Pour-Over Coffee Tips

Pour It On

If you’re looking for a great cup of coffee that doesn’t require a lot of expensive gadgetry, a pour-over brewer, or manual cone filter, can be a perfect option. Here, Batdorf & Bronson coffee pro Jason Dominy shares some simple tips to ensure pour-over perfection.

1. Get soaked. Pre-wetting the coffee filter helps heat ceramic and glass brewers as well as rinse away any flavors that a dry paper filter might impart to your finished cup. To pre-wet, open up the paper filter and place it in the cone brewer with a coffee mug or pitcher underneath. Pour an ample amount of near-boiling water through the filter being sure to wet the sides all the way up. And don’t forget to dump the water from the mug or pitcher before any actual brewing.

2. Grind on. With a burr grinder set to “metal filter,” grind 22 grams of whole-bean, fresh-roasted coffee. The grounds should look and feel just slightly coarser than granulated sugar.

3. Load it up. Add the freshly ground coffee to the pre-wet, filter-lined brewer, making sure the ground are level.

4. Always indent. With your index finger, place a small dimple in the center of the grounds, about an inch-and-a-half deep. This will help the water evenly penetrate the grounds at the bottom of the cone.

5. Pre-infuse. Slowly pour about three ounce of near-boiling water into the dimple you just made with your finger. This just saturates the dry grounds and begins the infusion from the bottom of the cone filter, instead of the top, which can lead to an uneven brew. Wait 30 seconds.

6. Fill ’er up. In a clockwise motion, slowly pour about six more ounces of near-boiling water over the grounds, being sure to fully saturate all of the grounds. Take a small whisk and stir clockwise, gently pulling the grounds away from the sides and bottom of the filter (without tearing it). The stirring helps create a more even infusion and keeps brewed coffee flowing through the bottom of the filter.

7. Wait for it. Once the water has gone down to about half way, finish by slowly pouring about three more ounces of near-boiling water in a clockwise motion over the soaking grounds. Again, stir gently as the brewed coffee works its way into the mug or pitcher below. The overall brew time should be about 2 1/2 minutes.

8. Mix it up. Before serving, stir the finished coffee to incorporate all the different flavors from the various periods of brewing.