How Much Coffee Should You Use Per Cup?

Most daily coffee drinkers are able to easily make their preferred servings of coffee perfectly. They know the perfect amount of coffee to use and the perfect amount of water. But what happens when you need to make a pot when you’re used to making a single cup? How much do you use when you need to make coffee for a crowd vs. coffee for yourself and a friend? Use the instructions and guide below to learn the perfect coffee to water ratios.

How Many Grams of Coffee Per Cup

Let’s start with a basic, weighted measurement.

To make a single, US cup of coffee, mix 250 ml. Of water with 15 grams of ground coffee.

How Many Tablespoons of Coffee Per Cup

Since most people don’t have the time or tools to weigh their coffee grounds, try this simple ratio instead.</

Mix 8 oz. of water with 2 tablespoons of ground coffee.

This is an ideal ratio for automatic drip, french presses, and pour over coffee makers. This does make a strong cup of coffee. If you’d like something a tad weaker, you can back down to 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of coffee per cup.

How Many Scoops of Coffee Per Cup

A level coffee scoop holds approximately 2 tablespoons of coffee. So, for a strong cup of coffee, you want one scoop per cup. For a weaker cup, you might go with 1 scoop per 2 cups of coffee or 1.5 scoops for 2 cups.

How Many Cups in a Coffee Pot

You should always measure your water in proper measuring cups, and using proper measuring tools for your coffee grounds as well. This is because of the differences between a standard US cup of liquid (8 oz.) and a cup of coffee (6 oz.). In addition to this, the measurements on the outside of your coffee pot may not accurately reflect cup measurements either. For example, 6 cups on your coffee pot would only be 36 oz of brewed coffee. That would result in 4.5 8 oz. servings of coffee.

Coffee Ratios

Use this helpful table as a reference to make coffee in almost any circumstance.

Water	Coffee	Serving
20 Oz.	5 Tbsp.	4 Cups (5 Oz.)
30 Oz.	7.5 Tbsp.	6 Cups
40 Oz.	10 Tbsp.	8 Cups
50 Oz	12.5 Tbsp.	10 Cups
60 Oz.	15 Tbsp.	12 Cups
20 Oz.	2.5 Scoops	4 Cups (5 Oz.)
30 Oz.	3.5 Scoops	6 Cups
40 Oz.	5 Scoops	8 Cups
60 Oz.	7.5 Scoops	12 Cups
8 Oz.	2 Tbsp.	1 Cup (8 Oz.)
16 Oz.	4 Tbsp.	2 Cups
24 Oz.	6 Tbsp.	3 Cups
32 Oz.	8 Tbsp.	4 Cups
40 Oz.	10 Tbsp.	5 Cups
10 Oz.	2.5 Tbsp.	1 Cup (10 Oz.)
20 Oz.	5 Tbsp.	2 Cups
30 Oz.	7.5 Tbsp.	3 Cups
40 Oz.	10 Tbsp.	4 Cups
50 Oz.	12.5 Tbsp.	5 Cups
12 Oz.	3 Tbsp.	1 Cup (12 Oz.)
24 Oz.	6 Tbsp.	2 Cups
36 Oz.	9 Tbsp.	3 Cups
48 Oz.	12 Tbsp.	4 Cups

Conversions

Here are some helpful conversions to help you customize your measurements.

1 Tsp. = ⅓ Tbsp.
3 Tsp. = 1 Tbsp.
2 Tbsp = 1 Scoop

Volume Equivalents

1 Oz = ⅛ Cup = Espresso Shot
¼ Cup = 2 Oz. = Double Shot Espresso
½ Cup = 4 Oz.
1 US Cup = 8 Oz.
Carafe: 5 Oz. = 1 Cup

Other Brewing Methods

If you are interested in exploring coffee a bit more, consider trying some alternative brewing methods. You can try a French press, aero press, percolator, hand held and stove top espresso makers, manual pour over coffee makers, Vietnamese Phin, or processing your own cold brew.