How to brew pour over coffee
Pour over is the clean, bright cup you get from a V60 at a specialty café. Hot water drips through coffee in a paper filter, so there is no sludge and the flavours come through clearly. It takes a little more care than a plunger, but it is very rewarding.
The quick recipe
For one cup (250ml):
- Coffee: 16g, about 3 level tablespoons
- Water: 250ml, just off the boil (92 to 96°C)
- Grind: medium-fine, like table salt
- Time: about 3 minutes, from first pour to the last drip
That is a ratio of 1:16. Making a mug or two? The pour over calculator works it out for any size and strength.
What you need
- A pour over dripper (V60, Kalita, Origami or similar) and paper filters
- A mug or small jug to brew into
- A kettle, ideally a gooseneck kettle for a slow pour
- Kitchen scales and a timer
Step by step
- Heat the water. Boil the kettle, then let it sit for about 30 seconds.
- Rinse the filter. Put the paper filter in the dripper, pour hot water through it, then tip that water out. This warms everything and gets rid of any papery taste.
- Add the coffee. Pour in the ground coffee and give the dripper a gentle shake so the bed is flat.
- Bloom. Start the timer and pour about twice as much water as coffee (around 30ml for one cup), just enough to wet it all. Wait 45 seconds. Fresh coffee bubbles and rises as it lets off gas.
- Pour in slow circles. At 45 seconds, pour slowly in small circles from the middle out, up to about 150ml. Keep away from the very edge of the filter.
- Finish the pour. At about 1 minute 30, pour slowly up to 250ml.
- Let it drain. It should finish dripping at around 3 minutes. A flat bed of coffee at the end means an even brew.
The pour over calculator has a timer that tells you when to pour and how much.
How strong should it be?
For one mug (350ml of water):
| Strength | Ratio | For 350ml |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | 1:17 | 21g coffee |
| Balanced | 1:16 | 22g coffee |
| Strong | 1:15 | 23g coffee |
Pour over is usually brewed lighter than a plunger, so the flavours stay clear. Start at balanced.
Fixing a pour over that tastes off
- Sour or thin: the water ran through too fast. Grind a little finer.
- Bitter or drying: it brewed too long. Grind a little coarser.
- Drains much faster than 3 minutes: grind finer. Much slower: grind coarser.
- Weak but not sour: use a little more coffee for the same water.
Change one thing at a time, so you know what made the difference.
Good to know
- Pour slowly. A slow, steady pour gives a more even brew than a fast splash.
- Use fresh beans. Coffee tastes best within a few weeks of its roast date. Try one of Perth’s local roasters.
- Light roasts suit pour over. Bright, fruity single origins really shine with this method.