Brew Guide: Pour-Over
Over the past few centuries, many different inventors and coffee companies have developed their own unique method to Pour-Over coffee. By changing the size of the hole and the pattern of the interior ridges, companies have developed different Pour-Over models that all produce their own unique cup of coffee. For this brew, we used a German “Cilio” pour-over with a size #4 filter.
Pour-Over is extremely easy, and should only take about 10 minutes.
What You Need
- Pour-Over
- Filter
- Coffee
- Water
- Wooden Stirrer
- Gooseneck Kettle
- Grinder
AMOUNTS
- 3 tbsp coffee & 12 oz water
- 4 tbsp coffee & 16 oz water
- 5 tbsp coffee & 20 oz water
- 6 tbsp coffee & 24 oz water
- 24 grams coffee & 355 grams water
- 32 grams coffee & 473 grams water
- 40 grams coffee & 591 grams water
- 48 grams coffee & 709 grams water
Grounds
To start out, measure out your Camano Island Coffee and set your grinder to a medium-fine grind. Also, that’s #5 or autodrip on an industrial grinder.
Water
Bring your water to a boil and then remove from heat. Never pour boiling water straight onto coffee grounds – it will scorch them and give your coffee a burnt flavor. Allow the water to cool for 30 seconds (the temperature should be between 195-205 degrees) before you proceed to the next step.
Filter
Place your filter inside your pour-over, set it on top of your mug, and use hot water to give it a quick rinse. This gets rid of any papery taste the filter might add to the coffee, and warms your mug up, too. Dump out the excess water.
Adding Grounds: Drop the grounds into the filter and give it a small shake so they are distributed evenly.
Pouring: Grab your kettle and begin pouring the water in a slow, circular motion outward from the center. Only pour until the grounds are slightly covered with water, then stop.
Bloom: Let the grounds bloom for 45 seconds, then use a small wooden paddle or chopstick to give the grounds a quick stir. By stirring the grounds you are ensuring they are evenly covered with water, which helps create an even extraction.
2nd Pouring: Continue to pour water in the same circular motion over your coffee until you’ve used all of your water. Remove Pour-Over once the drip has slowed to a near stop.
Enjoy!
You can now enjoy your fresh cup of Pour-Over coffee.
Could you just set an electric teapot to 205 degrees?
Hi Nancy,
That is an interesting question. If your electric kettle allows you to do this you can certainly try it. One other thing to keep in mind with pour over is the “rate of flow” With a normal electric kettle the spout is wide and allows for a fast flow of water. With a pourover kettle the spout is narrow and curved to allow you more control on the flow and direction of the hot water. This is important to control how the grounds are wetted. The goal is to wet the grounds evenly in a circular fashion. This prevents the grounds from being saturated in one area and not watered at all in another.
Having said all of that, if you can make a regular kettle work then that’s great, too. Sometimes the best tool for a job is the one you already have!
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
TJ
Hi. I have a Chemex and their directions call for a medium coarse grind. I feel like I cannot ever find the exact grind for it and my coffee tastes super strong. Should pour-overs all be the same grind?
Also how should I store your coffee? (Whole or ground)
Thank you.
Hi Lorin, thanks for reaching out! Medium coarse is the correct grind setting for Chemex. If you feel it is still too strong try dialing back the amount of grounds. For a 6 cup chemex I use about 60 grams of grounds and run about 600 grams of water. For some this is too much. You could start by using 40 grams of coffee to 600 grams of water. Not all pourover grinds are the same. The reason Chemex suggests a medium coarse setting is due to the thickness of the filter. The water takes more time to seep through. In this way it’s kind of like a cross between a pourover and a french press. You get stronger flavor without the grit and grounds of french press ending up in your cup.
Also for storing coffee it is best to store whole bean and grind just before using. We will grind coffee for you for convenience, but it does diminsh the flavor somewhat. Other than that, store your coffee at room temperature in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. We recommend using within about 2 months. The sooner the better of course.
Thanks again for reaching out and happy experimenting!
TJ