Pour-over coffee ratios: what 1:16 actually means

A coffee ratio compares the weight of dry grounds with the water you pour into the brewer. At 1:16, every 1 g of coffee gets 16 g of brew water. It does not describe the amount of coffee that ends up in the cup: some water remains in the grounds.

The calculation

Multiply coffee weight by the second number in the ratio. With 15 g coffee at 1:16, use 240 g water. At 1:17, use 255 g. To work backwards from a water quantity, divide the water by the ratio: 500 g water at 1:16 needs 31.25 g coffee.

The coffee ratio calculator does the multiplication and scales it for more servings. Its default is 15 g coffee and 250 g water, the quantities in Hario UK's V60 guide, or approximately 1:16.7. This is a reference recipe, not a claim that our dripper is a Hario product.

Keep a short record

Write down coffee weight, water weight, grind setting and the result. If you change the ratio, keep the other choices steady where possible. Try a little less water per gram for a more concentrated drink, or a little more for a less concentrated one. Taste is also affected by extraction; a ratio alone cannot correct every sour or bitter cup.

For a small cup or for sharing

Do not plan brew water as though it were finished drink volume. The Companion cup is listed at 200 ml, so the full default brew may not fit. Brew into a suitable server and pour a comfortable serving. The Shared Pour server is listed at 600 ml; leave room rather than treating the maximum capacity as a filling target.

Choose the rest of the setup

Use a suitable filter for your dripper, check its fit on the vessel, and follow the brewer's instructions. Our beginner’s pour-over kit guide separates the essential items from later additions. If you are choosing the drinking vessel, read our small coffee cup guide.

Further reading: Hario UK’s V60 brew guide.