Making the Perfect Pour Over

What You Need

• Scale that measures grams
• Gooseneck kettle
• Pour over kit (we like a Hario V60 or a Chemex)
• Amazing coffee (see our selection here!)
• Burr Grinder (you can get your coffee pre-ground, but freshly ground is always better! We sell an amazing grinder right here!)
• Thermometer (if your kettle doesn’t have one built in)

What To Do

1. Measure out your coffee. The ratio of coffee to water should be consistent. 1 gram of coffee to 16 mL of water is a good rule of thumb, but you can always adjust for taste. For a 300 mL cup of coffee, measure out 19 grams of coffee.

Bonus tip: 1 ml of water weighs out to exactly 1 gram. You can use the same scale to measure your coffee and your water.

2. Grind your coffee. For pour-overs, a medium grind will do. However, every grinder is different and every coffee is different. Start out with a medium grind, and make small adjustments to taste!

The most important thing is that your cup of coffee tastes amazing to you. Grind sizes and ratios should be taken as suggestions, not laws.

3. Heat your water. Using a stovetop or electric kettle, heat your water to about 205 degrees. The water should be just short of boiling. If the water is too hot, it will pull too many bitter compounds out of the coffee. If it is too cool, the flavor will be under extracted.

4. Prepare your pour over kit. Insert the filter in the cone. Once the water is heated, pour some water in the empty filter and let it drain. This will wet the filter, securing it in place, and preheat the container.

Empty out the water and pour your coffee grounds in the wet filter. Make sure the grounds form a flat bed.

Place the whole setup on top of your scale and tare it.

5. First pour. “Blooming” the coffee. Pour a small amount of water in the grounds, just enough to wet them all. Wait for 30 seconds.

Freshly roasted coffee is full of CO2, which can cause your coffee to be sour and prevent the water from extracting that good flavor. By wetting the coffee and allowing it to sit, the CO2 releases from the grounds. You should see bubbles of gas escaping from the surface.

6. Pour the remaining water. Pour water from the kettle in slow and uniform spiral until your scale reaches the desired measurement of water. For 19 grams of coffee, you should pour 300 grams of water. Allow the water to drain completely.

Pouring technique. As you pour, you should alternate from spiraling towards the center of the bed, then away from the center. This way, all the grounds receive water evenly. When the water drains, the bed of grounds should remain as flat as it was when you started. If there are any lumps, it means you did not pour evenly.

Enjoy. Congratulations! You have hand brewed an amazing cup of coffee! Grab your mug of choice, sit back, and enjoy. While you sip, maybe get started on a second cup.