This is our step by step guide on how to make pour-over coffee.
The peculiarity of the pour over method lies in the name itself. This is a method in which ground coffee is brewed in a funnel with a paper filter from a special teapot with a long curved spout with a thin stream of water.
But you won't succeed if you do it without following the technique and recommendations for brewing. Like any other alternative brewing method, pour-over coffee has its own characteristics. Therefore, in order to prepare it correctly, we have prepared important details and brewing steps for you.
Let's get down to them.
How to Make Pour-Over Coffee
How to Make Pour-Over Coffee
1. Grind 18 grams of freshly roasted coffee beans.
2. Prepare 300 grams of hot water (201-203°F/94-95°C).
3. Unfold the filter and place it in the funnel. Moisten the filter with plenty of hot water.
4. Add your ground coffee to the filter, zero the scale, and start the timer.
5. To bloom the coffee, pour in 30 grams of water evenly. Degassing will occur. Wait 30 seconds.
6. Pour in 120 grams of water. Pour in another 100 grams as the water passes through the grounds. At the very end, pour in another 50 grams.
7. Remove the funnel. Discard the filter (if disposable) and the used coffee grounds.
8. Stir the prepared coffee to oxygenate the drink. This will make the drink taste smoother and more uniform.
9. Pour the coffee into cups and enjoy!
Tips
For light roasts, try a 1:15 ratio instead of the recommended 1:17 ratio. This will make the drink richer.If you notice the water flowing too slowly through the grounds, try a coarser grind. If it's flowing too quickly, try a finer grind.
Grind size: Medium
Brew ratio: 1:17
Extraction time: 5 min
What You Need:
- Pour-over coffee maker (funnel/cone)
- Kettle with long, thin spout
- Burr coffee grinder
- Scale
- Timer
- Paper filter
- Tablespoon
- High-quality coffee beans
- Clean drinking water
Professionals use a special kettle/teapot with a long, thin spout instead of a conventional kettle. This helps to control pouring.
Your pour-over and cup should be on a scale so you can ensure the right pour-over coffee ratio of coffee to water, but if you're a beginner coffee lover and you don't have scales, then you can use a regular tablespoon to measure the ground coffee. One tablespoon holds about 5 grams (0.17 oz) of ground coffee. You can also use an AeroPress scoop, which holds 14 grams (0.5 oz) of coffee in a rounded spoonful.
Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make Pour-Over Coffee:
Before making coffee, select the correct ratio of coffee to water—the taste of the drink depends on this ratio. 1:15 is optimal.
1
Grinding
You need to grind freshly roasted coffee.
Do not buy ground coffee, because almost all the essential oils will have already evaporated from it and the coffee will be tasteless and unsaturated.
Use a manual grinder that can control grind size, such as the Hario MSS-1B. We recommend that you use a medium grind.
2
Water
Boil water in a kettle and cool slightly to your desired temperature.
We recommend that you use a light roast for your pour-over coffee because light roasts are both sweet and acidic.
A light roast requires a fairly high water temperature, around 205°F (96°C). To get this temperature without a professional temperature-controlled kettle, remove the lid from the kettle after the water boils and let sit for 30 seconds, then close the lid again.
If you like medium to dark roasts and more bitter coffee, then the water temperature should be lower, around 187°F (86°C).
3
Pouring and heating
Pour hot water through the paper filter to remove any dust or odors. If you skip this step, the coffee may have a papery flavor.
Pouring boiling water will warm up the funnel so the coffee won't cool down during brewing.
Be sure to pour out all the boiling water from the funnel before brewing.
Spread out the filter and smooth it with a spoon so that it fits snugly against the walls of the funnel. This will prevent air bubbles during brewing and help the coffee flow evenly down the funnel.
Add coffee grounds and smooth them. The surface of the coffee should be flat.
4
Pre-extraction or "blooming"
Pre-extraction or "blooming" is the pre-wetting of the ground coffee with water. This is how extraction starts and carbon dioxide escapes. If CO2 is not released, the water won't pass through the grounds correctly and the coffee will be watery and tasteless.
Start the timer and pour hot water in a thin stream, spiraling from the center to the edges.
Scott Rao, a professional barista and pour-over guru, suggests using a spoon at the bloom stage. The idea is to moisten absolutely all the coffee in the funnel as quickly as possible to start the bloom as quickly as possible.
5
Topping up
Top up with water 40 seconds after blooming starts. By this time, most of the CO2 should have evaporated, and the water will flow freely and extract delicious flavors and aromas.
Pour the water in slow, circular motions to a total volume of 5 oz (150 ml).
6
Final pouring up
Add hot water slowly until you reach a final water volume of 15 fl oz (450 ml). Add water at the same rate as it is exiting the funnel. It is important that the temperature inside the funnel remains constant. Don't interrupt the stream while you pour.
7
The last step
When you have poured all 15 fl oz (450 ml) of water from the kettle, stir the coffee in the funnel 3 times and let the remainder drain out.
Aim for a time of 2:45 for the entire brew.
If extraction is taking too long, try shaking the funnel a little bit.
Your best cup of coffee is ready! Enjoy!
