55 g per litre, American standard
The standard brewing ratio by American standards is about 55 grams of coffee per litre of water. A 500 mL press therefore takes about 27.5 grams.
Dose, grind, brew
A balanced cup starts with two numbers: grams of coffee per litre of water, and a grind size that matches how long the water will sit with the grounds. The standard ratio is about 55 g per litre by American standards, rising to 63 g per litre by Norwegian standards. Match the grind to the contact time and the extraction lands in the 1.20 to 1.45 percent window.
Dose · Grind · Contact
Scroll the strip sideways — 6 cards.
The standard brewing ratio by American standards is about 55 grams of coffee per litre of water. A 500 mL press therefore takes about 27.5 grams.
Norwegian standards raise the ratio to 63 grams per litre, giving a stronger dose for the same volume of water.
That ratio yields roughly 14 to 16 grams of coffee for a standard cup — the figure to remember when dosing without a scale.
A finer grind extracts faster, so espresso uses fine coffee with short contact while French press uses coarse coffee with long contact.
The aromatic oils in coffee are released at about 96 °C (205 °F), just below boiling. Take the kettle off the boil before you pour.
Cold-brew concentrate is diluted for drinking at about 1:1 with water, or 2:1 for a bolder drink, rather than brewed to strength directly.
Boiling dominated until the 1930s and survives in specific regional traditions.
| Method | Ratio (g per litre) | Dose per standard cup | Grind | Contact behaviour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American standard | 55 g/L | 14–16 g | — | reference ratio |
| Norwegian standard | 63 g/L | 14–16 g | — | reference ratio |
| French press | 55–63 g/L | 14–16 g | Coarse | long contact, steeping |
| Pour-over | 55–63 g/L | 14–16 g | Medium | medium contact, filtration |
| Moka pot | 55–63 g/L | 14–16 g | Fine–medium | short contact, pressure |
| Espresso | 55–63 g/L | 14–16 g | Fine | short contact, pressure |
| Cold brew | 55–63 g/L | 14–16 g | Coarse | long contact, diluted 1:1 or 2:1 |
Dose by grams per litre: about 55 g/L by American standards and 63 g/L by Norwegian standards.
The ratio is expressed per litre of water because it scales cleanly: multiply the litres you are brewing by the ratio and you have the dose in grams. A 500 mL French press at 55 g/L takes 27.5 g of coffee; the same press at 63 g/L takes 31.5 g.
For a single standard cup the same ratio lands at roughly 14 to 16 grams of coffee. That is the number to keep in your head when you are dosing a dripper or a moka pot without a scale handy.
The point of the ratio is to land the finished brew between 1.20 and 1.45 percent concentration. Too little coffee and the cup is thin; too much and the extraction runs past the window even with a correct grind.
A finer grind extracts faster, so match grind size to how long water stays in contact with the grounds.
Espresso uses fine coffee and short contact; French press uses coarse coffee and long contact. The grind is the dial you turn when contact time is fixed by the device.
Burr grinding produces a uniform particle size, which means every particle extracts at roughly the same rate. Blade chopping gives uneven particles: the fines go bitter while the boulders stay sour, and no amount of ratio tuning fixes that.
Each figure on this page is a standard reference value for home brewing — ratios, temperatures and concentration ranges — presented as a working sheet rather than a product description. Sections are written so the dose table, the procedure and the grind comparison can each be read on their own.
Reference basis
Compiled from standard home-brewing reference values for ratios, temperatures and extraction ranges.