:2 typically describes the ratio between dry coffee in the portafilter and the weight of the finished espresso. For example, 18 grams of coffee in and 36 grams of espresso out.

Should coffee and water be weighed?

It is not necessary, but it makes brewing easier to repeat. A scale is especially useful for pour-over and espresso, where small changes can have a major impact.