Coffee-to-Water Ratio Calculator

You can use this coffee-to-water ratio calculator to determine the ideal coffee-to-water ratio for a cup of coffee. The default ratio is 1:16; however, you can adjust the taste and strength of the drink to suit your needs.

If you reduce the ratio, for example to 1:14 or 1:13, the brew will be stronger. Conversely, if you increase the ratio, to 1:17 or 1:18, the coffee will be weaker. The calculator will also determine the total volume of the brewed coffee, taking into consideration the water absorbed by the coffee grounds.

Note: Tablespoons and cups are estimations and should only be considered in the absence of a scale.

Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator

How to Use The Ratios

Ideally, you would employ a kitchen scale that measures in grams for this calculation. However, you can also use volume measurements. 1 ml is equal to 1 gram of water. As such, you can use a liquid measuring pitcher to measure the water. In the case of the coffee beans, 1 tablespoon is equal to around 5-7 g of coffee.

The ratio is very easy to understand. Let's say you have 1 g of coffee and 1 g of water. In this case, the coffee-to-water ratio is 1:1. If you have 1 g of coffee and 15 g of water, the ratio would be 1:15.

Let's look at an example. If you are seeking a brew that has a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16, you would have 1g of coffee to 16 g of water. If you would like to make a 350 g cup of coffee, you would need to divide the water mass by the portion of the ratio. This would give you the coffee mass.

350 / 16 = 21.875

That is, you would need 21.875 g of coffee and 350 g of water to make a 350 g cup of coffee that had a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16.

Let's look at a different example. Let's say you have 20 g of coffee and need to calculate how much water you would need to make a drink that has a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15.

  1. Multiply the volume of coffee beans (20 g) by the desired ratio of 1:15.
  2. 20 × 15 = 300. That means you would need 300 g of water to make a cup of coffee that has a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15.

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