Wondering how many scoops of coffee you should put in your drip coffee maker to get good tasting coffee? Here’s what you want to know.
Most coffee makers come with a scoop. One of these (leveled) scoops is the right amount of coffee grounds for 1 cup of coffee marked on the coffee maker. The cup markers on the machine usually measure 5 oz. or 6 oz. (148-177 ml) so it’s necessary to brew 2 cups/2 scoops for a full 12 oz./355 ml. mug
| 1 cup = 8. Oz/ 236 ml | Regular | Strong |
| Ratio | 1:17 | 1:15 |
| 1 Cup | 13,9 grams/2 tablespoons | 15,7 grams/2.25 tablespoons |
| 2 Cups | 27,8 grams/4 tablespoons | 31,5 grams/4.5 tablespoons |
| 4 Cups | 55,5 grams/8 tablespoons | 62,9 grams/9 tablespoons |
| 6 Cups | 83,3 grams/10 tablespoons | 94,4 grams/13.5 tablespoons |
Don’t have a scoop or are interested in how you can change the taste of your coffee by changing the amount of grounds? Keep reading below to find out what to do.
Contents
Scoops Of Coffee Per Cup In A Coffee Maker
There are a few ways you can figure out how much coffee grounds to put in your coffee maker. The easiest is to use the scoop that was likely included with the coffee maker. Those scoops are made to contain enough grounds for one cup (the cups marked on the reservoir). Fill the water reservoir up to x amount of cups and add the same amount of (leveled) scoops of ground coffee.
However, those cups on the reservoir are probably not quite enough since they are only 5 or 6 oz/147-177 ml. Most people drink coffee in 8 or 12 oz. Cups. So how can you get the correct amount of coffee for the amount of coffee you want? Here’s how.
To make one regular strength 8 oz/236 ml cup of coffee, put 14 grams of coffee in the filter. This is two heaping tablespoons or one heaping coffee measuring spoon. To make one strong 8 oz. / 236 ml cup add an extra teaspoon of ground coffee.
To make one regular strength 12 oz. /355 ml cup of coffee, put 21 grams of ground coffee in the filter. This is three heaping tablespoons or two leveled coffee measuring spoons. To make one strong 8 oz. /355 ml cup, add 1.5 teaspoons extra to the filter.
Not enough coffee can be a reason for watery coffee but there are a few other reasons your coffee isn’t strong enough. Find the other reasons in this article.
From there, simply multiply by the amount of cups you want.
Keep in mind, tablespoons are not a very consistent way of scooping. From my experience a heaping tablespoon can be anywhere from 6 to 8 grams. Over multiple scoops, it will likely average out to 7 grams but the best way to get the right amount of grounds is with a scale. For a single cup, a gram difference can actually mean a significant difference in taste and strength.
Number Of Scoops Per Cup Of Coffee Chart
Here is a chart that shows how much grounds you should use per cup of coffee for 8 oz and 12 oz vessels. You can work out the amount of scoops from there.
| 1 cup = 8. Oz/ 236 ml | Regular | Strong |
| Ratio | 1:17 | 1:15 |
| 1 Cup | 13,9 grams/2 tablespoons | 15,7 grams/2.25 tablespoons |
| 2 Cups | 27,8 grams/4 tablespoons | 31,5 grams/4.5 tablespoons |
| 4 Cups | 55,5 grams/8 tablespoons | 62,9 grams/9 tablespoons |
| 6 Cups | 83,3 grams/10 tablespoons | 94,4 grams/13.5 tablespoons |
| 1 cups = 12. Oz/ 355 ml | Regular | Strong |
| 1 Cup | 20,9 grams/3 tablespoons | 23,7 grams/3.4 tablespoons |
| 2 Cups | 41,8 grams/6 tablespoons | 47,3 grams/6.75 tablespoons |
| 4 Cups | 83,5 grams/9 tablespoons | 94,7 grams/13.5 tablespoons |
| 6 Cups | 125,3 grams/18 tablespoons | 142,0 grams/20.3 tablespoons |
- Heaping tablespoon of ground coffee = 6-8 grams
- Heaping teaspoon of ground coffee = 2.5 – 2.8 grams
- Leveled coffee measuring spoon = 10 grams
- Heaping coffee measuring spoon = 14 grams
Drip Coffee Maker Ratio
You might notice the ratio in the chart above. This is simply how much water you use per gram of coffee. You can use this to influence the strength and taste of your brew.
Of course the quality of the coffee from your machine also depends on the machine itself. Is it worth buying an expensive coffee maker? Click here to find my opinion.
The basics are simple, the more grounds you use for a certain amount of water, the stronger the coffee will be. Most people like a ratio of 1:17 for drip coffee which means 1 gram of grounds for every 17 grams of water. Or about 59 grams per liter.
Other people like their coffee a bit stronger. In that case you can use a 1:15 ratio. That means 1 gram of grounds for every 15 grams of water or 67 grams per liter.
However, don’t think that stronger necessarily means more bitterness. If your coffee is very harshly bitter, it’s likely over extracted. That means the water extracts too much from the grounds and the last compounds that are extracted taste really bitter.
So adding MORE grounds to the same amount of water can actually reduce the bitterness since there is more for the water to extract. That leaves the super bitter taste where it belongs; in the grounds.
Adding more grounds will turn up the overall volume knob of caffeine and taste but could reduce bitterness. So if the regular 1:17 ratio produces very bitter coffee for you, try adding a bit more grounds and see if that helps. How much more you need to add you can find in the chart above.
Without a scale it will be difficult to get your ratio exactly right but if you scoop consistently, just adding 1/2 or a whole scoop extra should give you a stronger ratio regardless.
If you really want to be precise to increase the quality of your coffee, a coffee scale is an indispensable tool. Coffee scales can measure up to 0.1 grams so you can use exactly as much grounds (and water) as necessary. For most people this won’t be necessary but if you don’t mind putting some extra effort in, it’s a great addition. Coffee scales can be used as kitchen scales as well (or vice versa).
Another way to get much better coffee, is by grinding fresh beans. You can read up on how and why here.
