How to perfect pour over coffee

Pour over coffee is an easy to master brewing method that offers a rich, flavourful cup of coffee. If you want a delicious tasting coffee every morning, then this is the right brewing process for you.

Making pour over coffee requires certain tools, the most important of which is a pour over coffee brewer. There are two basic styles of brewer: a drip cone that can be placed on top of any cup or carafe and an all-in-one device that includes the dripper and carafe. Some brewers need a paper filter, while metal drippers usually don’t.

The other important piece of equipment you’ll need is a gooseneck kettle. This is smaller than a normal kettle with a long, curved neck and a very thin spout, which allows more precise control over the water flow. When it comes to pour over coffee, precision is extremely important. It’s recommended that you have a digital kitchen scale and timer (your phone or hob will be suitable) to make sure you get accurate measurements and brewing time.

A thermometer will also be helpful in getting the water to the ideal brewing temperature. Certain gooseneck kettles come with a built-in thermometer and more often than not it is worthwhile to upgrade.

With these kitchen items, your favourite French roast coffee and reliable coffee grinder, you can create the perfect cup of coffee every time. Thankfully the process is not hard, and you can even get it right when you’re half asleep in the morning. The measurements in this recipe will make a 10-ounce cup of coffee. However, you can alter it for smaller cups or brew an entire carafe by reducing or increasing the coffee and water whilst maintaining the ratio.

Also, these measurements should only be used as a guideline. Adjustments should be made for different beans or roasts, or just depending on your personal preference. There’s no harm in experimenting with the ratio, grind size, water temperature, and brewing time to find the right balance for you and once you do, you can repeat it.

Steps to make pour over coffee

Step 1- Gather your ingredients and tools.

Step 2- Pour hot water into your serving cup to warm it.

Step 3- Put water into your gooseneck kettle and heat it on the hob until it gets to between 90°C and 96°C.

Step 4- Use your coffee grinder to grind your beans to a medium or fine ground (approximately about the size of coarse sand).

Step 5- Measure out the freshly ground coffee into the pour over brewer.

Step 6- Once the water is heated, pour out the water from the cup. Place the drip cone on the rim of the cup. If you’re using an all-in-one brewer, put the pieces together, and then measure the coffee.

Step 7- Make sure the scales are on zero and begin the timer. Starting in the middle of the coffee grounds and working your way around, pour just enough water (around 50 millilitres) from the kettle to wet all the coffee. Allow it to sit and saturate the coffee for between 30 and 45 seconds.

Step 8- Keeping the kettle spout as close to the cone as you can, continue slowly pouring water over the bed of coffee. Work in even circles, beginning in the middle and moving outwards (when you drain the water, the grounds should be flat). Don’t pour water onto the cone or filter, just the coffee. Take pauses as needed to allow it to catch up until you have poured the entire 300 millilitres of water.

The overall aim is to have a total brewing time of 3-4 minutes for medium roast coffee and as little as 2 ½ to 3 minutes for dark roast. It will carry on dropping for around 30 seconds after all the water has been added.

Step 9- Tap the cone to catch the remaining bits of coffee and set it up on a second cup or sauce to catch any extra drips. Enjoy your coffee.

Top tips for pour over coffee

• Use metric units to weigh the coffee and water for the most precise measurements.
• For a stronger brew use the ratio 1:16 or 1:14, this recipe uses a ratio of 1:17.
• If the coffee is too sour or weak, try using a finer grind. Alternatively, if it’s bitter, alter to a coarser grind.
• If you don’t have scales in your kitchen, you can do pour over coffee without one, but it won’t be as accurate. Simply measure out 4 tablespoons of ground coffee, then fill the kettle with 1 ¼ cups of water.
• If you don’t own a thermometer, bring the kettle nearly to boil or just until you start to see steam.
• For brewers that need paper filters, make sure you have plenty of them.
• If you want to get rid of the taste of filter paper, rinse it under hot water in the cone before you add the ground coffee.
• Metal cone drippers take away the need for disposable filters and often come with a small brush to clean out used coffee grounds.
• Pour over brewers are available in a range of sizes. Be sure to choose one that meets your general needs.

Conclusion

The pour over method of making coffee is a simple and delicious way of brewing your morning cup and starting your day off right. Find all your coffee needs at Pumphrey’s from various types of beans to Hario v60 dripper filters, and more. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or queries.