Coffee to water ratio for every brew method
Good coffee is mostly a matter of proportion. The coffee ratio calculator starts from a sensible ratio for your brewer — 1:16 for pour-over, 1:15 for a French press, 1:2 for espresso, 1:8 for cold brew concentrate, 1:7 for a South Indian filter decoction — and works out the water for the coffee you have, or the coffee for the water or number of cups you want. A strength slider nudges the ratio in small steps so you can dial in “a bit stronger” without arithmetic.
Beside the numbers you get the grind size, water temperature in °C or °F, total brew time and, for pour-over and immersion methods, the bloom: how much water to pour first and how long to wait before continuing. A built-in timer runs those steps for you, with a bloom countdown that hands over to the main brew and a pause button for interruptions.
Everything is measured by weight, because a kitchen scale is the one tool that removes guesswork: a “tablespoon” of coffee can weigh anything from 5 to 9 g depending on the grind and the roast. Water is counted as 1 g per millilitre. The page runs entirely in your browser.
How to use the Coffee Ratio Calculator
- Choose your Brew method. The ratio, grind, temperature, time and bloom settings change with it.
- Pick what you know: the Coffee you want to use, the Water you want to brew, or the number of Cups and their size.
- Move the Strength slider if the standard ratio tastes too thin or too heavy — each notch changes the ratio by one point (a quarter point for espresso).
- Read the coffee and water amounts, the grind, water temperature, brew time and the bloom pour.
- Press Start timer when you begin pouring. The bloom counts down first, then the main brew; a short beep marks each change.
Coffee Ratio Calculator features
Ten methods with real presets
Pour-over, Chemex, French press, AeroPress, espresso, moka pot, cold brew, South Indian filter coffee, drip machine and Turkish coffee, each with its own ratio, grind, temperature and time.
Three ways in
Start from grams of coffee, grams of water or cups × cup size — the other values are calculated.
Strength slider
Five steps from much weaker to much stronger, shown as the resulting ratio so you can repeat it next time.
Bloom and brew timer
A two-phase countdown for bloom and pour with pause, resume and reset; single-phase for espresso, moka, cold brew and decoction.
Yield estimate
Grounds hold back about twice their weight in water, so the tool shows roughly how much coffee ends up in the cup.
°C or °F
Water temperatures switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Ratio presets and what they mean
A ratio of 1:16 means 1 g of coffee for every 16 g of water — 20 g of coffee brews with 320 g of water. For espresso the ratio compares the dry dose with the liquid espresso in the cup (18 g in, 36 g out), not with the water in the boiler. Cold brew is normally made as a concentrate and diluted; the ready-to-drink figure is closer to 1:15.
| Method | Ratio | Grind | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pour-over (V60, Kalita) | 1:15–1:17 | medium-fine | 92–96 °C | 2:30–3:30 |
| French press | 1:14–1:16 | coarse | 93–96 °C | 4:00 |
| AeroPress (standard) | 1:12–1:14 | medium-fine | 85–92 °C | 1:30–2:00 |
| Espresso | 1:1.5–1:2.5 | fine | 92–94 °C | 25–30 s |
| Moka pot | 1:8–1:10 | fine-medium | pre-heated | ~5 min |
| Cold brew concentrate | 1:6–1:8 | coarse | cold | 12–18 h |
| South Indian filter | 1:6–1:8 | fine, with chicory | just off the boil | 15–20 min |
| Drip machine | 1:16–1:18 | medium | machine | ~5 min |
Dialling in: strength versus extraction
Two different things make coffee taste “strong”. The ratio sets how concentrated the drink is; the grind, temperature and time set how much is extracted from the grounds. Sour, thin and sharp usually means under-extraction — grind finer, use hotter water or brew longer before touching the ratio. Bitter, dry and harsh means over-extraction — grind coarser or shorten the brew. Only when the balance is right should you move the strength slider to make the cup heavier or lighter.
- Weigh both coffee and water; volume scoops vary by 30 % or more.
- Bloom with about twice the coffee’s weight in water for 30–45 seconds to let CO₂ escape, especially with fresh beans.
- Boiling water is not too hot for most methods — by the time it reaches the grounds it is in the low 90s °C. Use the temperature converter if your kettle shows Fahrenheit.
- For other kitchen ratios, see the rice to water calculator; for timing a steep without the bloom logic, the plain countdown timer works too.
Coffee Ratio Calculator FAQ
What is the golden ratio for coffee?
The commonly quoted “golden ratio” is about 1:16 to 1:18 by weight for filter coffee — roughly 55–60 g of coffee per litre of water. The calculator uses 1:16 for pour-over and 1:17 for drip machines as its standard setting.
How much coffee do I need for 2 cups?
Choose Cups, enter 2 and your cup size (250 ml is typical) and the calculator divides the total water by the ratio: 500 g of water at 1:16 needs about 31 g of coffee. Remember the grounds keep back some water, so brew a little more than you want to drink.
How is the espresso ratio different?
Espresso ratios compare coffee in to beverage out. A normale is around 1:2 (18 g → 36 g), a ristretto 1:1–1:1.5, a lungo 1:2.5–1:3. The strength slider moves the ratio in quarter steps for this method.
What ratio does South Indian filter coffee use?
The decoction is strong — about 1:7 (30 g of powder to 210 ml of just-boiled water), dripped slowly for 15–20 minutes — and then mixed with two to three parts hot milk and sugar. Chicory in the blend adds body and slows the drip.
Does the timer work if I switch tabs?
Yes. It calculates the remaining time from the clock rather than counting ticks, so it stays accurate even when the browser throttles background tabs. Keep the page open to hear the beep.
Why does the water temperature show text for some methods?
Moka pots, cold brew, drip machines and Turkish coffee do not use a target kettle temperature — the preset describes what to do instead (pre-heat the water, steep cold, let the machine decide, heat slowly from cold).