How many ounces in a cup of coffee?

It depends who is counting. A coffee maker cup is about 5 oz, a US measuring cup is 8 oz, and a common mug holds 10 to 12 oz. For an 8 oz cup of water you want about 15 g of coffee (3 level tablespoons, 1.5 scoops) at 1:16, and for a 12 oz mug about 22 g (4.5 tablespoons, a little over 2 scoops). Tablespoons are level and 5 g each, and a scoop is 2 tablespoons, or 10 g. The pillar page, How much coffee per cup, has the same math for whole pots.

Why are there three different answers?

Because the word cup means three things. The line on the side of a drip machine counts a cup as about 5 oz, which is why a 12 cup machine does not make twelve mugs. Recipes in American kitchens count a cup as 8 oz, the measuring cup in your drawer. And the thing you actually drink from is a mug, which is commonly 10 to 12 oz, and often more. When a recipe says one cup of coffee, check which of the three it means before you measure.

How much coffee does each size need?

This chart translates each cup size to coffee at 1:16, counting 1 oz of water as about 30 g. Round the tablespoons to the nearest half and you will land close.

The weights are rounded, so a pinch either way is fine. If you want the same chart built around bigger batches and a stronger or weaker brew, the coffee to water ratio chart by ounces goes further, and how much coffee for 8 oz of water goes deep on the single most common size.

Does the cup size change what I brew?

Not the ratio, only the amount. Coffee is one part to about sixteen parts water by weight whether the cup is small or large. What changes is how easy it is to get the dose right. A 5 oz cup needs only 9 g, so a half-scoop error is a big swing in strength. A 12 oz mug has more room for error. If a small cup tastes off, weigh the dose before changing anything else.

If you drink from a drip machine, the pot is measured in the small cup, and it is easy to over-fill the water and under-fill the coffee. See how much coffee for a 5 cup coffee maker and how much coffee for a 12 cup coffee maker for the exact numbers per pot.

Why is the ounce number on my mug not the coffee number?

A mug rated at 12 oz is the volume it holds when full to the rim, and nobody pours coffee to the rim. If you leave room for milk, the water you need is closer to 9 or 10 oz. A better habit is to measure the water you actually pour into the brewer, the first time, and write the number on a sticky note. The grams follow from that.

How many cups does a 12 oz bag make?

A bag is about 340 g. At 15 g per 8 oz cup, that is about 22 cups of 8 oz. At 22 g per 12 oz mug, it is about 15 mugs. At 9 g per 5 oz coffee maker cup, it is about 37 small cups. Every coffee we sell is $28 for 12 oz, whole bean or ground, with free shipping in the US.

Which of our coffees is a good everyday cup?

If you drink one mug a day and want something you do not have to think about, we would start with No. 1 Common Sense. The roaster says it is the cup you make every morning without thinking about it, and that it takes milk without falling apart.

For the spoon math behind the chart, read how many tablespoons are in a coffee scoop. To see how the ratio shifts from drip to French press to pour-over, use the coffee ratio by brewing method page. Browse all ten coffees, or put one on a subscription, 11% off, skip or cancel in one click.

Pick the cup you actually drink from, weigh the water, and the coffee follows.