Espresso Dosing & Yield Calculator

Espresso brew ratio is dose to beverage yield, weighed in the cup. 18 g in, 36 g out is a classic 1:2. Time tells you whether the puck resisted or channeling opened a highway. Weigh the shot; volume of crema is a liar.

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Beverage yield: 36.0g
Average flow: 1.29g/s

Recommended gear

Espresso machine
A stable 9 bar and a scale under the cup beat a fancy PID you never weigh with.
Typical range: $400–$2,500
Precision espresso basket
IMS/VST-style holes make a stated 18 g dose actually fit and flow. Stamped baskets fight the ratio.
Typical range: $20–$40
Acaia coffee scale
0.1 g in the cup is how you know 36 g happened. Espresso flow is too fast for a kitchen scale’s lag.
Typical range: $150–$300

Calculation method

Yield is dose multiplied by the ratio: 18 g × 2 = 36 g in the cup. Average flow is that yield divided by shot time, so 36 g in 28 s is about 1.3 g/s. Use the time as a diagnostic — if you hit 36 g in 18 s, grind finer or fix distribution before you ‘like the ratio’.

Exact formula

yieldG = doseG × ratio. flowRate = yieldG / timeSeconds (0 if time is not positive). Limits: Crema volume, basket geometry and pump pressure omitted; a fast shot with a blond jet is channeling, not a ratio problem.

Time is not extraction yield

28 s at 1:2 can still be under-extracted if the grind is boulders. Pair this with the extraction-yield tool and a refractometer when you want EY%, not just a pretty ratio.

Basket headroom

Overfilling a 15 g basket to 20 g gives you a soggy puck and random channels. Match dose to the basket, then set ratio.

Frequently asked questions

Do I include the portafilter on the scale?

Tare the cup, not the portafilter. Yield is beverage mass. Weighing the locked-in basket is how you check dose, a different number.

Volume or mass?

Mass. Crema is mostly gas. A 40 ml ‘double’ can be 28 g of liquid. Specialty espresso is grams out.

What if it blondes at 22 g?

Stop the shot or grind finer and try the same ratio again. Chasing yield through a channel just extracts the hole.

Disclaimer — no professional advice, no liability

This sizes the beverage, it does not taste the shot. A 1:2 in 28 s can still be sour if the grind is coarse or the puck is cracked. Confirm on the scale and with a sip.

These calculators, pages and any related content are provided “as is” and “as available”, solely for general educational and informational purposes. They are simplified mathematical estimates, not a cupping score, a water lab report or a roasting profile, and they do not constitute professional barista, roasting, food-safety or medical advice.

Results can be wrong, incomplete or inapplicable to your grinder, brewer, beans, water or use case. You must independently verify every figure, assume all risk, and confirm on a test brew before you scale a recipe, descale a machine or change caffeine habits. Hot water, steam and espresso equipment can scald; caffeine calculators are not a substitute for medical care.

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Espresso Dosing & Yield Calculator

Inputs

Results

Recommended gear

Calculation method

Exact formula

Time is not extraction yield

Basket headroom

Frequently asked questions

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