As a coffee lover, I will always give myself the time to make that perfect cup every morning. The first sip of delicious coffee every morning is just worth it to me.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through my take of the perfect pour-over coffee. This is only a guide. Feel free to tweak and experiment to make your perfect cup.
Minimum Equipment:
- Ground Coffee
- Water
- Brewer
- Filter
Recommended Equipment:
- Scale:
- Preferably digital with a timer. Having a scale will allow for consistency and allows you to replicate or tweak for better results.
- Kettle:
- Preferably a boiler kettle with a gooseneck. Again, allows for consistency. Boiler allows the water to stay at stable temperatures and the gooseneck allows for better control of the flow of water.
- Grinder:
- Preferably a Burr grinder as blade grinder will chop the coffee beans into uneven pieces. A good grinder will have more evenly consistent grinds.
Steps:
- Step 1: Prepare!
- Begin with boiling your water to temperature. Anywhere between 195F to 205F is good. As a rule of thumb, higher temperatures for light roasts and lower for darker roasts.
- Place the filter inside the brewer and rinse it with hot water. This will eliminate the papery taste and warm up the brewer (again, stable temperatures).
- Step 2: Measure and Grind
- For one cup, I like to use 20g with 300ml of water. This is approximately 1 gram : 15 milliliters of coffee to water.
- Grind the coffee between medium and coarse and place it into the filter and brewer setup.
- Step 3: The Bloom
- Saturate all of the coffee grounds with 1/5th of the water (300ml/5 = 60ml).
- This step releases the CO2 that is trapped in the beans during the roasting process.
- Let it continue blooming for about 40 seconds.
- Step 4: Brewing the Coffee
- I like to brew the coffee using pouring increments for more control and experimentation.
- Using the 4:6 Method by Tetsu Kasuya, with 20g of coffee, there will be 5 pours of 60ml. Each pour will be incremented by 40 seconds between pours.
- First two 60ml pours (40%) of water adjusts the balance of sweetness and acidity.
- Last three 60ml pours (60%) of water adjusts the strength.
- Step 5:
- Allow the stream to slow to a drip and dispose of the filter.
- Enjoy!
While making a pour-over coffee can be a simple task, the taste will be just that. Simple, lacking body and flavor.
Incorporating a little more effort will yield you a coffee that’s full of flavors and aroma.
If you want to start making delicious pour-overs, check out our guide on the best pour-over makers.