How To Make Pour-Over Coffee: A 7 Step Guide

how to brew pour over coffee summary

What is Pour-Over Coffee?

With countless ways of brewing coffee, finding the way that you like the best can take some time and experimentation. But when it comes down to it, most die-hard third-wave coffee drinkers will tell you that their go-to coffee brewing method is the pour-over.

So before we talk about how to make pour-over coffee, you might be wondering, what is it? The art of pour-over brewing has just recently been rediscovered by the specialty coffee movement, although it was used in Europe since the 1900s and in other parts of the world for much longer. 

There are many reasons why Pour Over coffee has such a committed following. One of the primary reasons is that the pour-over brewing method gives you control over every aspect of the brewing process, starting with the coffee, the coarseness of the grind, the water temperature, and the speed that which the coffee is brewed. The result is a smooth cup of coffee that brings out the intricate flavors, notes, and nuances of the coffee that is lost in most other brewing methods. The pour-over method helps remove some of the unwanted oils and fine particles from the coffee grounds. Keep reading for a detailed explanation of how to make pour-over coffee.

Start Out Right! 

The foundation of every good cup of coffee is high-quality coffee beans. We recommend organic, small-batch, fresh-roasted coffee to get the best flavors and notes out of your coffee. 

*Just wanted to let you know that most of the products that we have linked in this article are Amazon affiliate links, which simply means that we get a small commission on any product that you purchase when you use the links on this article. But we highly recommend the products and only want you to have the best! So thank you!

Different Kinds of Pour Overs

There are lots of different kinds and variations of pour-over coffee brewers or drippers, ranging from simple, single-cup brewers like the Hario V60 to the larger 40 oz Chemex system, and countless other options. Find the pour-over dripper that works for you and let’s start brewing some coffee! 

how to brew pour over coffee pour over kettle

What is the Ideal Coffee to Water Ratio For Pour-Over Coffee?

A good place to start for your coffee to water ratio is 1:15 (1 gram of coffee and 15 grams of water). So to keep it simple, for a 6 oz cup of coffee, you would need approximately 2 tablespoons of coffee. And while this is an average ratio, the joy of making pour-over coffee is finding your own perfect coffee to water ratio. If getting your ratio right is important to you (and it should be) you’ll need an accurate scale, like the coffee gater scale.

Coffee

Water

2 tablespoons10.6 grams6 oz177.4 grams
2 2/3 tablespoons14.1 grams8 oz236.6 grams
4 tablespoons21.2 grams12 oz354.9 grams
5 1/3 tablespoons28.3 grams16 oz473.2 grams
13 tablespoons70.6 grams40 oz1182.9 grams

7 Steps for How To Make Pour-Over Coffee

Step 1: Heat Water

To start, fill your preferred kettle with quality, filtered water, and start heating it to between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit. One method of getting the ideal water temperature is to bring your water to a boil, and then pull it off the heat and let it sit for a minute or two. This will give approximately 205-195 degrees. If you prefer to let your kettle get the ideal water temperature then we’d recommend a high-quality, stainless steel, gooseneck kettle like the Fellow kettle or if you simply need a simple kettle, this Coffee Gator Kettle is a great option. The temperature of the water will definitely make a difference in how your final product will taste.

how to brew pour over coffee water temperature

Step 2: Grind Your Coffee

The grind of your coffee is one of the more important parts of brewing your ideal cup of coffee. Start with a grind coarseness similar to the consistency of sea salt (approximately a medium grind). The grinder we like to use is the Baratza Encore, set to the grind setting of 11. This gives a nice grind that is ideal for pour-over coffee. 

how to brew pour over coffee organic coffee beans

Step 3: Pre-rinse filter

Rinse your filter and brewer with hot water. This helps to eliminate any lingering paper flavors from the filter and gets your brewer warmed up. Throw away the rinse water.

how to brew pour over coffee prerinse filter

Step 4: Put your grounds in your pour-over brewer

Put the proper amount of fresh ground, organic coffee into your brewer, making sure the coffee grounds are level. This is an important detail to remember so the water passes through the grounds evenly and doesn’t over-extract one particular part.

how to brew pour over coffee ground organic coffee

Step 5: The Bloom

Slowly begin pouring, starting in the middle and continuing in a circular motion until all the grounds are saturated. Stop before any coffee starts dripping into your brewer. Start your timer and allow the grounds to bloom for 30 seconds. This is one of my favorite steps in how to make pour-over coffee.

how to brew pour over coffee brewing coffee

Step 6: The Pour

Now continue adding about 100-150 grams of water at a time to get an even extraction. The ideal way to pour is in a circular motion, starting in the middle and slowly moving to the edge and back again. Continue until you reach the desired amount of water! The whole pouring process should only take approximately three minutes. This is another way to tell if your grind is too coarse or too fine.

how to brew pour over coffee the bloom

Step 7: Enjoy

Once all the water filters through the grounds, your coffee is ready to enjoy! So snuggle up on your couch, grab your favorite book, and enjoy the delicious experience of a perfect cup of coffee! And when you figure out how to make pour-over coffee for yourself, there is no turning back.

how to brew pour over coffee final product

Common Challenges and Mistakes

Although pour-over is one of the best ways to brew an intricate cup of coffee due to how many variables you can control, it also leaves room for mistakes. For instance, if the grounds are not evenly spread out in your brewer, the water can tend to “channel” around the coffee grinds, over-extracting part of the pour and not properly extracting the rest of it. This will create a cup that is inconsistent or bitter.

So what are you waiting for?

Now that you know how to make pour-over coffee, we highly recommend trying this brewing method. You just might have found your next favorite way to brew your morning cup of joe!

how to brew pour over coffee layout

Coffee Brewing Guides

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

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