🫙 French Press Ratio Calculator
Enter your French press size and desired strength to calculate the coffee and water amounts for a full press.
From press size to coffee dose
Presses are sold in fluid ounces, so the tool converts to millilitres first and then divides by the strength you picked:
water (ml) = size (fl oz) × 29.5735
coffee (g) = water (ml) / ratio
strong 1:12 medium 1:15 mild 1:17A 34 fl oz press - the common 1 litre, eight-cup size - holds 1006 ml, which at 1:15 needs 67.0 g of coffee. The same press at 1:12 wants 83.8 g and at 1:17 just 59.1 g. Smaller presses: 12 fl oz is 355 ml and 23.7 g at 1:15; 17 fl oz is 503 ml and 33.5 g.
Grind coarse, and mind the fill line
- Coarse, like sea salt. A press steeps for four minutes with no paper filter, so the grind is your only real control over extraction. Fine grounds keep extracting the whole time and slip through the mesh as sludge.
- Water at 93-96 °C. Off the boil for thirty seconds. Cooler water over a coarse grind is the fastest route to a sour, hollow cup.
- Four minutes, then plunge slowly and decant. Coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps brewing and turns bitter in the jug.
Frequently asked questions
How much coffee for a 1 litre French press?
About 67 g at 1:15. Use 83 g if you want it strong or 59 g for a milder brew. That is roughly 8 to 11 level tablespoons, though weighing is far more consistent.
How long should French press coffee steep?
Four minutes for a coarse grind, then plunge and pour it all out. Longer steeps only work if you grind coarser to compensate.
Why is my French press coffee muddy?
The grind is too fine, so fines pass straight through the metal mesh. Go coarser, and after plunging leave the last centimetre in the jug rather than pouring the sediment into your cup.