Percolator coffee ratio: how much coffee for 2 to 12 cups
A 6 cup stovetop percolator holds 30 oz of water and takes about 52 g of coarse coffee at 1:17, or 10 level tablespoons. For a stronger pot use 59 g (1:15), for a lighter one 49 g (1:18). The table below covers 2 to 12 cups, and the calculator starts at the 6 cup pot.
Coffee by percolator size
| Percolator | Water | 1:18 (lighter) | 1:17 (start) | 1:15 (strong) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 cups | 10 oz 296 ml |
16 g 3 tbsp 1.7 scoops | 17 g 4 tbsp 1.8 scoops | 20 g 4 tbsp 2 scoops |
| 4 cups | 20 oz 591 ml |
33 g 7 tbsp 3.3 scoops | 35 g 7 tbsp 3.5 scoops | 39 g 8 tbsp 4 scoops |
| 6 cups | 30 oz 887 ml |
49 g 10 tbsp 5 scoops | 52 g 10 tbsp 5.2 scoops | 59 g 12 tbsp 5.9 scoops |
| 8 cups | 40 oz 1183 ml |
66 g 13 tbsp 6.6 scoops | 70 g 14 tbsp 7 scoops | 79 g 16 tbsp 7.9 scoops |
| 9 cups | 45 oz 1331 ml |
74 g 15 tbsp 7.4 scoops | 78 g 16 tbsp 7.9 scoops | 89 g 18 tbsp 8.9 scoops |
| 10 cups | 50 oz 1479 ml |
82 g 16 tbsp 8.2 scoops | 87 g 17 tbsp 8.7 scoops | 99 g 20 tbsp 9.9 scoops |
| 12 cups | 60 oz 1774 ml |
99 g 20 tbsp 9.9 scoops | 104 g 21 tbsp 10.5 scoops | 118 g 24 tbsp 11.9 scoops |
A percolator cup is 5 oz, like a drip machine cup. Tablespoons assume 5 g of coarse grounds per level tablespoon and a scoop is 2 tablespoons; see grams per tablespoon if your spoon runs light or heavy. The doses fill the pot to the water line. Brew less and scale the row down.
Calculate your own pot
Starts at a 6 cup percolator (30 oz) at 1:17. Change the water for a partly filled pot.
Change any field and the others update. Percolator coffee usually lands between 1:15 and 1:18. Start near 1:17.
Water: 29.9 fl oz, 3.7 cups
What's next
I'm thinking about a brew log that saves your recipes with a note on how each cup tasted. It isn't built yet. The button below only adds one to a counter, so I can see if enough people want it.
Thanks, counted.
Why guides say 1 tablespoon, others say 2
Eight O'Clock calls for 10 g (2 level tablespoons) per cup. Coletti suggests 1 tablespoon per cup, and its example counts a cup as 5 oz of water. The two numbers look close, but they describe pots that differ by a factor of two.
With a 5 oz cup (148 ml of water) and 5 g per tablespoon, 2 tablespoons make roughly 1:15. One tablespoon makes roughly 1:30, a very light pot next to any other method. Eight O'Clock does not say how big its cup is, so its 2 tablespoons could also be meant for a mug.
Take 2 level tablespoons per 5 oz cup as the strong end, close to the 1:15 column. 1 tablespoon per cup makes a light pot. For a first pot, use the 1:17 column, about 1.7 tablespoons per 5 oz cup.
Strength by perk time
A percolator cycles the same water through the grounds again and again, so time changes the strength as much as dose does. Coletti counts from when perking starts:
- 4 minutes: lighter coffee.
- 5 to 6 minutes: balanced.
- 6 to 7 minutes: strong.
- Past 7 to 8 minutes: bitter. Pull the pot off the heat before that.
Eight O'Clock suggests 5 minutes after the first perk. Coletti recommends a coarse grind, as for a French press (Eight O'Clock says medium), and medium-low heat once perking begins. If the coffee tastes harsh at the right dose, shorten the perk before cutting the coffee. The bitter or sour guide has the rest of the checklist.
Bigger pots
Electric party urns of 30 to 100 cups are percolators too, but they count smaller cups and brew weaker on paper. Use the coffee urn table for those, and the 12 cup coffee maker page if you brew with a drip machine instead.