How To: Brew a Pour-Over
There are many great brew methods out there, but in our opinion, nothing can beat a cuppa brewed as a pour-over. This recipe is tried, true, and great for beginners. While we recommend a Hario V60 (which we sell *cough cough*), you can use anything. In fact, I (Jonah) once cut a hole through a paper cup and balanced it on sticks above another cup.
So, here is what you need.
1. V60 Dripper. Plastic is recommended, as it is insulated heat better than ceramic, metal, and glass.
2. V60 #02 paper filters. Do NOT use 'Natural' brown filters, it will taste like you are brewing through cardboard.
3. Carafe or mug
4. Digital Scale
5. Timer
6. Gooseneck Kettle
7. Coffee grinder
8. Clean, filtered water (no sink water, please)
Heat your water. Start off by heating up your water. Coffee likes to be brewed between 200-210°F. If you don't have a variable temperature electric kettle, you can heat up your water to boiling, then let it sit for 30s to allow it to get down to temperature. Or, live life on the edge and brew right off boil. Note: the hotter the water, the quicker the extraction. We have brew temperature recommendations on all of our coffees.
Grind your coffee. While you wait for your water to heat up, you can grind your coffee. Coffee is always best freshly ground, and can actually stale just 15 min after grinding. We highly recommend you invest in a good burr grinder. For the V60, use a medium grind setting, similar to kosher salt.
Pre-wet your filter. This preheats your carafe/mug and your dripper, as well as gets rid of any papery taste you might get from the filter. (Then dump out the water!)
Coffee-to-water ratio. It is time for some math! To ensure you get some good coffee, you need to have a good coffee-to-water ratio. For a pour over method, we use a 1/16 ratio, meaning that for every 1 gram of coffee, we will be adding 16 grams of water (This is where the scale comes in). So, let’s start with 25g /400g.
Zero out your scale. Now, put your V60 with your coffee and your carafe on your scale, and zero it out. Grab your hot water and your timer, and get ready to pour. Remember, start your timer right when you start pouring.
Bloom. Slowly pour in 50g of water to saturate all your coffee and wait for 30s. This is called the bloom. During the roasting process, gasses are built up in the bean, and once you saturate them with water, they start to release. This blooming period gets rid of a lot of gas, and it makes your coffee taste less...gassy (sour).
Slow-Pour. The goal is to pour your water in slow, concentric circles without hitting the sides of the dripper (just like the game Operation). If you hit the sides, the water can slide down and miss the coffee entirely. We recommend pouring in a series of pulses. Here is a guide based off of the recipe we gave you;
Time Action Total
0:00s 50g 50g
0:30s 150g 200g
1:00s 50g 250g
1:15s 50g 300g
1:30s 50g 350g
1:45s 50g 400g
Drain. Stop your pour at 1:55s, and if it drains out between 2:30-3:00 min, you should have some great coffee. If it takes longer, or shorter, adjust your grind setting accordingly. (Coarser makes it drain quicker, finer makes it drain slower).
Stir or Swirl. Before you do anything else, give your fine work a swirl, or preferably a stir. Coffee brews in layers; the first stuff that drips out will have more dissolved solids than the final drippage. Therefore, there tends to be an uneven distribution in your final result. This ain't a layered Starbucks drink, so take that extra step that makes the difference between a good & great cup of coffee.
Pro Tip: Wait 5-7min after brewing before you take your first sip. Your tongue can't even perceive flavor at brewing-temp. Remember, patience is a virtue.
