How Many Scoops or Grams Of Coffee Grounds In A French Press?

Got your French press ready and aren’t sure how much coffee grounds go into it to brew good coffee? I’ve got your covered. Here’s what you want to know.

To get coffee of average strength from a French press, add 1 leveled tablespoons (+-7 grams) of medium-coarse ground coffee for every 4 oz./113 ml of water. This results in a 1:16 ratio (1 part coffee for 16 parts of water by weight) which is good for most people. Add 0.25 scoop for stronger coffee.

For more detailed information and more ways to figure out how much coffee grounds you need for your situation, keep reading down below. You’ll also find some handy charts to easily figure out how much coffee grounds you need to put in your French press in a single look.

How Many Grams of Coffee Grounds In a French Press?

The most precise way to measure the amount of coffee you put in your French press is in grams.(or ounces for bigger amounts if you prefer). It’s a bit more involved than scoops because you’ll need a precise scale and measure the amount of coffee grounds and water you’re using every time.

Not sure how to exactly make good coffee in a French press? Click here for my step-by-step guide.

You can be sure you’re getting the same amount of coffee every day though. So once you get the recipe you like, it’s easy to replicate. This also makes it easy to make small adjustments. To make it easy to do this, a coffee scale is indispensable but luckily not too expensive. If you want to get started with a cheap coffee scale, click here to find the one I’ve been using for the last year on Amazon.

To brew coffee of average strength in a French press, use 65 grams of coffee per liter of water. To change the strength of the coffee, use up to 75 gram per liter to make it stronger and down to 55 gram per liter for a weaker brew. 65 gram per liter is 14.7 grams per 8 oz. of water.

Maybe you just want to know how much coffee your need to put in your French press to brew 1, 2 or more cups. Take a look at the chart below to easily see how many grams of coffee grounds you need.

If you like to see ratios instead, click here.

Grams of coffee grounds in a French press

CupsOz.mlLight (55 gr/l)Medium (65 gr/l)Strong (75 gr/l)
1822712.514.717
2164542529.534
32468137.544.351
432908505968.1
64813627588.5102.1
Grams of coffee per milliliter for French press chart

Suggested: Why is my French press coffee weak?

How Many Scoops of Ground Coffee In a French Press?

While grams are accurate, most people measure their coffee in scoops. And it makes sense. Getting out your scale to make coffee in the morning is not for everyone. Not everyone wants to be a coffee nerd.

To get a 8 oz./227 ml serving of coffee from a French press, you need 2-2.5 scoops of coffee of a leveled tablespoon. A leveled tablespoon contains roughly 7 grams of coffee. For an average strength coffee from your French press, add 105 grams of water for every scoop of grounds.

Scoops are not a very precise way to measure coffee. That’s because there are a lot of variables in coffee that can change the amount of weight that actually goes into a scoop, even if you are careful to fill the scoop the same way every time. Not to mention every scoop can be slightly different.

Suggested: Is a French press a cheap way to make coffee?

The best way to measure in scoops is to have a measuring spoon you use for baking and cooking. Those spoons will scoop you roughly 6.5 to 7 grams of ground coffee when leveled and 7-8 grams rounded. A level spoon is of course going to be more consistent. If you don’t have a measuring spoon or just want to be sure how much coffee you’re getting, it’s a good idea to measure it once. Bust out the scale and see how much one scoop of your spoon weighs.

Suggested: Can I use pre-ground coffee in a French press?

You want to get anywhere from 55 to 75 grams of coffee grounds per liter of water in a French press. Around 65 grams will result in average strength coffee. More coffee grounds per liter of water is stronger and less is weaker. If you’re not sure what you like, start in the middle around 65.

For our question of how many scoops of coffee you need for your French press, I’m going to assume you’re using leveled tablespoons that contain roughly 7 grams of coffee. Now all we need is a way to measure the water. An 8 oz./ 227 ml serving is pretty standard so that’s easy to use.

Suggested: Why is my French press coffee bitter?

65 grams per liter means 14.7 grams per 8 oz./227 ml. it’s not going to be feasible to measure 0.7 grams without using a scale. That means 2 scoops/14 grams will get you very close to a strength of coffee most people like. If you need it to be stronger than that use up to 2.5 spoons per cup of water. For lighter coffee 1.75 scoops per 8 oz. is the low end.

Still sleepy and just want to know how many scoops you need for the amount of coffee you want to brew? Check out the chart below.

Scoops of coffee grounds in a French press per cup

LightMediumStrong
1 cup8 oz..227 ml1.7522.5
2 cups 16 oz.454 ml3.54.25
3 cups24 oz.681 ml5.56.57.5
4 cups 32 oz.908 ml78.510
6 cups 48 oz. 1362 ml10.512.515
Scoops of ground coffee in a French press chart

You might notice that the scoops don’t track exactly with the amount of water. That’s because the amount of scoops is rounded off to 0.5 scoops in most cases. That’s because 0.1 scoop is just very difficult to measure.

Is it a big deal scoops aren’t a very consistent way to measure coffee? Not if you’re happy with the results. However, if you feel your coffee is inconsistent and comes out different every day in a way you don’t like, it might be the difference in the scoops. Although it can also be the steep time. I’m guessing if you don’t weigh your grounds in grams, you probably don’t time the steep time exactly either which is another factor that could change every day.

Favorite French Press Brewing Tools

Here are some things that help you brew better coffee:

  • French press: This beautiful stainless steel Meuller French press (Amazon) is high quality yet affordable and the double filtration system means less sediment in your cup.
  • Grinder: Fresh beans have to be ground. A hand grinder like the Hario Slim (Amazon) is affordable yet effective hand grinder that will improve your cold brew.
  • Scale: The amount of grounds you use makes a big impact on what your cold brew tastes like. A simple set of scales will makes your brews more consistent. I’ve been using this one (Amazon) for over a year with great success. Not the most aesthetic but effective.

Matt

Welcome to CoffeeImproved! Since falling in love with coffee, I've been on a journey to improve my morning cup day by day. That means I've tried many different brew methods, beans and equipment and experimented with all of them to find what I like. This is where I share what I've learned with you.

Recent Posts