Single Cup Filter Coffee: Getting One Serving Just Right

Why small batches have their own rules

A single cup is harder to brew than a pot. With less coffee, the coffee bed is shallower, the water finds its way through faster and has less time to dissolve aromas. At the same time, a small amount of water cools down faster, especially if the dripper and cup are cold.

That’s why many large coffee machines brew noticeably worse for one cup than for a full pot. The good news: with a pour-over dripper, a small French press or an AeroPress, you’ve got the single serving under control. What matters most are the right grind size, precise weighing and a preheated cup.

Four ways to a single cup

A dripper placed directly on your cup is the simplest option. A small dripper in size 1 or 01 sits on the rim of the cup, and the coffee drips straight in. You don’t need a carafe, and afterwards you only rinse the dripper and cup. For the right pouring technique, it’s worth checking out our pour-over V60 guide.

A small filter coffee machine for one or two cups is convenient if you don’t want to pour by hand in the morning. Make sure it’s actually built for that amount and isn’t just a scaled-down version of a big machine with too weak a heater.

A small French press of about 350 ml gives you a cup with more body, because no paper filter holds back the oils. The result is stronger and a little cloudier than pour-over filter coffee.

The AeroPress works with light pressure and a short brew time. It’s sturdy, compact and forgives small mistakes. Depending on the recipe, the coffee comes out more filter-like or much more concentrated. You’ll find more methods that don’t need electricity in our guide to filter coffee without a machine.

The methods compared

Recipe: one cup of pour-over

As a guideline for one cup, use 12 to 15 g of coffee to 200 to 250 ml of water. That’s a ratio of about 1:16 to 1:17. For a stronger cup, use a little more coffee with the same amount of water.

1. Heat the water to about 92–96 °C; without a thermometer, wait around 30 seconds after it boils.
2. Fill your cup with hot water to preheat it and let it stand briefly.
3. Weigh out 13 g of coffee and grind it medium-fine, a little finer than for a whole pot.
4. Place the paper filter in the dripper, rinse it with hot water and pour the rinse water out of the cup.
5. Add the ground coffee to the filter, give it a gentle shake, set the dripper on the cup and tare the scale.
6. Wet the grounds with about 30 g of water and wait 30 seconds until they’ve swelled up.
7. Keep pouring in slow circles up to about 220 g, ideally in two stages.
8. Let it drain. After about 2 to 3 minutes, the filter should be empty.
9. Remove the dripper, stir and let it cool briefly.

For a setup like this, use small paper filters that fit your dripper, such as Hario filters for a size 01 V60. You’ll find more on brew ratios for larger amounts in our coffee to water ratio guide.

Grind size, cup size and temperature

For small amounts, a slightly finer grind than for a whole pot helps. It slows the water down in the shallow coffee bed and makes up for the shorter contact time. If the cup runs through very quickly and tastes thin or sharply sour, grind one step finer. If it turns dry and bitter, grind coarser.

Measure once how much your favorite cup actually holds. Many mugs take 200 to 300 ml, classic coffee cups only 150 ml. Match the amount of water to your cup and scale the coffee at the same ratio. If you don’t fill it to the brim, there’s room for milk.

A cold cup immediately draws heat out of the coffee. With a single serving, that matters more than with a pot. Preheating takes a few seconds and makes a noticeable difference, especially with thick-walled ceramic cups.

Keeping beans fresh when you brew one cup at a time

If you only drink one cup a day, a bag of coffee lasts longer. A few simple rules help the beans keep their aroma.

• Buy whole beans and only grind them right before brewing.
• Choose smaller bags that you’ll finish within a few weeks.
• Store them airtight, dark and cool, but not in the fridge, where moisture and odors get in.
• Only weigh out enough for one cup and reseal the rest right away.
• If you buy ground coffee, use it up quickly, because ground coffee loses its aroma faster.

A hand grinder is perfectly sufficient for one cup a day and grinds 13 g in no time. If you’d like to practice pour-over at the café, the Rocademy in Munich’s Maxvorstadt offers courses.