Best Coffee Grounds To Water Ratio With Pro Tips

The “Coffee Golden Ratio” of coffee-to-water, in general, is, every six-ounce water needs one to two tablespoons of coffee depending on the strength of brewing coffee.

To be exact, it is believed, the 1:17 coffee-to-water ratio is the coffee golden ratio. On that basis, 1 tablespoon of coffee ground is best per cup. BUT, Coffee has different varieties. So, the golden ratio is not actually “perfect” for all types of brewing methods.  

Simply, you cannot use the same ratio of coffee grounds to water while making espresso or cold brew. Right? Also, people have different tastes themselves based on personal taste, strength, milk and sugar, and others. So, here we have tried to simplify the best coffee grounds to water ratio for different types of coffee.

The key is the ground type you’ll be using and the associated brew time for a selected method. Most experts play around with the Golden Ratio, an ideal coffee-to-water ratio that makes a perfect cup of coffee. But in reality, there isn’t a perfect ratio for every type of coffee.

The ratio of ground coffee to water changes greatly depending on brew methods as well as personal taste. The ratios of the methods we’ve described below are based on standard ratios around the world. But, you can always tweak these ratios to suit your palette.

So, for most brewing methods and tastes, the universally accepted ratio to begin with (except for Aeropress, cold brew, and espresso) is 1:15 (strong-tasting coffee) and 1:18 (regular-tasting coffee) coffee-to-water ratios.

You shouldn’t go stronger than 1:12 for most methods, as the coffee will just be too muddy to drink. Getting lower than 1:20 will also leave you with watery, bland, and bitter coffee.

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Method	Ratio (Coffee: Water)
Aeropress	1:6
French Press	1:12
Hario V60	3:50
Siphon	3:50
Chemex	1:17
Moka Pot	1:10
Cold Brew	9:40
Espresso	1:2

The process of roasting doesn’t affect the overall caffeine content of a coffee bean. However, the density of the coffee beans does reduce during a roasting session. Therefore, beans that have been roasted for a long time tend to be lighter in mass and density.

Some of the most prominent coffee brewing methods for a flavorful cup of coffee are:

• Aeropress
• Percolator
• French press
• Espresso machine
• Vacuuming/siphoning pot
• Hand-held espresso maker
• Manual pour-over coffee maker
• Stovetop Espresso maker (Moka Pot)
• Automatic Pour-over Coffee Maker

As coffee production evolves and innovates, consumer also changes their consumption habits as well. Plus, new methods, new drinks, and different types of coffee makers are appearing every now and then. So, narrowing down the brew’s strengths and methods for it is also becoming a difficult task.

In terms of the strongest-tasting coffee beans, drip brew, and French press do extremely well. Both of these methods are easy to perform but slightly time-consuming and labor-intensive. You can also throw in the espresso brewing there too! Espresso brewing is also the shortest brewing process there is.

Brewing times for these methods are:

• 4 – 6 minutes in drip coffee makers
• 3 – 5 minutes in a French press
• 20 – 30 seconds in an espresso machine

The secrets behind these stronger brewing methods are time, temperature, and pressure. Drip and French press methods expose the grounds to a length where caffeine can sip out and mix into the water with more maturity. The espresso method ups the ante by applying mechanical pressure during the brewing phase. That’s why it takes way less time to brew than the other two. So, perfect exposure to optimal temperature and brew time play a bigger role in making a strong brew for any method.

The coffee preparation process has different types of brewing methods. One of them is immersion brew. French presses are the perfect example of immersion.

The ratio for regular strength is 1:17. And, for strong strength, it is 1:11.

For example, for a cup (300 mL) of regular French press coffee, we need to use approximately 18 grams of coffee. 17.65 to be exact.

Then again, for strong taste, the amount of coffee would be 27.27 g.

Best French press coffee makers bring out the best result. Let’s have a look at the gram of coffee and the amount of water.

Amount of Water	Equivalent Cup(s)	Strength Type	Grams of Coffee	Ounces of Coffee
5 oz (148 ml)	1 Cup	Regular	8.71	0.31
5 oz (148 ml)	1 Cup	Strong	13.45	0.47
10 oz (296 ml)	2 Cups	Regular	17.41	0.61
10 oz (296 ml)	2 Cups	Strong	26.91	0.95
15 oz (444 ml)	3 Cups	Regular	26.12	0.92
15 oz (444 ml)	3 Cups	Strong	40.36	1.42
20 oz (591 ml)	4 Cups	Regular	34.76	1.23
20 oz (591 ml)	4 Cups	Strong	53.73	1.9
30 oz (887 ml)	6 Cups	Regular	52.18	1.84
30 oz (887 ml)	6 Cups	Strong	80.64	2.84
40 oz (1182 ml)	8 Cups	Regular	69.59	2.45
40 oz (1182 ml)	8 Cups	Strong	107.55	3.79
60 oz (1182 ml)	12 Cups	Regular	104.35	3.68
60 oz (1182 ml)	12 Cups	Strong	161.27	5.69

The most time-consuming method of brewing coffee. The recommended steeping time is at least 12 hours. Some recommend the brew time to be 18 hours to 24 hours.

Cold brew needs more coffee than other methods.

The ratio for regular cold brew coffee is 1:8 and for strong taste, it is 1:5.

So, if the amount of water in the cold brew is 300 mL, we need 37.50 grams of coffee. Furthermore, we need 60 grams of coffee to make it strong.

Let’s take a look at the number of coffee grounds we need for our cups of coffee. 

Amount of Water	Equivalent Cup(s)	Strength Type	Grams of Coffee	Ounces of Coffee
8 oz (237 ml)	1 Cup	Regular	29.63	1.04
8 oz (237 ml)	1 Cup	Strong	47.4	1.67
16 oz (473 ml)	2 Cups	Regular	59.13	2.09
16 oz (473 ml)	2 Cups	Strong	94.6	3.34
24 oz (710 ml)	3 Cups	Regular	88.75	3.13
24 oz (710 ml)	3 Cups	Strong	142	5.01
32 oz (946 ml)	4 Cups	Regular	118.25	4.17
32 oz (946 ml)	4 Cups	Strong	189.2	6.67
40 oz (1183 ml)	5 Cups	Regular	147.88	5.22
40 oz (1183 ml)	5 Cups	Strong	236.6	8.35

Pour-over is a very popular method of drinking coffee. There are various pour-over coffee makers exist in the market. Chemex, Hario v60, Kalita, and Melinda are very popular pour-over coffee makers.

The difference between the amount of coffee for regular and strong coffee is very low.

The ratio is 1:17 for regular and 1:15 for strong.

For a similar amount of water, we have been talking about, 300 mL of water need 17.65 gram of coffee whereas strong needs 20 grams of coffee.

Now, check out the details of the number of coffee grounds concerning cups of coffee for pour-over.

Amount of Water	Equivalent Cup(s)	Strength Type	Grams of Coffee	Ounces of Coffee
5 oz (148 ml)	1 Cup	Regular	8.71	0.31
5 oz (148 ml)	1 Cup	Strong	9.87	0.35
10 oz (296 ml)	2 Cups	Regular	17.41	0.61
10 oz (296 ml)	2 Cups	Strong	19.73	0.7
15 oz (444 ml)	3 Cups	Regular	26.12	0.92
15 oz (444 ml)	3 Cups	Strong	29.6	1.04
20 oz (591 ml)	4 Cups	Regular	34.76	1.23
20 oz (591 ml)	4 Cups	Strong	39.4	1.39
30 oz (887 ml)	6 Cups	Regular	52.18	1.84
30 oz (887 ml)	6 Cups	Strong	59.13	2.09
40 oz (1183 ml)	8 Cups	Regular	69.59	2.45
40 oz (1183 ml)	8 Cups	Strong	78.87	2.78

Espresso is the base for most types of common and popular coffee drinks. Espresso contains a good amount of caffeine.

The brew time of espresso is very short. Generally, it lasts on average 20-30 seconds.

The worldwide well-known ratio for espresso is 1:2. Except for making an espresso shot, the brew ratio is 1:1.

Now, it’s time to take note of coffee to water ratio for espresso.

Amount of Water	Equivalent Cup(s)	Strength Type	Grams of Coffee	Ounces of Coffee
8 oz (237 ml)	1 Cup	Regular	118.5	4.18
16 oz (473 ml)	2 Cups	Regular	236.5	8.34
24 oz (710 ml)	3 Cups	Regular	355	12.52
32 oz (946 ml)	4 Cups	Regular	473	16.68
40 oz (1183 ml)	5 Cups	Regular	591.5	20.86

Well, we always say, ‘Coffee making is an art’. Making a “perfect cup of coffee” depends not only on ratio but on many other factors.

The brew ratio influences the coffee’s strength, flavor, and taste. So it’s imperative to have a consistent coffee ratio for each brewing method. Also, don’t forget to use the right kind of coffee for each method. Doing so will really get the best out of the beans.

So, the brew ratio matters simply because of its optimal consistency. A correctly measured brew ratio will give you the same perfect result for each cup, every time. Also, the brew ratio allows the user to play around with the other variables for the perfect taste and flavor suited to his or her mouthfeel.

Now, the complicated reason is that extracting coffee is essentially an extraction of solids into the water. If these totally dissolvable solids, aka the grinds, don’t get extracted enough into the water, the coffee will turn out under-extracted. On the flip side, if you have too much water against your grinds, the coffee will be over-extracted or washed out!

So, the whole reason for having brew ratios is to get a balanced cup of coffee. It takes the guesswork out of the brewing process. Even though these ratios may not suit your taste, they do provide you with a solid base to work with.

The core ingredient of coffee is the bean (Obviously 😊).

The bean should be great to make a good cup of coffee. You do not need high pricey beans to make good coffee. Despite that, you need to focus on some points of bean’s –

Freshness

The first quality you need to ensure is the freshness of the bean. You can always have fresh beans if you do not stock them. Buy in small amounts and regularly. But if you prefer to or need to buy a considerable amount of beans at one time, you should know the best way to preserve coffee beans.

Roast Type

We usually buy roasted coffee beans. Alternatively, you can roast them at home. You need to have an eye on the roast type. Roast types influence flavors.

Grind Size

Variation of coffee needs different types of grind size. For instance, French presses need coarse coffee grounds, whereas espresso needs the finest grounds.

It is very important to use the best possible equipment for everything.

Grinder

If you prefer buying whole beans and grinding them yourself, you should use a proper grinder. As I mentioned earlier, different types of coffee required different types of coffee grounds, you need respective grind sizes.
Some people like manual coffee grinders and some like automated ones.
Use what suits you best!!

Water Quality

Yeah. Water quality matters!!
People usually do not pay attention to water but it’s high time you changed your view.
If the water you use is not up to the mark, you may not have a good coffee even after doing everything right.
You may use bottled water or filtered water if your tap water has a distinctive smell or bitter taste.

Kettle

For some types of coffee, you need to add hot water manually. For that, should use the best water kettle for coffee.

Weight Machine

This is a piece of optional equipment. You may use a spoon to measure the amount of coffee.
But it’s worth it to be perfect. You can buy weight machines to measure your coffee amount.

During the brewing process, you need to be alert on extraction. We have spoken briefly of brewing time but not at the same time though.

Brewing time can be short, like brewing time for espresso is 20-30 seconds. On the other hand, the brewing time of cold brew is a minimum of 12 hours. 

But you have to be very very alert on over-extraction and under-extraction. Or, it will mess up your taste.

You need to focus on the water temperature while making coffee. Overheat or under heat may ruin your coffee. 

For all the coffees served hot, usually, the range of 195°F – 205°F is ideal for them. But you need to be specific sometimes. 

Like, 200°F is the best water temperature for French press coffee.

We consume coffee very frequently. Commonly we overlook the small miscalculations we make on making coffee. But, sometimes, maybe once in a while, we like to taste the ‘Perfect’ coffee. Maybe the weather is too lovely, maybe the mood is too good, or may the situation demands.  That time, we need to focus on every detail like grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, measurement, water temperature, and others. 

To conclude, while we try to maintain the best coffee grounds to water ratio religiously, we sometimes forget about other things. You need to remember only the best coffee-to-water ratio cannot serve you the perfect cup of coffee. You have to consider the other factors as well.

Enjoy Your Coffee!!