For coffee lovers everywhere, it’s the age-old question: How much ground coffee should you use to make 12 cups of coffee?
Here are some guidelines you can use. To make 12 cups of coffee, you should start with about 24 tablespoons of coffee grounds. Most scoops are about two tablespoons, so you can use 12 scoops to make 12 cups of coffee.
The long and short of it is: use one scoop to make a cup of coffee. But if you can, always weigh your coffee and your water instead of using scoops. You’ll be more consistent that way.
The strength of your coffee depends on how much coffee grounds you use. Let’s dive into this question a little bit more.
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How Many Scoops Of Coffee For 12 Cups
You should use 12 scoops of coffee grounds to make 12 cups of coffee. Or you can also use two tablespoons of coffee per cup. So for 12 cups, you should use about 24 tablespoons of coffee.
But that comes with some disclaimers. No coffee scoop is exactly one tablespoon. Sometimes the scoops don’t even pretend to be a tablespoon. So to be sure, read the user manual of your coffee machine.
I know that sounds boring and seems like a hassle, but most coffee machine manuals have a good recommendation for where to start.
Drip coffee is pretty forgiving. A wide range of recipes will give you something close to the perfect cup.
If you don’t want to read your manual or have misplaced it, trial and error is the easiest way.
Trial and error works great for making the best drip coffee. That’s because no two machines are identical, and no two coffees will produce the same results. What works for one machine and one coffee won’t work for another combination.
What Do We Mean By “Cups?”
We generally assume 6oz when we talk about cups, but that isn’t always the case. One cup might sometimes mean 12 ounces, while another might mean 8 ounces.
Generally, one cup is equal to one number on the side of the coffee machine. The scoop that comes with the coffee machines also generally lines up with those numbers.
Answering how much coffee to use for 12 cups becomes a tough ask when a cup has so many definitions.
Pro tip: A great starting point is to simply use one scoop per cup of coffee, no matter what coffee machine you use.
How To Brew Perfect Coffee Every Time
“How can I get my brewing even more dialed?” you might be asking.
As a barista, let me give you my tips for improving your brewing and getting the perfect cup in your coffee pot.
- Weigh, don’t scoop. If you want consistent results that are easy to adjust and remember, use a kitchen scale to dial in your coffee. When brewing my first cup on a new coffee machine, I like to use the scoop to weigh out some coffee and adjust my next brew based on the taste of the first one.
- Weigh, don’t fill. As we weigh our coffee grounds, so should we weigh our water. Weighing your water is as important as weighing your coffee grounds. That’s because you want to keep the ratio as close to consistent as possible for the best results.
In short, weigh your coffee and water if you want to brew the perfect coffee every time.
The Golden Ratio
Regarding ratios, there is a general guideline to follow in coffee brewing. That would be The Golden Ratio. However, you should note that you’ll get two different answers if you ask about the Golden Ratio.
I’ll give you the inferior one first: 2 tablespoons for every 6 fluid ounces of water. It’s inferior because it’s unclear.
Are those two tablespoons of ground coffee, and are they packed or loose? Is that for every coffee or just Folgers? Each coffee is different and has different densities. Plus, grind size also plays a factor in how much coffee is in 2 tablespoons.
So what’s the actual Golden Ratio?
The Golden Ratio for brewing perfect coffee is 15:1 water-to-coffee. So, for every 1 gram of coffee, you should use 15 grams of water.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again here: weigh, don’t scoop.
Why You Should Grind Your Own Beans
Another factor for perfect coffee? Grind your coffee beans just before brewing.
If you want the best drip coffee imaginable, you should invest in a simple burr grinder.
Grinding your coffee beans is the fastest and easiest way to brew better coffee. That’s because once the coffee is ground, it loses its flavor fast.
Buying pre-ground regular coffee is like buying pre-peeled potatoes. After a day or two, the potatoes will start to turn brown and will be a bummer to cook and eat.
The same is true of coffee. Grind your coffee beans, and you’ll find it more flavorful than pre-ground coffee.
FAQ
Each coffee is different and will have a different amount of caffeine. But generally, 1 tablespoon will have about 60mg of caffeine.
Yes. But a drip coffee pot usually won’t brew coffee for too long, so don’t worry.
Most drip coffee machines take about 1 minute to brew each cup, which generally takes 12-15 minutes, including warm-up time.
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