How Do You Pour Over Coffee?
Do you want to brew your own coffee? If you do, there are many ways to do it. Read on for your helpful tips on how you can create a pour over coffee.
You will likewise learn the different easy-to-use manual coffee brewers.
Manual brewers are becoming a trend not just in restaurants and cafes, but also in regular kitchens. Maybe you’ve seen a couple of them, but you not sure how to use them.
The popularity of these brewers has led to the advent of newly innovative brewers. However, this has not stopped the prototypes from getting even more popular.
Manual coffee brewers work in different ways, but they still have almost similar outputs. You can own either an electric or a stove-top coffee maker. They now come in various shapes and sizes.
With all the options you’ve got right now, having to make your own cup of pour over coffee whenever and wherever you want has become attainable.
Tips in Brewing Pour Over Coffee
Along with the following tips, you first should have the enthusiasm to learn and explore. You would also need a sufficient amount of patience and creativity. If you’re equipped with all these, then go ahead and read on.
Document the results
When you’re in the initial stage of creating different blends, it is a must that you take down all the measurements as well the tastes and adjustments you’ll make.
Don’t be afraid to play with different blends because that’s how you’ll be able to know which to keep and which to eliminate from your list.
What do you need to make pour over coffee?
You don’t need a lot of tools just to come up with a good-tasting coffee. Settle only for what’s necessary. Here is a list of the things that you ought to have:
- Coffee grinder
- Hario Switch V60, French press, or Moka pot
- Kettle
- Digital weighing scale
- Thermometer
- Frothing wand (but you may also use the French press in making a froth)
How coarse should coffee be for pour over?
Manual coffee makers require different grinds. A Mocha Pot and AeroPress, for instance, demand fine texture, while a French press needs coarse ground coffee. And as for a Hario Switch V60 manual coffee maker, it needs to be medium.
This is one of the most important things that you have to consider because this factor can affect the taste of your coffee big time.
In case your coffee turns sour and thin, try a finer texture. But if your coffee is coarse and bitter, go for a coarser texture.
Experimenting with several tastes and mixes is the start of an exciting coffee escapade and can lead you to have better-tasting coffee every time.
You find a great maximum body coffee bean with the Reveille Blend. Using a burr grinder will offer the best results for your fresh coffee grind.
Be familiar with the ratio
Making brewed coffee is far different from making instant coffee. It’s not like that at all. If you want a coffee that will captivate you even in your wildest dream, you’ve got to work hard and find out the coffee to water ratio that you want for yourself.
According to coffee experts, for every 1 liter of water, you need 60 grams of ground coffee. But this usually still depends on one’s taste buds.
Do you want your coffee to be a bit bitter? Then maybe you can make the coffee 7 grams instead of just 6 grams. If it’s the other way around, then lessen the coffee by 1 gram or 2 to make it lighter.
Choose quality water
You heard me right! You need good-quality water when wanting to make a good pour over coffee. Water can have a big effect on the taste. It can actually enhance the tang of the coffee even more.
Check out the Peak Water Pitcher, Third Wave Water or the Customized Water. Having one of these will totally give you an ultimate coffee experience.
What temperature should you brew coffee at?
This is where you’ll need a thermometer. As per Speciality Coffee Association, the best brewing temperature is typically between 197°F to 204.8°F. Using colder water will cause your coffee to taste flat and under extracted while hotter water will leave your coffee tasting poorly.
How to Make Pour Over Coffee Using Different Coffee Makers or Brewers
The tips in making the best coffee have already been laid down. Now, let’s talk about the different kinds of coffee makers or brewers.
The Hario Switch V60
The Hario Switch V60 is still trending despite the rise of newer manual coffee makers in the past years. Although, this didn’t stop it from transforming into something even better.
This timeless cone design coffee maker perfectly fits into its silicon base that transfigures the pour-over coffee right thru the immersion brewer, which is supported by a stainless steel ball. It utilizes V60 02 coffee filters that give you the choice of brewing assorted flavors of coffee while using a similar coffee maker. Versatility at its best, huh?
The recommended grind for the Hario Switch is medium. This grind is just perfect to use in both pour over and immersion.
STEP 1: Place the filter into the Hario Switch and position it above the server or coffee mug. Before adding the ground coffee, rinse the filter paper using hot water. This has 2 objectives: one, to remove the taste of the paper, and two, to pre-heat the server as well as the brewer.
STEP 2: Measure 15 grams of ground coffee and drop it into the filter paper. Then tap the sides of the filter to allow the coffee to settle down.
STEP 3: Pour 50 ml of water that is about 96°C. You may use a thermometer or you can simply leave the water you just boiled for 1 to 2 minutes. When pouring the water, do it in a circular motion from the sides of the filter all the way to the center.
STEP 4: After pouring the water, stir the coffee ground. Then allow the coffee to bloom for about half a minute. Bloom refers to accelerated degassing. This usually occurs when water is poured over fresh coffee grounds.
STEP 5: Add in more water to up to 250 ml. Again, do it in a circular motion.
STEP 6: Give again the coffee grounds a stir once you’ve completely poured out all the water. This is to ensure that the grounds are equally extracted.
STEP 7: Then, pour into your mug and enjoy every sip! That’s how you make a pour over coffee using the Hario Switch V60
The French Press
Could you believe that 90% of the people who make use of a French press coffee maker do it totally wrong? Now, if you belong to that 90%, then let me show you how it's done.
By the way, the recommended grind for the French press is medium.
STEP 1: Preheat the French Press. Preheating it will prevent the temperature from going down too quickly. Actually, even the mug where you’ll be pouring your coffee should also be preheated.
How? Simply pour water into the press and carefully rinse it until it becomes warm, then throw away the hot water.
STEP 2: Measure the coffee grounds using a digital weighing scale. There is really no exact measurement as it is dependent on the size of the French press and on one’s coffee palate.
STEP 3: After which, measure some water and check its temperature. For the purpose of accuracy, use a weighing scale rather than a scoop or a spoon. The coffee to water ratio, by the way, for a French press is generally 1:15.
You can either use a gooseneck kettle or a stovetop to heat water. Wait for the temperature of the water to reach 195°F to 205°F.
STEP 4: Place the ground coffee into the French press followed by the hot water and stir. Stirring will make sure that the coffee is entirely immersed or soaked in water.
STEP 5: Cover the French press with its lid and begin your timer. Covering the brewer can help confine the heat inside it while the coffee brewing process is taking place. Program your timer to 4 minutes and wait patiently. However, the 4-minute time isn’t to be taken strictly because you are free to cut it short or extend it.
STEP 6: Press the plunger down little by little once the 4 minutes is up. Press the plunger all the way to the bottom. Otherwise, the brewing process will continue and it could mean over-extraction.
You also don’t want to press the plunge too hard, especially if the ground coffee has a very fine texture.
All done! Plain and simple, isn’t it?
The Moka Pot
The Italian-born Moka Pot is popular in creating an espresso pour over coffee. If you don’t have a budget for an espresso machine, maybe this is meant for you. You do not need to spend on an expensive machine just so you could make an espresso. All you need is a Moka Pot, which is way cheaper!
When using a Moka Pot, use a fine ground coffee.
STEP 1: Pour hot water into the boiler, which is the bottom part of the Moka Pot. Putting hot water instead of room-temperature water will prevent the ground coffee from burning.
Then, fill up until the line or just under the steam release valve.
STEP 2: Grind your coffee beans until you achieve a fine texture. Note: to preserve the freshness of the coffee, see to it that you grind the coffee beans only when you’re about to brew.
STEP 3: Next is to fill the filter basket with ground coffee. Make sure not to press down the grounds. Otherwise, the water will have a hard time passing through.
STEP 4: It’s time to pull together the Moka pot. Once you’re done filling the filter basket, place it over the boiler. Then screw the upper body of the Moka pot onto the base. If you can’t tolerate the heat of the base, use a piece of cloth to hold it.
STEP 5: Place the Moka pot on a stovetop for about 5 to 10 minutes on medium to low fire. Watch closely as the coffee is brewing. The moment the brew starts to flow up into the upper body, turn off the stove and remove the Moka pot right away.
STEP 6: Stir the brewed coffee using a spoon or metal stirrer. Doing this step can help mix the various layers of the coffee, thereby, making it smooth.
STEP 7: Finally, serve the coffee straight away!
Now that you’ve read all the tips and you already have an idea on what coffee brewing method to use to make a pour over coffee, I guess it’s time for you to make your own.
Which coffee should you use?
The South American Reveille Blend is a great bean, highly caffeinated with a maximum body. On Point Coffee has caramel and chocolate tones for a reliable, smooth coffee experience. If you prefer to buy your best coffee pre-ground then you can pick up the same blends freshly ground and delivered to your door.
Happy brewing and enjoy every drop of your pour over coffee!
Matthew Robertson
Author