# Coffee brew ratio calculator

> Work out how much coffee and water to use for any brew ratio — V60, AeroPress, Chemex, French Press or cold brew.

Source: https://cuplift.app/tools/brew-ratio-calculator

## The arithmetic

Water = coffee × ratio. Coffee = water ÷ ratio.

| Coffee | 1:15 | 1:16 | 1:17 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 12g | 180g | 192g | 204g |
| 15g | 225g | 240g | 255g |
| 18g | 270g | 288g | 306g |
| 20g | 300g | 320g | 340g |
| 30g | 450g | 480g | 510g |

## What ratio should I use?

A brew ratio is grams of water per gram of coffee: 1:16 means 16g of water for every 1g of coffee. Most filter coffee lands between 1:15 and 1:17. Shorter ratios (1:14) make a stronger, heavier cup; longer ones (1:18) make a lighter one. A millilitre of water weighs a gram, so a scale in grams covers both.

The [brewer guides](https://cuplift.app/brewers) give the ratio Cuplift starts each brewer on.

## Ratio changes strength, not extraction

If your coffee tastes watery or too heavy, the ratio is the right thing to change. If it tastes sour or bitter, it isn't — that's extraction, and grind is the place to start. See [weak coffee](https://cuplift.app/fix/weak-coffee), [coffee too strong](https://cuplift.app/fix/strong-coffee), [sour coffee](https://cuplift.app/fix/sour-coffee) and [bitter coffee](https://cuplift.app/fix/bitter-coffee).