How Much Coffee Do You Really Need?

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You know that feeling when your coffee is perfect one morning – rich, sweet, exactly what you needed and the next day, using “the same amount”, it tastes thin and a bit sad?

Same beans. Same mug. Totally different cup.

That’s where coffee ratios come in. Not as a strict rule book, but as a simple way to stop playing roulette every morning and get closer to “that good cup” on purpose.

This guide is not for barista competitions. It’s for real kitchens, real mugs and people who do not want to do maths at 7:00 a.m.

Why bother with ratios at all?

Ratios are just a fancy way of saying:

“How much coffee do I use for this amount of water?”

If you never think about it, you get:

one great day
one “meh” day
one “brown water with caffeine” day

You know that feeling when one morning your coffee is rich and sweet, and the next day it tastes like brown water for no obvious reason? Ratios are how you stop that from happening.

With one simple “anchor” ratio for each method, you get:

a starting point that actually works
a way to adjust your coffee on purpose (stronger / lighter)
less guessing, less wasting good beans

You don’t need to be precise to the tenth of a gram. You just need to be roughly consistent.

Simple anchor ratios (no math degree required)

Think in one main number per method:

Filter / drip / V60 / automatic filter Start at 1:15 to 1:17 → 1 g coffee to 15-17 g water
French press Start at 1:15 → rich, full, but not mud
Moka pot Fill the basket, water to just below the valve – usually lands around 1:7-1:9 in practice

You don’t have to hit these perfectly. They’re anchors, not commandments.

From there, you move:

stronger → a bit more coffee or a bit less water
lighter → a bit less coffee or a bit more water

What does 1:15 actually look like in your kitchen?

Let’s take the most common everyday case: filter / pour over / drip.

1:15 means:

1 part coffee, 15 parts water (by weight)

Example without overthinking:

15 g coffee → 225 g water (small mug)
18 g coffee → 270 g water (medium mug)
20 g coffee → 300 g water (bigger mug)

Most “standard” mugs are around 250–300 ml, even if they look bigger.

If you’re using a giant Sports Direct style mug, you’re probably closer to 500 ml or more, so you’ll need to scale things up. The mug size matters more than the number printed on the coffee bag.

You don’t need scales forever. But using them a few times to learn what your mug really holds will save you years of random coffee.

No scales? Use spoons the smart way

If you don’t own a scale (or you just can’t be bothered on a Tuesday morning), you can still get consistent enough. The trick is to always use the same spoon and always think in the same terms. When you see “tablespoon” in this guide, think heaped tablespoon a proper scoop, not a perfectly level lab measurement.

Roughly:

1 heaped tablespoon of whole beans or medium ground coffee ≈ 8-10 g

So for a 250-300 ml mug of filter coffee:

2 heaped tablespoons of coffee
water filled to just under the top of the mug in your brewer

For French press:

3 cup press (around 350 ml) → 2-3 heaped tablespoons
8 cup press (around 1 litre) → 6-7 heaped tablespoons

Is it perfect? No.

Is it repeatable with the same spoon and the same mug? Yes – and that’s what matters.

I know, using a spoon isn’t “pro”, but let’s be real – sometimes you just want coffee, not a science experiment.

Adjusting to taste: stronger vs lighter (without ruining the cup)

Once you have a base ratio, you’ll probably want to tune it to your taste.

A simple way to think about it:

Coffee tastes weak / flat / watery → keep the same water, add a little more coffee next time (for example from 15 g to 17 g, or from 2 to 2.5 heaped tablespoons)
Coffee tastes too intense but still good → add a splash of hot water in the cup (like an Americano) → next time, use a tiny bit less coffee
Coffee tastes bitter, harsh, “ashy” → often not just ratios – check grind size and brew time too

Ratios are one lever. If the taste is really off, you probably also need to:

grind a bit coarser or finer
shorten or lengthen the brew time

The golden rule: one anchor per method

To keep your life simple, try this approach:

Pick one ratio for each method you actually use (for example):
- Filter: 1:16
- French press: 1:15
Use it for at least a week without changing it every day.
Only tweak one thing at a time (a bit more or less coffee, not everything at once).

You’re not chasing perfection. You’re building a simple routine:

same mug + same spoon or dose + same ratio = coffee that behaves the same way every morning.

Recommended coffees to try with these ratios

Once you start using ratios, you really feel the difference between beans. Three great starting points:

Brazil Fazenda Pinhal 250g
Smooth, chocolatey and very forgiving.

Guatemala Antigua 250g
Chocolate with a hint of fruit and a cleaner finish.

Classico Blend 250g
Balanced “house coffee” for families and guests.

Where to go next on your coffee journey

Now that you have simple ratios, these guides will help you go deeper: