Getting started · beginner · 4 min read
Coffee Ratios for Beginners: The 1:16 Rule That Ends Guessing
One gram of coffee to sixteen grams of water is the most reliable starting point in home brewing. Learn what the ratio means, how to scale it to any mug, and when to bend it toward stronger or lighter.
By The Daily Pour Editorial · Reviewed by Editorial Review · Updated 2026-07-08
The scoop is why your coffee is different every day. Scoops measure volume, but beans vary hugely in density — a scoop of light roast can weigh a third more than a scoop of dark. A ratio measured by weight removes that variable completely, and it's the single fastest way to make your coffee repeatable.
What 1:16 actually means
A 1:16 ratio is one gram of ground coffee for every sixteen grams (which is sixteen milliliters) of water. For a standard 320 ml mug, that's 20 g of coffee. Want two mugs? 40 g of coffee, 640 g of water. The math scales in a straight line, which is exactly what a scoop can't do.
Brew by ratio in three moves
Weigh the coffee
Put your brewer or mug on a scale, tare it, and weigh the dose — say 20 g for one large mug.
Multiply by 16
20 g × 16 = 320 g of water. Tare again and pour to that number.
Taste and nudge
Too strong? Try 1:17 tomorrow. Too thin? Try 1:15. Move one point at a time and keep notes for a week.
Ratios between 1:15 and 1:17 cover almost all filter coffee. Immersion methods like French press sit happily at 1:15 for a bit more body; cold brew concentrate runs much stronger, around 1:5, because you dilute it later.
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