Coffee to Water Ratio for Filter Coffee: Grams, Ratio, Temperature

The brew ratio: 1:15 to 1:17

The brew ratio describes how many grams of coffee you use for how many grams of water. For filter coffee, a range of roughly 1:15 to 1:17 has proven itself. That means 15 to 17 g of water for every 1 g of coffee. With water, grams and milliliters are the same.

• 1:15 gives you a stronger cup with more body.
• 1:16 is a balanced middle ground for most coffees.
• 1:17 tastes lighter and clearer, great for light, floral roasts.

The math is easy: divide the amount of water by the ratio number to get the amount of coffee. For 300 ml at 1:16, that’s 300 ÷ 16 = about 19 g.

Table: filter coffee grams per cup and liter

Values are rounded to the nearest half gram. We count a cup as 150 ml, as many drip machines do; a large mug holds closer to 250 ml.

So for filter coffee per liter, a rough rule of thumb is 60 to 65 g. If you’re just starting out, go with 1:16 and then adjust in small steps.

Measuring coffee with teaspoons: why it’s imprecise

Many people measure filter coffee by teaspoons or scoops. A heaped teaspoon of ground coffee weighs about 5 to 7 g, but the range is wide. Grind size, roast level and how tightly the grounds sit in the spoon all change the weight noticeably. Light-roasted beans are denser than dark ones, so a spoonful weighs more.

A difference of 2 g per spoon doesn’t sound like much. But with five spoons for a pot, that quickly adds up to 10 g, enough to shift the ratio from strong to thin. A simple kitchen scale solves the problem for good.

If you still prefer spoons, weigh once how much your spoon actually holds with your coffee, then work with that number.

Water temperature for filter coffee: 92–96 °C

The ideal brewing temperature for filter coffee is between 92 and 96 °C (198–205 °F). Boiling water at 100 °C tends to pull out bitter, harsh compounds; water well below about 90 °C extracts too little, leaving the cup flat and sour.

• Light-roasted filter coffees: around 94–96 °C, because they’re denser and harder to extract.
• Medium to dark roasts: around 92–94 °C, to avoid bitterness.
• No thermometer? Bring the water to a boil and let it stand with the lid open for about 30 seconds.

With drip machines, you have little control over temperature. Good machines reach the target range, while basic ones often fall short. That’s one reason why hand-brewed filter coffee often tastes more aromatic.

Grind size and dose go hand in hand

Dose and grind size work together. More coffee at the same grind size lengthens the brew time, because the coffee bed gets deeper. When you scale up from one cup to three, you’ll often need to grind a little coarser.

For pour-over, a medium-fine grind makes sense; for large drip machines and flat-bottom drippers, medium is a better fit. Our V60 guide shows you how to put this into practice.

Which beans and which filters

Freshness also plays a role in dosing: very freshly roasted coffee releases more gas and swells up in the filter, while older coffee loses aroma, so the same dose gives you less flavor. We roast fresh every week in small batches; you can get our filter coffees as whole beans or ground for filter.

For drip machines and flat-bottom drippers with fluted paper, Brewista filters are a good match. And if you want one more pot in the evening, El Sueño is a decaf Colombian, gently decaffeinated using the sugar cane process.