Grounded Drops coffee calculator. These are starting recipes and planning estimates, with grams, millilitres and Celsius. Adjust for your coffee, equipment and taste. Brew-water amounts are the water you add, not a prediction of the finished drink.

Coffee to water ratios by method

Ground-coffee amounts are rounded. Grounds retain water, and equipment changes how much drink you collect. Measure cold-brew concentrate after filtering; start by adding an equal measured amount of water or milk, then adjust to taste.

Coffee for 250 ml to 3 litres of brew water

Plunger or pour over at about 60 g per litre. These are water-input amounts, not finished drinks. Spoon estimates assume 7 g per level tablespoon and two tablespoons per scoop; actual spoons and grounds vary. Use scales when possible.

Coffee for a crowd: 10 to 100 guests

Example assumptions: three hours of service, 85% of guests drinking coffee, 1.5 brews each, plus 10% spare. Plunger brews use 15 g coffee with 250 ml water input; a drip bag uses 200 ml water input. Allow separate water for cleaning. This plans supplies, not urn recipes or finished drink volume. Change the assumptions above for your event.

Coffee for a trip: two people at two brews a day

Drip bags include 10% spare, or two spare bags for fewer than 20 brews. Beans use 15 g per brew plus a 5% buffer, rounded up to a whole gram. Pack recommendations cover the quantity; follow pack storage instructions.

How ratios work

A coffee-to-water ratio describes the water added for each gram of ground coffee. At 1:16, use 16 g of water for every 1 g of coffee; this calculator treats 1 ml of water as approximately 1 g. A lower ratio number uses more coffee for the same water, and a higher number uses less. The ratios above are starting recipes, not universal optima. Espresso uses a different convention: 1:2 means 1 g of ground coffee to 2 g of espresso collected, not the water put through the machine. For drip coffee bags, see our step-by-step brewing guide.

Sour or bitter? What to change

Sourness, bitterness and a thin texture can have several causes, including the coffee itself, dose, grind and brewing technique. Start with a repeatable recipe, then change one thing at a time. For a weak drink, try a little more coffee for the same water. For a sharp or harsh result, try a small grind or brew-time change and compare. The strength controls above change the coffee-to-water ratio; they cannot predict which flavour you will prefer.

How the planner counts

For ground coffee, set the grams per brew to the dose you actually use. The starting doses for non-espresso methods are based on a 250 ml brew-water equivalent, not a measured 250 ml drink; check your equipment's capacity before brewing. Espresso starts at 18 g for one double shot, and drip bags count one bag per brew. You can adjust the ground-coffee dose without changing the number of brews you plan to make.

Plan-ahead mode adds a spare allowance before rounding up to listed pack sizes. A pack suggestion covers the estimated quantity; it is not a claim to be the cheapest delivered purchase. Check the linked product page for current sizes, availability, prices and purchase options. Event mode uses adjustable planning assumptions about guests and cups, not measured attendance or drinking habits. Replace the defaults with what you know about your event.

For coffee beans, ground coffee and drip bags, follow the storage directions on the pack. Reseal opened packaging and keep it in a cool, dry place. Choose a quantity that suits your own rate of use; this calculator does not estimate shelf life or guarantee freshness.

Every method, the numbers and the why

Plunger (French press) ratio: about 1:17

The calculator starts at about 1:16.7, or 60 g of ground coffee per litre of brew water. Treat this as a starting recipe and adjust to your taste.

For brew-water inputs of 250 ml, 350 ml, 600 ml and 1 litre, the calculator rounds the coffee to 15 g, 21 g, 36 g and 60 g. These are not finished-drink volumes. Start with water around 93°C and a four-minute steep, then press gently and serve. Follow your plunger's capacity and operating instructions; a fixed wait after boiling will not produce the same temperature in every kettle.

Pressing hard can force grounds through the mesh. Try the Plunger grind and gentle pressure, changing one recipe detail at a time. Plunger / French press guide. Open the calculator on plunger / french press.

Pour over (V60) ratio: about 1:17

Start at about 1:16.7: approximately 15 g of ground coffee for 250 ml of brew water or 30 g for 500 ml. The water retained by the grounds means the drink you collect will differ from the water added.

As a starting recipe, rinse the filter, add the grounds and wet them with about twice their weight in water for 30 to 45 seconds. Count this water as part of the total, then pour the remainder steadily. Start around 93°C and adjust the grind or pouring technique to suit your brewer. The Filter grind is an option if you do not grind at home.

A sour or bitter result does not identify one certain fault. Keep dose and water consistent while trying a small grind or pouring change, then compare the taste. Open the calculator on pour over (v60).

Filter machine (batch brew) ratio: about 1:17

The calculator starts at 1:17 for a filter machine. Machine cup markings vary, so check the manual or measure the reservoir water instead of assuming each mark equals a 250 ml mug.

At 1:17, measured water inputs of 600 ml, 1.2 litres and 1.8 litres need approximately 35 g, 71 g and 106 g of ground coffee. Follow the machine's fill limits and filter instructions. These amounts describe reservoir water, not the volume left in the jug. Choose the Filter grind if it suits your machine's instructions.

Confusing the machine's cup marks with drinking-mug size changes the recipe. Use the actual brew-water volume and adjust the ratio to taste. Filter machine (batch brew) guide. Open the calculator on filter machine (batch brew).

AeroPress ratio: a 1:13 starting recipe

This calculator uses 1:13 as one starting recipe: 15 g of coffee takes 195 ml of brew water. Add water after brewing if you prefer a lighter drink; any top-up is separate from the brew-water calculation.

Follow your brewer's assembly, capacity and pressing instructions. For this starting recipe, try water around 85°C, stir gently, steep for about 90 seconds and press slowly. Measure the water rather than relying on a numbered mark or scoop. Choose the Aeropress grind if you are ordering ground coffee.

A recipe that exceeds your brewer's capacity needs smaller batches. If the taste is not right, adjust one of grind, steep time, temperature or dilution at a time. Open the calculator on aeropress.

Stovetop (moka pot) ratio: about 1:10, the pot decides

The calculator's 1:10 is a rough planning guide. Your moka pot's specified water fill and basket capacity take priority; a manufacturer's cup size is not a full drinking mug.

Follow your pot's instructions for filling, assembly, heat and stopping the brew. Fill the basket as directed without tamping. Order the Stovetop grind if it suits your pot. Weigh the coffee your basket takes and enter that dose in grams per brew when planning supplies; use one pot as one brew if that is how you count them.

Trying to make an arbitrary mug volume in a fixed-capacity pot can give the wrong quantities. Plan the number of potfuls you need, using your measured basket dose. Open the calculator on stovetop (moka pot).

Percolator ratio: about 1:15

At the calculator's 1:15 starting ratio, use about 17 g of ground coffee for 250 ml of brew water, or 67 g for a litre. The finished amount depends on the equipment and water retained by the grounds.

Follow your percolator's fill, basket and heating instructions. For a manually timed brewer, five to seven minutes is a starting trial rather than a universal limit. Keep the recipe repeatable and adjust to taste. Check whether the Plunger grind suits your basket or filter.

Uncontrolled heating time makes comparisons difficult. Use a timer and change one setting at a time; follow an automatic percolator's own operating instructions. Open the calculator on percolator.

Espresso ratio: 1:2, 18 g in and 36 g out

Start with 18 g of ground coffee and collect 36 g of espresso for a 1:2 brew ratio, if that dose suits your basket. Here the second number is the drink collected, not brew water. The shorter 1:1.5 and longer 1:2.5 settings offer other starting points.

Follow the machine's warm-up and operating instructions. Keep dose and target output consistent while adjusting the grind; 25 to 30 seconds can be a starting observation, not a guarantee of taste. If you have a grinder, separate or built into the machine, order Whole Beans. If you do not have a grinder, order the Espresso grind for your espresso machine.

Changing dose, grind and target output together makes it difficult to identify what helped. Change one variable, taste, and record the result. Use your actual dose in grams per brew when planning purchases. Open the calculator on espresso.

Cold brew ratio: 1:8 to drink, 1:5 as a concentrate

Try 1:8 as a ready-to-drink starting recipe: 125 g of coffee to 1 litre of cold brew water. For a concentrate, try 1:5, or 200 g to 1 litre. Neither ratio predicts how much liquid remains after filtering.

A refrigerated steep of 12 to 16 hours is a starting recipe to adjust to taste. Use suitable clean brewing and filtering equipment. Measure the concentrate you collect after filtering, then start with an equal measured amount of water or milk for dilution. Choose the Cold Brew grind or grind Whole Beans yourself. This calculator does not estimate storage life.

Treating all the water added as finished concentrate overstates the amount available to serve. Measure filtered output, and use the coffee dose and number of batches you actually make when planning supplies. Cold brew guide. Open the calculator on cold brew.

Drip coffee bag: one bag, starting with 200 ml of water

Start with one drip bag and about 200 ml of brew water. Try 150 ml for a more concentrated drink or more water for a lighter one. These are water-input amounts, not guaranteed finished-drink volumes.

Open and position the bag according to the pack instructions. Start with water around 93°C, poured in two or three slow stages over about a minute, and adjust to taste. For coffee with milk, try less brew water first and add milk to suit your cup. For planning, count one bag per brew plus the spares you want.

Using an unmeasured amount of water makes the recipe harder to repeat. Measure the water you add, leave room for any milk and adjust one part of the recipe at a time. Drip coffee bag guide. Open the calculator on drip coffee bag.

Espresso drinks in Australian names

These are serving examples, not fixed drink specifications. Recipes and cup sizes vary. The planner starts at one 18 g double shot per espresso-based drink; adjust grams per brew if your recipe uses a different dose.

Quick answers

How do you calculate a coffee ratio?

For a brew-water ratio, divide the water added by the ratio number to find the coffee dose. At 1:17, 510 ml of water needs 30 g of coffee; in the other direction, 20 g of coffee takes 340 ml of water. The calculator treats 1 ml of water as approximately 1 g. Espresso ratios instead compare dry coffee with the mass of espresso collected. For drip bags, use one bag per brew and adjust the water to taste.

What is the best coffee to water ratio?

There is no single best ratio for every coffee, brewer and preference. This calculator starts plunger and pour over at about 1:16.7, filter machines at 1:17 and AeroPress at 1:13, all measured against brew water. Espresso starts at 1:2 by coffee-in to drink-out mass. Use these as starting recipes and adjust to taste.

How much coffee do I need per cup?

First decide what you mean by a cup. The calculator's default non-espresso planning doses use a 250 ml brew-water equivalent, not a guaranteed 250 ml drink. At about 1:17, that takes roughly 15 g of ground coffee. Espresso planning starts at 18 g per double shot; adjust grams per brew to your recipe. For a drip bag, start with one bag and 200 ml of water.

How many scoops of coffee for 1 cup?

Scoops and spoonfuls vary with their size, the coffee and the grind. The calculator uses 7 g per level tablespoon only as a rough conversion assumption; it is not a measured weight for your coffee or spoon. A 15 g recipe is about two tablespoons on that assumption. Weigh a typical spoonful if you want a more repeatable estimate.

How much coffee for 4 cups?

Four measures of 250 ml total 1 litre of brew water. At the calculator's starting recipes, that needs about 60 g for plunger or pour over, or 59 g for a filter machine. This does not promise four full mugs after brewing. A machine's 4-cup line may mean a different amount: check the manual or measure it before calculating.

How much coffee for 8 cups of water?

Eight measures of 250 ml total 2 litres of brew water. The calculator's starting recipes give about 120 g for plunger or pour over, or 118 g for a filter machine. Do not assume a machine's 8-cup mark means 2 litres. Measure the water and respect the brewer's capacity, using separate batches if needed.

How much coffee for 1 litre of water?

The starting recipes use about 60 g for plunger or pour over, 59 g for a filter machine, or 125 g for cold brew at 1:8. These are amounts for 1 litre of water added, not 1 litre of finished drink. Adjust the recipe to taste and use your actual dose when planning supplies.

What is the ratio of drip coffee to water?

For a drip filter machine, this calculator starts at 1:17: for example, about 35 g of ground coffee for 600 ml of measured brew water. For a drip coffee bag, start with one bag and 200 ml of water, then adjust the water to taste. The volume collected will differ from the water added.

How many coffees from 1 kg of coffee beans?

Divide 1,000 g by your grams per brew and round down for complete brews. That gives 55 double shots at 18 g each, or 66 brews at 15 g each, before allowing for spills or coffee used while adjusting your grinder. How long the bag lasts depends on how many brews you make per day. Follow the pack's storage directions; the calculation does not estimate freshness or shelf life.

How many cups of coffee in a 250 g or 500 g bag?

At 15 g per brew, 250 g covers 16 complete brews and 500 g covers 33. At 18 g per double espresso, those bags cover 13 and 27 doubles. These counts exclude waste and do not specify finished-drink volume. Enter your actual grams per brew and daily use in the calculator for a more relevant estimate.

How much coffee do I need for 10 people?

For 10 people having one brew each, a 15 g recipe needs 150 g of ground coffee before any spare allowance, or use 10 drip bags. Two brews each doubles those base quantities. Use plan-ahead mode to include a buffer and compare pack quantities; choose the coffee format that suits the equipment and serving setup.

How much coffee do I need for 50 people?

Use event mode with 50 guests, then set the event duration, expected share drinking coffee and grams per brew. Duration selects an assumed number of brews per drinker; check that assumption along with the spare allowance and pack quantities shown. The number of guests alone cannot determine the right coffee quantity, and a planning estimate is not measured demand. Check your brewing equipment's batch capacity separately.

How many coffee bags should I pack for a trip?

Count one drip bag per brew: people times brews per day times days, then add spares. Two people making two brews each per day for seven days need 28 bags before spares. The planner suggests quantities from the listed pack sizes; check current availability on the product page. For a weight-limited trip, weigh your actual packed supplies rather than inferring packed weight from the bag count.

How do you measure coffee without scales?

Use the same level spoon and a repeatable filling technique, then adjust the recipe to taste. The calculator's 7 g-per-tablespoon assumption puts a 30 g dose at about four and a half tablespoons, but actual weight varies. A measured dose is more repeatable; you can weigh your usual spoonful once to improve future estimates.