How to brew pour-over coffee

Why pour-over

Pour-over is the brewer for people who want to taste the coffee itself. Hot water runs through a bed of grounds and a paper filter, which holds back most of the oils and fine particles. What reaches the cup is light-bodied and clear, so the fruit in a washed Chikmagalur or the jasmine in an Ethiopian coffee comes through. It asks for a little attention, mostly a slow, steady pour. Once you've made it three or four times, it becomes a calm two-and-a-half-minute habit.

You'll need

• A cone dripper (any size 01 or 02 cone works)
• A paper filter to fit it
• A kettle, ideally a gooseneck for a thin, controllable stream
• A digital scale that reads in grams
• A timer (your phone is fine)
• A mug or server
• A grinder, optional: if you don't have one, choose Pour-over as your grind and we'll do it for you

No. 02 · Steps

Steps

1. 1

   Before you start

   Step 1: Heat the water.

   Bring fresh water to the boil, then let it sit for about 30 seconds so it settles at 92–94 °C.

   Why: water that's too hot pulls out bitterness; water that's too cool leaves the cup thin and sour.

2. 2

   Step 2: Rinse the filter.

   Set the filter in the cone, place it on your mug, and pour hot water through until the paper is soaked. Tip that water away.

   Why: it washes out the papery taste and warms the cone and mug so the brew doesn't cool too fast.

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the coffee.

   Put the cone and mug on the scale. Add 15 g of medium-fine coffee, shake the cone gently so the bed is flat, and tare the scale to zero.

   Why: a level bed lets water flow evenly instead of finding one channel through the middle.

4. 4

   0:00

   Step 4: Bloom.

   Start the timer and pour 30 g of water, about twice the weight of the coffee, in a slow spiral until every ground is wet. Wait until 0:40.

   Why: fresh coffee holds carbon dioxide from roasting. The bloom lets that gas escape, so the water can reach the coffee properly. You'll see it puff up and bubble. That's a sign of freshness.

   that puff and bubble is freshness showing

5. 5

   0:40

   Step 5: First pour.

   Pour in slow circles from the centre outwards, avoiding the very edge of the filter, until the scale reads 150 g.

   Why: pouring on the paper's edge lets water bypass the coffee and dilutes the cup.

6. 6

   1:15

   Step 6: Second pour.

   Once the water level has dropped a little, pour again in the same way up to 250 g.

   Why: two pours keep the temperature and the bed height steady, which makes the brew more even than one big pour.

7. 7

   1:45

   Step 7: Swirl and let it drain.

   Give the cone one gentle swirl to flatten the bed. Let it drip through. It should finish between 2:30 and 3:00.

   Why: a flat bed at the end means every ground got the same treatment. The finish time is your best guide to the grind.

8. 8

   2:30–3:00

   Step 8: Serve.

   Remove the cone, give the coffee a swirl, and let it cool for a minute or two. Pour-over tastes sweeter as it drops from scalding to hot.

No. 03 · Fixes

If it doesn't taste right

Change one thing at a time, so you know what fixed it.

Two ways to change it up

1. Iced pour-over.

   Put 100 g of ice in the server. Brew with 15 g of coffee and 150 g of hot water, ground a touch finer. The coffee melts the ice as it drips, so it's chilled and at full strength. Fruity naturals are great here.

2. Bigger batch for two.

   Double everything: 30 g coffee, 500 g water, a 60 g bloom. Expect a total time closer to 3:30–4:00, and grind slightly coarser to keep it from turning bitter.

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