How to Make the Perfect Pour-Over Coffee: A Complete Guide

For some of us, making pour-over coffee is the preferred method to brew and a way we are quite familiar with. For others, it’s something new you’re looking to try out or even ended up here just trying to figure out what it even means. Do you pour it over food like gravy on mashed potatoes? Fear not dear reader, whether you are a season pour over veteran or scouting details for your first ever attempt at a pour over, we are here to offer you something you can (hopefully) use. So make sure your device is charged, your mug or can of coffee is ready and let’s get brewing.  

So, What is Pour-Over Coffee?

Pour-over coffee is a manual brewing method that involves pouring hot water over coffee grounds in a filter, allowing the water to extract flavors as it drips through into a carafe or mug. In other words, you dump hot water over coffee grounds placed in a filter. As the hot water runs through the coffee grounds, viola, coffee is born. That’s the big idea, let’s get a little more precise with it. Like why do it?

Why Choose to Make Pour-Over Coffee?

Many coffee enthusiasts prefer pour-over coffee because:

• It enhances the clarity and complexity of flavors – little slower brew means more flavors.
• It allows for precise control over brewing variables – unlike a drip paper filter coffee maker, you choose the water temperature, the precise weight and volume of water for your coffee.
• It requires minimal equipment and is easy to do at home – pour over may sound complex in name, but simple to actually do.
• It promotes a mindful, engaging coffee-making experience -may not be your go to during a rushed morning, but can be a fun, calm and enjoyable way to slow down and enjoy the process.

Essential Equipment to Make Pour-Over Coffee

To make great pour-over coffee, you’ll need:

1. Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans – Always use high-quality, freshly roasted beans for the best flavor. You’re here, so you already know where to get the beans.
2. Burr Grinder – A burr grinder ensures uniform grind size, which is crucial for even extraction.
3. Pour-Over Brewer – there are many popular devices easily reviewed through quick online search with many good ones and budget friendly options, here's one.
   
4. Paper or Metal Filter – The type of filter affects the flavor and texture of your coffee. Again, this is your choice based on preference.  Find a few options here.
5. Gooseneck Kettle – A gooseneck kettle provides precise control over pouring.
6. Digital Scale – Consistency is key, and a scale helps measure coffee and water accurately.
7. Timer – A timer ensures you hit the right brewing times for optimal extraction.
8. Filtered Water – Always use clean, filtered water for the best taste.

Choosing the Right Coffee Beans to Make Pour Over Coffee

The quality and characteristics of your coffee beans significantly impact the final cup. Consider the following:

• Roast Level: Light to medium roasts work best for pour-over coffee as they retain more of the beans' natural flavors.
• Freshness: Coffee is best within two to four weeks of roasting. Look for a roast date on the packaging, you know where to find ours on the bottom of the bag.

The Perfect Coffee-to-Water Ratio to Make Pour Over Coffee

A common starting point is a 1:16 ratio (1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water). Here’s a guide for different serving sizes:

• 1 Cup: 15g coffee → 240g water
• 2 Cups: 30g coffee → 480g water
• 3 Cups: 45g coffee → 720g water

Adjust the ratio based on your taste preference—more coffee for a stronger brew, less for a lighter one. Look at all this freedom you have to make your own pour over!

How Does Grind Size Impact Pour Over Coffee?

Grind size is crucial in pour-over coffee because it affects extraction. In this case, extraction isn’t referring to a movie where we need to get someone safely out of hostile territory, rather extraction is the process by which water moves through the coffee grinds, thereby creating the coffee we know and love.

• Too Fine: Over-extraction, leading to bitterness. In this instance, the water takes too long to get through the finely ground coffee. Think of it like rush hour traffic, both scenarios involve things moving too slowly and result in bitterness.
• Too Coarse: Under-extraction, resulting in weak, sour coffee. Since the grinds are too big, the water goes racing through without a chance to pick up (extract) its friend coffee.
• Just Right: A medium-coarse grind (similar to sea salt) works best for most pour-over methods. Not too fast, not too slow. You’re smart, no need to add any silly metaphors here.

Step-by-Step Guide to Brewing Pour-Over Coffee

Here we go, you’ve got the idea, let’s get this pour over party started.

1. Heat Your Water

Bring your filtered water to a temperature between 195–205°F (90–96°C). A gooseneck kettle is ideal for precise pouring. You may still find a way to spill it, don’t worry, you’re not the first. Ask me how I know…

2. Weigh and Grind Your Coffee

Measure your coffee beans based on your desired ratio and grind them to a medium-coarse consistency as described above.

3. Prepare Your Brewer and Filter

• Place the filter in your brewer.
• Rinse the filter with hot water to remove any paper taste and preheat the brewing vessel.
• Make sure to dump out the rinse water before adding coffee as this would add more water to your prior measure amount. But you already knew that you coffee genius since you read that before.

4. Add Coffee Grounds

Add your ground coffee to the filter and gently shake it to level the bed for even extraction. More of a gentle side to side shake, not a vigorous up and down shake like you were shaking a can of soda to give your unsuspecting sibling when you were a child (am I the only one?).

5. Bloom the Coffee

• Blooming the coffee essentially means just gently pouring a little water of the coffee grounds to let the gasses escape, so expect to see some bubbling and settling.
• Start your timer for 30-45 seconds.
• Pour just enough water (about twice the weight of the coffee grounds) to saturate them evenly. Try pouring in a gentle circular motion to help spread the water evenly.
• Let the coffee bloom for 30–45 seconds, allowing gases to escape for better extraction.

6. Begin the Pour – time for the grand finale!

• Pour in a slow, circular motion, starting from the center and moving outward, then back to the center.
• Maintain a steady pour rate to keep an even coffee bed. Don’t sweat it if you don’t get this part right the first time, takes some practice to know how much is too much and when you’re pouring too fast. You’ve got this!
• Pour in stages, allowing water to pass through before adding more. Again, practice makes better!
• Aim for a total brew time of 2.5 to 4 minutes.

7. Let It Drain Completely

Once you’ve poured all the water, let it drip through completely. Avoid over-agitating the coffee bed.

8. Serve and Enjoy

Remove the filter (need some ideas on what to do with the used coffee grounds?) give the coffee a gentle swirl and enjoy the rewards of your pour over! Victory tastes sweet! Victory over what? Victory over bad coffee, self-doubt and look at how tidy you kept the kitchen throughout all this!

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them When Making Pour Over Coffee

1. Using Stale Coffee – Always use fresh beans. Get ‘em here!
2. Incorrect Water Temperature – Too hot can cause bitterness; too cool can lead to weak extraction.
3. Uneven Grinding – Invest in a burr grinder for consistency. You already know the hazards of too fine or too coarse of grinds.
4. Pouring Too Fast or Too Slow – Maintain a controlled pour for even extraction. Practice makes better, don’t worry if your first pour over is closer to the quality of my grade school finger paintings instead of a proudly displayed work of art in the Louvre (see how cultured I turned out?)
5. Don’t Skip the Bloom – Allow gases to escape for a balanced brew.

Experimenting with Pour-Over Techniques

Once you master the basics, experiment with:

• Different Pouring Techniques – Spiral, pulse pouring, continuous pour or the ‘something startled me, and I poured it all at once’ technique (not advised, but part of life).
• Varying Brew Times – Longer or shorter brew times affect strength and flavor.
• Different Filters – Paper filters result in a cleaner cup, while metal filters allow more oils through for a fuller body.
• Water Composition – Try different mineral levels for subtle flavor changes. Subtle indeed!

Conclusion in our Journey of Making Pour Over Coffee

Pour-over coffee is an art and a science, so not only did you read this far, but congrats on now being both an artist and a scientist. The control of your coffee throughout the pour over process gives you the freedom to create a brew as unique and awesome as you are.  Make some time for you and enjoy the process of creating your pour over. It’s a good day to have a good day!