Coffee Brew Ratio and Yield Calculator

What you’ll see after you calculate

This coffee brew ratio and yield calculator for pour-over, press, AeroPress, and espresso uses practical ratios to plan dose, water, and beverage. For filter styles, ratios are water to coffee by weight. Beverage is slightly less than total water because grounds retain liquid. For espresso, the ratio is yield to dose by mass so you can match ristretto, normale, or lungo profiles.

The summary shows your coffee dose, total brew water or espresso yield, the expected beverage after absorption, a suggested bloom for pour-over, and a simple timing plan. You can switch units between grams, milliliters, ounces, and fluid ounces without rethinking the math.

Choosing a strength style that fits your taste

Standard settings suit balanced cups with clear flavor and comfortable strength. Pick strong for higher concentration in the cup and tighter water-to-coffee ratios, or mild for a gentler extraction and longer drink. Method and grinder quality matter: a precise burr grinder and fresh beans make the ratios more predictable and repeatable day to day.

Dialing in pour-over

For pour-over, use medium to medium-fine grind and water near ninety two to ninety six degrees Celsius. Bloom with roughly two and a half times the dose to wet the bed evenly, then complete the brew in two to three pours. Aim to finish between two minutes thirty seconds and three minutes thirty seconds. If the drawdown is slow and the cup tastes bitter, coarsen the grind or reduce agitation; if it’s fast and sour, go finer or extend contact time.

French press and immersion basics

Use a coarse grind, pour all the water, stir to break clumps, steep four minutes, then press slowly over about thirty seconds. Immersion methods are forgiving and highlight body. Skim floating fines before pressing for a cleaner cup, or decant into a second vessel to reduce sludge at the end of the pot.

AeroPress notes and recipes

AeroPress works well with medium-fine grind and a one to two minute steep, followed by a twenty to thirty second press. The calculator gives a starting ratio; you can adapt with the inverted method, bypass water to lengthen the drink, or short-steep for brighter, espresso-like cups. Stir consistently and pre-wet the paper filter to reduce papery notes.

Espresso yield, time, and grind

Espresso uses a brew ratio of yield to dose. A normale shot near one to two typically finishes around twenty five to thirty five seconds from pump on with steady pressure. If your yield is short and the shot tastes harsh, grind coarser or lower dose; if yield races long and tastes thin or sour, grind finer or increase dose slightly. Keep puck prep tight—level distribution and a firm, even tamp—so channels don’t throw off your ratio.

Water quality, temperature, and consistency

Good coffee depends on clean water. If your tap is hard or heavily chlorinated, use filtered water or a standard brew formula to protect flavor clarity and equipment. Keep kettles and brewers clean, preheat lightly, and weigh both dose and water on a scale. Record notes in the calculator’s field so you can repeat wins and fix misses quickly.

Filter styles compute total water as dose times a method ratio. Beverage equals water minus an absorption allowance of about two milliliters per gram of coffee. If you enter a beverage size instead, the dose equals beverage divided by ratio minus absorption. Bloom water is about two and a half times the dose, followed by two to three equal pours to finish. This mirrors common pour-over workflows so your scale readings match what you taste.

Espresso yield equals dose times the selected brew ratio. Timing suggests twenty five to thirty five seconds for a normale shot with typical pump machines. Dial in by adjusting grind and maintaining consistent puck prep. Use the ratio as a baseline, then fine-tune by flavor: sweetness and clarity generally peak where extraction is even and channeling is minimized.

• Grind size and distribution affect extraction more than tiny ratio tweaks.
• Water temperature influences speed: hotter water extracts faster, cooler slower.
• Agitation changes contact: more agitation increases extraction but can add fines.

Do I change temperature when switching strength?

Keep water near ninety two to ninety six degrees Celsius for filter. For espresso, start around ninety three and adjust by taste. Stronger settings rarely need hotter water; grind and ratio usually move the needle more.

How many pours after bloom?

Two or three even pours work well. Aim to finish between two and a half and three and a half minutes for most pour-overs. If the bed stalls, coarsen slightly and pour with a steadier, center-weighted pattern.

What about AeroPress recipes?

Use the ratio as a base, then stir, steep about one to two minutes, and press over twenty to thirty seconds. Add bypass water after pressing to lengthen the cup without over-extracting.

Can I convert between grams, milliliters, ounces, and fluid ounces?

Yes. Switch units at the top; the calculator formats dose and beverage accordingly so your scale and kettle readings are straightforward.

• SCA — Brew ratios (55 g/L): Industry standard for filter coffee.
• Barista Hustle — Beverage weight: Grounds retain ~2–2.5 g water per g coffee.