How Much Coffee Should I Use?

We are often asked how much coffee to use to brew the perfect cup. Well, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) provides expert advice on all things coffee and the brewing ratio they suggest is 55g of coffee for 1 litre of brew. Since we don’t usually get out the scale to brew coffee, I weighed out 55g of beans and roughly translated to volume:

• 10 tablespoons of beans to 1 litre of brew, or
• 2.5 tablespoons beans per cup (8 fluid oz)

For event brewing in a 100 cup perc urn, we find 14 oz ground coarse is great.

When we roast a new coffee, we start with the SCAA brewing ratio. In our experience, this brews a strong delicious cup of coffee – in most cases. Interestingly, some coffees taste much better by reducing the ratio of coffee to water. The Nicaragua Gaia Estate coffee is much better brewed at about 3/4 strength (a little less than two tablespoons per cup).

The SCAA recommends grinding the coffee at the time of brewing, so the measurements above are for beans. I measure out the beans and put them through the grinder. It makes less mess than trying to measure ground coffee too. If you are measuring ground coffee the amount needed may be a bit more or less depending on how compacted it is.

A few more tips for making great coffee:

• use coffee roasted within the last 4-6 weeks
• use filtered (no chlorine) good quality water
• use clean equipment (grinders, brewers and carafes)
• make sure the brewing temperature is between 90-96 C (195-205 F)
• use the right grind for the method of brewing (coarse for french press, regular for filter, fine for aeropress)
• do not leave brewed coffee on active heat