The Ultimate Guide to Pour-Over Coffee

Pour-over coffee is more than a brewing method — it's a ritual. The careful, meditative process of heating water, grinding beans, and slowly pouring in concentric circles rewards you with a cup of coffee that's cleaner, brighter, and more nuanced than almost any other method.

What You'll Need

• A pour-over dripper (Hario V60, Kalita Wave, or Chemex)
• Fresh whole bean coffee (we recommend our Ethiopian Yirgacheffe)
• A gooseneck kettle
• A kitchen scale
• A timer
• Filtered water

The Golden Ratio

We recommend a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio. For a single cup, that's 15g of coffee to 240ml of water. Adjust to taste — prefer it stronger? Try 1:14.

Water Temperature

Aim for 93-96°C (200-205°F). If you don't have a temperature-controlled kettle, bring water to a boil and let it rest for 30-45 seconds.

The Technique

1. Rinse your filter — this removes paper taste and preheats the dripper
2. Add grounds — give the dripper a gentle shake to level the bed
3. Bloom — pour 30-45ml of water over the grounds and wait 30-45 seconds. You'll see the coffee bed rise and bubble as CO2 escapes
4. First pour — slowly pour in concentric circles from the centre outward, adding water until you reach about half the total volume
5. Second pour — continue pouring slowly until you reach your target weight
6. Total brew time should be 2:30-3:30 for a V60, 3:00-4:00 for a Kalita Wave

Common Mistakes

• Pouring too fast — this under-extracts and produces sour, thin coffee
• Using stale beans — coffee is best within 2-4 weeks of roasting
• Ignoring the bloom — skipping this step means trapped CO2 will create channels in your coffee bed
• Inconsistent grind — invest in a good burr grinder; blade grinders produce uneven particles