Quick Answer:
For the “4” on a typical drip coffee make(r which is 20 oz, close to ~600ml of wate), use 38 grams of coffee. If you don’t have a scale, that’s 8 level / measuring tablespoons or 4 standard coffee scoops (if using a typical Sbux-type two-tablespoon scoop).
If you’re making enough to fill 4 physical mugs for people (like, around 10-12 oz each), then you actually need to make brew with 40-48oz water, which would be about 16 to 20 tablespoons of grounds.
For The Kitchen Novice: Fly Me To The “Machine Cup” Moon
If your coffee maker is newly purchased or you’ve lost the manual, the markings on the water tank might confuse you most. You might be applying four servings of water under the belief pouring it to the “four” mark will be four cups of coffee. It does not.
The Reality: The “Cup” on a coffee machine is a lie (marketing). It is not the typical US Cup (8 oz). Coffee hardware defines cup as 5 ounces ~ 148ml).
- 5″ for the Water Intake = 20 FL OZ of water.
- The Yield = This would never cover more than two basic breakfast cups.
The Fix (The 2-Scoop Rule):
Forget complex math. For traditional grocery store coffee (Folgers, Maxwell House, or Starbucks pre-ground):
- Add cold water up to the 4 line.
- Use 1 level scoop (the plastic one that comes with the machines) per every 1 cup mark.
Hold on: Most plastic scoops ARE 2 tablespoons. So for the “4” mark, it’s 4 scoops if you want a stronger brew and 3 scoops if you like it mellower.
Why this works: This is pretty much that 1:16 ratio without a scale. It also eliminates that “brown water” taste from only using 4 measly tbsp for 20oz of water.
For The Occasional Host: The ‘Safety Buffer’ Strategy
You have guests, and the last thing you want is to serve them coffee that tastes like battery acid or dishwater. The pressure is social, not scientific.”
A Counter-Intuitive Fact: It is easier, infinitely easier to correct coffee that is too strong than it is to correct weak coffee. You can’t “add strength” to weak coffee, but you can add hot water to something too strong (this is actually how an Americano functions).
The Strategy:
If you need to feed 4 human beings:
- Don’t worry about the “4” on the machine. D8: How full? To give everyone a mug you need to fill the pot on the 10 vodka marker (about 50 oz).
- The Formula Spread 8/16 Prompt: Use 10 Heaping Tablespoons (5 Heavy Scoops) For every 40 oz of water.
- The “Host Trick”: Take a tiny sip for yourself before serving.
- Too Strong? Pour a bit of hot water into the carafe or each mug.
- Just Right? Serve immediately.
What this strategy does is it protects you from the “cheap host” stigma. By the standards of sensory analysis, under-extracted (weak) coffee will have “sour” or “vegetal” defects—something which is actually more offensive to guests than a strong, bitter roast.
For The Flavor Enthusiast: The Density Paradox
You are looking for consistency. You might have observed that 8 tablespoons give a great cup of coffee sometimes, but not always; sometimes it tastes different even in the same machine.
The Hidden Variable: Not all tablespoons are equal. This is due to bean density.
- Dark Roast: The beans are roasted for a longer period of time which causes them to swell and lose their moisture. They are bigger, but of lesser mass.
- Light Roast The beans are of a ligher roast but smaller not denser (less mass).
The fatal flaw: If you measure by volume (scoops), a scoop of dark roast has vastly less coffee than a scoop of light roast. That’s why your dark roasts may taste watery even if you used the same number of spoons.
The Solution (The Golden Ratio):
To maintain consistent flavor you will need to go to weight (grams) measure.
- Target ratio: 1:16 (1 gram of coffee to every 16 grams water).
- For “4 Cups” (600g water): 37.5 grams of coffee are required.
If you insist on not owning a scale then the logic of your volumetric measuring changes:
- Light Roast: Use flat, even tablespoonfuls.
- Dark Roast: For that lower-density bean, use a heaping tablespoon.
For The Technique Specific Brewer: Immersion Vs. Drip
If you are referring to “4 cups” when it comes to the French Press, then it’s a whole different story.
The Mechanics:
- Drip Machine: The water drips through the coffee (percolation).
- French Press: Coffee and water are in contact (Immmersion).
The brew method for immersion is typically not as effective at pulling flavor into the water compared to drip. You can take all the coffee you use in a French Press and put it into a Mr. Coffee machine and it will taste bland.
The Adjustment:
4 Cup French Press (usually a 17oz/500ml beaker):
- Grind Coarser: Like sea salt. If you’ve got too-fine grounds in your mix, the plunger will be impossible to push down and the coffee will be muddy.
- Step It Up: Go for a denser ratio of 1:15.
The recipe: For 500ml of water, use 33g of coffee (about 7 heaping tablespoons).
Why: Coarser grinds have less surface area exposed to the water, according to the National Coffee Association. In order to achieve the same “punch” as a drip machine, you will often want to use slightly more coffee, or steep it longer than 21 In order to achieve the same “punch” as a drip machine, you will often need more coffee when using very fresh beans in an immersion method (or waiting for them to gas off), and then sometimes even needing a bit of time because there is no flow through agitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How much coffee should I measure for the “4” mark on a standard drip machine?
Answer: You are going to want to brew about 38 grams of coffee. If you’re measuring by volume, this is equivalent to 8 level tablespoons or 4 standard (2-tablespoon) coffee scoops.
Q: Do the “4” lines on coffee maker refer to 4 typical US cups?
Answer: No, it is NOT! Coffee machine manufacturers consider 5 ounces a cup for coffee containers; when most humans use at least an 8 ounce cup for their (welcome to the United States of) AMERICANS!!! Anyone who follows directions and fills the tank to the “4” line gets only 20 ounces of water (enough to fill just two normal breakfast mugs).
“How could it do that so I would get four full mugs of coffee and water in total?
Answer You can fill it to the 8 or 10 mark for $ real people (so as time goes on, you use more coffee) 4 cups if you will Fill machine to about fill line 40-48 oz then use 16-20 tablespoons of grounds. Better to brew coffee a shade too strong and dilute it with hot water, if desired.
Question: Why do I get a less strong coffee from dark roast beans as opposed to light roast?
Response: Dark roast coffee beans are more porous than light ones after roasting. Therefore, a scoop of dark roast isn’t as much coffee mass as light roast is. For Dark Roasts: The Diversey 32 oz White Plastic Spray Bottle I have only used World Market beans since getting my french press, but the grind of beans made a difference.
Question: Do Buse, use the same amount of coffee in a French Press as for any other drip?
Answer: No. The reason for that is the French Press method of brewing, utilizing an immersion process with a coarser grind to the coffee It doesn’t extract flavors as well as drip methods. For a “4 cup” (500ml) French Press, use somewhat more coffee (3 oz., or rather 7 heaping Tbsp., or ~33 g.) to get just the right strength.
References
- Organization name: Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Object: The Standard of the Golden Cup
Result: Determined the perfect water-to-coffee ratio for the best taste extraction was 55g-60g of coffee to 1000ml (1 liter) of water.
Background: The standard Gold Cup certified by this standard is a world standard for coffee machines. - Organization: National Coffee Association (NCA) USA
Object: “How to Brew Coffee” Rule
Result: Recommends 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water for a general consumer baseline. - Source: S.E.W. (Journal of Food Engineering) / Author: Schenker, S., et al.
Description: “Influence of roasting conditions on the pore structure of coffee beans”
Time: 2000
Finding: Roasting increases the volume and decreases weight of coffee beans because water and other organic matter is emitted, hence explaining in scientific terms why measuring by volume (scooping) varies across roast levels.
