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Espresso Ratio Calculator

Enter your dose — the weight of dry coffee in the basket — and a brew ratio, and the calculator gives you the target beverage weight to stop the shot at.

Shot style

These are approximate starting points, not fixed definitions — enter your own ratio any time.

Target yield

36g

Dose
18 g
Ratio
1:2
Target yield
36 g

Dose, yield, and brew ratio

Three numbers describe an espresso shot by weight:

  • Dose — the grams of dry, ground coffee you put in the portafilter basket.
  • Yield — the grams of liquid espresso in the cup when you stop the shot.
  • Brew ratio — yield divided by dose, written 1 : yield. An 18 g dose pulled to 36 g in the cup is a 1:2 ratio.

Weighing the shot on a small scale is what makes espresso repeatable. Timing alone does not, because a shot that looks the same can pour a very different weight depending on grind, distribution, and puck prep.

Ristretto, standard, and lungo

These names describe roughly where a shot sits on the ratio scale. The ranges below reflect common modern specialty-coffee usage — traditional Italian definitions lean more on shot time and volume than on a weighed ratio, so treat these as starting points, not fixed rules.

StyleStarting ratioCommon rangeCharacter
Ristretto1:1.51:1 – 1:2Short and concentrated, often syrupy, with less perceived acidity.
Standard espresso1:21:2 – 1:2.5The usual all-purpose target, balanced between body and clarity.
Lungo1:31:3 – 1:4Longer and lighter in body; can taste thin or bitter if pushed too far.

Ratio is only one variable

Hitting a target ratio does not guarantee a good shot. Grind size, dose, water temperature, pressure, and how evenly the puck is prepared all change how the coffee extracts. Ratio is the dial you set first and adjust last: pick a starting ratio, get the grind and technique into a good place, then nudge the ratio for taste.

Worked examples

  • 18 g dose at 1:2 → 36 g yield.
  • 18 g dose at 1:2.5 → 45 g yield.
  • 20 g dose at 1:1.5 (ristretto) → 30 g yield.

If a shot at a sensible ratio still tastes sharp and sour, it is usually under-extracted — grind finer or pull a little longer. If it tastes harsh and bitter, it is usually over-extracted. Our guide on why coffee tastes bitter covers the same extraction ideas for brewed coffee, and thecoffee-to-water ratio guide explains the ratio concept from the filter-coffee side.

Related reading