---
slug: coffee_to_water_ratio
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/coffee_tea_espresso/coffee_scales
title: "Coffee to Water Ratio"
lead: "A reliable starting point for brewed coffee is about 1 gram of coffee to 15–18 grams of water — roughly 60 grams of coffee per litre — weighed on a scale rather than measured by scoops. Go nearer 1:15 for a stronger cup and 1:17–1:18 for a lighter one, then adjust to your taste."
recommendation:
  name: "Start at 1:16 by weight (about 60g coffee per litre), then nudge toward 1:15 stronger or 1:18 lighter"
  reason: "The ratio of coffee to water is the single biggest lever on strength, and weighing both on a scale is far more consistent than counting scoops, because grind and bean density make spoon measures unreliable. The SCA's 'golden ratio' is about 1:18 by weight (around 55g of coffee per litre), and many people prefer a stronger 1:15–1:17; a practical default is 1:16 — for example 30g of coffee to 480g of water — which works well for pour-over and drip. Move toward 1:15 for a bolder, stronger cup and toward 1:18 for a lighter, more delicate one, changing the ratio rather than fiddling with everything at once. Different methods have their own norms: immersion methods like French press sit around 1:15–1:17, while espresso is a different world entirely, typically a 1:2 ratio of ground coffee to liquid espresso (say 18g in, 36g out). Remember that ratio sets strength, but grind size and time control extraction — the bitterness or sourness — so dial the ratio in first, then adjust the grind. Water is about a gram per millilitre, so 1:16 is also roughly 60g of coffee per litre, and once you find a ratio you like, weighing it makes the same cup repeatable every morning."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-12
previous_hash: "206616604ac0816faa70d11044ef4ce058951c864dc9a57e92612ee3b3acf888"
requester: "internal"
reason: "The SCA Golden Cup Standard golden ratio is 1:18 (about 55 g/L ±10%); the previous text attributed a stronger 1:16–1:18 range to the SCA."
change: "Attribute 1:18 (~55 g/L) to the SCA golden ratio and present 1:15–1:17 as a common stronger preference rather than the SCA standard."
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Setting", "Ratio", "Result"]}
  rows={[
    ["Default", "1:16 by weight (~60g/litre)", "Balanced pour-over or drip"],
    ["Stronger", "1:15", "Bolder, more intense cup"],
    ["Lighter", "1:17–1:18", "Cleaner, more delicate cup"],
    ["Espresso", "About 1:2 (e.g. 18g in, 36g out)", "Concentrated shot, a different scale"],
  ]}
/>