What is the best coffee-to-water ratio for V60?
Around 1:15 to 1:17 works for most V60 brews, for example 15 g of coffee to 250 g of water. Go tighter for a stronger cup, looser for something lighter and more delicate.
For the V60, a coffee-to-water ratio of about 1:15 to 1:17 is the reliable home base. That means 1 gram of coffee for every 15 to 17 grams of water. A clean, repeatable starting point is 15 g of coffee to 250 g of water, which lands right in that band.
What the ratio actually controls
Ratio sets the strength of your cup: how much coffee material ends up dissolved in the water. A tighter ratio (more coffee, like 1:15) gives a fuller, more intense cup. A looser ratio (less coffee, like 1:17) gives a lighter, more tea-like, delicate cup that lets subtle flavours show. Neither is correct; it is a dial you set to taste. The general principle is in coffee-to-water-ratio, and the brew specifics live in v60-deep-dive.
A few worked examples
Measure by weight with a scale; scooping is too inconsistent for pour-over.
- One cup: 15 g coffee, 250 g water (1:16.7)
- Stronger single cup: 16 g coffee, 240 g water (1:15)
- Two cups: 30 g coffee, 480 to 500 g water
- Lighter, more delicate: 15 g coffee, 255 g water (about 1:17)
A note on the water amount: count the total water you pour, including the bloom water, not just the main pours.
Ratio is only one of the dials
If your V60 tastes off even at a sensible ratio, the fix may live elsewhere. Ratio is one of the-four-dials, alongside grind, temperature, and time:
- Sour or weak? This is usually under-extraction. Grind finer or pour a touch slower, rather than just adding more coffee.
- Bitter or harsh? This is usually over-extraction. Grind coarser or use slightly cooler water.
So set your ratio for the strength you want, then dial in grind and pour to fix the balance. A higher ratio makes a stronger cup but will not fix a sour one; that is a grind and extraction problem, not a strength one.