Coffee Scoop Calculator
How many tablespoons per cup depends on which cup and how strong. Say both, and read the coffee in tablespoons, scoops and grams.
Coffee-maker cup, the carafe markings.
7.4tbsp
37 g, level tablespoons of medium grind
4 coffee-maker cups of 5 oz is 592 g of water. At 1:16 that wants 37 g of coffee: about 7.4 level tablespoons, or 3.7 standard scoops, which is 1.9 tablespoons per cup.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter how many cups you are brewing.
- Say which cup. The 5 oz cup is the one marked on a drip machine's carafe. A measuring cup is 8 oz. A mug is 12. A travel mug is 16.
- Pick a strength. Medium is 1:16 by weight and where we start.
- Read the tablespoons, with grams and standard scoops alongside.
Why the Answer Is Never Just "Two Tablespoons"
The old advice of two tablespoons per cup is roughly right for the 5 oz cup on a coffee maker at a strong 1:15, and roughly half of what a 12 oz mug needs. The number on the carafe and the mug in your hand are different units with the same name, and that is where most weak and most bitter drip coffee comes from. Choose the cup you will actually drink from and the arithmetic takes care of itself.
What a Tablespoon Weighs
A level tablespoon of medium-ground coffee is about 5 g, and a standard coffee scoop is two tablespoons, about 10 g. Those are averages. A dark roast is lighter and puffier, so a spoon of it weighs less; a fine grind packs tighter and weighs more; a heaped spoon can be double a level one. The spread is roughly 4 to 7 g per tablespoon, which is why a scale makes coffee more consistent than any scoop can. If you brew every day, a basic kitchen scale is the single most useful upgrade after the grinder.
The Ratio Behind the Scoop
Every strength here is a brew ratio by weight. 1:16 means 16 g of water for every gram of coffee. The Specialty Coffee Association's golden cup standard sits near 1:18 with an allowed range either side; most of the specialty coffee we brew at home lands between 1:15 and 1:17. If your coffee tastes thin, move toward strong; if it tastes harsh and heavy, move toward mild, and if that does not fix it, the grind is the next thing to change. Our brew method guide explains which brewer wants what, and the pour-over calculator takes over once you have a scale.