Coffee to Water Ratio
Reference
Coffee to Water Ratio
Every ratio we use, in grams, in grams per litre, and in tablespoons for the large majority of Indian kitchens that do not own a scale. Plus a calculator that runs in your browser.
Nothing is sent anywhere. This runs entirely in your browser and works offline.
The master table
Every ratio we publish across the seven brew guides, in one place. Tablespoons are level, not heaped, and assume roughly 6g a spoon.
| Method | As a ratio | Grams per litre | Level tbsp per 250ml |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pour over / V60 | 1:16 | 63 g | 2.5 |
| Batch brew | 1:16 | 63 g | 2.5 |
| French press | 1:15 | 67 g | 2.75 |
| AeroPress | 1:14 | 71 g | 3 |
| Moka pot | 1:9 | 111 g | 4.5 |
| South Indian filter | 1:8 | 125 g | 5 |
| Cold brew concentrate | 1:8 | 125 g | 5 |
| Espresso | 1:2 dose to yield | Not applicable | 18g in, 36g out |
Every other method on this page counts water going in. Espresso counts liquid coming out, because a good deal of what goes into the group never leaves the puck. An 18g dose yielding 36g in the cup is 1:2. Do not compare that number to 1:16 and conclude that espresso is eight times stronger — it is roughly six to eight times more concentrated, which is a different statement.
Why 1:16 is a starting point and not a rule
1:16 is a filter convention that lands most medium-roasted coffees at a strength most people find pleasant. It is a good default. It is not a law, and four things move it.
Roast level. A darker roast is more soluble, so at the same ratio it gives a heavier, stronger cup. Take it wider — 1:17 — if it feels thick. Light roasts often want 1:15 to 1:16 with a finer grind, because they give up less.
What the grounds keep. Coffee retains roughly two grams of water per gram of dry coffee. In a French press at 1:15 with 60g of coffee that is over 100ml never reaching your jug. The ratio you set and the drink you get are not the same volume.
Your water. Delhi tap water at 300–500 ppm mutes a cup and makes it read weak, which tempts people to add coffee. Fix the water first. Aim for 75–150 ppm.
Your taste. There is no correct number, only the one you prefer and can repeat. Write down what you did.
Strength and extraction are not the same thing
This is the distinction that ends most arguments about ratio, and almost nobody makes it.
Extraction is how much of the ground coffee dissolved into the water, as a percentage of its dry weight. Most coffee tastes best somewhere around 18 to 22 per cent. Below that it reads sour and thin; above it, bitter and drying. Extraction is governed by grind, time and temperature.
Strength is how much dissolved coffee is in the finished liquid — the concentration. Filter coffee usually sits near 1.2 to 1.5 per cent dissolved solids, espresso closer to 8 to 12. Strength is governed by the ratio.
The two are independent. You can brew a weak cup that is badly over-extracted, and a very strong one that is sour and under-extracted. So the practical rule is simple: if the coffee tastes wrong, change the grind. If it tastes right but there is too much or too little of it, change the ratio. Doing both at once teaches you nothing.
On spoons
A level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs roughly 5 to 7 grams, and the finer the grind the heavier the spoon. Six grams is a workable average and the calculator above uses it, but two people measuring the same spoon will differ by twenty per cent. A kitchen scale costs less than two bags of coffee and removes the variable permanently. It is the cheapest upgrade in this hobby.
Questions
Ratios, answered
What is the best coffee to water ratio?
1:16 for filter coffee, meaning 1 gram of coffee to 16 grams of water. That is 63 grams per litre. Immersion methods run a little tighter at 1:15, an AeroPress around 1:14, and a moka pot near 1:9 because the basket fixes the dose. Espresso is measured as dose to yield at about 1:2.
How many grams of coffee per cup?
For a 250ml cup at 1:16, about 15 grams. For a 200ml cup, 12 to 13 grams. For a 350ml mug, 22 grams. If you want it stronger, move to 1:15 rather than grinding finer — grinding finer changes the flavour balance as well as the strength.
How many tablespoons of coffee per cup?
Around two and a half level tablespoons per 250ml of water for filter coffee, taking a level tablespoon as roughly 6 grams. Heaped spoons can be half again as heavy, so keep them level and consistent. Spoons are a reasonable approximation and a poor measurement.
Is 1:16 too weak?
Not usually. A cup that tastes weak at 1:16 is more often under-extracted than under-dosed, and adding coffee to an under-extracted brew makes a larger quantity of the same fault. Grind finer, use hotter water, and only then consider moving to 1:15.
Does changing the ratio change extraction?
Slightly, but not in the way people expect. More water per gram of coffee actually raises extraction a little, because there is more solvent available. The large effect of ratio is on strength — how concentrated the drink is. Grind, temperature and time are what move extraction meaningfully.