5 Steps to Brew the Perfect Pour Over Coffee At Home

5 Steps to Brew the Perfect Pour Over Coffee At Home

Pour over brewing is a simple way to brew a crisp, clean coffee at home. Making a cup of pour over coffee requires just four items: water, coffee, filter, and your pour over maker of choice. Pour overs offer more control of the coffee-making process. You can experiment with your ideal water temperature and grind size to find the perfect cup of coffee. 

Many coffee snobs think that this method of brewing is the best way to drink coffee because of its full flavor and aroma. And also, there’s just something mesmerizing about watching coffee slowly drip from the filter into the carafe, knowing that you made it yourself.

How to Make Perfect Pour Over Coffee

It takes time to make a pour over coffee, but it’s straightforward once you get the hang of it.. You'll impress your guests when they wake up to the sight of you manually making coffee in the morning.

Grind beans, add water, and drink delicious coffee. Sounds easy, right? The truth is, this brew style rewards practice and patience. However, follow this step by step guide and you can brew the coffee of your dreams – rich, smooth, aromatic – everything you want it to be and more.


Step 1: 195-205 Degrees Fahrenheit Heat Water

Getting the water temperature right is critical: 195 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer, wait for the water to boil, then remove from heat and wait 30 seconds before brewing. Simplest way is to try a smart kettle. These kettles will bring the water to a certain temperature and keep it there until you’re ready to use it.

Using a pour over kettle will help you control water flow, and hence, the brew. For bonus points, use the right water to brew your coffee, and it makes a difference.


Step 2: Weigh Your Coffee

How much coffee do you need? The biggest flavor factor is the ratio of water to coffee. 

We recommend a water to coffee ratio of 16:1 or 15:1 if you prefer a more potent cup. This means 16 grams of water for every gram of coffee. To calculate how much coffee you need, weigh the amount of water you want to brew and divide that by 16. That will give you the amount of coffee to grind.


Step 3: Rinse/Wet Your Filter

This is an important step to keep in mind so that you don’t end up with coffee that has a hint of paper in the final product. Get rid of the paper taste by rinsing the filter. To do rinse correctly, you simply need to place the brewer in the dripper and then pour water around it in a circle, making sure to get up the sides for about five seconds to rinse the filter, then discard the water in the cup or carafe that ran through it.


Step 4: Grind the Coffee

You will need to grind your coffee coarse enough to allow the water to pass through the grounds within your desired brew time. To achieve this, we recommend a medium grind consistency which feels similar to table salt. Most pour overs use a paper filter. Paper filters produce a very clean cup of coffee because of how well they capture small particles of coffee.


Step 5: Pour Water

Pouring the water has two parts: bloom and brew time.

Bloom: Pour a little water (30 grams or so) over the grounds and let them soak it up. You’ll see the grounds swell, rise, and bubble. Allow 30 seconds for the bloom to finish.

Brew time: Pour the rest of the water over the grounds slowly.Start at the center and move out in a widening spiral so as to wet all the grounds evenly. Stop when you’ve added water to your chosen ratio.

Now you’re ready to try making pour over coffee yourself! Next time you have guests over, try your hand at brewing a carafe of manual coffee and watch their eyes light up as they taste the rich, flavorful difference a cup of coffee can make.