The Correct Technique Of Pour Over Coffee Brewing: A Beginner’s Guide. Once you know the correct method of coffee brewing, there is no way you can go wrong. Enjoy a frothy and flavourful coffee that will keep your spirits up all day long.
There’s something special about a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, and pour-over coffee brewing has become increasingly popular for coffee lovers who want to experience a more hands-on and precise approach to brewing. Pour over coffee involves manually pouring hot water over fresh coffee grounds in a slow and controlled manner, allowing for a more even extraction and a richer, more flavorful cup of coffee. With its simplicity and versatility, pour-over brewing has become a favourite among coffee aficionados who appreciate the nuanced differences in taste and aroma that can be achieved with this method.
In this article, we’ll explore the basics of pour-over coffee brewing, including the equipment and techniques necessary to make a great cup of coffee at home.
Where To Start In Pour Over Coffee Brewing?
One of the first things you’re going to want to do is get your coffee grounds. Simple right? Fairly so. But just like each cup of coffee is unique, so are the coffee grounds. To start, for pour-over coffee you need medium-sized grounds. Preferably fresh grounds. Fresh grounds produce a better flavour than pre-ground coffee is capable of producing.
The size of the ground is also something you need to ensure is correct. You need the same size throughout your grounds. This ensures that you are pulling the same amount of flavour from each ground which creates an overall more cohesive cup of coffee. Ensure you get the same size grounds will depend on which type of grinder you use.
What Are The Tools Included In Pour Over Coffee Brewing?
- Pour-over coffee device
- Mug (coffee cup)
- Cone filters
- Coffee beans
- Grinder
- Scooper
- Timer
- Scale (optional)
- Pour over kettle (optional)
- Thermometer (optional)
Not all of the tools are necessary to make pour-over coffee however some make the process much easier for you overall.
When choosing which tools you want there are a few things you should consider before purchasing them. How much do you want to spend? Is this something you plan to do every day or a fun hobby? These things are going to help you choose which tools you select. Items such as a coffee mug, timer, and even a scoop you probably already have at home and don’t need to worry about purchasing them. Items like your pour-over coffee device or grinder are things you probably don’t have and need to purchase.
There are multiple different kinds of pour-over coffee devices to choose from. How many cups do you want to make at a time? Want to be eco-friendly? There is a decent selection of different brands to choose from to ensure you pick the right one to match your lifestyle needs.
Choosing The Right Grinder For Pour-Over Coffee Brewing
Grinders are a little bit different from choosing a pour-over coffee device. You want to ensure you’re getting the correct grinder for which type of grind you need on your coffee beans. There are six different types of grounds: fine, fine/medium, medium, medium/coarse, coarse, and extra coarse. Knowing which type of ground you need is very important because all grinders are universal. They have certain settings that provide specific size grinds. For pour-over coffee, you want to ensure you’re getting (or that you have) a grinder that can create a medium-size grind.
Step 1
To begin the first thing, you want to do is begin to boil your water. Using the kettle, you want to bring your water to a temperature between 195 and 215 degrees Fahrenheit. Here you can use the thermometer to tell the temperature of your water.
If you do not have a thermometer then you can also bring your water to a boil and then immediately take it off. Wait 30-35 seconds for your water to cool slightly and then begin pouring. This is a rough estimate of how to predict the temperature of your water. The temperature plays a large role in the quality of your pour-over coffee. It needs to be that specific temperature to ensure it is extracting enough flavour from the coffee grounds.
Step 2
Next, you want to prepare your filter. Place your filter in your device like you’re preparing to make the coffee. Just drizzle some water into the filter. This ensures you get any residue or anything left on the surface of the filter paper that you do not want in your cup of coffee. Dump out the water that went through the filter.
Step 3
After you’ve prepared the filter you can place the appropriate amount of coffee grounds into the filter. For a 10 oz cup of coffee, you need 20 grams of ground.
You also want to ensure that you’re using freshly ground coffee beans. Please, do not take the easy way out! Freshly ground beans produce way more flavor than pre-ground beans and this will make a significant difference in your final cup.
Step 4
Once your water has reached the correct temperature you are going to do something called “wetting”. This is a process that helps to ensure you get the most out of your coffee grounds. You want the grinds to “bloom” and wetting them beforehand allows that.
You want to drizzle a small amount of water over the coffee grounds and allow them to sit or “bloom” for about 45 seconds. This helps to bring out the flavour from the grounds.
Step 5
Once that time is up you can then slowly and evenly pour the remaining water over the coffee grounds in the filter. Pouring it slowly and evenly helps to ensure you keep heat to the water and it allows for an even distribution of flavour from the grounds.
Step 6
After you’ve emptied all of the water out of the kettle you’re essentially finished! Let it sit for 1-3 minutes to ensure the water has completely filtered through the coffee grounds. Congratulations! You’ve just made pour-over coffee.
Closing Thoughts
As we mentioned above, this seems fairly complex however technique is key to that great cup of coffee. Practice makes perfect! To learn everything there is to know about pour-over coffee, head to Coffee or Bust. They give a step-by-step guide as well as the reasonings for the tools required, and much more.
This recipe will help you get some of the best coffees and maybe some of the best memories as well, with the ones who are worth your time. Take a copy of it and have it on hand so you can use it all the time.
