Coffee-to-water ratio: calculator for every brewing method

Coffee too strong, watery, bitter or sour? The wrong coffee-to-water ratio is often the reason. This calculator tells you how many grams of coffee and millilitres of water you need for any brewing method.

How the coffee ratio calculator works

Visit your favorite café in Torrevieja!

Torrevieja Cafés

Choose a brewing method, enter the amount in cups or millilitres, and adjust the strength. You will get the coffee weight, water amount, tablespoons, grind, temperature and brewing time.

Good Mood Coffee

Your recipe

Brewing methodEspressoPour over (V60, Chemex)Batch brewerFrench pressAeropressMoka potCold brew

Water amount

cupsml

Coffee strength

milderstandardstronger

1:16 · Coffee

Coffee

12.5 g

Water

200 ml

Level tablespoons

2.1

Grind

medium

Temperature

92–96°C

Time

2:30–3:30 min

What does coffee-to-water ratio mean?

A ratio compares the weight of coffee with the weight of water. 1:16 means 1 g of coffee for every 16 g of water, or almost 16 ml. For 300 ml of water, use about 19 g of coffee; for one litre, about 62 g. A scale is more accurate than spoons because beans have different densities.

Ratios for popular methods

| Method | Ratio | Grind | Time | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Espresso | about 1:2 | fine | 25–30 s | | Pour over | 1:15–1:16 | medium | 2:30–3:30 | | French press | 1:12–1:15 | coarse | about 4 min | | Aeropress | 1:12–1:16 | medium | 1–2 min | | Moka pot | about 1:8 | medium-fine | by the pot | | Cold brew | about 1:8 | coarse | 12–18 h |

Why coffee tastes bitter or sour

Bitterness usually means over-extraction: the grind is too fine, the brew is too long or the water is too hot. Sour, watery coffee points to under-extraction. Change one variable at a time, starting with grind size.

Water, freshness and scales

Use filtered water rather than distilled water. Wait about 30 seconds after boiling. Grind just before brewing and use a scale accurate to at least 1 g.

Frequently asked questions

How much coffee per cup?

For a 200 ml cup at 1:16, use about 12 g of coffee, roughly two level tablespoons.

What is the best coffee-to-water ratio?

Start with 1:16 for pour over, 1:13 for French press and 1:2 for espresso. Adjust it to your taste.

How many tablespoons per litre?

At 1:16, use about 62 g of coffee, or around 10 level tablespoons.

Why is coffee bitter despite a good ratio?

The grind may be too fine, the brew too long or the water too hot.

If you are looking for a good café, check the list of cafés in Torrevieja on our website.