Correct measurement of your coffee is vital to have that excellent brew. To help you, we came up with this article so you won’t have to figure it out all on your own.
Table Of Contents
−- Cups to pounds conversion
- Coffee-to-water ratio
- Cups of coffee in a pound
- So really.. How many cups of coffee in a pound?
- Measurements depending on coffee type
- Final words
Cups to pounds conversion
First things first: a cup is a liquid measure equivalent to 8 fluid ounces. Despite this, most coffee companies use 4 or 5 ounces to measure a cup. That’s almost half of the difference!
Get this: if you brew using an 8-cup coffee machine, you can produce eight 4-ounce cups or four 8-ounce coffee cups. For this article, let’s use 8 ounces as the equivalent of a cup. Keep that in mind!
Let’s say you consume a 16-ounce travel mug or a 12-ounce coffee cup; you can adjust these numbers by dividing the final number of cups by 2 and by 1.5 for the travel mug and coffee cup, respectively.
To convert the number of cups you’ll get about the number of pounds in your coffee bean bag, remember this: 1 pound equals 16 ounces, and 16 ounces is equivalent to 2 cups. Therefore, one cup has 8 ounces meaning you will have 2 full cups from a single pound of coffee beans.
Coffee-to-water ratio
Coffee-to-water ratio is how much coffee you need to make a cup of coffee. This should be perfected. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)’s Golden Cup Standard is a great guide to help you achieve the best flavor, aroma, extraction, and mouthfeel. As per the association, the recommended coffee-to-water ratio is 1:18 or 55 grams per 1 liter +/- 10%.
Cups of coffee in a pound
To estimate, 1.09 oz of coffee and 33.08 oz of water can produce up to 47 cups of Joe. But that’s not as easy as it goes as some factors may affect these measurements:
Brewing method
There are various means to brew your coffee, such as:
- Espresso
- Double espresso
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- French press
The water per pound of coffee calculation changes depending on the brewing method.
Coffee strength
The strength of your coffee is dictated by how much ground coffee beans you put into your cup compared to water. The more you add, the stronger your coffee will be.
Size cups
At home, we recommend that larger cup sizes are ideal so you won’t have to keep pouring one cup after the other. Generally, a pound of coffee beans will give you 47 cups of coffee.
Volume of coffee
This differs entirely as each person is different. But suppose you’re still trying to learn the ropes around brewing coffee. In that case, you may easily find your comfort in following the Golden Ratio and the Best Brewing Practices: 1-2 tablespoons of coffee grounds per 6 ounces of water.
So really.. How many cups of coffee in a pound?
As established, for this guide, we will stick to 8 ounces being considered as one cup and the standard size. But we know that coffee cups can be smaller than this. So now check this table to know how much a pound of coffee can take you depending on different methods:
| Cups of Coffee from 1 Pound: | Espresso Cups (2 oz) | Coffee Mugs (10 oz) | Travel Mugs (16oz) | Liters of Brewed Coffee | Ounces of Brewed Coffee |
| Espresso Double Shot | 25 | 5 | 3 | 1.51 L | 51 oz |
| Drip / Pour Over | 153 | 30 | 19 | 9.08 L | 306 oz |
| French Press | 89 | 17 | 11 | 5.30 L | 179 oz |
| Moka Pot | 122 | 24 | 15 | 7.26 L | 245 oz |
| Cold Brew (Concentrate) | 80 | 16 | 10 | 4.73 L | 159 oz |
| Cowboy Coffee | 153 | 30 | 19 | 9.08 L | 306 oz |
Although some of the measurements may hold no use, I also deemed it best to include them.
How many liters of coffee in a pound?
Now let’s calculate the total coffee volume each brewing method can make. Note that the last two columns (liters/ounces) are the total capacity a pound of coffee grounds can produce.
| Liters of Coffee from 1 Pound | Tbsp of Grounds per Batch | Grams of Coffee Per Serving | Water (ml/oz) | Liters of Brewed Coffee | Ounces of Brewed Coffee |
| Espresso Double Shot | 3 tbsp | 18 g | 60 / 2 | 1.51 | 51 |
| Drip / Pour Over | 2 tbsp | 12 g | 240 / 8 | 9.08 | 306 |
| French Press | 5 tbsp | 30 g | 350 / 11.8 | 5.30 | 179 |
| Moka Pot | 2.5 tbsp | 15 g | 240 / 8 | 7.26 | 245 |
| Cold Brew (Concentrate) | 16 tbsp | 96 g | 1000 / 33.8 | 4.73 | 159 |
| Cowboy Coffee | 2 tbsp | 12 g | 240 / 8 | 9.08 | 306 |
How much does 1 tbsp of coffee weigh?
A tablespoon of ground coffee weighs about 6 grams or 0.21 oz. However, weight may vary as the grind size changes. Additionally, the roast’s darkness and the grounds’ shape may also affect this.
How much does 1 tbsp of beans weigh?
A tablespoon of coffee beans weighs around 5 grams or 0.18 oz. The factor that may affect the weight is the scoop of the beans, as a generous tablespoon will weigh differently than a stingy one.
How many tbsp of coffee in 1 pound?
- Ground Coffee: About 75 tablespoons of ground coffee in one pound of coffee. This is based on a weight of 6 grams/tbsp.
- Coffee Beans: About 90 tablespoons of coffee beans in one pound of coffee. This is based on a weight of 5 grams/tbsp.
How many cups of coffee in a pound of beans?
You’ll get an average of 47 cups of coffee in a pound of beans. But, conversely, a cup of coffee uses up to 1.9 ounces of ground beans. Take note though the strength of your coffee may affect this.
How many cups of coffee in a pound of grounds?
The numbers are the same as the beans, still around 47 cups from a pound of ground coffee. This may vary depending on the coffee type and your strength preference.
Variables to determine cup count per pound
Brewing method
The brewing method may affect the weight or volume of ground coffee required.
Coffee strength
Generally, the stronger your coffee preference is, the more ground coffee you will need per cup.
Roast type
The darker the roast, the lighter and larger the beans will be.
Cup size
An espresso cup has around 2-3 fluid ounces compared to a standard one with 8-12 fluid ounces.
Loss from grinding
A tiny percentage will naturally be lost during the grinding process, but that should only play around 1% of total weight.
Measurements depending on coffee type
Drip coffee
Most of the world still brews coffee drip. It’s easy to know why. The method is reliable yet produces a delicious cup. But like with anything else, knowing your measurement is key. The most ideal is 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6-ounce cup. With this same cup size, you can make around 24 to 46 cups of coffee with every pound of coffee beans, depending on the quantity your tablespoon holds.
Pour-over coffee
A lot of coffee enthusiasts adore pour-over coffee. There are various options and brands in the market, which is why achieving a delicious cup is so easy with this one. One of the easiest and most important to control in brewing this type of coffee is the amount of coffee you throw in there. 1-2 tablespoons per cup is still a good rule to use. But if you want to take it up, you can weigh and use around 10 grams of coffee.
French press
There are many things to consider when brewing French press: steeping time, grind size, and coffee-to-water ratio. But as always, the quantity of coffee you should use depends on your coffee preference. A coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10 is said to be perfect preparation. However, some say that 7-8 grams of coffee are also good for every 200 ml of water.
Espresso
Espresso might be the most concentrated coffee out there. It’s called a shot for that reason. It uses pressure for extraction. With 1 lb of coffee, you can make up to 60-70 espresso shots. But as always, that may vary. To make a point, in the United States, baristas utilize more coffee to pull espresso shots compared to Italy. In this case, the coffee quantity can reach up to 11 grams per cup.
There are various espresso-based drinks, and they require double shots of espresso. You should use approximately 17 grams of coffee to pull a double shot.
Cold-brew
A cold brew concentrate has a rather high coffee-to-water ratio of 1:5. A pound of beans can brew up to 80 ounces, or around 10 cups. However, the amount of water you put may vary based on your liking.
Final words
As you may have already realized, a vast pool of factors may affect your measurements. I believe the trick here is to keep experimenting with different variations until you find your perfect cup so you can stick with that. But, the numbers we’ve shared are good places to start. Best of luck!
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Disclosure: No compensation or free products were received in exchange for writing this review.
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