How much coffee should I use per cup?
About 60 g of coffee per litre of water, roughly a 1:16 ratio, so around 15 g for a 250 ml cup. Weigh it for consistency instead of using scoops.
A reliable starting point is 60 g of coffee per litre of water, which works out to roughly a 1:16 ratio (one part coffee to sixteen parts water by weight). For a single 250 ml cup, that is about 15 g of coffee. This is sometimes called the “golden ratio,” and it is the default that most filter and pour over guides build on. See coffee-to-water-ratio and what-is-the-golden-ratio.
Why weigh instead of scoop
Beans vary in size, density, and roast, so a “scoop” or “tablespoon” can swing wildly from one bag to the next. A scoop of dense light-roast beans weighs more than a scoop of puffy dark-roast beans, which quietly changes your ratio and your cup. Weighing with a cheap kitchen scale removes the guesswork and is the single fastest way to make coffee taste the same every morning. See should-i-weigh-my-coffee.
A quick reference
Measure the water by weight too, since 1 ml of water weighs about 1 g, so 250 ml equals 250 g.
- Small cup, 250 ml: about 15 g coffee
- Large mug, 350 ml: about 22 g coffee
- Two mugs, 500 ml: about 31 g coffee
- Full carafe, 1 litre: about 60 g coffee
Adjusting to taste
The ratio is a starting line, not a rule. If your coffee tastes weak and watery, use a little more coffee (move toward 1:15). If it tastes too intense or heavy, use a little less (move toward 1:17). Change the ratio first, and only then start adjusting the other dials like grind and water temperature. Ratio is one of the-four-dials, and it is the easiest one to control precisely once you are weighing everything.