Coffee Ratio Calculator
Calculate coffee dose, brew water, or espresso yield from method-based starting ratios so you can size a single cup, a French press batch, a cold brew prep, or a shot target before brewing.
Coffee Ratio Inputs
Coffee Ratio Summary
Coffee dose
20 g
Pour over starting point
Brew water
320 ml
Water to heat before brewing
Approximate servings: 1.3 cups (240 ml each).
Starting ratio
1:16
Manual filter brew with bloom and steady pours.
Grind size
Medium-fine
Adjust finer or coarser only after taste testing
Water temperature
93 +/- 3 C
Hotter water extracts faster
Brew time
2-4 minutes
A longer contact time usually extracts more
Current Calculation
Brew water = coffee dose x ratio
20 x 16 = 320 ml
Reverse-check the dose
320 / 16 = 20 g
Planning note
For brew planning, 1 ml of water is treated as roughly 1 g of water when you weigh the kettle or brewer.
Method Details
| Brewing method | Pour over |
| Starting ratio | 1:16 |
| Coffee dose | 20 g |
| Brew water | 320 ml |
| Grind size | Medium-fine |
| Water temperature | 93 +/- 3 C |
| Brew time | 2-4 minutes |
| Approx. servings | 1.3 cups (240 ml each) |
Use Scenarios
Dial in a single cup
Start with a pour-over, drip, or AeroPress preset when you want one repeatable mug instead of guessing from scoops or memory.
Scale a batch cleanly
Reverse the math from brew water to coffee dose when you are planning a French press or automatic-drip batch for more than one person.
Compare stronger brew styles
Use the method presets to see why espresso and cold brew need much lower ratio numbers than filter coffee even before you adjust for taste.
Formula Explanation
1) Forward brew math
Liquid target = coffee dose x ratio
When you already know the coffee dose, multiply it by the method ratio to size brew water for filter coffee or beverage yield for espresso.
2) Reverse the equation
Coffee dose = liquid target / ratio
When you know how much liquid you want to brew, divide by the ratio to find the grams of coffee to weigh out.
3) Weight-first planning
1 ml water is treated as roughly 1 g water
Using grams and milliliters makes the calculator easy to scale. It also avoids the inconsistency that comes from tablespoons or scoops.
4) Method starting presets
Pour over 1:16 | French press 1:15 | Espresso 1:2 | Drip 1:17 | Cold brew 1:5 | AeroPress 1:15
These are starting points rather than universal rules. Different filters, roasts, grind sizes, and taste goals can all justify a stronger or lighter ratio.
How to Read the Result
Coffee dose
Treat the coffee number as the dry dose to put on the scale before grinding or brewing. If the cup tastes weak, you can increase dose by lowering the ratio number or brewing a smaller liquid target.
Liquid target
For filter coffee and cold brew, the liquid target is brew water. For espresso, the liquid target is beverage yield in the cup, because shot ratios are not written as total machine water.
Taste adjustments
A lower ratio number means more coffee for the same liquid and usually a stronger cup. A higher ratio number means less coffee for the same liquid and usually a lighter cup.
Example Cases
Case 1: Single-cup pour over
Inputs
- Coffee dose: 20 g
- Method: Pour over
- Starting ratio: 1:16
Computed Results
- Coffee dose: 20 g
- Brew water: 320 ml
- Grind size: Medium-fine
- Brew time: 2-4 minutes
Interpretation
This is a practical one-mug baseline for manual filter coffee. It stays close to a standard 1:16 starting point without pushing the cup too strong or too light.
Decision Hint
Use a case like this when you want a repeatable morning brew and plan to adjust only one variable at a time after tasting.
Case 2: French press for two
Inputs
- Liquid target: 600 ml
- Method: French press
- Starting ratio: 1:15
Computed Results
- Coffee dose: 40 g
- Brew water: 600 ml
- Grind size: Coarse
- Brew time: 4 minutes
Interpretation
Calculating backward from the brew-water target makes it easy to size a bigger immersion batch without guessing how many tablespoons to use.
Decision Hint
Choose a reverse-calculation case like this when you know your carafe size first and want the coffee dose to follow automatically.
Case 3: AeroPress travel mug
Inputs
- Liquid target: 240 ml
- Method: AeroPress
- Starting ratio: 1:15
Computed Results
- Coffee dose: 16 g
- Brew water: 240 ml
- Grind size: Medium-fine
- Brew time: 1-2 minutes
Interpretation
AeroPress uses a tighter ratio than standard drip, so a single-mug target still needs a clearly measured coffee dose to avoid a weak travel brew.
Decision Hint
Use this type of case when you want one quick cup and prefer to size the coffee from the mug volume you plan to fill.
Boundary Conditions
Sources & References
- Specialty Coffee Association - Certified Home Brewer Program RequirementsUsed for the SCA gold-cup context, weight-based coffee measurement, and the 55 g per liter brewing benchmark that frames common hot-brew starting ratios.
- About Coffee - Pour-Over CoffeeUsed for pour-over ratio range, water temperature guidance, and the 2-4 minute manual-brew workflow behind the pour-over preset.
- About Coffee - French Press CoffeeUsed for French press range guidance, coarse-grind context, and the 4-minute immersion timing used in the method notes.
- About Coffee - Drip CoffeeUsed for automatic-drip brewing guidance, medium-grind context, and the practical cup-based framing behind the drip preset.
- About Coffee - Cold Brew CoffeeUsed for cold-brew concentrate context, coarse-grind guidance, and the long steep-time note that separates cold brew from hot brewing methods.
- About Coffee - EspressoUsed for espresso concentration context and the short 20-30 second extraction timing that supports reading espresso as beverage yield.
- AeroPress - How To UseUsed only as a supplementary explanatory reference for AeroPress brew speed and one-mug workflow. It is not the formula authority for the page-wide ratio math.