How to make pour over coffee like a champion – The best 2022 guide

If you’re new to pour over coffee, don’t worry, I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know. 

Pour over coffee is easy to make, and it produces a delicious cup of coffee that will impress your friends. Keep reading for all the details!

How to make pour over coffee – the easy way

Chances are you’ve come here to find an easy-to-make pour over coffee recipe.

So before we dive down deep into how to make pour over coffee, here’s an easy pour over coffee recipe that doesn’t need a scale (or a cool hairstyle)!

#1 – Easiest pour over coffee recipe 

What you’ll need:

• A pour over brewing device (Chemex, V60, etc.)
• Filter paper
• 4 tbsp medium ground coffee
• 10 oz. (300 ml) hot water
• Plastic or wooden spoon 

Preparation:

1. Grind your beans while your water is boiling. Put your filter paper into your brewing device.
2. Rinse the filter paper (to get rid of the papery taste) by pouring hot water through it, then put your coffee in the filter paper. Try to level out the coffee grounds.
3. Pour about 50-100 ml of hot water over the coffee grounds, trying to get all the coffee saturated, then wait for 45 seconds. You should see the coffee mixture start to bubble. That’s called blooming, and it’s magic.
4. After 45 seconds, slowly start pouring half of your remaining water over the coffee grounds. This should be done slowly and carefully. Start at the center of the coffee bed, then work your way outwards in a tight spiral. 
5. Wait until coffee drains about halfway down, then repeat the above step with the remaining water.
6. Allow the coffee to fully drain, then it’s ready to serve and drink. 

Some tips:

• You’ll need about 1 tablespoon of ground coffee for every 2.5 oz. (75 ml) of water.
• The coffee should be ground medium, to medium coarse.
• If the coffee tastes weak, you could use more ground coffee. If the coffee tastes too strong, then use less ground coffee. Keep adding more or less grounds until the coffee tastes balanced. 
• If you don’t have a grinder, you could use pre-ground coffee.

What is pour over coffee?

To make pour over coffee, near-boiling water is continually passed through ground coffee over the course of 2-4 minutes. During this time, the aim is to extract as much flavor from the coffee grounds as possible.

Pour over coffee is a brewing method that requires a bit more effort than other types of coffee brewing methods, but the results are well worth it.

How is pour over coffee different?

What sets pour over coffee apart from other brewing methods, such as Aeropress or French press, is that it’s a percolation brewing method.

Percolation is a brewing method that passes clean water through ground coffee, whereas immersion brewing methods submerge the grounds in water. 

This difference means that pour over coffee produces a cleaner cup with more clarity and brightness, while immersion methods often result in a stronger cup with a more pronounced body.

The pour over method also allows for better control of flavor than other brewing methods because you can control the rate at which the coffee is extracted.

The pour over method produces a cup of coffee that has great body, with a complex flavor profile. It’s also a great way to showcase the unique flavors of light roast and single-origin coffees.

Equipment needed for pour over coffee

In order to make pour over coffee, you will need a few pieces of equipment. In this section, we’ll look at the coffee (↓), brewing device (↓), filters (↓), water (↓), digital scales (↓) and kettles (↓) needed for pour over coffee.

Coffee

As far as possible, you should always try to use high-quality, recently roasted coffee beans.

We’re going to look at coffee in more detail in the next section though, so don’t worry about it for now.

Brewing devices

To make pour over coffee, you will need a pour over dripper. This is a device that holds your filter paper and coffee, and that lets you pour hot water over coffee grounds.

There are many different types of pour over drippers, like the Beehouse Dripper, the Hario V60, or the Chemex.

Each one has its own unique design, and they all work a little differently.

For now, choose the dripper that you think looks the best to you, or that has been recommended to you by a friend.

My personal recommendation for those beginning their pour over coffee journeys is the plastic Hario V60.

Why the Hario V60? Well let’s look at the benefits:

• Hario pour over drippers are made of high-quality plastic, which is durable and dishwasher safe.
• The pour over dripper has a flat base, which helps it stand up on its own.
• It’s easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.
• All the cool kids are doing it. You want to be cool like us, don’t you? No one will know. Come on, you know you want to.

Filter papers

You will also need some filter papers.

One of the most important pieces of equipment for pour over coffee is the filter paper.

The filter paper is responsible for stopping the coffee grounds from flowing through with the coffee and water mixture. As such, it is an essential part of the pour over brewing process.

However, there is some controversy surrounding filter papers and filter cloths, and using bleached or unbleached papers.

The debate surrounding bleached and unbleached filter papers is one that has been raging for some time now.

On the one hand, some people argue that using bleached filter papers is harmful to both your coffee and the environment. Bleaching is a chemical process that uses chlorine gas to whiten the paper. Not only does this make the paper less absorbent, but it can also release harmful toxins into the air.

Unbleached filter papers, on the other hand, are made from natural materials like wood pulp or cotton. This means that there is no chemical bleaching process involved, and the paper is biodegradable. However, unbleached paper can also be less absorbent than bleached paper.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to taste and your personal preference.

Water

Using filtered water when making pour over coffee is important because the water you use has a huge impact on your coffee’s flavor.

The acidity or alkalinity of the water, as well as the amount of calcium and magnesium affect how much coffee is extracted. But in all honesty, I’m not convinced that I would be able to taste the difference.

More importantly, if you're using bad-tasting water to make your coffee, then your coffee is most likely going to taste bad. The coffee doesn't just magically remove the metallic, hard water taste.

I understand that bottled water can be expensive (and bad for the environment), but it’s might worth the cost if you want great pour over coffee. A pricier, but more eco-friendly alternative would be to get a water filtration system for your kitchen.

Digital scales

Some might find the idea of weighing your coffee making a bit extreme, but in truth, it’s pretty easy to do, and the results speak for themselves.

Weighing your coffee benefits your coffee making in three ways:

1. It makes pour over coffee more consistent.
2. It ensures you use the right ratio of coffee to water.
3. It helps you improve your technique, as you can track your pouring speed.

If you make a good-tasting cup of coffee, the scale shows you what you did right. If you make a bad-tasting cup of coffee, the scale helps you make changes to your recipe, so that your next coffee is out of this world.

Does this mean that you need the world’s fanciest, most expensive scale? No!

A reasonable level of accuracy is more important than having a fancy scale, and accuracy can be achieved by getting a cheap digital scale.

So, next time you’re at the grocery store, just grab a cheap digital scale and you’ll see instant results.

Kettles

Quick question, why did the kettle go to the hospital? To get his whistle checked! Full disclosure, I know the idea of kettles isn’t super exciting. So that was my attempt at livening things up. You’re welcome.

Now, is it getting steamy in here, or… Okay, I’ll stop. Let’s talk about kettles then!

You may have noticed that your barista uses a kettle with a long pouring spout, and that it has one handle.

This type of kettle is called a gooseneck kettle. A gooseneck kettle is designed to pour water with the right amount of precision for pour over coffee (basically, slow and steady).

If you make pour over coffee on the regular like me, then it’s worth investing in a decent gooseneck kettle. In the name of consistency, gooseneck kettles give you that extra edge.

If you can't afford one right now, don't worry. You can make pour over coffee without one, but it will take a bit of practice to pour water evenly at the right speed.

Coffee and water for pour over coffee

We’ve looked at equipment for pour over coffee, now let’s look at the most important aspect, the coffee. We’re going to go over roast profile (↓), grind size (↓), brew ratio (↓) and the temperature of the water (↓).

Roast profile for pour over coffee

Pour over coffees highlight the delicate, nuanced flavors of coffee from different regions and farms. This means that lighter roasted coffee is generally better for pour over coffee.

Light roasted coffee beans carry sweeter, more floral and acidic flavors from the beans. Dark roasted coffee beans usually taste slightly sweet and nuttier, with dark sugary tones that many people find irresistible.

Of course, there are also medium roasted coffee beans which are great too – it’s all about balance and personal preference.

Grind size for pour over coffee

For pour over coffee, you want to grind at a medium coarseness (between Aeropress and French press).

This gives your pour over coffee the best chance of extracting the most flavors out of the coffee.

If you go too fine with your grind size, it can cause under extraction. Which will make a very sour and acidic coffee. If you go too coarse, it can cause over-extraction. This will taste bitter and unpleasant.

I’m going to say this three times. Get a decent burr grinder. Get a decent burr grinder. Get a decent burr grinder. But we’ll discuss this a little further on below.

Brew ratio for pour over coffee

Pour over coffee will usually use a 1:15 ratio. That means for every gram of coffee, use 15 grams of water.

In other words, if I want to make coffee with 20 grams of coffee grounds, I’d need to use 300 grams of water. 20 x 15 = 300.

Or we could work backward. If I wanted to make 500 grams of coffee, I’d need 33 grams of coffee grounds. 500/15 = 33.3.

As I’ve said a few times throughout this, the ratio you use is down to personal preference. A great place to start is 1:15, then experiment to see what you prefer.

Water temperature

Lastly, pour over coffee should be brewed at a water temperature between 92°C – 96°C (196°F-205°F). Anything below this could be too cold and could make your pour over coffee taste dull or… meh.

Anything above would be too hot and you run the risk of extracting too many bitter compounds, which will leave you with an unpleasant, acrid taste in your mouth.

If pour over coffee seems complicated to you all of a sudden, don’t worry! Just remember that pour over coffee is about simplicity and consistency, not fancy equipment or tricks.

Just keep it simple and pour.

Pouring techniques for pour over coffee

There are three pouring techniques to discuss, the bloom (↓), pulse pouring (↓) and continuous pouring (↓).

The aim of each is to agitate the coffee to encourage even distraction, while dissuading channeling in the coffee bed.

The Bloom

This is the best part of pour over coffee because it looks super cool and it releases a hit of the most incredible aroma. But what is, and why do it?

When you make pour over coffee, you pour a small amount of hot water on top of the coffee grounds to release the trapped carbon dioxide. This is called blooming.

The reason we want to release the trapped carbon dioxide is because during extraction, these Co2 bubbles repel water. If water is being repelled, that means that it isn't extracting anything.

So, by first allowing the bubbles to escape, we ensure a more even extraction.

How do you bloom coffee? It’s easy. Pour hot water over the coffee grounds, stir and wait 45 seconds.

The amount of water you use should be 2-3 times the amount of coffee grounds. So if you’re using 20 grams of coffee, you should bloom with 40-60 grams of hot water.

Pulse Pouring

This is where pour over really comes into its own and starts to differentiate itself from other methods. Pulse pour, as the name suggests, is a pour with pauses.

You pour some water on top of the coffee grounds, then wait. You pour, wait, pour some more, and so on. The alternative to this is continuous pouring, which we’ll get to in a bit.

Pulse pouring is a technique done to agitate (or move slightly) the coffee grounds. This agitating helps even out the extraction, bringing all of the coffee grounds into contact with water, and preventing channeling within the coffee bed.

How this is done is part of the art of pour over coffee. So for now, follow a tried and tested recipe, then experiment on your own.

Continuous pouring

The alternative to pulse pour is to continuously pour.

Continuous pouring is when you pour all of the water for your brew in one go, right after the bloom. You don’t pause or put the kettle down until every drop of brew water has been added to your brewer.

Which pour to use?

Honestly, both continuous pour and pulse pour have their benefits. Pour over coffee purists will suggest that you pulse pour, while others will say it doesn’t matter.

For this reason, I recommend experimenting with both methods. I’ve found the most success with a recipe that incorporates pulse pouring, but when I first started out I was a continuous pourer.

Whatever floats your boat is fine and dandy.

You brew you, bru.

How to master pour over coffee

Here are two things that will help you master your pour over coffee.

#1 – Grinder, grinder, grinder

I said it three times because it’s that important.

If you're going to invest in any piece of coffee equipment, it should be your grinder. I would say that 90% of pour over coffee is down to the grind size and consistency.

I tried to get by on a cheap grinder, and I found myself fed up every time I tried to make coffee. No matter how coarse I ground my coffee, there was no grind-consistency, and my pour over coffee would take 5 minutes to drain.

Get a good quality burr grinder, and I promise you’ll see incredible results in your coffee.

Budget ones such as the Porlex and Hario Mini Slim grinders are good for pour over coffee, but the 1Zpresso range is where my money is at.

You know those moments in the movies where they say that one life-defining thing that changes the whole story arc? Well, this is it for you and your coffee journey.

The single best investment you can make in your coffee life is getting a good grinder.

#2 – Get a scale and make a coffee journal

One of the most important things I learned about pour over coffee is that it’s a simple process.

But simplicity doesn’t mean that getting it right is easy, especially if you’re still trying to find your footing.

The easiest way to master your pour over is by using a scale and a journal to track your coffee-making journey. 

I started logging my coffees a while back and I’ve seen quite a few benefits. When I change my grinder size for different brewing methods, my journal shows me my preferred range for each brewing method.

If I’m using a new coffee or roast, chances are the first cup is going to be bad (just like the first pancake is always bad). I’ll then make a note, so that next time I know to grind coarser or finer.

I also use my coffee journal to track recipes. Maybe I was feeling adventurous this morning, so I decided to use 22 grams instead of 20. If it’s a success, I’ll know for next time because it’s…yep…in my journal!

Things to include in your coffee journal are:

• The coffee you’re using
• The grind size (in numbers)
• Your coffee ratio and the amount of coffee and water.
• The brewing method used
• Personal and tasting notes

Don’t worry, just like Oprah Winfrey once said, you get a coffee journal! You get a coffee journal! You get a coffee journal! Download your 100% free, printable coffee journal.

Famous pour over coffee recipes

James Hoffman (World Barista Champion 2007)

What you’ll need:

• A Hario V60
• Filter paper
• Ratio – 1:16
• 30 grams ground coffee
• 500 grams hot water

Preparation:

1. Grind your beans medium while your water is boiling. Put your filter paper into your brewing device.
2. Rinse the filter paper (to get rid of the papery taste) by pouring hot water through it, then put your coffee in the filter paper. 
3. Create a well in the center of your coffee grounds. 
4. Start timer then add 60 g of hot water to begin the bloom. The bloom requires 2x coffee weight.
5. Swirl the coffee slurry until evenly mixed. The aim is to wet all the coffee grounds by evenly mixing bloom water and coffee.
6. Let the coffee bloom until the timer hits 45 seconds.
7. Add 240 grams water in a circular motion, aiming for 8 grams per second. This should take the current brew weight up to 60% of the total brew weight. In other words, 60% of 500 g is 300 grams. We already used 60 g for the bloom, so in this pour, we’re adding 240 g.
8. The water in Step 7 should be poured by the time the timer reaches 1:15. 
9. Then continuously pour the remaining brew water in over the next 30 seconds. 
10. After 1:15, allow the V60 to drain a little bit, then give the brew one stir with a spoon clockwise, then one stir counterclockwise. Give the V60 a small swirl as well.
11. Let the brew drawdown, aiming to finish around 3:30.

I always found it difficult to learn something practical through reading, so here’s the video. Bookmark this page to be able to jump back to the recipe easily.

Matt Perger (World Brewers Cup 2012 Champion)

What you’ll need:

• A Hario V60
• Filter paper
• Ratio – 1:16
• 12 grams ground coffee
• 200 grams hot water

Preparation:

1. Grind your beans medium while your water is boiling. Put your filter paper into your brewing device.
2. Rinse the filter paper (to get rid of the papery taste) by pouring hot water through it, then put your coffee in the filter paper. 
3. Distribute your coffee grounds evenly.
4. Start timer then add 50 g of hot water to begin the bloom. 
5. “Stir it like a bandit” Use a spoon to vigorously stir the bloom for about 5 seconds. Be careful not to splash the coffee though.
6. Let the coffee bloom until the timer hits 30 seconds.
7. At 30 seconds, add 50 grams of water. Pour in an outward swirl. Finish the swirl around the edges to wash any grounds back down.
8. At 1:00, add 100 grams of water. Pour the same way as in Step 7.
9. Once half of the coffee has drained, gently lift up the V60 dripper and drop it back down for a level coffee bed.
10. Let the brew drawdown, aiming to finish around 2:30.

Here’s the video.

FAQs

What’s the difference between pour over and drip coffee?

Drip coffee is pour over coffee, but pour over coffee isn’t drip coffee.

The pour over method produces a different flavor profile than the drip filter method of brewing.

You’re also able to play around with pour over parameters such as grind size and water temperature to produce more depth in flavor.

Also, drip coffee uses a machine to heat and pour water over the coffee, pour over uses a vessel such as a Hario V60 or Kalita Wave.

Which pour over brewing device should I use?

You can pour over coffee in any pour over device, but if you are looking for a pour over brewing device I recommend the Hario V60.

I own and use this daily at home and in my office. It’s beginner-friendly, durable, doesn’t lose much heat, and it’s cheap.

What’s the best coffee to use for pour over?

This is entirely dependent on your taste preference.

I like pour over coffee because I’m able to control all the variables, so I can use something dark roasted if that’s what I want.

Personally, for pour overs I use coffees that are medium-light roasted.

How to drink pour over coffee?

I like pour over coffee black.

If you’re not ready for that, pour over coffee can also be served with water and milk. Some people even make pour over iced coffee or pour over nitro! (The future is now!)

Some even go so far as to drink them with alcohol as cocktails.

What is channeling in coffee?

This is when pour over coffee can be a pain in the butt.

When you pour water over the coffee, it’s best to pour at an even rate. If you pour too fast or unevenly, then pour over coffee grinds “channel”.

Water follows the path of least resistance, so if it finds a weak spot, it will flow through that spot and make a channel or stream.

With most of the water taking this path, the coffee that’s in immediate contact with the water gets over-extracted. The rest of the coffee has less contact with water and doesn’t get fully extracted.

What next?

Now that you know how to make pour over coffee, it’s time to level up. Read about how to make cold brew coffee, then learn how to make French press.

Impress your friends by telling them how decaf coffee is made, or by reciting how much caffeine is in each cup of coffee.

Happy brewing!