Tool
Coffee supply planner
Three questions with one set of arithmetic: how long will this bag last, how much do I need to buy, and how much of it should go in the freezer.
This bag lasts
6.9 days
13 drinks, at 36 g a day. That is about 1080 g a month.
How this was worked out
Coffee per day = dose × drinks × people
18 × 2 × 1 = 36 g
Days per bag = bag weight ÷ coffee per day
250 ÷ 36 = 6.9 days
Exact arithmetic on your numbers
How it works
Daily consumption is the dose multiplied by drinks per day, multiplied by the number of people. From there, days per bag is the bag weight divided by daily consumption, and coffee needed for a period is daily consumption multiplied by the days. The freezing suggestion compares how long the bag will last against a freshness window you choose, and portions whatever will not be drunk inside it.
What the inputs mean
- Dose
- The dry coffee for one drink. Around 18 g for a double espresso, 15-30 g for a filter cup.
- Freshness window
- How long after roasting you want to have drunk the bag. There is no correct number; two to four weeks after roast is a common preference.
- Portion size
- How much goes in each frozen container. One brew's worth is the point — a portion that gets opened twice defeats the exercise.
Worked examples
One person, two espressos a day, a 250 g bag
- Dose 18 g
- 2 drinks per day
- 1 person
- Bag 250 g
Result: 36 g a day, so just under 7 days per bag. About 1.1 kg a month.
At this rate a 1 kg bag is nearly a month of coffee, which is well past most people's freshness preference unless some is frozen.
A household of two on filter coffee
- Dose 30 g
- 1 drink per day
- 2 people
- Bag 1,000 g
Result: 60 g a day, so about 16 days per bag.
Common mistakes
Buying a kilo because it is better value
Better value only if you drink it while it is good. This tool exists to show how many weeks a kilo actually is at your consumption.
Freezing the bag whole and opening it daily
Warm air condenses on cold beans each time. Portioning is what makes freezing work; freezing without it is worse than not freezing.
What the result does not mean
- Days per bag is not a use-by date. Coffee degrades gradually and keeps being drinkable well past the point it stops being at its best.
- The freezing suggestion is about your own freshness preference, not a claim that coffee spoils on a particular day.
What this does not account for
- Assumes every drink uses the same dose. If you make both espresso and filter, run it twice or use an average.
- The freshness window is your preference, not a measurement. Coffee does not expire on a date.
- Ignores what the grinder retains, which is small but real over a whole bag.