Coffee Ratio Calculator
Calculate coffee and water quantities for a target brew ratio and strength.
About Coffee Ratio Calculator
Ratio sets strength while extraction yield sets flavour balance, and the two are independent. Grounds retain about twice their weight in water, which is why the cup yield is less than the water added. Under-extraction tastes sour and over-extraction bitter regardless of ratio, so grind size rather than dose is what fixes those faults.
Formula
Coffee Ratio
Coffee = water ÷ ratio; strength = dissolved solids ÷ liquid yield
- brew ratio
- Grams of water per gram of coffee, commonly 15 to 17 for pour over
- extraction yield
- Share of the coffee mass dissolved, ideally 18 to 22 per cent
Worked example
With the default values below, Coffee Ratio Calculator returns Coffee Required of 31.25. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Water volumeminimum 0 mL
- 500 mL
- Water per gram of coffeeaccepts 1–30
- 16
- Brew methodone of Pour over, French press, Espresso, Cold brew
- Pour over
- Target extraction yieldaccepts 10–30 %
- 20 %
Results
- Coffee Required
- 31.25 g
- Water Absorbed by the Grounds
- 62.50 mL
- Liquid Yield in the Cup
- 437.50 mL
- Dissolved Solids Extracted
- 6.250 g
- Brew Strength
- 1.429%
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Coffee Ratio
- 3Coffee Required= 31.25 g
- 4Water Absorbed by the Grounds= 62.50 mL
- 5Liquid Yield in the Cup= 437.50 mL
- 6Dissolved Solids Extracted= 6.250 g
- 7Brew Strength= 1.429
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Coffee Ratio calculated?
Coffee = water ÷ ratio; strength = dissolved solids ÷ liquid yield Ratio sets strength while extraction yield sets flavour balance, and the two are independent. Grounds retain about twice their weight in water, which is why the cup yield is less than the water added.
Why does Coffee Ratio matter?
Under-extraction tastes sour and over-extraction bitter regardless of ratio, so grind size rather than dose is what fixes those faults.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Water volume, Water per gram of coffee, Brew method, Target extraction yield. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.