How to Make Pour Over Coffee

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If you'd love to control every aspect of coffee brewing, set up a pour over brewer. Place the brewer over a carafe and line it with a moistened paper filter which will remove the natural oils in the coffee. Slowly pour boiling water over coffee grounds in the filter so coffee drips into the carafe below. Just lift away the brewer and pour your hand-crafted coffee into serving cups.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons (about 30 g) of medium-ground coffee
  • 17 ounces (500 ml or g) of water

Makes 2 cups (473 ml)

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Wetting the Filter and Boiling the Water

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  1. Place the pour over brewer of your choice over a carafe. Get out a digital scale and measure out 3 tablespoons (about 30 g) of medium-ground coffee or whole beans, if you want to grind your own. [1]
    • You can use a glass, plastic, or ceramic brewer. Keep in mind that plastic brewers can give a slight taste to the coffee.
    • You'll also need a grinder, if you plan to grind your own beans.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Pour at least 17 ounces (500 g or ml) of water into a kettle and heat it until it boils vigorously. You can use tap or filtered water, depending on your preferences. Remove the kettle from the heat and let the water cool for about 30 seconds before you start the pour over.
    • The temperature of the water should be around 205 °F (96 °C).
    • To make it easier to pour, consider using a kettle with a long, narrow pouring spout.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Use a filter designed for your specific pour over. If you're using one shaped like a cone, you'll need to fold the filter along the flat bottom and the edge with the seam. Set the filter into the brewer and place it on your carafe. [2]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Pour enough hot water into the filter to wet it. The entire paper filter should be moist. Rinsing the filter will remove any papery residue so your coffee doesn't have a woodsy taste. [3]
    • The moistened filter will also seal the filter against the brewer while warming up the carafe.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Avoid using the rinse water in the bottom of the carafe. Lift up the brewer and pour out the water. Then set the brewer with the wet filter back on the carafe. [4]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Blooming the Coffee Grounds

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  1. You'll get the best flavor of coffee by grinding whole beans just before brewing. Measure out 30 g of whole beans and place them in your grinder. Grind the beans until they're medium-fine which is about the size of coarse sugar. [5]
    • Burr grinders will give you more control over the grind and will make more uniform grounds than blade grinders will.
  2. Measure 3 tablespoons (about 30 g) of coffee grounds into the moistened filter. Shake the brewer a little so the coffee grounds are at an even level. Level grounds will make the coffee extract evenly. Then place the carafe with the brewer on a digital scale and set it to zero. [6]
    • You'll need to keep track of how much water you're pouring over the grounds, so the scale comes in handy.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Start your digital timer so you can keep track of how long to brew the coffee. Take the kettle of hot water and slowly pour water in a circular motion over the coffee grounds in the filter. Pour just enough water to soak the grounds, but not so much that water begins to drip out of the bottom of the filter. [7]
    • You should see the coffee bloom. This bubbling is the carbon dioxide releasing from the beans.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Let the coffee grounds finish releasing gas so water can replace the carbon dioxide during the brewing process. Keep the timer going during the entire brewing process, which should take 3 to 4 minutes total.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Pouring and Brewing the Coffee

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Slowly pour hot water into the grounds in a spiral movement. Take about 15 seconds to pour enough water to fill the brewer 1/2 to 3/4 full. Then wait 30 seconds while the coffee brews into the carafe below it. [8]
    • Avoid pouring onto the filter because you'll get the best taste by saturating the coffee grounds.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Slowly pour hot water into the center of the grounds and move towards the edges in a spiral motion. Fill the brewer 1/2 to 3/4 full again and then let the coffee brew for 45 to 65 seconds.
    • The coffee should steadily drip into the carafe below the brewer.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Pour Over Coffee
    Take 35 to 40 seconds to slowly pour the rest of the water into the coffee grounds. Your scale should read 500 g once you've poured enough water into the brewer. [9]
  4. Once the coffee has finished dripping out of the bottom, lift off the pour over brewer. Carefully pour the hot coffee into 2 mugs or cups and serve them immediately. [10]
    • You can discard or compost your coffee grounds. Wash out the pour over brewer according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Do the coffee grinds have to be small?
    Community Answer
    With pour-over, a medium to fine grind is ideal. not as fine as espresso, and not as coarse as french press. It will still work with any other grind size, but the flavor may not be quite right.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    What is the best grind for pour over coffee?
    Community Answer
    The best grind for pour over coffee is medium-fine. The grounds should be about the same size as coarse sugar.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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  • Question
    What is the ratio of coffee to water?
    Community Answer
    Plan on using about 17 ounces (500 g or ml) of water for every 3 tablespoons (about 30 g) of ground coffee. Keep in mind that you may not end up using all of the the water at once.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Pour over brewer (glass, ceramic, or plastic)
      • Filter
      • Pouring kettle with long narrow spout
      • Digital scale
      • Carafe
      • Timer
      • Mugs or cups to serve
      • Coffee grinder, optional
      • Thermometer, optional

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      References

      1. ↑ https://bluebottlecoffee.com/us/eng/brew-guides/pour-over
      2. ↑ https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/blog/how-to-perfect-pour-over
      3. ↑ https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/blog/how-to-perfect-pour-over
      4. ↑ https://counterculturecoffee.com/learn/brewing-guides/pour-over
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/5J4jDy84S6k?t=53
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/5J4jDy84S6k?t=60
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/5J4jDy84S6k?t=71
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/5J4jDy84S6k?t=82
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/5J4jDy84S6k?t=79
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/5J4jDy84S6k?t=105

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make pour over coffee, start by putting a filter in a pour over brewer. Then, pour hot water over the filter until the entire filter is wet. Once you've wet the filter, place the brewer over a carafe and measure out 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds into the fitler. Gradually pour hot water into the coffee grounds and wait for the coffee to drip into the carafe below. Once the coffee stops dripping, remove the brewer and serve the pour over coffee!

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