French Press Coffee Ratio Calculator

How French Press Ratios Work

French press coffee is measured by a ratio of water to coffee, written as something like 1:15 — meaning 15 grams of water for every 1 gram of coffee. A lower number in that ratio (like 1:12) packs in more coffee relative to water for a stronger, heavier brew, while a higher number (like 1:17) stretches the same coffee further for a lighter cup. Most guides land on 1:15 as a solid, balanced starting point for French press specifically, since its full immersion brewing tends to extract more than drip methods at the same ratio.

How to Use This Calculator

Enter how much water you're brewing with and pick a strength — mild, standard, or strong. The calculator gives you the exact grams of coffee to weigh out for that batch.

How We Calculate It

Coffee needed (grams) = water amount (grams, treating 1ml of water as 1 gram) ÷ the ratio number for your chosen strength. A 1:15 ratio with 500ml of water works out to 500 ÷ 15 ≈ 33 grams of coffee.

A Few Notes

Weighing both coffee and water on a kitchen scale gives far more consistent results than scooping by volume, since coffee beans vary in density by roast and grind. Grind size also matters for French press specifically — too fine and you'll get sediment and over-extraction, too coarse and the brew will taste weak and underdeveloped even at the "right" ratio, so pair this calculator with a coarse, even grind for best results.