There are many manual brewers available on the market, so you have many options to choose from. If you want to get started brewing coffee on your own, you should research the different options and find the one that best suits your needs. This article provides tips on brewing and pour-over coffee makers.
You’ve probably seen a manual coffee brewer recently, whether it’s at a cafe, restaurant, or your friend’s kitchen counter.
There has been a recent surge in the popularity of coffee brewed by hand, which has resulted in the creation of many different brewers (both new designs and old classics), each of which works in a slightly different way.
Pour over coffee makers have become more popular and diverse with different shapes, sizes, filter materials and usage recommendations.
This is a crash course about making pour over coffee.
Equipment For Brewing Pour Over Coffee
In competitive coffee brewing, pour over is a popular method due to the many ways its flavor can be changed.
There are many factors that can impact the final cup of coffee, such as the dripper shape or material, the pouring rate or pattern, the type of water used, and the coffee beans themselves.
1. Brewing Device For Pour Over Coffee
The first step in making a pour over coffee is to choose the right coffee maker. It’s important to choose a brewer that will emphasize the desired flavors in the beans, as different brewers can produce different flavors from the same beans.
The type of material the coffee dripper is made from will affect the taste of the coffee, as well as the shape of the brewer and the number of drain holes at the bottom.
There are many different types of coffee brewers, but some of the most common ones are the Chemex, the Kalita Wave, the Hario V60, the Origami Dripper, or the Fellow Stagg. Pour-over coffee makers are generally less expensive than coffee machines, so many specialty coffee lovers own more than one.
2. Filters For Pour Over Coffee
The type of coffee filter you use can have a big effect on the quality of your pour-over coffee. Paper filters are mainly used to remove coffee oils, which results in a light-bodied cup of coffee.
Metal filters allow coffee oils to remain in the brew, resulting in a cup with a heavier body and richer mouthfeel. Cloth filters lie somewhere in the middle.
Filters made of cloth and metal can be reused, making them environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Paper filters make clean-up much easier and can be composted.
The type of brewer you use will determine the shape and size of filter you need. The most common type of coffee filter is the cone-shaped filter, like the ones used for the Hario V60. However, brewers who use flat-bottomed, wave-shaped filters generally spend more money.
3. Scales For Pour Over Coffee
Most recipes for making coffee using the pour-over method suggest an ideal ratio of coffee to water, typically given in grams. Using a coffee scale to measure your ingredients is not required, but it can be helpful, especially if you want to be able to make the same recipe again in the future.
If you’re measuring your coffee with a coffee scoop, factors like grind size and roast level can make your measurements less accurate.
4. Coffee Kettles For Pour Over
A gooseneck kettle is the best option for making pour-over coffee, even though any type of kettle can be used in theory.
These kettles not only look stunning and heat your brew water to the ideal coffee temperature, but the long necks that give them their name are crucial for a precise pour.
Type Of Coffee For Pour Over Coffee
The flavor of your pour-over coffee will be dictated by the types of coffee beans you use. However, this method is also known to produce a specific style of coffee.
Making coffee using the pour-over method results in a very pure-tasting cup, especially when using a paper filter. Since the paper filter strains any oils or sediments, the coffee is light-bodied.
1. Roast Profile
Pour-over brewing makes the more subtle and complex flavor notes of coffee stand out, while immersion brewing can make them taste muddied or indistinct.
The best coffee for pour-over brewing is light to medium roast specialty Arabica beans. This method showcases their unique flavors and bright acidity.
You can make a pour-over brew using dark roast coffee beans. The darker roasts will not have the same delicate flavor profiles as the lighter roasts and will taste more straightforward.
2. Grind Size
Pour-over brewing coffee is best with a medium grind, finer than what you would use for a French Press, but coarser than what you need for espresso.
For brewing a large amount of coffee using the pour-over method, you will want to use a slightly coarser grind than you would for brewing a single cup.
If you’re looking to brew a pour-over, you can use pre-ground coffee. This is because most pre-ground coffee is already the right size. It is better to grind your coffee beans just before brewing in order to get the most flavor. A burr grinder is best for grinding coffee beans.
Filtered Water For Pour Over Coffee
The coffee you brew will taste significantly different depending on the quality of water used. The best water to use for pour-over coffee is filtered water.
The hardness of water varies depending on the area. Tap water can contain high levels of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, if the water is hard. The chemicals in your tap water depend on the water treatment system where you live. Systems typically add chlorine to water to kill bacteria.
The taste of your coffee will be affected by the type of water you use. Filtered water is a better choice than tap water. However, don’t be tempted to use distilled water. If you want your coffee to taste its best, add some minerals to the water you use to brew it.
The SCA has released guidelines for the perfect water for coffee because the science of coffee water is complicated.
Best Temperature Water For Pour Over Coffee
The Specialty Coffee Association has determined that the ideal temperature for coffee brewing is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, lighter roasts are brewed at a higher temperature than darker roasts.
If you don’t heat your water enough, you won’t be able to dissolve all of the coffee molecules, giving you weak and watery coffee. If the water you use to make your coffee is too hot, the coffee will likely taste burnt, bitter, or astringent.
The Best Water Ratio For Pour Over Coffee
The best ratio for pour-over brewing is approximately 1/2 pound of coffee per gallon of water. The SCA defines what is considered to be the ideal cup of coffee, which is known as the Golden Cup standard.
This means that for every one gram of coffee, you’ll need 17 grams of water.
To make a 12 oz cup of brewed coffee, you’ll need to use about 21 grams of ground coffee with 350 grams of water. The proportion of coffee to water can be adjusted to personal preference, and might need to be tweaked depending on the type of coffee beans and how dark they are roasted.
A stronger coffee would have a 1:15 ratio, while a weaker coffee would be 1:20.
Pour Over Coffee Brewing Tips
As long as you are willing to experiment and follow some guidelines, you can easily become a master brewer.
The following recommendations should help you choose the right brewer, but the best way to learn is by brewing, tasting, adjusting, and recording your results until you’re familiar with your new equipment.
A tip: it is more efficient to change one ingredient at a time when you are improving your recipe. If you change too many details at once, the relationships between the variables become complex and unpredictable, even for professionals.
Don’t rush and be gentle with yourself—a little bit of patience will go a long way.
The Gear
Although you don’t need a lot of accessories to make good coffee, there are some pieces of equipment that are necessary to produce high-quality coffee consistently. To brew pour over coffee, you will need a good burr grinder, a slow-pouring kettle, and a gram scale.
If you choose a kettle that doesn’t have a temperature display built in, we also recommend a thermometer to keep an eye on temperature stability.
The Grind
The single most important factor in brewing consistently high-quality coffee is ensuring that the grind is both consistent and uniform. It is fortunate that this is also one of the coffee problems that can be solved most easily with the appropriate equipment.
If you have a good burr grinder it will be easier to experiment with what grind size works best for you. A general guideline to keep in mind is that the finer the grind, the shorter the brewing time should be (and vice-versa).
The coarseness of your grind will affect how long your coffee grounds need to brew. A coarse grind (like for a Chemex) will need more time than a fine grind (like for a V60). The grind size you’ll need for your coffee will depend on the batch size you’re making as well as the type of brewer you’re using. If you’re using a small 01 size V60, you’ll need a finer grind than if you were using a larger 02 size V60.
A finer grind setting is good to try if your coffee is coming out thin, weak, or sour. A coarser grind setting is good to try if your coffee is coming out bitter, harsh, or brothy.
The Ratio
Your coffee brew ratio is the most important part of your recipe. Many professionals say that you should use 60 grams of coffee per liter of water, or, to put it another way, approximately 1 gram of coffee per 16.7 grams of water.
If you want to make specialty coffee, you should use a brew ratio of 1:15 to 1:17. However, changing this ratio will affect other aspects of your coffee, so it’s better to find a ratio you like and stick with it until you feel confident in controlling the other variables.
The Water
Quality water is extremely important for brewing beer. It will help preserve your gear and allow your coffee to reach its full potential.
In-line filtration is not necessary at home, but it is becoming easier to mix your own high quality water.
Global Customized Water, Third Wave Water and Peak Water Pitcher offer great options for high quality water at a low price.
The Temperature
If you try hard enough, you can brew coffee with any temperature water you like, and it can be difficult to find a single, agreed-upon “best temperature” for brewing.
The SCA recommends a brewing temperature between 195°F and 205°F for the best flavor.
Some people say that water that has just been boiled (212°F/100°C) works best, while others say that water at 176°F/80°C is better.
No matter what brew temperature you choose, stability is important, so preheating your brewer thoroughly to make sure you don’t lose too much heat too quickly is important for your consistency as a brewer.
Pouring Techniques For Pour Over Coffee
1. Continuous Pouring For Pour Over Coffee
The pour-over coffee is a method of brewing coffee by pouring hot water over coffee grounds that are in a filter. In this method, you pour a determined volume of water continuously over the coffee grounds. As long as you keep pouring, the water won’t run out.
This method requires excellent control and can be challenging to achieve when preparing large numbers of coffee pour-overs. This can be especially challenging for professional baristas who make many pour-overs per day.
2. The Bloom
While a coffee bloom is not a pour-over technique, it is an important part of the process. Pour just enough hot water over the coffee grounds to make sure they are all wet. The ratio of water to coffee is typically 2:1.
Pour Over Coffee Brewers
Hario Switch
Design
The cone-shaped design of the pour over coffee maker fits snugly into the silicone base. The stainless steel ball and switch on the base helps to transform the pour over into an immersion coffee brewer. The machine is designed to use V60 02 filters and allows you to make coffees with different flavors and textures using the same machine.
Grind
We recommend using a medium grind size for a 20 gram dose with the Switch. The grind size is good for both making coffee with an immersion method and pour over.
Technique
Begin by placing your filter in the coffee maker and rinsing it well. The Switch should be in the “closed” position to use it as an immersion brewer so the drawdown doesn’t start.
Bring 240 grams of water to a boil and let it steep for 2:30-3 minutes. Swirl the water before removing the tea leaves. When the time is up, turn the switch and allow the drawdown to proceed. The entire brew takes about 3 minutes to complete.
To use the Switch as a pour over, make sure the switch is flipped down so the hole is not blocked, and brew like you would a normal V60. The
The switch on the coffee maker can be used to change the amount of time the water is in contact with the coffee grounds. Flipping the switch to the closed position will make the coffee stronger, while flipping it to the open position will make the coffee weaker.
Advantages
With the Hario Switch comes the option to choose. This coffee brewer can be used for either the pour over or immersion brewing methods. When brewing coffee using Hario V60 filters, you will brew a cup that is cleaner than if you had used a French Press, but you will still get the expected mouthfeel from an immersion dripper.
Considerations
When the Switch is in the open position, the hole at the bottom is slightly obstructed by the stainless steel ball. Although it has only a slight effect on the flavor of the coffee, there is a decrease in the flow rate.