Brewing the perfect pour over cup

A perfectly brewed pour over coffee is a true work of art. The key things to remember when brewing a pour over are patience and precision. Here’s how to brew your perfect cup.

Step 1: Grind your beans! We suggest using 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of water. You should grind beans on the finer side for optimum extraction. On a Virtuoso grinder, I use setting 21 (each grinder’s calibration is unique – you may want to try a few different settings until you find the one that perfect for you). We recommend grinding your coffee 10-15 minutes before you are ready to use it to allow the beans to degas.

Step 2: Boil water. If you have a thermometer, ideally, you want to get the water between 195 and 205o Fahrenheit. Once the water is boiling, pour a small amount into the pour over and swirl it around to heat up the glass. Once warm, pour the warm water into your cups to heat up the cup while you brew your coffee.

Step 3: Prepare the bowl and grinds. Place a paper filter into the top of the pour-over filter cone (adding a paper filter isn’t necessary but I like to do it remove excess oils) and add your freshly ground beans. If you like to add spices to your grounds, such as cinnamon, chocolate, or salt, this is the time to do it.

Step 4:  Brew and supplement. Pour the hot water over your beans and watch the coffee bloom. Your initial pour should be generous, causing the ground beans to inflate and rise. Let the water filtrate through — about 30 seconds — until the coffee bloom subsides. Then, working from the edge of the cone to the center in a circular pattern, slowly pour a fine stream of the hot water into the grounds. For maximum extraction, you will want to use a knife to cut through the moist grounds to ensure all the coffee is moistened. It is best to wait a few seconds between rounds to avoid drowning the grounds. The entire process should take between 2-3 minutes.

Step 5: Drink up. Remove the filter cone and enjoy your coffee! If you take your coffee with milk / sugar, we suggest adding the milk / sugar prior to pouring in coffee as we’ve found it mixes in more thoroughly.

To learn more about pour overs and other great brewing options, check out our blog.