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Brew perfect cold brew every time with our free online cold brew ratio calculator. Enter your coffee dose and water to get the exact coffee-to-water ratio, strength assessment, servings, and steep-time guidance — from smooth everyday drinkers to bold concentrates.
Calculate NowInteractive Cold Brew Ratio Calculator
Brew Results
How the Cold Brew Ratio Calculator Works
Four steps to consistently great cold brew
Weigh Your Coffee
Weigh coarsely ground coffee in grams — sea-salt texture is the target. Weight beats volume: a "scoop" can vary 30% between grinders, while grams are exact every time.
Add Water (or Pick a Target)
Enter your water in milliliters, or choose a target strength and enter only the coffee — the calculator works out the water for a 1:17 mild brew through 1:8 concentrate.
Read Your Ratio
Get the coffee-to-water ratio in standard 1:X form, a strength classification, expected brew volume, servings, and a steep-time recommendation tuned to the strength.
Steep, Strain, Serve
Combine, steep 12–24 hours at room temperature or in the fridge, strain through a fine filter, and serve over ice — diluting concentrates 1:1 with water or milk.
Cold Brew Ratio Formulas Explained
Simple math, repeatable coffee
Coffee-to-Water Ratio Formula
With water in ml (≈ grams) and coffee in grams: 80 g coffee + 1200 ml water gives 1200 ÷ 80 = 1:15. Written coffee-first by convention, so larger second numbers mean weaker brews.
Water From Target Ratio
Want 1:15 with 60 g of coffee? 60 × 15 = 900 ml water. This is the formula the target-strength selector uses.
Concentrate Dilution
A 1:8 concentrate diluted 1:1 with water serves at an effective 1:16. Dilution is why concentrates are efficient: one batch stretches across many servings and keeps for two weeks refrigerated.
Brew Yield Estimate
Grounds absorb roughly twice their weight in water. 80 g coffee in 1200 ml water yields about 1040 ml of finished brew — the calculator reports servings from this realistic yield, not the raw water volume.
Learn more: Wikipedia's cold brew coffee article covers the history and chemistry behind the method.
Cold Brew Ratio Reference Table
Standard strengths and what they are for
| Ratio | Strength | Example (per liter) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:8 | Concentrate | 125 g coffee | Batch prep; dilute 1:1 to serve, keeps 2 weeks |
| 1:10 | Extra strong | 100 g coffee | Iced lattes needing to cut through milk |
| 1:12 | Strong | 83 g coffee | Bold drinkers, large ice cubes |
| 1:15 | Standard | 67 g coffee | The everyday sweet spot for most palates |
| 1:17 | Mild & smooth | 59 g coffee | Delicate single origins, easy drinking |
| 1:20 | Very mild | 50 g coffee | Tea-like, low-caffeine preference |
Steep Time and Grind Guide
Time and texture by brew strength
| Ratio | Grind Size | Room Temp Steep | Fridge Steep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:8 – 1:10 (concentrate) | Extra coarse | 12 – 16 hours | 18 – 24 hours |
| 1:12 – 1:15 (standard) | Coarse (sea salt) | 14 – 18 hours | 20 – 24 hours |
| 1:17 – 1:20 (mild) | Coarse | 16 – 20 hours | 22 – 24 hours |
Troubleshooting Your Cold Brew
Fix common problems by adjusting the right variable
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tastes sour or thin | Under-extraction | Steep 4–6 hours longer, or move to a stronger ratio (e.g., 1:15 → 1:13) |
| Tastes bitter or dry | Over-extraction | Coarsen the grind, shorten steep time, or move to a milder ratio |
| Muddy / silty cup | Fines in the grind | Use a burr grinder; strain through paper filter after the coarse strain |
| Weak even at 1:12 | Stale beans | Use coffee roasted within the last month; aromatics fade fast |
| Flat flavor | Chlorinated water | Switch to filtered water — chlorine mutes delicate notes |
Cold Brew Ratio FAQs
Brewing questions, answered
1:15 is the most popular all-round ratio — balanced, smooth, and strong enough for ice. Go 1:12 if you like it bold or drink it with lots of ice, 1:17 for a milder cup, and 1:8 if you want a concentrate to dilute. There is no single "best"; the best ratio is the one you will actually repeat.
Weigh it. A tablespoon of coarse grounds can weigh anywhere from 5 to 8 grams depending on the bean and grind, which swings your ratio by 30% or more. A $15 kitchen scale is the single biggest upgrade to brew consistency you can buy.
Concentrate is cold brew made at 1:8 to 1:10 — too strong to drink straight. Dilute it 1:1 with water, milk, or oat milk for a standard-strength serving, or 1:2 for something milder. It keeps up to two weeks refrigerated in a sealed container, making it ideal for batch prep.
12–24 hours depending on temperature and strength: 12–16 hours at room temperature for concentrates, up to 24 hours in the fridge for milder ratios. Taste at 12 hours — if it is thin or sour, give it more time; if bitter or dry, shorten the next batch. Cold extraction is forgiving within a few hours either way.
You can, but coarse is much better. Fine or medium grinds over-extract and slip through filters, leaving bitter, silty brew. If pre-ground is all you have, shorten the steep to 8–12 hours and strain twice — through a sieve, then a paper filter or cheesecloth.
Per ounce of concentrate, yes — but per serving it depends on dilution. A 1:8 concentrate diluted 1:1 lands near drip-coffee strength per cup. Because cold brew is smooth and easy to drink, people often drink larger servings, which is where the "cold brew is stronger" reputation comes from.
Concentrate (1:8–1:10) keeps 10–14 days sealed and refrigerated. Ready-to-drink ratios (1:15+) are best within 5–7 days as the delicate aromatics fade. Always store strained — leaving grounds in turns the brew bitter within a day or two.
Mastering Cold Brew at Home
Cold brew's magic is subtraction: no heat means no bitter acids and no harsh oils extracted, leaving chocolatey, naturally sweet coffee that is remarkably forgiving to brew. The ratio is the entire recipe — get it right and the method is nearly foolproof. This calculator exists so you can lock in your personal ratio once and repeat it forever.
Start at 1:15 if you are new. It sits in the middle of every major recipe tradition — strong enough to survive ice melt, smooth enough to drink black. Brew one batch, taste it critically, then adjust by whole ratio points: too intense, move to 1:16 or 1:17; too thin, drop to 1:13 or 1:12. Change only the ratio between batches — keep grind, time, and temperature constant — so you learn what the number itself tastes like.
Two variables deserve respect. Grind size controls extraction surface: coarse and even is non-negotiable, and a burr grinder beats a blade grinder enormously here because uniform particles extract uniformly. Water quality matters more than in hot brewing since there is no heat to mask off-flavors — filtered water with moderate mineral content gives the cleanest cup.
For households, the concentrate route (1:8) is the efficiency play: one Sunday batch yields a week of coffee that each person dilutes to taste — black, with milk, over tonic, it all works from the same jar. For the purist chasing a specific single origin's florals, brew ready-to-drink at 1:16–1:17 and serve it within days. Either way, write your winning ratio down. Memory lies; the calculator does not.