How to Make Pour-Over Coffee at Home

by Jonathan Clark February 15, 2021

Brown and black coffee beans

Looking to add pour-over coffee to your morning wake-up roster? Look no further. Our pour-over recipe provides a simple way to brew a cup of coffee bright and early to help conquer your day.

This brewing method brings out the naturally bright flavors in your coffee beans.

But before we give you the recipe, whether you’re a pour over coffee enthusiast or a beginner, simply knowing the process only gets you so far.

Understanding a little more about the pour-over coffee maker and its accessories makes the process that much more effortless.

First, let’s look at considerations you need when picking the perfect pour-over coffee maker.

Want to skip to the delicious coffee recipe? Don’t let us stop you!

Considerations When Buying a Pour-Over Coffee Maker

Kettle

Bonavita Stovetop Gooseneck Kettle

A perfect cup of pour over coffee calls for precise water temperatures — making temperature control a must in the coffee brewing process. Ensure your kettle has a thermometer to alert you when your water is in the golden brewing zone.

The pouring water process is sacred. The precisions, technique, and patience involved make for a true art form. Get yourself a kettle with a gooseneck spout and we’re confident you’ll hear angels sing as you pour the water over your coffee grounds.

Energy-consciousness is a virtue; some of these kettles can consistently maintain your water temperature for at least 10 minutes. Consider such helpful features when shopping for a kettle.

Paper Coffee Filters

Your filter’s design and shape may affect the even extraction of your ground coffee and, consequently, the flavor.

For example, the wave-designed filters resemble a cupcake liner to reduce contact between the filter paper itself and the brewing space for even distribution.

White coffee filter

You’ll need the Kalita Wave Dripper for this type of filter paper to create perfect harmony when draining water into your carafe or mug.

Hario V60 Misarashi Coffee Paper Filter

Conversely, cone-shaped filters require some pouring expertise considering the shape at the bottom for even extraction.

Additionally, you’ll need to grind your coffee beans a bit longer for a cone-shaped filter if you want a truly delicious cup of bean water.

While on the filter selection process, consider bleached versus unbleached.

Bleached filter papers appear white because they’ve undergone a bleaching process. Manufacturers either use chlorine or oxygen for the procedure. If you have to use bleached filters, the latter is a higher quality option.

In contrast, the unbleached filters retain their natural brown color. They don’t undergo any bleaching processes and are environmentally safe.

Coffee Grinder

To achieve a strong and flavorful cup of pour over coffee, your grinder is actually more important than your brewer. The size of your ground coffee beans affects the drip time.

If you make the grounds too fine, the water takes longer to drip through and may take some residue with it — making your coffee bitter. That’s what over-extraction is all about.

In contrast, make the beans too coarse and your water drips in too quickly without much extraction. Look for a perfect balance. We recommend the Hario Drip Coffee Pot for a uniform grind size.

Hario Skerton Ceramic Coffee Mill Hand Grinder

Kitchen Scale

Hario V60 Coffee Drip Scale and Timer

If you’ve been making coffee since Melitta Bentz, then you might get away with eye guessing your coffee recipe measurements or measuring cups for the old school coffee lovers.

Otherwise, for the digital generation, accurate results require measuring by weight. Using a digital food scale makes for a precise, mind-blowing cup of hot coffee.

Brewer Portability

Packing your pour-over devices with you is crucial if you’re a traveler. While glass and ceramic pour-over coffee makers are stunning and complement a countertop, they're better left at home. But with a stainless steel or plastic brewer, you can carry your bean water for activation anywhere, anytime.

With the above information, you can make an informed decision for a delicious cup of coffee from whichever brewer your heart beats for.

Well, that was some education right there. Let’s get to making the coffee and refreshing our minds, shall we?

What You’ll Need for the Perfect Brew

Coffee Filter
Coffee Beans
Pour-Over Coffee Maker
Carafe
Coffee Grinder
Scoop
Electric Kettle (gooseneck preferred)
Kitchen Scale

Now It’s Brew Time! How to Brew a Cup of Coffee Using a Pour-Over Coffee Maker:

Take your kettle and boil fresh water to 2000F.
Using a digital scale, measure out your whole coffee beans. For a fine cup of coffee, balance is critical, specifically concerning the ratio of coffee to water. For most people, a 1:14 – 1:18 ratio works. In other words, for every 1 gram of coffee grounds, use 14 to 18 milliliters of water.

Our recipe for this guide is 25g of coffee and 450ml water, a 1:18 ratio.
With the grinder, grind your coffee beans to the coarseness of sand and set it aside. Fine ground coffee restricts water flow, which may slow down the extraction process, leading to bitter-tasting coffee. But with a coarse texture, the water seeps through too quickly. The ground should also be even for consistent extraction.
Take your paper filter and fold down the seam and then place it into your pour-over dripper. You can alternatively use a reusable filter.

Pro tip: Rinsing the filter before use removes the paper flavor, and preheating your dripper and carafe helps keep a consistent temperature when brewing coffee.

Now, add your coffee grounds into the filter while gently shaking for even dispersion.
Time for blooming. Place your pour-over brewer and carafe on the digital scale tared to zero. Then slowly add enough hot water to cover the grounds.

Start with just 50g of water. The bubbles you see “blooming” is gas escaping from the coffee to give your cup a delicious taste. Give it 30 seconds for a complete bloom.

Hario V60 Glass Coffee Dripper Pour Over In Black
After 30 seconds, resume pouring the hot water in a circular motion over the coffee grounds, then straight down, ensuring the grounds are fully saturated. Stop at 400 grams, and then wait for your timer to hit two minutes.
Remove the filter, swirl your carafe, pour the brew into your favorite mug, and enjoy!

Ready to Pour Over?

Water pouring over coffee

You have the perfect recipe above to make a daily cup of coffee using the pour-over brewer. The crucial aspects of pouring are coffee ground size, pouring time, and water temperature.

Above all, patience and the desire for a delicious cup of pour over coffee to awaken your taste buds are all you really need. Remember to take your time with the pouring and measure accurately — and you might just quit your day job in lieu of a barista position.

Join the club, won’t you?