Our Favorite Coffee Brewing Technique: The Pour-Over

This easy and simple brew method is preferred among coffee enthusiasts because it gives the brewer ultimate control over the resulting cup and is touted as the best method for extracting the best flavor.

You may wonder, “what’s the difference between pouring hot water over ground coffee and simply using a drip pot?”

The quick answer is: while the processes seem very similar, the coffee resulting from using the pour over method will taste noticeably better.

“Why?” you might ask.

Well, the simple process of measuring the ratio of coffee grounds to water precisely, as well as properly timing your extraction, will ultimately result in a smoother, better tasting coffee.

Period.

I didn’t believe it until I tried it myself, and now I’m hooked… And so are the friends and family members who have given it a shot.

Ready to try it?

Here is what you need:

• Ground Coffee
• Mug
• Pour Over Vessel
• Coffee filter
• Water kettle
• Food Scale (optional)

Step 1. Rinse your filter: Pour hot water over empty filter to remove any papery taste and to preheat your mug. After you rinse, dump the water.

Step 2. Tare you scale (if using): Place your empty mug, pour over vessel, and filter on your scale. Set it to grams and set it to zero.

Step 3. Measure your coffee: Use the table below to determine how much coffee to add to your filter. It is ideal to measure coffee by weight, but if you’re not using a scale, simply measure with a tablespoon using table below (approximations included).

Step 4. Add your water. This step has several sub-steps.

Make sure that you are using water that is just below boiling so that you don’t burn your coffee (202-205 degrees is ideal). You can either use a kettle with a built-in thermometer, or bring water to a boil, then remove from heat and let it sit for 30 seconds or so.

If you are using a scale

• Tare you scale again: Set your scale to ml and zero it out
• Bloom your coffee (Also called Degrassing): pouring in a circular motion, add just enough water to saturate the grounds (approximately 40ml). Stir a little if needed and wait 30seconds.
• Pour and pause with rest of your water using a circular motion until you reach desired volume. Ideally, the whole extraction should take approximately three minutes.

If you’re NOT using a scale:

• Do the best you can to mimic the instructions above using estimation.
• It can sometimes be helpful to pre-measure out the final amount of water that you’d like to use and heat that in the kettle so that you don’t accidentally use more water than a your ratio dictates.

 Saturate Grounds
 Allow 30seconds to bloom
  Finish the pour

Step 5. Enjoy! And be sure to let us know what you think. (I like to add a touch of heavy whipping cream😋 check out our many other recipes to have some fun)

(it’s fun to watch the cream “dance” through the coffee 💃🏻)

Using the manual Pour Over method not only gives you more control, but it gives you more connection as well.

Stop and Smell the… COFFEE! Most folks are in such a rush to see and do and accomplish that they miss the opportunities to reflect and enjoy the process. 

When time allows, manual brewing is an incredible way to slow down, be more connected with your cup, and set your intentions for the day!