Get The Perfect Pour Over Coffee – Brewing & Care Instructions
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Simply put, Pour Over Coffee is the French-Press equivalent of regular Drip Coffee. The Pour Over is a favorite style for many Coffee Drinkers for it’s simplicity and timeless design and the Chemex Brand is massively popular among Pour Over drinkers. Today we’re going to talk about how to get the Perfect cup of Pour Over Coffee.
The Pour Over is similar to the French Press in that you pour boiling water over your ground coffee, however it does use a filter to separate and decant the coffee as it’s brewing. It’s closer in mechanics to regular drip coffee, but with the flavor profile and better tasting coffee you would expect from a French Press.
Usage
Don’t be fooled to the Pour Over’s simple design. There is a little bit of technique needed to get the most out of your new favorite coffee maker. With a French Press, the coffee and the water soak together for a really simple extraction. Since the Pour Over is constantly draining, you have to pour slowly and evenly over all of the grounds to get an even extraction.
1) It’s All In The Grind
Does your pot have a built in filter or do you use paper filters? If your filter comes built in you’ll need to make sure to grind your coffee a little coarser than you’re used to. Don’t want any coffee bits floating around in your morning joe. A similar texture as you would with a french press will be perfect. (If you don’t already have one a Burr Grinder is the perfect tool for consistently coarse grinds)
If your pot uses paper filters then you can go a little finer on the grind in order to get a little stronger coffee. The finer the grind, the longer the water is going to take to steep through and the more coffee can be extracted.
2) Weigh It Out
To really dial in the flavors for the perfect pour over coffee, you need to weigh out your ingredients. Get yourself a kitchen scale that measures grams. Depending on several factors (coffee density, personal preference) you’ll need to adjust the amounts to your liking, but a good recommendation is 1 gram of Coffee : 16 grams of Water
3) Pouring Over
To have the easiest time pouring over your coffee, it’s recommended to get a Goose Neck Kettle (specifically designed for pour over coffee). It’s thin long neck is perfect for getting the even flow needed to get great pour over.
Obviously, if you only have a regular kettle you can still make good pour over, you just need to be a little more careful and deliberate with how you pour the water through the grounds.
Start in the middle and spiral out in a quick pour, enough to get all the grounds wet, and then wait 30 seconds. This allows the grounds to react to the initial shock and release some CO2. This is called the “Bloom”.
After 30 seconds, finish pouring your water till your scale tells you you to stop. Start with a even spiral and then finish it off straight down the middle. The middle of the cone has more coffee to extract so you’ll need to pour more through the middle to keep it even.
Give it a few minutes to finish draining and your delicious pour over coffee is all ready!
Care & Cleaning
Cleaning a Pour Over coffee maker is really simple. Just rinse it out after each use, and swish around some hot soapy water. Let air dry and you’re all ready for the next pot.
