What is pour over?
The humble pour over is a straightforward way to make a delicious cup of coffee.
It involves pouring hot water over coffee grounds in a filter. The water drains through the coffee and filter into a carafe or mug, producing a clean, light-bodied and complex cup of coffee.
There are many brands and styles of pour over brewing available, and we have based our recipe on a V60 pour over because it’s affordable and easily replicated over most pour over devices. Pour over cones can be made of ceramic, glass or plastic and paired with a paper or metal filter.
Pour over accentuates intricate coffee flavours when compared to other brewing methods. This makes it a popular choice for single origin coffees, since the delicate and distinct flavours shine through.
Recipe
- Ratio 1:16 = 20g coffee : 320g water
- Brew time: 3 minutes
What you need
- V60 brewer
- V60 paper filter
- Mug or carafe
- Freshly ground filter coffee (medium grind)
- 88–92°C water (you can do this by letting a freshly boiled kettle sit for just over a minute).
- Gooseneck kettle – gooseneck isn't compulsory, but it makes pouring easier and gives you far more control.
- Scales
- Timer (if your scales don’t have one)
Method
- Place paper filter into the V60 and rinse it with hot water to remove the paper taste and to preheat the carafe/mug. Discard the water.
- Add 20g of coffee to the v60 and give a gentle tap to settle and flatten out the coffee
- Start your timer, and in a circular motion gently pour half the hot water (160ml) over the coffee to create a bloom, and allow it to drain into the carafe/mug.
- Pause for 30 seconds and enjoy the aroma.
- Gently pour the remaining water over the coffee. Aim for around a total of 3 minutes brew time.
- Sip and enjoy.
Tips
- Pour the water in a spiral motion to ensure all grounds are wet.
- If your brew is taking too long, try coarsening the grind.
- Hario has a range of sizes from 1 cup to 4. The Hario V60 dripper is cheap, so if you love this brew method you can have a couple of different sizes.
- Filter roast and single origin coffee is best suited.
- Use filtered water if you can, it is cleaner and tastes better.
