How much coffee for a 12 cup coffee maker: grams and scoops

For a full 12 cup coffee maker, use about 111 grams of coffee, roughly 22 level tablespoons or 11 standard scoops, with 60 ounces (about 1,775 g) of water. That is a 1:16 ratio. Use 118 grams (24 tablespoons) for a stronger pot, or 104 grams (21 tablespoons) for a lighter one.

Most coffee makers count a cup as about 5 ounces, not the 8 ounces on a measuring cup. So a 12 cup machine brews roughly 60 ounces, which is seven and a half mugs of 8 ounces. Fill the carafe to its 12 mark and use that as your water amount.

What does the 12 cup table look like?

Water is 60 ounces (about 1,775 g). Tablespoon and scoop figures assume ground coffee at roughly 5 g per level tablespoon, with a scoop equal to 2 tablespoons. They are rounded, so treat them as a starting point.

If you only own a scoop, use 11 for a balanced pot, then move one scoop up or half a scoop down to adjust. A scale is better. For the logic behind these ratios, see our drip machine ratio post, and what to change when coffee is too weak if the pot comes out thin.

How many pots does a 12 oz bag make?

A 12 oz bag is about 340 grams. At 111 g per pot that is just over three full 12 cup pots, about 3.1. At 118 g it is just under three, and at 104 g it is about three and a quarter. If you brew one full pot a day, a bag lasts about three days. A household that fills this machine every morning will want a steady delivery, and our subscription cadence post helps you pick an interval.

Which of our coffees suit a 12 cup machine?

Two of our medium roasts are made for drip. The roaster describes No. 1 Common Sense as the cup you make every morning without thinking about it, and No. 10 Folklore as the second pot, and the one you make for the house. Both are brewed in drip or French press at 60 g per litre. For 60 ounces (1.77 litres) that is about 106 grams, which sits between the 1:16 and 1:17 rows above, so follow either number.

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What if you only brew half a pot?

Do not simply halve the scoops and hope. A thin bed of grounds lets water run through faster, so the cup can taste weak even at the right ratio. For a smaller batch use the table for that size and check the strength. We already have the 10 cup, 8 cup, 5 cup and 4 cup measurements, and the 32 oz French press if you brew that way.

How should you measure: scoop, spoon or scale?

A scale is the most accurate, and it takes ten seconds. Set the filter basket on it, zero it, and add coffee until you reach 111 grams. A scoop is fine if you check it once: fill it level, weigh it, and note whether it holds about 10 grams, as the standard scoop does. Many free plastic scoops hold less, so a pot made with five of them can come out noticeably weak.

Tablespoons vary too. A level tablespoon of ground coffee is roughly 5 grams, and a heaped one can be 7 or 8. If your pots taste stronger than expected, a heaped spoon is the usual cause. Whole beans weigh the same as ground beans, so weigh them before grinding, and the table above applies either way.

What if your machine does not match the table?

Machines vary, and some 12 cup models brew closer to 48 or 60 ounces depending on how the carafe is marked. Fill the carafe with water to the line you normally brew to, weigh it, and divide the grams of water by 16. For example, 1,775 g of water gives 111 g of coffee.

Write down the amount that tastes right in your kitchen. Change one thing at a time, either the dose or the grind, and taste before you change the next.

Does the grind matter?

Yes. Use a medium grind, like coarse sand, for a flat or cone drip basket. A sour or thin pot usually wants a slightly finer grind, and a harsh one a coarser grind. Our posts on sour coffee and bitter coffee go through the fixes in order. Many machines keep a full carafe on a hot plate, so pour what you will not drink soon into a thermal carafe. The FAQ covers whole bean or ground.