If you ask a barista, mostly they will answer “It depends”.
Well, yes, it really depends on the size of the cup, the strength of the coffee, and the manner of brewing.
But, we can devise a universal rule, right?
So, in a 12-ounce bag of coffee beans, how many cups can we actually make?
A 12-ounce bag of coffee beans yields 16 cups of coffee. This is calculated on a 12 oz or 355 ml cup of coffee with a water to coffee ratio of 1:17 to 1:18.
However, as previously said, the cup of coffee you use, and hence the number of cups you may obtain from such a 12-ounce bag of coffee beans, is dependent on a few factors. It is determined by the amount of coffee used for each cup such as the coffee to water ratio. It also varies on whether you drink your coffee from a little cup or a large mug. Finally, it is determined by the brewing technique used to produce your coffee.
Taking these considerations into account, you can see that determining the number of cups of coffee you can brew from a 12-ounce bag requires a bit more effort.
Let’s get started…
How To Measure Coffee Beans
Using a scale is the best way to precisely measure coffee for such a perfect cup. The coffee beans come in a wide range of varieties from throughout the world. Each coffee bean type has its own set of characteristics, along with a varied density. That means that calculating by volume is prone to error and will not get the best results. Measuring the beans before brewing and grinding is the most accurate way to measure the coffee.
Using A Scale
Coffee cups, as specified on the side of a coffee machine, are supposed to be 6-ounce cups, the same size as a teacup. A bigger coffee mug has a capacity of around 9 ounces. 10.6 grams or 0.38 ounces of ground coffee beans will be used for one 6-ounce cup of coffee. This equates to around 2 teaspoons of ground coffee. Use a digital kitchen scale to correctly measure these weights.
On the top of the digital kitchen scale, place a small plastic or glass dish or cup. To remove the weight of a bowl or cup from the scale’s display, click the tare, or zero, button. Next, carefully pour your coffee beans into a cup or bowl while keeping an eye on the scale. Stop pouring the beans whenever you’ve reached the desired amount of grams or ounces, based on how your scale is set up. Put them through the grinder until they’re a medium grind, and brew them in the coffee machine. Remember that the smaller the coffee grounds, the stronger your coffee.
Measuring Without A Scale
It is still feasible to measure coffee without the need for a digital kitchen scale, however, it is less precise. To begin, place 4 tablespoons of coffee beans in the coffee bean grinder. Scoop out 2 even tablespoons for every cup of coffee once they’ve been ground. Continue to add coffee beans till you have the desired amount, and keep track of how many teaspoons of beans you used in the grinder. This way, you can make the same quantity every morning without having to repeat the measurement of the teaspoons of beans to tablespoons of coffee grounds ratio.
Calculating Using Different Factors
How many cups of coffee does a 12-ounce bag create for the average coffee user that enjoys their hot cup of coffee strong but not all that strong?
Fortunately, we have always had an internet connection and a calculator on our cellphones, so we don’t have to do any effort to figure this out. But first, let’s figure out how we’re going to do this computation.
By Weight
Let’s begin with the fundamentals of arithmetic. To figure out how many cups of coffee we can get out of a 12-ounce bag of coffee, we must first figure out the number of coffee beans we are using for each cup of coffee. Don’t worry, we won’t be counting them.
We’re going to compute by weight.
In comparison to volume, weight is significantly more precise in estimating the number of coffee beans you use. A tablespoon of coffee beans, for example, is an entirely different quantity of coffee compared to a tablespoon of coffee grounds. 100 g of coffee beans, on the other side, is equal to 100 g of ground coffee.
We further set the coffee-to-water ratio and cup size to a specified number to determine how much coffee you use. For our initial estimate, we take a frequently recommended coffee-to-water proportion of 1:17 and a fairly regular cup size of 12 oz or 355 ml.
Let’s get started with the numbers:
355 m of water is equal to 355 g of water.
So, if we use one unit of coffee for every 17 units of water, we will require 355 divided by 17 is equal to 21 g of coffee.
0.74 oz of coffee is equivalent to 21 g.
As a result, a 12-ounce bag yields 12 divided by 0.74 is 16 cups of coffee.
To keep things simple for users of both the metric and imperial systems, We’re moving between grams and ounces here. Still, the main takeaway here is that a 12-ounce bag yields 16 cups of coffee.
By Coffee-To-Water Ratio
The amount of ground coffee you are using in each cup is determined by how strong you want your coffee. The strength of a cup of coffee is determined by the amount of ground coffee used in connection to the amount of water used, as well as the time frame of the coffee with the water. This is known as the coffee-to-water ratio, and it is mostly determined by personal preference.
For most coffee-making procedures, the coffee-to-water ratio runs from 1:15 to 1:18. The ‘golden ratio,’ or the ideal coffee-to-water ratio, is established at 1:18 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. However, many specialty coffee fans prefer to drink their coffee a little stronger, with the ideal ratio being 1:17.
Have a look at the table below to see how many cups of coffee you can brew from a 12-ounce bag based on the coffee-to-water ratio you use.
| Coffee-To-Water Ratio | Oz of coffee per cup | Grams of coffee per cup | Number of cups per 12 oz of coffee |
| 1:12 | 1.04 | 29 | 11 |
| 1:13 | 0.96 | 27 | 12 |
| 1:14 | 0.89 | 25 | 13 |
| 1:15 | 0.83 | 23 | 14 |
| 1:16 | 0.78 | 22 | 15 |
| 1:17 | 0.73 | 21 | 16 |
| 1:18 | 0.69 | 20 | 17 |
| 1:19 | 0.65 | 19 | 18 |
| 1:20 | 0.62 | 18 | 19 |
Please keep in mind that all calculations are based on the 12 oz of 355 ml of water. All of the cups in the last column are rounded down. This implies you’ll have enough coffee for a quarter to half of a 12 oz cup of coffee. Consider it as your emergency supply.
By The Size Of Your Coffee Mug
The size of your cup determines the number of coffee cups you can make using a 12-ounce bag of coffee beans. The more coffee beans you require, the bigger the cup. Isn’t that self-evident? So, in order to answer the issue of how many cups of coffee can you brew from such a 12-ounce bag of coffee beans, we must first identify the size of a standard cup.
Luckily, the online world can answer practically any query, so we have credible sources showing us that a 12oz cup is usual for around 50% of coffee users in the United States. This equates to 355 milliliters.
You can measure the size of your morning coffee by making it and pouring it into a measuring cup first before drinking it. You may even ‘tare’ your cup on a kitchen scale before adding in your coffee. Because milliliters equal grams, the value on the scale may be interpreted as a standard cup size.
You can obtain roughly 16 cups of coffee from a 12 ounces bag of coffee beans when brewing 12oz cups of coffee.
Presented is the table below to assist you. It displays the amount of coffee you are using for cup size varying from 3oz, the espresso size, to 20oz as the largest Starbucks size.
| Cup size | Oz of coffee per cup | Grams of coffee per cup | Number of cups per 12-ounce bag |
| 3 oz or 89 ml | 0.18 | 5 | 64 |
| 6o z or 177 ml | 0.36 | 10 | 32 |
| 8 oz or 237 ml | 0.49 | 14 | 24 |
| 9oz or 266 ml | 0.55 | 15 | 21 |
| 10 oz or 296 ml | 0.61 | 17 | 19 |
| 12 oz or 355 ml | 0.73 | 20 | 16 |
| 14 oz or 414 ml | 0.85 | 24 | 13 |
| 16 oz or 473 ml | 0.98 | 28 | 12 |
| 18 oz or 532 ml | 1.10 | 31 | 10 |
| 20 oz or 591 ml | 1.23 | 35 | 9 |
Final Thoughts
Although the quantity of coffee you can produce with a 12-ounce bag varies on a variety of circumstances, if you’re using a French press or a drip machine as with most Americans, you should expect to obtain around 16 12-ounce cups of coffee from a regular 12-ounce bag.
Use the tables and presentations below as your guide to determine how many cups you could make in your 12-ounce bag of coffee beans.
Caffeine lovers, cheers!