How Much Coffee for a French Press: 3, 4 and 8-Cup Amounts
The fastest way to a better French press is to stop guessing how much coffee to use. A kitchen scale and one simple ratio get you a consistent cup every morning.
The ratio to start with
Start with 1 gram of coffee for every 15 grams of water. Water weighs about 1 gram per milliliter, so 1:15 means 30 grams of coffee for 450 ml of water.
That gives a balanced cup. If you like it stronger, move toward 1:12. If you like it lighter, try 1:16 or 1:17. Change the amount of coffee, not the steep time, to change strength.
French press "cups" are small
Press makers measure in small cups of about 4 ounces, not the 8 to 12 ounces most people drink. A press sold as "8-cup" holds about 34 ounces, or 1 liter. That's roughly three or four mugs, not eight.
So check the capacity in ounces or milliliters, not the cup number.
Amounts by press size
These amounts use a 1:15 ratio. Leave a little room at the top so the plunger can sit above the coffee.
| Press size | Water | Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| 3-cup (about 12 oz / 350 ml) | 350 ml | 23 g |
| 4-cup (about 17 oz / 500 ml) | 500 ml | 33 g |
| 8-cup (about 34 oz / 1 L) | 900 ml | 60 g |
If you don't have a scale, a level tablespoon of whole beans weighs about 5 to 7 grams, depending on the bean. A scale is more reliable, and a basic one is cheap.
A simple method
- Weigh and grind your coffee coarse, like coarse sea salt. Grind just before brewing.
- Add hot water. Use water just off the boil. Pour it over all the grounds.
- Stir once, gently, then put the lid on with the plunger up.
- Wait four minutes.
- Press slowly and pour all of the coffee out right away, so it stops brewing.
Grinding a big batch
An 8-cup press needs about 60 grams of beans per brew. Most electric burr grinders handle that in one go. A single-dose grinder like the Fellow Ode Gen 2 holds 100 g in its load bin, so a full press still fits in one load. For grinders compared on coarse range and burr design, see our French press grinder comparison.