How much coffee for an 8 cup coffee maker: grams and scoops

For a full 8 cup coffee maker, use about 74 grams of coffee, roughly 15 level tablespoons or 7 and a half standard scoops, with 40 ounces (about 1,180 g) of water. That is a 1:16 ratio. Use 79 grams (16 tablespoons) for a stronger pot, or 69 grams (14 tablespoons) for a lighter one.

Most coffee makers count a cup as roughly 5 ounces, not the 8 ounces on a measuring cup. So an 8 cup machine makes about 40 ounces, which is five mugs of 8 ounces. Fill the carafe to its 8 mark and use that as your water amount.

What does the 8 cup table look like?

Water is 40 ounces (about 1,180 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 7 and a half for a balanced pot and move half a scoop either way to adjust. A scale is better. For more on dialing strength, see what to change when coffee is too weak. For the smaller pots, we have the 5 cup and 4 cup measurements, and the 32 oz French press if you brew that way.

How many pots does a 12 oz bag make?

A 12 oz bag is about 340 grams. At 74 g per pot, that is a little over 4 and a half full 8 cup pots. At 79 g it is just over 4 pots, and at 69 g it is almost 5. If you brew one full pot a day, a bag lasts around four to five days. A household that fills this machine every morning will want a repeat order, and a subscription cadence post helps you pick the interval.

Which of our coffees suit an 8 cup machine?

Two of our medium roasts are built 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. That is a little lighter than the 1:16 table above, which is about 63 g per litre, so you can follow either number. Our guide to the best coffee for a drip coffee maker covers the wider question.

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Should you scale the dose for a half pot?

Yes, but do not simply halve the scoops and hope. Machines extract differently when the basket is only half full, because the water moves through a thinner bed faster. If you brew 4 cups in an 8 cup machine, use the 4 cup table, which is 37 grams at 1:16, and check the strength. A cup that tastes thin from a half-full basket usually needs a slightly finer grind, not more coffee. Our 4 cup measurements give the exact numbers.

The same applies if you brew into a thermal carafe. The pot stays hot, so a slightly lighter ratio such as 1:17 can taste fuller after an hour than the middle ratio does when it was fresh. Try it for a week and compare.

What if your machine does not match the table?

Machines vary. Some 8 cup models brew closer to 32 ounces, and some carafes are marked in 6 ounce cups. The fix is to fill the carafe with water to the line you normally brew to, measure it, and divide the grams of water by 16. For 32 ounces (about 945 g), that is roughly 59 grams, or 12 level tablespoons.

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. If the pot tastes sour or thin, grind a little finer. If it tastes harsh, grind coarser. Our posts on sour coffee and bitter coffee go through the fixes in order. A large pot also sits on a hot plate, so pour what you will not drink soon into a thermal carafe.

Questions about whole bean or ground? Our FAQ has the answers.