How Many Cups from 250g of Filter Coffee Powder?
A 250g pack of filter coffee powder makes about 25 to 30 cups. Here is the maths, other pack sizes, and how to choose the right size.
A 250g pack of filter coffee powder makes about 25 to 30 small South Indian filter coffees. The exact number depends on how strong you like the decoction.
The maths
A small filter coffee uses 8 to 10 g of powder, roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons in a standard steel filter.
- 8 g per cup: 250g / 8 = about 31 cups
- 9 g per cup: about 28 cups
- 10 g per cup: 25 cups
One filling of the filter makes a decoction that usually serves 2 to 3 cups once mixed with milk, so a 250g pack covers a family of four for roughly a week of daily coffee.
Other pack sizes
- 500g: about 50 to 60 cups
- 1kg: about 100 to 120 cups
What changes the number
- Strength: a thicker decoction uses more powder per cup.
- Chicory: the powder weight includes chicory, so a 60:40 pack has less coffee per gram than a 90:10 pack. The cup count stays about the same, but the caffeine does not.
- Milk: more milk per decoction stretches the same powder across more cups.
- Second drip: a second pass of hot water gives a weaker decoction. It works for a light second cup but is not as good as the first.
Buy the right size
Filter coffee powder is best used within a month or two of opening. If you drink two cups a day, a 250g pack lasts about two weeks and a 500g pack about a month, so 500g is the sensible size for most homes. A single drinker is better off with 250g.
Pick a blend in our filter coffee powder collection. The South Indian filter coffee powder page has the brewing steps.
Related reading
How much ground coffee per cup and how to make filter coffee decoction.