The golden ratio:
The guideline that we use ourselves, and that you often find with baristas, is:
60 to 65 grams of ground coffee per liter of water.
That works out to about 9 grams per 150 ml cup. Are you using a small espresso cup or just a large mug? Then of course you can make some adjustments, but this is a solid and balanced starting point.
How many cups do you get from 1 kilogram of coffee?
With that ratio, you'll easily arrive at about 110 cups per kilogram. Suppose there are two of you and together you drink 4 cups of coffee per day (e.g. 2 per person, one in the morning and one in the afternoon).
- 4 cups x 9 g = 36 g per day
- 1 kg coffee = 1000 g → 1000 / 36 = about 27 à 28 days
So 1 kg of coffee will last almost a month if two people drink 4 cups daily. Do you drink more or less? Then you can easily recalculate on the basis of 9 grams per cup.
Another useful thing to know:
- So for a small event with 50 people where everyone drinks 2 cups, you need about 1 kg of coffee.
- Are you making a larger pot of, say, 1.5 liters? Then use 90 to 100 g of coffee.
Weigh or know?
Do you use a (coffee) scale? Super. But if you prefer to “work by feel”:
- 1 full tablespoon of ground coffee = about 7 to 8 g
- 1 cup = 150 ml
So 1 full tablespoon per cup is usually already close, you can add a little more.
Use our guideline as a base, but feel free to experiment. Too weak? Use a little more coffee next time. Too bitter or too punishing? Take a little less or adjust the grind.
As with many things in life: the right balance is in the details - and your personal taste.
Do you use a fully automatic coffee machine?
Even there you can often adjust the strength, usually with an icon of a coffee bean. Each “bean” represents an amount of coffee ground per cup.
- 1-3 beans = mild taste (less grams of coffee)
- 5-8 beans = strong taste (more grams of coffee)
The exact number of beans & grams per setting varies by brand and device, but you can usually tell: the stronger you choose, the more coffee is ground - and the shorter you do with your kilo 😉
A tip: notice that sometimes your coffee is too punishing or just a little bland? Then feel free to play around with those settings. You don't have to change your coffee beans to get a different taste experience.
Summary
- 60 to 65 g coffee per liter of water
- About 9 g per cup (150 ml)
- 1 kg coffee = ±110 cups
Also with fully automatic machines: play with the settings to find your taste
Any questions?
Need to brew coffee for a large group and have doubts about exactly how much you need or which variety will appeal to many people? Not sure how much coffee you actually need per month? Feel free to let us know - we'll be happy to give you personal advice. Just email or call us!
