The Brew How Much Coffee Per Cup? The Only Chart You Need
For a standard 8 oz cup of drip or pour-over coffee, use 15 grams of coffee — about 3 level tablespoons — with 240 ml (8 oz) of water. That's the 1:16 "golden ratio," and it's the right starting point for almost every hot brew method. The chart below adjusts it by method and batch size; if you want the math done for any amount, our brew ratio calculator does it instantly.
The chart: coffee per cup by brew method
One "cup" here means 8 oz / 240 ml of water — a normal mug, not the 5 oz "cup" printed on coffee-machine carafes. Amounts are for a single cup:
| Brew method | Ratio | Coffee per 8 oz cup | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drip machine | 1:16 | 15 g (≈3 tbsp) | 240 ml |
| Pour-over (V60, Kalita, Chemex) | 1:16 | 15 g (≈3 tbsp) | 240 ml |
| French press | 1:14 | 17 g (≈3½ tbsp) | 240 ml |
| AeroPress | 1:13 | 18 g (≈3½ tbsp) | 240 ml |
| Moka pot | 1:10 | 24 g (≈5 tbsp) | 240 ml |
| Espresso | 1:2 | 18 g per double shot | 36 g out |
| Cold brew (ready-to-drink) | 1:8 | 30 g (≈6 tbsp) | 240 ml |
Tablespoon counts are estimates — a level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs roughly 5 g, but it varies with grind size and roast, which is exactly why grams are the reliable column. Espresso is the exception in the table: it's dosed per shot, not per cup of water.
Scaling up: coffee by batch size
At the 1:16 default, the dose scales in a straight line. Double the water, double the coffee:
| You want | Water | Coffee at 1:16 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 240 ml (8 oz) | 15 g |
| 2 cups | 480 ml (16 oz) | 30 g |
| Travel mug / small pot | 720 ml (24 oz) | 45 g |
| Full 12-cup machine pot | ~1 litre (34 oz) | 60–63 g |
| Big batch | 1.5 litres (51 oz) | 94 g |
One caution on that machine pot: a "12-cup" carafe is twelve 5 oz cups, which is about 1.8 litres if you truly fill it to the 12 line — that would need roughly 110 g at 1:16. Most people brew a half-to-two-thirds pot, which is why ~1 litre / 60 g is the realistic row. When in doubt, measure the water you actually poured, not the number on the glass.
Stronger or weaker? Change the ratio, not the guesswork
The chart is a starting point, not a law. If your cup tastes thin or sour, you want a stronger ratio; if it's bitter and heavy, a leaner one:
- Stronger: 1:14 — about 17 g per 8 oz cup
- Standard: 1:16 — 15 g per 8 oz cup
- Lighter: 1:18 — about 13 g per 8 oz cup
Move one step at a time and keep everything else the same, or you'll never know what fixed the cup. Our coffee-to-water ratio guide covers the full logic, including why darker roasts often taste better a touch leaner.
Why "two scoops per cup" keeps failing you
Scoops fail for two reasons: a tablespoon of coffee can weigh anywhere from about 5 to 10 g depending on grind and how heaped it is, and "a cup" means 5, 8, or 12 oz depending on who printed the label. A cheap kitchen scale removes both problems in one step. Weigh the water (1 ml = 1 g), divide by 16, weigh the coffee. Thirty seconds of math, repeatable forever.
The beans matter as much as the dose
A perfect 15 g of stale coffee still makes a dull cup. Coffee peaks 4–14 days off roast and pre-ground coffee fades fastest of all, so weigh out fresh whole beans — like the roast-to-order coffee from Raven Horse Co — and grind right before you brew.