How Much Coffee Do You Need Each Month?

Working out how much coffee you actually need each month sounds like it should be simple, but most people have never actually done the maths, and end up either running out unexpectedly or buying far more than they get through. The calculation is more straightforward than it looks once you break it down into dose, cups per day and days per month. This guide walks through exactly how to work out your own monthly coffee needs.

The quick answer

Monthly coffee usage is roughly: dose per cup × cups per day × 30. A typical espresso drinker having one double shot a day (18–20g) uses around 550–600g a month. Someone having two cafetière or filter cups a day at a lighter dose (10–15g per cup) uses around 600–900g a month. Multiply this by however many people in your household drink coffee to estimate your total monthly needs.

The Basic Formula

The calculation has three parts: how much ground coffee you use per cup, how many cups you drink per day, and how many days you're brewing across the month. Multiplying these together gives you a rough monthly total in grams, which you can then compare against Amici's 250g and 1kg bag sizes to work out how many bags, or which delivery frequency, would keep you supplied.

Dose Varies Considerably by Brewing Method

Espresso uses a notably concentrated dose, typically 18–20g for a double shot or 7–10g for a single, as covered in our guide to espresso extraction. Cafetière, pour-over and filter methods use a lighter dose per cup, typically in the region of 10–15g depending on your preferred strength and the coffee-to-water ratio you're using. This difference means an espresso drinker and a cafetière drinker having the same number of "cups" a day can end up with noticeably different monthly totals.

Example Calculation: One Espresso a Day

One double espresso a day, at roughly 19g average dose, works out to about 570g a month (19g × 30 days). This is a little over two 250g bags, or just over half a 1kg bag, giving you a starting point for choosing your bag size and delivery frequency.

Example Calculation: Two Cafetière Cups a Day

Two cafetière cups a day at roughly 12g each works out to about 24g a day, or 720g a month (24g × 30 days). This is close to three 250g bags, or roughly three-quarters of a 1kg bag, making a monthly 1kg bag, or fortnightly 250g bags, both reasonable options.

Example Calculation: A Two-Person Household

If two people in a household each have two filter coffees a day at roughly 12g each, that's 48g a day between them, or around 1.44kg a month. This comfortably exceeds a single 1kg bag, suggesting either two 1kg bags a month, or a 1kg bag on a fortnightly schedule, would better match actual usage.

Example Calculation: A Light or Occasional Drinker

Someone having a single cafetière cup a few times a week, say three times, at 12g each, uses only around 144g a month (12g × 3 × 4 weeks). A single 250g bag comfortably covers well over a month of this level of usage, making monthly delivery, or even a slower-than-monthly rhythm, perfectly reasonable.

Example Calculation: A Moka Pot Household

A moka pot typically uses a fine grind at a fairly concentrated dose, often around 18–20g per standard pot, similar in weight to an espresso dose but usually shared between more than one person or cup. Someone brewing one moka pot a day, shared between two people, uses roughly the same 570g a month as the single espresso example above, despite serving two people rather than one, since the dose is spread across more coffee overall.

Common Mistakes When Estimating Coffee Usage

The most common mistake is estimating "cups per day" without accounting for how much different brewing methods actually use per cup, treating a small espresso and a large cafetière mug as if they used the same amount of coffee. Another is forgetting to include every household member who drinks coffee, rather than just calculating for yourself. A third is not accounting for guests or occasional extra cups, which can meaningfully shift your real monthly total upward compared with a calculation based purely on routine weekday drinking.

Accounting for Waste and Variability

These calculations are estimates rather than exact figures, since actual dosing varies slightly between brews, some coffee is inevitably lost during grinding and preparation, and habits shift week to week. It's sensible to round your estimate up slightly rather than down, since running out is a more immediate inconvenience than having slightly more coffee than strictly needed.

Adjusting for Multiple Brewing Methods

If your household uses more than one brewing method — espresso some days, cafetière on others — simply calculate each method's usage separately using its own typical dose, then add the totals together. This gives a more accurate monthly figure than assuming a single dose across every cup, since espresso and cafetière doses differ meaningfully enough to skew the total if treated the same.

Turning Your Monthly Estimate Into a Delivery Plan

Once you have a rough monthly total in grams, compare it against Amici's 250g and 1kg bag sizes to decide how many bags, and how often, would keep you supplied without excess. Our guide to subscription delivery frequency walks through matching this estimate to monthly or fortnightly delivery in more depth.

Why This Calculation Is Worth Doing Before Subscribing

Working out your monthly usage before choosing a subscription frequency avoids the common experience of guessing, getting it wrong, and having to adjust after running out or over-accumulating. A few minutes of rough maths upfront generally gets you much closer to the right setup from the start, even if some fine-tuning is still needed once you see how it plays out in practice.

Which Amici Coffee and Bag Size Fits Your Usage?

Our Amici House Roast is available in both 250g and 1kg sizes, so once you've worked out your rough monthly total, you can choose whichever size and frequency combination matches it most closely, and adjust from there if needed.

Start Your Amici Coffee Subscription

Once you know roughly how much coffee you need each month, our coffee subscription lets you choose the right bag size, beans, grind and delivery frequency to match it.

Why Choose Amici Coffee?

Amici Coffee is an independent UK coffee business with six carefully selected single origin coffees, each with clear origin and tasting information rather than vague blend descriptions. Beans are roasted in partnership with a certified B Corp speciality coffee roasting partner that holds the highest B Corp score of any coffee roaster we work with — a genuinely world-leading, global leader in ethical coffee roasting. You can order online for delivery, visit our café in person, or set up a subscription so your coffee never runs out.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much coffee does the average person need each month?
It varies considerably by brewing method and how many cups a day, but a rough range for one daily cup is 300–600g a month, more for multiple daily cups.

How do I calculate my own monthly coffee usage?
Multiply your typical dose per cup by how many cups you drink a day, then by roughly 30 days, to get an estimated monthly total in grams.

Does espresso use more or less coffee than cafetière per cup?
Espresso typically uses a more concentrated dose per cup (18–20g for a double) but produces a smaller drink, while cafetière uses a lighter dose (10–15g) for a larger cup.

Should I round my estimate up or down?
Round up slightly. Running out unexpectedly is more inconvenient than having a small amount of extra coffee left over.

How does this calculation help with choosing a subscription?
Once you know your rough monthly usage in grams, you can match it against available bag sizes and delivery frequencies to avoid running out or over-ordering.

Does this calculation change if I brew with more than one method?
Yes. Calculate each method's usage separately using its own typical dose, then add the totals together for a more accurate overall monthly figure.

The Bottom Line

Working out your monthly coffee needs comes down to a simple calculation: dose per cup, multiplied by cups per day, multiplied by roughly 30 days. Once you have this figure, matching it to a bag size and delivery frequency becomes straightforward rather than guesswork.

Start your Amici coffee subscription, or explore our range of single origin coffees first.