Coffee Ratio Calculator

Common coffee-to-water ratios by weight (1 part coffee to N parts water):

Great coffee comes down to the ratio of coffee grounds to water, measured by weight. This calculator starts from the target ratio for your chosen brew method, scales it to the amount of coffee you want to make, and reports the exact grams of coffee and water to use.

The Golden Ratio

The Specialty Coffee Association's “golden ratio” is roughly 1 gram of coffee for every 15–18 grams of water (about 1:16 on average). Different brew methods deviate from this: espresso is much more concentrated (around 1:2), while cold brew is often brewed as a strong concentrate (around 1:8) and diluted before serving.

Why Weigh in Grams

1 milliliter of water weighs almost exactly 1 gram, so water is easy to measure by volume or weight. Coffee, however, varies a lot by scoop — roast level, bean density, and grind size all change how much a “tablespoon” weighs. A kitchen scale removes that guesswork and makes every brew repeatable.

Strength Slider

The strength slider nudges the ratio within a sensible range for the selected method. Sliding toward Stronger uses more coffee per unit of water (a lower ratio like 1:14); sliding toward Milder uses less (a higher ratio like 1:18).

How to Use

1. Select a brew method from the grid above
2. Set the number of cups and your cup size
3. Adjust the strength slider to taste
4. Read off the coffee and water weights, or tap Copy to save the recipe

Notes on Methods

• Espresso — the “cups” here are shots; the yield is the small brewed volume, not a full mug.
• Cold Brew — the water shown is the brewing water for a concentrate; dilute 1:1 with water or milk to serve.
• Absorption — grounds soak up roughly 2 g of water per gram of coffee, so the liquid in your cup is a little less than the water added.

You can embed this util on your own site as a widget. Adding ?embed=1 to the URL loads a compact version with just the tool itself; no header, menu, or documentation. Paste this snippet into your HTML:

Copy snippet Adjust the height to taste.