How To Make Pour Over Coffee

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Making pour-over coffee with a hario V60 dripper

What type of coffee should I use for a pour-over coffee?

Coffee can be roasted specifically for brew methods: look for single-origin coffee roasted for filter brew method. Lighter roasts lend really well to pour-over filter coffees.

Characteristics of different coffees come through strongly from pour-over coffee. If you are looking for something mild, smooth and not too heavy, try a Brazilian, Columbian or Guatemalan single-origin coffee. If you want something a little brighter with citrus or floral tones, try a Costa Rican coffee. Interesting origins to try are Ethiopian Yirgacheffe for its floral notes and Kenyan peaberry for its strong berry notes.

What do you need to make pour over coffee?

V60 or pour-over cone – try the Hario V60 full pour-over set (£22.50, Pact) or the afforable and chic Melitta porcelain coffee filter (£19.99, Amazon; available in a range of colours)
Filter paper
15-18g medium fresh ground coffee (to make one cup) – pick from my favorite coffee beans and grind with these tried-and-tested coffee grinders
Gooseneck kettle filled with 250-300ml hot water – try this sleek gooseneck electric kettle (£169, Bodum) or the Hario V60 gooseneck kettle (£45, Pact)
Digital kitchen scales – you won’t always need scales to weigh the end coffee volume, but it helps until you get used to making a one-cup brew. Scales are useful when you want to change coffee ratios or recipes.
Coffee cup

How to make pour-over coffee

On a scale, put the V60/pour-over cone over the cup you want to drink from.
Line the pour-over cone with a paper filter.
Pour water over the paper filter so it's saturated to thoroughly rinse out the paper fines.
Discard the excess water in the cup from wetting the filter paper and put it back underneath the pour-over cone.
Put the freshly ground coffee in the pour-over cone.
Set a timer for 3 minutes. Slowly pour hot water over the coffee in a circular motion so that water is evenly distributed and all your grounds are saturated. The grounds will bloom and bubble.
Keep pouring the water for 3 minutes, not overfilling the cone, but keeping it level. Try not to let it ‘drop’ or fully drain before you’re done.
When the 3 minutes is up, you should be near the end of the water in your jug or the scales should reach a weight of about 250-300ml. If you find the coffee is too strong or weak, you can add more or less water. Or, look at changing your coffee dose at the start (by adding a little more or less).

Top tips for making pour-over coffee

Freshly ground, medium-grind coffee is best for a paper filter. We’ve tested the best coffee grinders so you can grind fresh coffee every time.
Make sure your water is not too hot: filter coffees tend to taste even better as the temperature cools. Water that's between 92-96C is best. If you don’t have a thermometer, boil the water and pour it into another pouring jug (preferably one with a gooseneck) while you’re getting everything else ready, allowing the temperature to drop slightly. You can also get an electric gooseneck kettle, some of which are temperature-controlled, like the Bodum, Hario Buono, My Brewista or Fellow.
Always rinse the paper filter first. You will get a much cleaner-tasting cup.
Remember a recipe is a guide. Try to stick with one recipe first, e.g. 18g coffee in 250g water. Then, you can change one variable at a time, e.g. increase the coffee amount if your recipe is too weak or use less water for a shorter but stronger coffee.
If the coffee is filtering through too quickly, try a finer grind (and vice versa if the coffee is filtering slowly).

Celeste Wong, has gained a stellar reputation in the coffee industry, regularly speaking at events and reviewing coffee-related gadgets.