Coffee to water calculator
Pour-over, French press, AeroPress and iced. Get the exact gram weight for any strength.
No sign-up · Works offline
Dial in your espresso,
in grams.
Enter your dose. Get the exact yield to stop the shot at, the time window to aim for, and the grind direction to fix it. No more guessing by volume.
espresso shot
Dose — dry coffee in
g
Brew ratio
1 : 2.00eff.
Taste adjustment
Balanced
Target yield in the cup
36.0 g
Weigh the cup. Stop the shot when the scale reads 36.0 g.
Ratio1 : 2.00
Dose18.0 g
Yield36.0 g
Shot time26–31 s
GrindMedium-fine
Basket18–20 g
Medium is the safe middle. Start at 1:2 and adjust grind before you touch the ratio.
Everything else you need to dial in
The ratio is step one. These are the calculators that finish the job.
Golden cup strength
Turn TDS and extraction yield into a strength score, and see where your brew lands.
Ratio cheat sheet
Every ratio from 1:1 to 1:18 mapped to grams for common doses. Print it for the bar.
Shot timer & log
Time your extraction and keep a running log of what worked. Stored on your device.
Water hardness
Convert between ppm, dH, fH and gH, and see whether your water is scale-prone.
Milk steaming
Work out milk volume, pitcher size and target temperature for any drink size.
V60 ratio calculator
Water weight, grind setting and a timed pour schedule for the Hario V60.
Chemex ratio calculator
3, 6, 8 and 10 cup weights, and why the thick filter wants a coarser grind.
Cold brew ratio calculator
Concentrate or ready-to-drink, with steeping time and dilution maths.
Moka pot ratio calculator
2, 3, 6 and 9 cup Bialetti weights. The basket fixes the dose, this fixes the water.
AeroPress ratio calculator
Standard, inverted and competition concentrate recipes with a press schedule.
French press ratio calculator
Exact weights for a 4-minute immersion brew that stays clean, not muddy.
How the espresso ratio calculator works
Espresso is defined by a brew ratio — the weight of dry coffee that goes into the basket, compared to the weight of liquid that comes out of it. Write it as 1:2, meaning one gram of coffee in for two grams of espresso out.
The calculator multiplies your dose by the ratio to give you the yield to stop the shot at:
yield = dose × ratio
So 18 g in at 1:2 gives 36 g out. Weigh the cup, not the machine. Pressure gauges and pump timers drift; a 0.1 g scale does not.
What each ratio tastes like
| Ratio | Name | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1.5 | Ristretto | Syrupy, intense, low bitterness | Milk drinks, dark roasts |
| 1:2 | Classic | Balanced body and clarity | Most medium roasts |
| 1:2.5 | Modern | Brighter, more acidity and florals | Light specialty roasts |
| 1:3 | Lungo | Thinner, longer finish | Very dense high-grown beans |
The taste adjustment slider
Pulling the slider left shortens the shot by up to 12%; pushing it right lengthens it by the same amount. Use it as a fine trim once the base ratio tastes close but not quite there — then lock in the number and write it on the bag.
Fix the yield, then the grind
Most people adjust grind and yield at the same time, then chase their own tail. Do it in this order:
- Set the yield from this calculator and stop the shot at that weight, whatever the time says.
- Taste it. Sour means under-extracted, bitter means over-extracted.
- Change grind only — finer if sour, coarser if bitter — and keep the yield fixed.
- Repeat until the shot lands in the time window and tastes right. Only then consider changing the ratio.
For the full workflow, read how to dial in espresso without wasting a bag of beans.
Frequently asked
What is a good espresso ratio?
1:2 is the standard — 18 g in, 36 g out. Ristretto sits at 1:1.5 and lungo at 1:3. Medium roasts usually taste best between 1:2 and 1:2.5, dark roasts prefer shorter, light roasts longer.
How much espresso does 18 grams of coffee make?
At 1:2, 18 g of ground coffee yields 36 g of espresso — a standard double, roughly 36 ml. At 1:2.5 it yields 45 g.
Should I measure espresso by volume or by weight?
Weight, always. Crema throws off volume badly — a shot that looks like 60 ml can weigh 30 g or 55 g depending on the bean and how fresh it is. A 0.1 g scale makes shots repeatable.
Why is my espresso sour?
Sour is under-extraction. Grind finer, raise brew temperature 1–2 °C, or pull a slightly longer ratio. Change one variable per shot, otherwise you cannot tell what worked.
How long should an espresso shot take?
25–30 seconds at 1:2 is the usual reference window. It is a starting point, not a law — a light roast at 1:2.5 legitimately runs longer. Hit the yield first, then tune grind to get near the time.
Get the whole toolkit
Six calculators covering espresso, pour-over, water and milk — all free, all in grams.