Colombian Coffee-to-Water Ratio: A Practical Brewing Chart

For a starting filter-coffee recipe, try 1 gram of ground coffee for every 16 grams of brewing water. That is 15.6 grams of coffee for 250 grams of water, or 31.3 grams for 500 grams. It is a starting point to adjust to your taste, not a special rule that every Colombian coffee must follow.

If your brewer provides its own recipe, start there. This chart is for people who want to measure a repeatable drip or filter brew. It is not an espresso or cold-brew-concentrate recipe. A scale makes the arithmetic straightforward, even when the scoop that came with your brewer has disappeared.

A coffee-to-water chart you can actually use

Choose the amount of water your brewer can safely handle, then choose one column. The 1:15 column uses more coffee for the same water; 1:17 uses less. Round to the nearest gram if your scale does not show decimals.

For ordinary kitchen measuring, 1 gram of room-temperature water is approximately 1 milliliter. The table describes water going into the brew. Some stays in the grounds, so 500 grams of water will not produce exactly 500 milliliters of coffee in your cup.

Why a coffee maker’s cup line can confuse things

An eight-cup machine does not necessarily make eight of your mugs. Its markings refer to the manufacturer’s serving convention. Check the manual for reservoir volume, or measure the water you actually pour in. Do not multiply a familiar mug size by the number printed on the carafe without checking.

The National Coffee Association gives a broad volume-based starting range in its drip-coffee guidance. We use weight here to make comparisons easier: a level spoon and a heaped spoon are different amounts, and scoops are not all the same size.

Work out any batch size

Coffee grams = water grams divided by your chosen ratio number. For 600 grams of water at 1:16, calculate 600 / 16 = 37.5 grams of coffee. To work the other way, 20 grams of coffee at 1:16 calls for 320 grams of water.

Write down the coffee, water and brewer you used. If the cup tastes too concentrated, try the neighboring 1:17 column next time. If it tastes thin, try 1:15. Keep the same coffee and equipment for that comparison. A harsh flavor that remains after dilution deserves a different check; see our bitterness troubleshooting guide.

Which ANASU bag should you measure?

ANASU Armenia Medium Roast is a medium-roast option for a first comparison. Already prefer a medium-dark label? Try ANASU Manizales Medium Dark Roast. Match the available grind to your brewer; a roast name is not a grind specification. For machine setup, use our Colombian drip-coffee guide.

ANASU bags are listed at 0.55 lb, approximately 250 grams. For planning how long one may last at your chosen dose, read the bag-yield guide. Then shop ANASU ground coffee for current prices and availability.

By CoffeeAnd USA Team. Product listings and linked references checked October 8, 2026. Brewing amounts and pairing ideas are starting suggestions, not guaranteed results.