priming for minimal carbonation?

I'm brewing a beer that I want minimally carbonated. I've heard 1/2 - 1.0 cups of priming sugar for a 5 gallon batch is typical. However I am brewing a vanilla coffee porter and want minimal carbonation for a smoother mouthfeel.

Is 1/2 a cup too much for a 5 gallon batch? Should I go to 1/4?

CyberErik said:

I'm brewing a beer that I want minimally carbonated. I've heard 1/2 - 1.0 cups of priming sugar for a 5 gallon batch is typical. However I am brewing a vanilla coffee porter and want minimal carbonation for a smoother mouthfeel.

Is 1/2 a cup too much for a 5 gallon batch? Should I go to 1/4?

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Do you have a small kitchen scale, like you'd use for weighing hops? I don't know what "cups" weigh, but I weigh all of my items and it's far more accurate and especially important when dealing with small amounts.

If you want a low carbonation level, you could try priming to 1.8 volumes using a carbonation calculator and see where you get with that. I'd guess that would be about 2.5 ounces of corn sugar, but I don't know how many "cups" that would equal.

Here's Northern Brewers priming calculator.

***BUT USE THE WEIGHT (grams or ounces) AND !!!!!NOT!!!!! THE CUPS MEASURE***

I know from experience that the cups (volume) is incorrect. (The ounces and grams are weight measures and are correct.) Volume measures are always less reliable but I measured my sugar out tablespoon by tablespoon once and found they were way off (2.5 oz simply was *not* 1/3 a cup).

[Out of curiosity, I wonder what the "volume" as in 2.7 volumes or 1.8 volumes refer to...]
====edit====
Well, maybe "way off" was a bit harsh. But I had about a four thirds as much volume to my weight as they did.

+++edit of an edit+++++

Just weighed half a cup of corn sugar on two of my scales. One measured 2 2/3 oz and 75 grams. the other 2 3/4 oz and 78 grams. According to NB calculator 1/2 cup of corn sugar is 99 grams and 3.49 oz.