Guide
Coffee Dose Chart
Use this coffee dose chart to choose grams of coffee for pour over, drip, French press, espresso, AeroPress and cold brew.
On This Page7 Sections
Quick Answer
For most filter coffee, use about 15-17 grams of coffee per 250 grams of water. For a standard double espresso, start with 18-20 grams in the basket. Dose should be chosen with the ratio, not guessed from mug size.
Key Takeaways
- 1Dose is the amount of dry coffee you use before brewing.
- 2For filter coffee, dose is calculated from your target ratio and water amount.
- 3For espresso, dose depends on basket size, then output ratio controls shot style.
Dose is where brewing starts. If the dose is inconsistent, every other variable becomes harder to read.
A coffee dose is simply the weight of dry ground coffee. In filter brewing, dose is paired with water amount. In espresso, dose is constrained by basket size and then paired with beverage output.
Coffee Dose Chart For Filter Coffee
Round to the nearest half gram or whole gram. The goal is repeatability, not lab-grade perfection.
Dose By Method
Dose Vs Strength
More coffee usually makes the drink stronger, but not automatically better extracted. If the brew tastes sour, increasing dose may make it stronger and still sour. If the brew tastes bitter, reducing dose may make it weaker and still bitter.
Use dose for strength. Use grind, time and temperature for extraction.
Espresso Dose Notes
Do not overfill an espresso basket beyond its design range. An 18g basket usually works best around 17-19g. Too much coffee can choke the shot and reduce consistency. Too little can leave too much headspace and create uneven extraction.
What To Read Next
Use this chart with Coffee to Water Ratio Guide, Coffee Ratios Guide, Espresso Ratio Guide, Coffee Extraction Guide and Coffee Ratios Guide.
Bottom Line
For filter coffee, start with 15-17g coffee per 250g water. For espresso, start with the basket's intended dose and adjust output ratio. Dose is not a magic number; it is the anchor that makes the rest of your recipe measurable.