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Pour over for one: how much coffee per cup, by brewer and mug size
Dose math for one mug: grams of coffee per cup by mug size and roast, tablespoon fallbacks, and a three-pour routine for a 10 oz single serve pour over.
What to take away
- Weigh 15 g of coffee for an 8 oz mug at 240 g of water, which is the 1:16 starting ratio.
- A 10 oz mug takes about 19 g of coffee and 300 g of water. A 12 oz mug takes about 22 g and 355 g.
- Dark roasts are less dense and extract faster, so drop about 1 g per mug. Light roasts take about 1 g more.
- One level tablespoon of medium grind holds 5 to 6 g, so an 8 oz mug needs about 3 level tablespoons.
- A single cup cone such as a Hario V60 01 or Kalita Wave 155 covers one 8 to 12 oz mug.
The base dose for one mug
How much coffee per cup pour over brewing needs comes down to two numbers, coffee weight and water weight. The usual filter range is 1:15 to 1:17 coffee to water by weight, written as a coffee to water ratio in grams. That ratio is a standard reference point in coffee preparation.
Coffee dose by mug size
- 8 oz15 g coffee
- 10 oz19 g coffee
- 12 oz22 g coffee
- Ratio1 16 coffee to water
One gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. For a 10 oz mug, that works out to 19 g of coffee and 300 g of water.
Mugs are sold in fluid ounces, so convert before you weigh. An 8 oz mug holds about 240 g of water once the grounds and the filter take their space. That gives 15 g of coffee.
A 10 oz mug holds about 300 g of water and takes about 19 g of coffee. A 12 oz mug holds roughly 355 g and takes about 22 g.
A single serve pour over amount rarely climbs above 25 g of coffee, so a 12 oz mug sits near the top of the practical range. Taste sets the final dose, not the arithmetic.
Water is roughly 98 percent of the cup, so the source matters as much as the ratio. The WHO drinking water fact sheet covers safety and treatment for tap and filtered water.
Grams per mug by brewer size and roast level
Brewer size sets the ceiling on how much you can pour in one go. A Hario V60 01 and a Kalita Wave 155 are sized for one or two cups, which covers a single mug. A 12 oz mug through an 01 cone takes two pours. The pour over dose for one mug scales with the mug, not with the brewer.
Grams per mug by roast
Light roast
- 8 oz
- 16 g
- 10 oz
- 20 g
- 12 oz
- 23 g
Medium roast
- 8 oz
- 15 g
- 10 oz
- 19 g
- 12 oz
- 22 g
Dark roast
- 8 oz
- 14 g
- 10 oz
- 18 g
- 12 oz
- 21 g
| Mug size | Water (g) | Light roast (g) | Medium roast (g) | Dark roast (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 oz | 240 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| 10 oz | 300 | 20 | 19 | 18 |
| 12 oz | 355 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
Light roasts are denser and give up their flavor more slowly, so they sit at the top of each range. Dark roasts are porous and extract quickly, so they sit at the bottom.
Tablespoons and scoops when there is no scale
A level tablespoon of medium ground coffee weighs about 5 to 6 g. An 8 oz mug needs roughly 2.5 to 3 level tablespoons. A 12 oz mug needs about 4.
Grind size changes the answer. A coarse grind packs less mass into the same spoon, so a scoop of coarse coffee weighs less than a scoop of fine coffee.
A small scale that reads to 0.1 g costs little and removes the guesswork. For single mug brewing, that purchase changes the cup more than a new brewer does.
Example: dialing in a 10 oz mug in three pours
Dialing in a 10 oz mug
- Heat 320 g of water to about 200 F and rinse the paper filter with a little of it.
- Weigh 19 g of medium ground coffee into the cone and level the bed.
- Pour 50 g of water, wait 30 to 40 seconds, then pour to 180 g in slow circles.
- Finish pouring to 300 g and let the bed drain. Total time lands near 2:45 to 3:15.
Taste, then adjust one variable. A thin, sour cup wants a finer grind or 1 g more coffee. A bitter, dry cup wants a coarser grind or 1 g less.
Three-pour 10 oz routine
- Heat 320 g water to 200 F
- Rinse filter, add 19 g coffee
- Pour 50 g, wait 30-40 sec
- Pour to 180 g in circles
- Finish to 300 g, drain 2:45-3:15
Water, grind and gear that shift the number
Grind, water temperature and filter type move the number more than mug size does. Change one at a time so you can tell what did the work.
Counter space decides gear in many kitchens. A condo kitchen coffee station in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal has to respect counter depth and clearance, and that guide names gear plus local recycling rules.
If you are comparing methods before you compare doses, French press vs pour over for one person weighs footprint, taste and cleanup for an 8 to 12 oz mug on one counter.
Learn how to clean a coffee grinder without rice with a dry brush, vacuum and purge sequence that protects the burrs.
If you want the same method with less caffeine, best decaf coffee beans pour over names specific bags roasted for filter.
