How much coffee for a 2 cup coffee maker: grams and scoops

For a 2 cup coffee maker, use about 20 grams of ground coffee, which is 4 level tablespoons or 2 standard scoops, with 10 ounces (about 296 g) of water. That is a 1:15 ratio, a little on the stronger side. Use 18.5 grams for a middle-of-the-road pot, or 17.4 grams for a lighter one.

Most coffee makers count a cup as about 5 ounces, not the 8 ounces on a measuring cup. If you are filling two regular mugs, jump to the second table, because the numbers go up.

What does the 2 cup table look like?

Tablespoon and scoop figures assume ground coffee at roughly 5 g per level tablespoon, with a scoop equal to 2 tablespoons (about 10 g). They are rounded, so treat them as a starting point. Water is 10 ounces (about 296 g).

The logic behind these ratios is in our pour-over ratio cheat sheet. Whole beans weigh the same as ground, so weigh before you grind.

How much coffee for two full 8 ounce mugs?

If you are pouring for two people, start from the water, not from the machine label. Two 8 ounce mugs take about 473 g of water.

That is more than a 2 cup maker can brew in one go, since the carafe holds about 10 ounces. Run it twice, or move up a size. We have the same measures for the 4 cup and 5 cup makers.

How many pots does a 12 oz bag make?

A 12 oz bag is about 340 grams of coffee.

If you brew one 2 cup pot every morning, a bag lasts about two and a half weeks. A subscription cadence of every 2 weeks, monthly or every 2 months can match that pace.

Why does a small pot come out weak?

A small dose makes a thin bed of grounds, so water runs through quickly. If a 2 cup pot tastes thin even when the ratio is right, grind a touch finer and use water just off the boil. If it tastes harsh, go a little coarser. Our posts on too weak and too bitter cover the fixes, and most of them apply to a small drip maker as well.

The other trap is the scoop. A heaped scoop can hold 50 percent more than a level one, which turns a 20 gram dose into 30. If you only have a spoon, level it with a knife and stay consistent. On a pot this small, a kitchen scale is worth it.

Which of our coffees suit a 2 cup pot?

Any of them, but the roaster points two at the daily pot. No. 1 Common Sense is described as the cup you make every morning without thinking about it, for drip or French press. No. 10 Folklore is described as the second pot, and the one you make for the house. Both are medium roasts.

Folklore has its own brewing guide. You can see all ten coffees, or check the FAQ on whole bean or ground.

Does grind size change the dose?

Not the dose, but it changes how the same dose tastes. A drip machine wants a medium grind, about the texture of coarse sand. Too fine and the basket clogs and the pot turns bitter. Too coarse and water rushes through, so the pot tastes sour and thin. If you buy whole bean, grind just before brewing and keep the setting the same from pot to pot, so the only thing you change is the amount. That makes the tables above easy to adjust. If the pot is too strong, drop to the next row. If it is too weak, move up one.

Water matters too. Fill the reservoir to the 2 cup line, or measure 10 ounces yourself, because some small makers lose a little water to the filter and the grounds, so the carafe ends up slightly under 10 ounces. That is normal, and it is one more reason to weigh the coffee and not just count scoops.

Weigh it once, write the number on the canister, and the 2 cup pot takes care of itself.