How Many Cups of Coffee Does 12 Ounces Make?

If you just bought a bag of 12-ounce coffee beans, you might be wondering how many cups of coffee you will be able to make. There are several factors that inform the amount of coffee you can brew. So, how many cups of coffee does 12 Oz make?

How Many Cups of Coffee Does 12 Oz Make?

12 ounces of coffee make about 16 cups of coffee. This is assuming that you are using a 12-ounce coffee cup and a coffe to water ratio of roughly 1:17. If you adjust the water ratio or use a bigger cup the number of cups you brew will change.

Generally, there is not a standard number of cups you can make from a 12 ounces coffee bag. Factors such as the amount of water and size of the cup you are using will result in different numbers. So, it is very possible that you will get fewer or more than 16 cups.

Coffee in a ceraminc cup

What Is the Standard Coffee Cup Size?

To understand how many cups you can make from a 12-ounce coffee bag, it is essential to know what the standard coffee cup size is. The jury is still out on whether there is a standard coffee cup size.

However, most sources suggest that the average coffee cup can hold between 8 and 12 ounces. There might also be specifics depending on the type of coffee.

For instance, the recommended size for espresso is about 2-3 ounces, 5-6 ounces for a cappuccino, and 11-15 ounces for a latte. Oversized coffee mugs usually range between 20-25 ounces while travel mugs are sized between 15-20 ounces.

How to Calculate the Number of Cups You Can Brew From 12-Ounce Coffee

It is difficult to determine the precise number of cups you can make from a 12 oz bag of coffee. This means that I will generally be working with assumptions and averages.

To give you a more accurate estimate, I will need to know the size of your coffee cup and the water to the coffee ratio that you are using. For the sake of this guide, I will be using a 12-ounce coffee cup and coffee to water ratio of 1:17. 

I also assume that the 12-ounce coffee is ground and not whole beans. That said, I will be using two methods to determine the number of cups you can get.  That is:

  • Using a tablespoon
  • Using water to coffee ratio
Coffee in a white cup

Method 1: Using a Tablespoon

As a rule of thumb, it is recommended that you use 2 tablespoons of coffee per standard coffee cup. This is about 10 grams or 0.37 ounces of coffee. 

Now, to get the number of cups you can brew from a 12-ounce bag, I divide 12 by 0.37. This will give you about 32 cups of coffee, which seems illogical. But there is a catch! 

When used as a unit of volume, a standard 12-ounce coffee mug is actually half the size I often assume it to be. So, to get a more logical number, I will need to divide 32 by 2. That gives us 16 cups of coffee from a 12-ounce bag of coffee. 

Method 2: Using Water to Coffee Ratio 

As I mentioned, I will be using a coffee to water ratio of 1:17, which is very common among many baristas. This means that for every 1 unit of coffee, I will use 17 units of water. I will also be using a 12-ounce cup which is about 355ml or 355 grams of water.

Since I am using a 1:17 coffee to water ratio, I will need to divide 355 by 17 to get the weight of the coffee. This gives around 21 grams which are about 0.74 ounces of coffee. 

Now, to get the number of cups, I divide the total amount of coffee by 0.74. 12/0.74 gives roughly 16 cups of coffee. 

Related Questions

Person stirring a coffee

Is 12 Oz of Coffee Enough?

Whether or not 12 oz of coffee is enough depends on how you like your coffee and how many cups you want to make. A 12-ounce bag of coffee should be enough to make 16 cups of coffee.

How Much Coffee Should I Use?

According to the National Coffee Association, you should use one to two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. However, depending on individual taste preferences, you might need to add more coffee beans or adjust the ratio.

Conclusion

A 12-ounce bag of coffee can make anywhere between 16 to 20 cups of coffee, depending on the size of your cup and how strong you like your coffee. To get an accurate estimate, you should use a tablespoon to measure your coffee and a coffee to water ratio of 1:17.