Pour Over Coffee Brewing
The pour over technique is perfect for those of us who want to get truly experimental with our coffee making. As this method has so many variables, you can hone your process, swapping out different temperatures, pouring speeds, or grind sizes until you have your ultimate cup of coffee. The art of pour over coffee comes down to precision.
Even though there are several pieces of equipment you need to make coffee this way, it is a surprisingly simple process. You need a pour over dripper, some filter papers, a gooseneck kettle, a scale, a carafe, plus your filtered water and whole beans specialty coffee.
Hario V60
We recommend you use the Hario V60 dripper for pour over coffee. This is such a simple piece of kit but is seriously effective. The dripper is available in both plastic and ceramic. The only difference between the materials is that the ceramic dripper retains some of the heat of the coffee, enabling a more consistent brew. Both pieces have grooves inside the dripper, also helping to brew the coffee consistently.
Pour over coffee works brilliantly if you’re only making coffee for yourself or if you like to try out lots of different beans. You don’t need to get a whole machine dirty and can just throw away the filter paper at the end of the process and start again with a different coffee if you want.
Below, we’ve put together some pour over coffee instructions so that you can try out the process for yourself.
The Brew Guide: How to Make Pour Over Coffee
1: Grind your coffee beans
Start by measuring out 21g of coffee beans. This will be enough to make around three cups.
Next comes the grinding. For pour over, we recommend a medium grind for the Hario V60 (on the Wilfa Uniform we recommend setting 25-27, on a Varia VS3 we recommend 9). This is because the brew time is only around two and half minutes so you want the coffee to be ground fine enough to allow the flavours to seep out in a relatively short amount of time.
In this guide we are using the Uniform Silver grinder on the 25 grind setting.
2: Set up your brewing equipment
Next, arrange your coffee scale with server and then V60 dripper on top. Heat up your filtered (or bottled) water so it’s at 93 degrees celsius. This is the ideal pour over coffee temperature in celsius.
Place a filter inside the dripper and wet in gently by pouring some water all over it. This means that your coffee won’t take on the taste of the paper and also helps the brew to be more consistent.
Empty the water from inside the carafe once the filter is wet and then reset your equipment. Make sure that the scale is set to zero and that you have a timer to hand. Place the coffee grounds inside the filter.
3: Begin pouring to bloom the coffee (00.00-00.30)
Start the timer and slowly pour 40g of water into the dripper. You should pour in a circular motion, starting from the centre of the coffee grounds, turning out to the edge of the filter paper. Make sure you don’t let any water go onto the other side of the filter as this will water down your coffee. Allow the coffee to bloom for 30 seconds.
4: Pour in more water and then wait a few seconds (00.30-01.00)
Next, pour in more water up to 170g over the next 5-10 seconds. Again, make sure you are pouring the water in circular motions.
5: Pour in more water again (01.00-01.40)
Pour in more water, this time up to 250g within 5-10 seconds. Whilst you’re pouring, make sure to get to the very edge of the coffee filter this time so that you flatten out the coffee bed beneath, ensuring an even extraction. Again, you should be pouring in circular motions.
6: Pour in the remaining water (01.40-02.30)
Finally, pour in the final measure of water which is 100g. Pour the water within 5-10 seconds and don’t go all the way to edge this time.
7: The pouring is complete!
Now, you have completed the pouring and your coffee will have been drawn through the filter. Give the equipment a few minutes to cool before you go ahead and get your best cup.
8: Experiment!
You’ve now brewed a beautiful pour over coffee. But, who knows whether it meets your specific tastes perfectly. The amazing thing with pour over coffee is your ability to experiment at each stage of the making process. Try out something a bit different the next time you grab your V60!
For example, you could experiment with different grind sizes. If you go for a finer grind, the sweetness of the coffee beans will open up, giving you a fuller, almost chocolate-like profile. A coarser grind, on the other hand, gives you a cup of coffee which is more acidic and fruity. Find out which you would prefer by testing out different combinations of techniques yourself.
Also, brewing coffee at lower temperatures slows the brewing process down. This means that the flavours are likely to be richer. If you brew with temperature that’s too cold however, it’s unlikely to extract enough flavour.
Frequently asked questions about Pour Over Coffee
What’s the difference between pour over coffee vs. drip coffee?
It may seem like pour over coffee is quite similar to drip coffee as they share many things in common.
Drip coffee also uses a filter and conical brewing device. However, with drip coffee makers, you let the machine control the brewing process for you. This is brilliant in terms of ease - you can simply fill the machine with water and coffee and it makes you a brew. On the other hand, you may not get the same level of precision with the drip coffee process as it is automated.
There are some amazing drip coffee makers out there though which are dedicated to precision. For example, there’s the Wilfa Precision Coffee Brewer (the hint is in the name) which acts as a pour over coffee maker. This is a good choice for if you find pour over coffee too slow and don’t want a long coffee making process.
What is a pour over coffee ratio chart?
These charts act as a pour over coffee ratio calculator, making sure you get the correct combination of water and coffee.
The charts adhere to the 1:15 coffee ratio, otherwise known as the coffee golden ratio. As this is to do with how much coffee and water you should be using, it stays relatively the same for different brewing methods. The coffee to water ratio for drip coffee is the same as the coffee to water ratio for pour over.
The recipe above uses 21 g of coffee to 350 g of water (40 g + 130 g + 80 g + 100 g), which is a ratio of about 1:16.7, a little lighter than the 1:15 rule of thumb.
How to make pour over coffee without a dripper?
The coffee dripper is an integral part of making pour over coffee. Therefore, we do not recommend making it without a dripper. The V60 dripper is very affordable, especially the plastic version.
How to make pour over coffee without a scale?
It is possible to make pour over coffee without a scale, though you won’t get the same level of precision as if you did have one. Instead of a coffee scale, you could use a tablespoon to measure out your coffee grounds. This is tricky however as you will probably end up grinding a little more coffee than is necessary so you get enough.
If you’re looking for another method of how to measure coffee beans without a scale, it’s good to have in mind that each coffee bean weighs around 132.5mg.
Getting an accurate coffee to water ratio in grams is important as it keeps your coffee tasting consistently brilliant.
How many grams of ground coffee are in a tablespoon?
There is around 5g of ground coffee in every tablespoon. Obviously, this is only an approximate number and can change between 4g and 7g. It is better to measure coffee grounds rather than beans so that you can get a true, levelled tablespoon.
How to make pour over coffee without a gooseneck pourer?
The gooseneck pourer allows you to distribute your water over the coffee grounds in the most precise way. It gives you control of the speed of pouring as well as exactly which grounds the water is poured over. Therefore, you can use a normal kettle if you wish but you must be really careful with how you distribute it.
How to make iced coffee without a coffee maker?
The pour over method is a brilliant way to make iced coffee without a coffee maker. Once you have completed the steps listed above, simply serve the coffee over ice and drink away. French press coffee would be another brilliant method of serving iced coffee.
What coffee do you use for Pour Over?
The best solution is always asking your barista about which coffee beans are the best for brewing with pour over. But when you're ordering online, the best way to find coffee beans for Pour over is to tailor down what kind of coffee do you prefer.
Do like bold strong tastes of dark roasted coffee or more floral notes? In general, you can't go wrong with light roasted coffee (Which is how we roast) or coffee beans from countries like Ethiopia, Kenya or Costa Rica. But it's hard to say one brand or one roast as a general rule since everyone's preference is different.
The best advice? Experiment! If you don't have one specific roast you love, that you're open to possibilities of finding that roast. Or ask any of your coffee enthusiastic friends. They tried Pour over for sure and will be more than willing to talk about it.
When it comes to whether you can use pre-ground coffee for in Pour over? Sure you can, but it won't taste the same as freshly ground coffee beans. The fresher the roast and grind of the beans, the better they taste!