Pour-over coffee has become more popular in the specialty coffee world in recent years, and there has been a lot of debate about how to make it and what tools you should use.
But the filter method isn’t just for coffee competitions and high-end coffee shops. Make great coffee at home with this, too. At its heart, it’s a simple way to make a great cup of coffee. You can use drip coffee, even if you’re starting to make your coffee at home. Take a look at this detailed guide to what is Pour Over Coffee.
What is a Pour Over Coffee?
This technique involves filling a filter with coffee grounds and pouring hot water through it to make coffee. After the coffee grounds have been drained, the water is filtered and poured into a carafe or mug. Pour over is sometimes referred to as filter coffee, drip coffee, and batch brewed coffee.
Hand-pouring the water over the coffee is what makes pour-overs unique. The process is sometimes referred to as “hand brewing” or “manual brewing,” among other terms, to describe how it is accomplished.
Although it’s been in use since the early 1900s, the specialty coffee market has only recently rediscovered this approach.
What is the Purpose of the Pour Over Method?
When compared to other brewing processes, pour-over highlights more complex flavors. For single-origin coffees, this allows the tastes and fragrances to shine through.
Filter clean, pure, and consistent coffee is a good product. As a result, the water can remove coffee oils and smells at its steady rate and pressure. A clean cup of coffee results from a lot of oil being caught by the filter.
Infusion methods extract soluble coffee more efficiently than immersion methods like the French press. Unlike immersion procedures, pour overs employ a steady supply of freshwater, which keeps the water from becoming saturated.
Nara Lee has won the 2017 Brewers Cup in New Zealand. “I don’t think the process we utilize affects the flavor, but it does bring out more subtlety. Some people say that the equipment alters the overall flavor and taste of the coffee, but I don’t believe this to be the case.”
Using a pour-over coffee maker comes with a few drawbacks. Error and poor pouring procedures might befall manual methods.
All infusion methods (including espresso) use a small amount of ground coffee to avoid channeling. Clumps or uneven distribution of grounds can prevent some coffee from being extracted. So, baristas must learn to pour water uniformly over the grinds.
A batch brewer is preferred by some cafe and brewpub owners since it is more challenging to replicate a process. These devices automate the process and produce more consistent outcomes than hand pouring.
What Kind of Equipment Do you Require?
There may be an endless supply of pour-over apparatus, but you do not need to purchase all of it. You can begin with a virtual device and a few filters and gradually add more devices as you see fit.
Let’s look at the essential tools for making a pour-over.
Brewing Device
A brewing device or dripper merely holds the coffee filter and grinds. Popular models include the V60 and Kalita Wave. They all sit on top of the cup or carafe and look similar. But each has unique design elements that help flow and effect extraction. The Chemex is another popular alternative with unique design features.
Utilizing these devices is readily available, easy to use, and comes with filters tailored to their design. There are many online tips and techniques for using these gadgets, so learning how to use these devices correctly and adapting as needed is simple.
And if you are not sure where to begin, try brews produced in different machines in your favorite specialty coffee store and ask the bartender which they prefer and why.
Filters
Paper or cloth? Bleached or not? Surprisingly, the filter is even a point of contention in brewing. For effective extraction, filters are custom-made to fit specific devices.
The Chemex uses paper filters 20–30% heavier than traditional filters, retaining more suspended oils during brewing.
Some people say paper filters have an unpleasant, papery flavor when they are washed and dried.
Rinse your filter before using it to avoid this. Cloth filters have been around for a long time, and some people prefer them over paper filters because they don’t change the flavor and have a lower environmental impact.
Scales
You might not believe scales are necessary, but they are if you want to make consistently decent coffee. Purchase a digital scale and use it to weigh coffee and water.
Knowing how much of each ingredient you used in a good (or bad) brew might help you duplicate it or alter it for even better results.
Kettles
Have you watched specialty baristas pouring water from a bit of copper kettle and wondered why? Isn’t a fundamental electric kettle sufficient? This is possible, of course. But you might also choose not to.
Consistency is vital in this case, as it is in many others in specialty coffee. Pour-over kettles are designed to keep water at a constant temperature. As a result, you might get more consistent results while extracting.
Water flow is controlled by squeezing the long, narrow gooseneck. Water tends to spill out of kettles with shorter spouts.
No matter what type of kettle you go with, read customer reviews and always have a thermometer on hand to monitor the temperature.
Selecting suitable filters for your device is entirely up to you. Bunched-up paper or fabric may block water flow and collect coffee grounds, which will keep your extraction less uniform.
What Type of Coffee Should you Use?
So, you got your equipment ready, but now what? With a pour-over, what kind of coffee should you use? When it comes to picking your beans, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Roast Profile
A mild roast may be preferable because the pour-over method brings out subtle flavor characteristics and smells. The brightest, most acidic flavors come from beans roasted to this profile.
Chad says, “Light roasts emphasize the truest character of the coffee.”
This brewing style complements delicate flavors, but you may also go medium or dark if you desire.
Grind Size
The size of your grounds impacts the extraction rate. An infusion method means the coffee and water are in touch for less time than an immersion method but more than espresso. In other words, you don’t want the coffee to over-extract and make a bitter brew.
This implies that you should start with standard grind size and then examine your cup and alter it as appropriate. If it’s a little runny or acidic, try a finer grind. If it’s harsh and lacks sweet overtones, try a miniature course.
Also, invest in a good grinder to ensure that your coffee particles are the same size. Low-quality grinders are more likely to produce unevenly ground coffee and a lot of “fines.” These small coffee extract pieces can quickly destabilize your cup.
Also Read: 11 Best Budget Coffee Grinder of 2022
What Coffee-to-Water Ratio Should you Use?
There are many suggested ratios, but 1:17 (1 gram of coffee to 17 grams of water) is an excellent starting point. Make some brews with this measurement, but alter parameters that affect extraction one at a time, such as grind size and water temperature, until you find a recipe that suits you.
Then experiment with different coffee-to-water ratios. If your brew tastes watery or weak, try adding extra coffee without changing any other variables and see if it improves the flavor.
Reduce the coffee in your cup if you find it too strong. But keep track of what you’re doing so you can recreate your perfect brew once you’ve found it.
And don’t forget about the water. Tap water might include minerals and pollutants that alter the flavor, so use filtered water.
Benefits of Pour Over Coffee Makers
If you’re interested in learning more about specialty coffee, this is a great place to start. Pouring over coffee is a simple way to improve your coffee game and get the most incredible flavor.
Compared to a coffee maker, pour-over brought out flavors that a coffee maker could miss. Hot water is delivered to the pot through a chamber and into the pot in the coffee makers. This prevents the coffee from entirely brewing and might lead to under extraction.
Gases become trapped as well, preventing the coffee from blooming. Your coffee will taste acidic, gassy, and bitter due to this. Pour-over coffee allows you to manage the flow of water and the quality of your coffee.
Experiment by tasting a cup of pour-over coffee and a cup of coffee from your coffee maker. Consider the differences in flavor, texture, and overall experience. It might be time to retire your automatic coffee maker in favor of a more elegant and enjoyable method of brewing coffee.
The best way to prepare an excellent cup of coffee is to use a pour-over method. A single rotating origin is used, and it’s roasted lightly to bring forth the distinct flavor profile of the country where it’s sourced.
Final Thoughts
With a pour-over, your coffee will reach new heights. It’s a little more complicated, but it’s well worth the effort. Plus, tinkering with coffee is a lot of fun!
If you’ve never tried pour-over coffee and are unsure about the taste, search for specialty coffee near me to find a local specialty coffee shop.