Coffee Measuring

Here are the ratios of ground coffee to water that we've found to make the best brewed coffee.

We use measurements of "scoops of coffee" (be sure your scoop holds a full 2 tablespoons, many scoops now hold just one), because it's the most important measurement in an electric drip coffeemaker. The chart ends with the maximum amount of ground coffee most machines can handle. Ground coffee retains a good deal of water, so the yield is surprisingly lower than the water you start with.

Ground Coffee	Water	Brewed Coffee
¼ cup (2 scoops)	1 cup (8 oz.)	¾ cup (6 oz.)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (3 scoops)	2 cups (16 oz.)	1 ½ cups (12 oz.)
½ cup (4 scoops)	3 cups (24 oz.)	2 ¼ cups (18 oz.)
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (5 scoops)	3 ½ cups (28 oz.)	2 ¾ cups (22 oz.)
¾ cup (6 scoops)	4 cups (32 oz.)	3 cup (24 oz.)
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (7 scoops)	4 ½ cups (36 oz.)	3 ½ cups (28 oz.)
1 cup (8 scoops)	5 ½ cups (44 oz.)	3 ½ cups (36 oz.)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (9 scoops)	6 ½ cups (50 oz.)	4 ¾ cups (38 oz.)

Because the cup lines on the carafes of electric drip machines vary, our advice is to use standard kitchen measuring cups to fill the carafe or reservoir, depending on your habit and to note for the future the level that the water reaches.

Source: The Joy of Coffee by Corby Kummer