How strong is your coffee?
Enter the coffee and water you actually used and we’ll show your true brew ratio, how strong that lands, and how much coffee it really makes once the grounds soak up their share.
- Live ratio & strength read-out
- Real brewed yield, not just water
- Plan a brew backwards from mugs
What you brewed
About 1 level tablespoon ≈ 5 g of ground coffee.
Your brew strength
Plan a brew
Pick how much you want and how strong. We’ll work backwards — accounting for what the grounds absorb — so you actually get that many full mugs.
Strength scale, by brew ratio
| Strength | Ratio (coffee : water) | Tastes like |
|---|---|---|
| Very strong | 1:11 – 1:13 | Bold and syrupy — holds up to milk or ice |
| Strong | 1:13 – 1:15 | Rich and full-bodied, great as a flat white base |
| Balanced | 1:15 – 1:17 | The everyday sweet spot for filter coffee |
| Mild · Golden Cup | 1:17 – 1:18 | The SCA reference point — clean and sweet |
| Light | 1:18 – 1:20 | Delicate and tea-like, easy drinking |
| Weak | 1:20 and up | Thin and washed out |
Ratios are by weight for filter, pour-over and press brewing. Espresso is a different regime entirely (around 1:2), so it isn’t on this scale. Below about 1:10 you’re making a concentrate meant to be diluted or poured over ice.
Typical golden ratios
- Pour-over / drip1:16 – 1:17
- French press1:15
- SCA Golden Cup1:18
- Cold brew concentrate1:8 – 1:5
- Espresso1:2
Ratio is the biggest lever — but not the only one
If a balanced ratio still tastes sour or bitter, ratio isn’t the problem — grind size, brew time and water temperature all shift extraction. Sour usually means grind finer or brew hotter; bitter means grind coarser or back off the time.