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People associate the pour-over method with high-end specialty coffee shops. Some may even associate it with hipsters. If you spend time with a barista or with a passionate coffee amateur, the chances are that they will mention the pour-over. In reality, like most things with coffee, it is more accessible than you may think, and the required equipment is inexpensive. Let me cover the benefits of this technique and explain what you need to get started and how you can quickly make an epic cup of coffee with only a little practice.
What is the pour-over?
Per Barnie’s Coffee & Tea, the pour-over coffee method is similar to the drip method in that you saturate coffee grounds with water and collect the liquid as it passes through a filter. However, one of the main problems with the drip method is that you have little control over how the machine brews the coffee.
The pour-over method allows you to control the temperature of the water, the speed at which it goes into the grounds, the amount of time it brews, and how much it makes. Coffee enthusiasts prefer this method because it allows them to control the brew’s taste, texture, temperature, and strength.
Because of that control, you can achieve your best result with high-quality coffee beans and let them express all their delicious aromas and flavors.
This method may seem like overkill compared to the simplicity of using a drip coffee maker, but the results are worth it. Indeed, you are evenly saturating the grounds, allowing an even extraction. The result is a better cup of coffee.
Another advantage of the pour-over is its flexibility: you can pour yourself a single cup or make a large pot for everyone.
It is easy to acquire the skills
I always associated the pour-over with skilled baristas. Managing a perfect coffee extraction indeed involves some finesse. However, the learning curve to getting started and acquiring the skills to brew an epic cup of coffee is much more approachable than you may think.
What do you need for a pour-over?
- A pour-over brewer and a carafe or cup (depending on the brewer’s capacity), sometimes both parts come as one piece, like the classic Chemex or my trusted Bodum brewer,
- A kettle, preferably a gooseneck kettle, we love our Fellow Stagg EKG kettle,
- A precision kitchen scale,
- Delicious freshly ground coffee (medium grind size, a little finer than for drip coffee),
- Fresh filtered water,
- Paper filters adapted to your pour-over brewer,
- A spoon,
- Your favorite coffee cup or mug,
- A timer.
Let us get started, The ultimate pour-over method
You want to use a 1:15 coffee to water ratio: you will add 15g of water for every gram of coffee. For my example, I will use 20g of coffee and 300g of water, but you could adjust however you want, depending on your desired quantity.
Start boiling water in your kettle. If your coffee is a light roast or a medium roast, you probably want to let your water hit the boiling point. If you are brewing a dark roast, you may want to limit the temperature to 200F.
While your water is boiling, grind your coffee beans, place your paper filter in the brewer, and put your brewer on the carafe or the cup. Do not put your coffee in the filter yet. When your water reaches its temperature, to boil, soak the filter with hot water. Put back the kettle on its base or the stove. You want to keep your water at high temperature during the whole process. Now, discard the water in the carafe and your brewer.
Pour your coffee grounds in the filter and try to have them as even and flat as possible. With your finger, dig a little well in the center. Place your assembly on the scale and tare. You are now ready to pour.
Start your timer. Slowly start pouring hot water on your grounds, starting by filling the little well and saturating all your coffee grounds slowly without disturbing them. Once everything is soaked, stop pouring, slowly wiggle your brewer in a circle to distribute your water. Put back the kettle on the fire to keep the water boiling. You will now wait until the timer hits 30-40 seconds.
If your coffee is freshly roasted, you should see bubbles and frothing. This phenomenon is called blooming; it occurs when hot water reacts with the carbon dioxide that is still present in your coffee. The blooming will be reduced or non-existent if your coffee beans are old since they release all their CO2.
Take back the kettle and slowly pour in a circular motion over your grounds until the scale shows that you have dispensed about 2/3 of the water weight, 200g in our example. Put the kettle back on its base or on the stove to keep the water at boiling temperature. Wait until your timer hits 1:30 or 1:40. Do absolutely nothing during that time; just let the coffee filter slowly. You should not see the coffee grounds yet.
At 1:40, resume pouring water, slowly in a continuous circular motion. Do not disturb the coffee bed. You can “wash” the grounds on the sides of the paper filter. When the scale shows you have dispensed the target water quantity, 300g in our case, stop pouring. With your spoon, slowly stir your mixture in a clockwise motion, do one circle. Then do the same thing in a counter-clockwise motion. Do not scrape the coffee bed, only move the liquid. Delicately wiggle your brewer in a circular motion to distribute. Now let the coffee finish slowly. You should see the coffee bed appear. If you have a perfectly flat coffee bed, it is a good sign that you had an even extraction. This last phase is called the draw.
I find it oddly satisfying when the water clears the grounds and reveals a smooth flat dry coffee bed. It reminds me of the soft wet sand on the beach when a wave retreats.
Once the coffee stops dripping, you can remove the brewer and discard your used filter and coffee grounds. You are now ready to serve it in a warm, preheated cup.
The time depends on many factors. Preparing 20g of coffee and 300g of water typically takes 3 to 4 minutes.
Dispense your coffee in your cup and enjoy. Caution, it may still be hot,
Additional tips to master your pour-over
- You want to use a gooseneck kettle as it allows you to pour slowly and with complete control without disturbing your bed of coffee grounds. A standard spout is harder to control, and you may drop too much water at once, which you move your coffee. It is perfectly possible to do it, though. It just requires more control over the flow.
- You can use paper filters or a metal mesh filter. My Bodum pour-over kit comes with a metal mesh filter, but I find that it lets too many fine particles go through, and the result is somewhat muddy, not very different from a French press in texture. The result is much cleaner when adding a paper filter that retains more. I get a clear coffee with a beautiful dark red-brown color. Bright light roasts will express their best crisp, delicate, and bright taste.
- There are many options and models to choose from. This will be the object of a future article.
Adapt your parameters
The fun of this method is that there are multiple parameters you can control to get your preferred results with a particular type of coffee.
You can adjust the grind size to make your coffee stronger or lighter and your water temperature if your kettle allows it. You can also change your quantities and your flow rate. With that method, you are in complete control of the process. Try adjusting one parameter at a time and see how it improves your results. The possibilities are endless, but you should get a satisfying result from the start by using the parameters described above.
The pour-over method recap
- Boil water,
- Grind your coffee,
- Soak paper filter with hot water and discard water,
- Put coffee in your filter, make a little well in the center,
- Cover the coffee grounds with hot water, wiggle, and wait 30 seconds (blooming),
- Slowly and evenly pour 2/3 of water and wait about 1 minute,
- Pour the rest of the water,
- Stir with a spoon and wiggle delicately,
- Wait until all the water drains,
- Enjoy a perfectly brewed cup.
The bottom line
Is it the ultimate brewing method? It depends on your preference and the type of coffee you like. I find that lighter roast and delicate coffee with complex flavors shine with the pour-over, while I prefer some bolder, textured, and sweeter beans with the French press. It is all based on your preference. If you read some of my reviews, you will find that some beans taste better with one method over another.
The pour-over allows you to get complete control over the process. With a bit of practice, it is easy to master, and it will enable you to get the best of the most delicious and delicate coffee beans. I must admit that I sometimes enjoy the process better than the result (I prefer espresso over a regular coffee). Together with the French press, it allows you to get fabulous results with the most delicate coffee beans. Additionally, most brewers are very inexpensive and don’t take space in your kitchen.
You might like to read: How to Make Your Coffee Look Sophisticated? Get a French Press!
Sources:
The Difference Between Pour-Over and Drip Brew Coffee, by Casey Pollock/Nov 21, 2019, https://www.barniescoffee.com/blogs/blog/the-difference-between-pour-over-and-drip-brew-coffee
