If you’re interested in honing your handmade coffee technique, a great challenge to start with is the pour-over brew method. The only piece of equipment it requires is the cone (of which there are several shapes) and the appropriate filters. This is a perfect home method for those who like black coffee but only want to make one cup at a time, where the French press or drip machine are often built for several servings. Here’s how to make a perfect cup of pour-over.
Setup
Though you only really need the cone and filters, you’ll have better results if you also have a coffee grinder and a food scale. Grinding to the right consistency is essential for top-notch coffee, and it may be something you’ll wish to invest in after becoming a more advanced aficionado. You’ll grind to a consistency a couple notches finer than the french press, but quite a bit courser than espresso—look up the right setting on your specific grinder for pour-over. If you buy from a local shop, you can also ask them to grind the beans for you for a pour-over size. You’ll be using a ratio of 6 grams coffee:100 grams water—a usual cup is 200 grams, or a large one is 300 grams. You’ll want to heat your water to about 200°F, or just off the boil. If possible, use filtered water!
Method
Once you’ve got your coffee measured and ground, set up your pour-over cone with the filter in it. Start by wetting the filter with the hot water to get rid of the “paper” taste, then pour out the water and place the cup with a pour-over setup on your scale. Add the coffee grounds into the filtered cone and tare the scale to zero. You’ll now bloom the coffee by slowly pouring in just enough water that all the grounds are wet and then leaving it for 30 seconds.
Finally, it’s time to finish making the coffee. Using a spiral motion, pour the water slowly around in and out over the grounds. You want, to pour quickly enough that the water will sit for a bit in the cone but slowly enough that you can keep a stream without overflowing the cup. Once the number on the scale reaches the amount of water you want, let the cone finish draining for a few minutes. Then remove the cone, stir, and add milk and sugar if you like. That’s it!
