Recipes say 1:16 and spoons say one scoop per cup, and neither tells you what to actually put in the brewer. Here are the grams, per cup size, per method.
The short answer
About 15 grams of coffee per 240 ml cup for filter coffee, which is a 1:16 ratio. A 6 oz cup takes 11 g, an 8 oz mug takes 15 g, a 12 oz mug takes 22 g.
Espresso is completely different: a double shot is 18 g in and 36 g out, filling about 2 oz.
| Cup size | Water | Filter coffee | Espresso |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 oz / 180 ml | 180 g | 11 g | — |
| 8 oz / 240 ml | 240 g | 15 g | ~1 double |
| 10 oz / 300 ml | 300 g | 19 g | — |
| 12 oz / 360 ml | 360 g | 22 g | — |
| 16 oz / 480 ml | 480 g | 30 g | — |
| 20 oz / 600 ml | 600 g | 38 g | — |
Why weight and not scoops
A tablespoon of coffee weighs 4 to 8 g depending on grind, roast and how settled it is in the spoon. That is a 100 percent error, which is the difference between a weak cup and an overwhelming one.
A 0.1 g kitchen scale costs less than a bag of beans and is the most useful piece of coffee equipment you can own. Weigh the beans before grinding, not the grounds after, because the grinder retains some.
By brew method
The ratio changes the strength, so the same cup needs different amounts depending on how you brew.
| Method | Ratio | For 240 ml |
|---|---|---|
| Pour-over (V60) | 1:16 | 15 g |
| Drip machine | 1:16 to 1:17 | 14 to 15 g |
| French press | 1:15 | 16 g |
| AeroPress | 1:13 | 18 g |
| Moka pot | 1:8 | 30 g (yields less) |
| Cold brew concentrate | 1:6 | 40 g (dilute 1:1) |
How many cups from a bag
A 250 g bag makes about 16 filter cups at 15 g each, or 13 double espressos at 18 g. A 1 kg bag makes roughly 66 filter cups or 55 doubles.
Two 12 oz mugs a day at 22 g each is 44 g a day, so a 250 g bag lasts under six days.
When to use more or less
Use more coffee when the roast is very light, when you are adding milk, or when the cup tastes thin even at the right extraction.
Use less for very dark roasts, for large batches where you want to keep brew time manageable, or when the cup tastes muddy and overwhelming.