What Does it Take to Make the Perfect Pour-Over?

Hello coffee lovers! In previous posts, we've answered some frequently asked questions concerning pour-over coffee, but today we wanted to go into the details of what it looks like to brew the perfect pour-over.

What do you need for making a pour-over?

1. Filtered water: 20 fluid ounces / 2.5 cups / 590 milliliters

2. Coffee beans: 20 - 35 grams / 0.7 - 1.2 oz coffee beans

3. Blue House Pour-Over Set / Chemex / Ceramic Coffee Dripper

4. Filter: Paper / Cloth / Metal (we prefer bleached paper)

5. Swan necked kettle

6. Gram scale

7. Coffee grinder

8. Thermocouple or another type of thermometer

9. Coffee cup

How do you actually make a pour-over coffee?

1. Heat up 20 fluid ounces of water. This is double the amount of coffee you’re making, as the extra water will be used for heating the dripper and the cup.

2. Measure out coffee. For darker roasts, we suggest a 10-to-1 brewing ratio, meaning about 30 grams of coffee beans. For lighter roasts, we suggest a 15-to-1 brewing ratio, meaning about 20 grams of coffee beans.

3. Grind the measured coffee until the texture of the grounds feels soft but still a little bit gritty, and so that it is able to form a clump when pressed between the fingers.

4. When the water comes to a boil, pour it into the swan-necked kettle if it is not already in it. Let the water sit until the temperature reaches between 185-205 degrees F, or between 85-96 degrees C.

5. When the water is the right heat, use the excess 10 fluid ounces to warm the ceramic dripper and cup, then empty the cup of the water.

6. Set up your chosen pour-over system on the gram scale, including the filter with the coffee grounds. If your system requires the mug to be in place for the pour, include that in the setup.

7. Tare the scale so that with the pour-over system on top it still reads zero grams.

8. To begin with, pour just enough water on the grounds that the grounds absorb the water without dripping through the filter. The amount of water that this requires in grams is about twice the amount of grams of grounds used. For instance, if you use 30 grams of coffee grounds, the proper amount of water to start with is about 60 grams of water. This measurement should be easy to do if the scale starts tared at zero grams. When pouring this, pour the water in the center of the coffee mound, away from the sides of the filter, in a circle the size of a quarter.

9. After this first pour, allow the grounds to bloom for between 30 - 45 seconds. If the roast of the coffee is a week or older, allow up to 60 seconds for the grounds to bloom, as this adds extra depth to the flavor.

10. After allowing the grounds to bloom, continue to pour the water in the center of the filter at a rate equivalent to the rate at which the coffee filters into the cup. The ideal rate to pour water is between one to two milliliters of water per second, which is equivalent to a tablespoon of water every 7 to 15 seconds.

11. Since 10 fluid ounces is the ideal end goal of brewed coffee, remember that 10 fluid ounces equals 300 milliliters. Since 1 milliliter equals 1 gram, keep pouring until your scale reads 300 grams. Enjoy!