Food scales my dude. Ideally coffee and water should always be weighed at a 1:15 - 1:20 ratio depending on your taste, meaning for every 15 grams of coffee there should be 225 - 300 grams of water (this produces 1 coffee). A French press typically brews up to 4 coffee (do the math). The problem with scoops is that there is no standard measurement and no two people scoop the same.

Not all drip machines are designed equally. There’s a whole bunch of factors here, including basket vs cone filters, brew temperatures, pooling and channeling, and the heat plate underneath the carafe burning your coffee. Your machine could be old and need to be descaled. This is why French presses are such a fool proof way to start out making better coffee.