how much coffee do you put on your coffee maker?

It all depends on how much coffee you're making. I usually do it, 2 tablespoons per cup for the first 2 cups, then 1 tablespoon for every cup after that. So, if you're making 5 cups of coffee, then add in 7 tablespoons of grind.

Of course, it can also have to do with the beans you have... don't get the crappy, cheap style beans. A 1 lb package of really good beans will only cost around $10-15, so go for it. Doesn't hurt to try. Bulk coffee beans at grocery stores can be really good as well. Next, coffee is better, the more recently it's been ground, so maybe get your own coffee grinder... I find that really helps in making coffee. Third, if you're using a regular coffee maker, then reusable filters make much better coffee then paper ones. Those get the taste of paper into the coffee... and option four, get a better coffee maker. A french press makes fantastic coffee, all you need to make it work is something to boil the water before using it, and they usually only cost $20-40, less then your usual coffee maker, and makes far better coffee.

I think the problem is not with the quantity of coffee powder, but with the amount of hot water added to it. I always use the traditional Coffee Filter instead of Coffee maker. Earlier we too used the coffeemaker and it tasted not any good. My choice would be Coffee filter. Coffee Maker does everything on its own and we don't have any control.

it always taste like crap.
Have you tasted crap before??
Just joking...
Anyway even I tried to make a coffee at my aunts house- my mom doesn't let me do it in my house. And once I made it and took a proud sip, I felt completely whizzy...
I later asked my aunt about the proportions and she said: 1 teaspoon of coffee per mug of water.
I tried it and yep, it tasted a lot better...
Regards,
Ajith.

it's according to the strengh of the coffee, i drink mine dark so i use 2 tablespoons per 6 0z. cup. but maybe it's the coffee you drink, change brands, if your drinking folgers or that type of coffee the stronger it gets the more acid taste. try the ones in the bin's at the grocery store and grind your own, look for "shiny beans" thats the good stuff with the oils still in the bean, it will give you a nice frothy top.

I just use instant coffee and it always tastes good. Cheers!!

I generally find I have to use much less than the recommended amount from the instructions. If it says 1/2 cup for every 6 cups of water (or whatever), I usually end up cutting that in half. As others have said, it also helps to have VERY hot, crystal clear water and a decent filter. You could try making coffee at someone else's house, too, to see if your coffeemaker is the culprit. It may have too much hard water deposits or not be getting hot enough. Good Luck!

A lot here depends really on the quality of the coffee that you buy or can buy. When my wife first came to Europe in 2004, I would never her let buy the cheapest brands of filter coffee, as the quality was not up to much, no matter how many spoonfuls you used.
Now we buy a basic mid-range product, which has a good flavour, and requires one heaped teaspoonful of coffee for each cup of water (and I also measure the amount of water that I put in the machine, as my doctor has limited me to three cups a day).
I would like to buy one of the really expensive brands of coffee some time to find out what it tastes like, but given the current economic crisis that is definitely for the future, not for now.