How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee: All The Information You Need To Know

Vietnamese Coffee Exporter

How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee – The speciality coffee sector has embraced pour-over coffee in recent years, and there is significant debate regarding the best procedures and gear to utilise.

Pour Over is one of the traditional coffee brewing methods, dating back to the 90s. You will feel the pure coffee taste when drinking, so many coffee enthusiasts use this method.

However, the filter process is not limited to contests and speciality coffee shops. At its core, it’s a simple method for making a fantastic cup of coffee.

Drip coffee may work for you whether you’re a novice home brewer or a seasoned barista. Check out this detailed tutorial on brewing pour-over coffee.

What Is Pour-Over Coffee?

Pouring hot water through coffee grinds in a filter is the pour-over technique. Water filters through the coffee and into a carafe or mug. Pour-over coffee is also known as filter coffee or drip coffee. However, both words encompass batch makers as well.

Pour over is a traditional, simple and effective coffee brewing style. Using the drip method through the filter element (filter paper or wire mesh), a filter holder (dripper) is quite similar to the Vietnamese coffee filter and the coffee pot or cup.

Pour over is distinguished because it is created by hand-pouring the water over the coffee. As a result, you may hear it referred to as hand brewing or manual brewing.

The Pour Over method, or Drip, was born in 1908 in Germany. The preparation method is relatively sophisticated, requiring a reasonably accurate coffee water temperature.

The point that makes the difference of Pour Over is the use of delicious coffee to brew. This method of preparation will give a pure, rich and precise coffee taste with coffee quality. So if the coffee is terrible, it won’t be very good when brewed and challenging to drink.

Basic Techniques When Making Pour Over Coffee

When compared to other brewing procedures, pour-over enhances complex flavours. Because it enables the tastes and aromas to flourish, it is a popular choice for single-origin coffees.

How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee - Helena Coffee Vietnam

Why Use The Pour-Over Method?

Clean, clear, and consistent filter coffee. This is because the water can extract coffee oils and scents at regular times and under pressure. The filter then captures a large amount of fat, resulting in a clean cup.

Because this is an infusion process, it extracts coffee solubles more efficiently than immersion methods like the French press. Immersion techniques promote water saturation, whereas pour-overs employ a continuous supply of fresh water.

However, pour-over coffee presents several difficulties. Human error and poor pouring procedures plague manual methods.

Some café owners and brewers choose to utilise SCA-approved batch brewers instead since it is difficult to duplicate a procedure precisely every time. These machines automate the process and produce more consistent results than a manual pour.

Mainly Pour Over is not like regular filter coffee; the taste of coffee can be affected by the ingredients you use to make it. This coffee filter system is very diverse in materials and designs. Not only standard but also suitable and convenient.

Read more: Small Pour-Over Coffee Making Method

Flexibility

First, do you want to use the handy filter for travel or home brewing use? You have to think about the flexibility of the filter to choose the right accessories.

Specifically, with Pour Over, you not only have a filter funnel but also choose a cup that matches the size of the funnel and water dispenser with the most valuable accessories.

Frequency Of This Method

How many cups of coffee do you usually drink in a day? If you cook a glass within 4 minutes of pouring water, you can choose the Hario V60. If the amount of use you use is more, meeting that need, then the Chemex machine is the right choice.

Tools And Accessories

Pour Over will include one drip funnel – cone, one filter – filter paper/mesh, a hot water kettle with a small spout for easy control of pouring speed, gram electronic scale, and stopwatch time (the stopwatch can be used on the phone.

Currently, there are many different funnel-shaped designs: position, filter hole size, ledges on the funnel, the opening of the funnel, etc. These factors will affect the extraction process.

Grind Coffee

Each type of filter will have the appropriate variety of coffee attached; if you ignore this factor, it will lead to a situation that is easy to clog or flow too fast, sometimes leading to unexpected coffee quality results.

The standard grind level is similar to that of a Vietnamese coffee filter, larger than sea salt, at the Coarse level.

Water Pouring Technique

Pour in pouring translates into Vietnamese as pouring water. The very name of this method emphasises the importance of pouring Over.

During the coffee-making process, you must constantly pour water to add moisture to the coffee.

Not only that, you need to carefully pour the water so that the coffee can dissolve and drip into the perfect coffee, but if you don’t control the amount of water, everything will turn out to be the opposite.

At this point, you should not misunderstand that just pouring water slowly will be good.

How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee - Helena Coffee Vietnam

The reason you pour water slowly will cause the water temperature and the temperature in the hopper to change.

Therefore, not only do you need to prepare a professional preparation kit, but you need to practice and practice many times to have a cup of coffee that meets the Pour Over standard.

The ideal time to finish the process is between 4 and 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Read more: A Beginners Guide to Pour Over Coffee Brewing

What Equipment Do You Need?

There may appear to be infinite pour-over equipment possibilities, but you do not need to buy all of them. You may begin with a simple device and some filters and gradually add additional equipment.

It’s critical to note that the cup quality of the final product is far more significant than being technical with your recipe or selecting a V60 over a Clever.

Let’s go through the essential equipment required to make a pour-over.

Brewing Device For Pour-Over

A brewing device, often known as a dripper, is a piece of equipment that retains the coffee filter and grinds. Popular models include the V60, Kalita Wave, and Melitta.

All three sit atop the cup or carafe and appear interchangeable. However, each has unique design elements that facilitate flow and alter extraction. Another popular choice is the Chemex, which has design elements that affect the cup.

How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee - Helena Coffee Vietnam

The benefit of utilising any of these devices is that they are readily available, easy to use, and have filters designed for their design.

There are also several online tips and techniques for utilising these gadgets, making it simple to learn how to use them correctly and adjust as necessary.

If unsure where to begin, sample brews produced in several machines at your favourite speciality coffee shop and ask the barista which they prefer.

Filters

Cloth or paper? Is it bleached or natural? You may assume that the filter is the least contentious aspect of brewing, but there is also some disagreement here.

Filters are designed to fit specific devices and enable effective extraction. The Chemex employs paper filters 20-30% thicker than standard filters, retaining more of the suspended oils during the brewing process, according to the producers.

Some complain that paper filters have an unpleasant papery taste, especially when bleached. Rinse your filter before using it to avoid this.

Cloth filters have long been used; some prefer them since they do not influence flavour and have a lower environmental effect than paper filters.

It is up to you the specific filters you choose, but be sure they are compatible with your device. Bunched-up paper or fabric will obstruct water flow and retain coffee grinds, resulting in a less uniform extraction.

Scales

You might not believe scales are necessary, but they are if you want to make consistently decent coffee. Purchase a digital scale and use it to weigh your coffee and water.

Knowing how much of each you used in a successful (or terrible) brew allows you to repeat or alter the recipe for even better outcomes.

How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee - Helena Coffee Vietnam

Kettles

Have you ever wondered why speciality baristas pour water from a little copper kettle? Isn’t it possible to use a regular electric kettle? You certainly can. You may, however, opt not to.

As with many other aspects of speciality coffee, the critical component here is consistency. Pour-over kettles are designed to retain water at a consistent temperature.

This assists you in producing uniform extraction. And that long, thin gooseneck is for controlling the flow of water. Kettles with shorter spouts tend to spew water.

It is up to you whether to use an electric stove-top or batch water heater, but read evaluations of various kettles and keep a thermometer ready to keep an eye on the temperature.

Pour-Over Coffee Flavour

If you’ve ever tried pour-over coffee, you can feel its taste very different from machine-brewed coffee ad even the regular Vietnamese filter coffee.

First, depending on the method of roasting coffee beans, pouring over coffee may have a very natural floral, honey or fruit flavour (such as grapefruit, orange, strawberry, etc.).

Specifically, coffee beans have a variety of acids that can create a sour taste; they also contain sugar to make sweetness and other characteristic flavour compounds.

Moreover, when roasting coffee at a Light roast level, it can retain the inherent flavour of coffee beans that you can feel when drinking pour-over coffee.

A highlight when evaluating the taste of pour-over coffee is the clarity of the coffee water, thanks to the filter method through a paper filter.

In other words, thanks to the filter paper layer, the coffee water has a certain clarity and, at the same time, can remove the amount of oil and some unhealthy substances in the coffee beans.

Which Coffee Should You Use For Pour-Over Coffee?

So you’ve prepared your equipment, but what now? Which coffee is best for a pour-over? When selecting your beans, there are a few variables to consider.

Roast Profile

Because the pour-over procedure enhances delicate taste nuances and smells, a mild roast may be preferable. Beans roasted to this character have the brightest, most acidic tastes.

Light roasts highlight the coffee’s most genuine character.

Of course, if you like, you may go medium or even black, but this brewing method complements mild tastes.

Grind Size

The extraction rate is affected by the size of your grounds. Pour over is an infusion method, implying that the coffee and water are in contact for less time than in an immersion method but more time than in espresso.

So you want enough surface area on the coffee to extract before the water filters through into the cup, but not so much that it under-extracts and produces a bitter brew.

This implies that you should start with a medium grind size and assess and adjust your cup as needed. If the coffee is too watery or acidic, try a finer grind. If it’s bitter and lacking in pleasant flavours, make it coarser.

Also, invest in a good grinder to ensure that your coffee particles are the same size. Lower-quality grinders may yield unevenly ground coffee and many “fines.” These small coffee pieces extract fast and might upset your cup.

What Ratio Of Coffee To Water Should You Use?

There are various suggested ratios exist17 (1g of coffee to 17g of water) is an excellent starting point.

Make some brews using this measurement, but change extraction elements like grind size and water temperature one at a time until you discover a formula that works for you.

How To Brew Amazing Pour-Over Coffee - Helena Coffee Vietnam

Then, experiment with different coffee-to-water ratios. Whether your brew tastes watery or weak, add extra coffee without altering other variables and see if it tastes better.

Reduce the amount of coffee in your cup if it is too strong. But keep records of what you change so you can duplicate your ideal brew when you find it.

Also, don’t forget the water. Use filtered water since tap water might include minerals and pollutants that alter the flavour.

Do you want to be a barista? Learn about the strategies you should master by reading this article.

Which Pouring Technique Is Best?

Avoid viewing too many instructional videos when you are initially brewing with the pour-over method. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. Instead, begin with the basics.

To ensure equal extraction, be constant in your pouring and understand how to employ blooming, pulse pouring, and agitation. Many customers pour in concentric rings, which helps the barista keep the water flowing consistently.

When you’re more comfortable with the fundamentals, you may work up to more detailed approaches or break all the rules.

The Bloom

The bloom is the rapid bubbling up of water when you pour for the first time. It is induced by the release of carbon dioxide during the roasting process. Because they contain more gases, light roasts and fresh coffee are more likely to generate a large bloom.

Because carbon dioxide repels water, it can hinder even extraction, and disturbed soils can sit at varying heights. Allow the gases to escape to increase your chances of a consistent extraction. – Perfectdailygrind

Pour twice the amount of coffee in water over the grounds gently. Pour 30 ml of water for every 15 g dosage of coffee. Then, after 30 to 45 seconds, wait for the bloom to fade and the grounds to settle.

Pulse Pouring & Continuous Pouring

The term “pulse pouring” refers to repeated pours of particular volumes of water. You may play with the amount of water and the number of pours.

This approach aids in preventing channelling or grounds from creeping up the filter’s side. It also softly disturbs the grinds, forcing them to move in equal contact with the water.

It’s an alternative to continuous pouring, where the barista pours the water at the fastest feasible rate without stopping. Endless pouring attempts to maintain as steady a flow and saturation as possible, whereas pulse running is purposefully altered.

When modifying your recipe, another aspect to consider is the pouring technique. Varied pours will have different effects on extraction and, as a result, other products on your brew.

Agitation

This is essentially little earth disturbance during the brewing process. There are several methods for agitating coffee, including stirring or swirling the brew.

Agitation disperses grinds that channelling might leave “high and dry” on the filter. It also breaks up any dry clumps in the coffee bed. Agitation promotes even extraction by ensuring that all grounds are moistened.

Pouring over coffee may be a delicious way to start your day, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. By learning these essential concepts, you’ll be well equipped to produce a good brew and have the means to improve it until it’s fantastic.

So, what are you holding out for? Get out your V60, Kalita Wave, or Chemex and get some gourmet coffee. You are free to explore the realm of the pour-over.

How To Make Pour-Over Coffee

After you have prepared all the tools and roasted coffee beans, now let’s start making pour-over coffee right away:

  • Step 1: Put the roasted coffee beans into the grinder and then grind the coffee to a moderate finish. Because if it is too finely ground, it will easily make the coffee bitter, and if it is coarse, it will make the coffee sour.
  • Step 2: Put the filter funnel on the coffee pot and arrange the filter paper into the funnel. Then, you use hot water to rinse the filter paper, funnel and coffee pot, and pour the water under the coffee pot.
  • Step 3: Put 20g of ground coffee into a funnel containing filter paper and pour about 60ml of boiling water (in a gooseneck kettle) over the coffee to brew coffee within 30 seconds.
  • Step 4: You continue to pour 240ml of boiling water into the coffee in the funnel clockwise at a slow speed for about 2 minutes.

Note: The brewing time and speed of pouring boiling water into the coffee in the hopper also affect the taste of the pour-over coffee after brewing. For example, if boiling water is poured too quickly, the coffee will be pale and sour, and if the water is poured too slowly, the coffee will be bitter.

Tips For Making Pour-Over Coffee

In short, to get a good cup of pour-over coffee, you need to note the following important issues:

  • Use good coffee beans, roasting correctly.
  • The boiling water temperature should range from 85 – 96 degrees Celsius.
  • Coffee needs to be brewed with boiling water accounting for about 20-25 total brewed water. For example, if you mix 20g of coffee powder with 300ml of water, you need to use about 60ml of boiling water to brew coffee before brewing.
  • The proficient operation and controlled speed when pouring boiling water into the coffee hopper extract the most robust flavour of coffee beans.
  • It is recommended to rinse the filter paper and filter funnel with boiling water before adding the coffee powder to remove the paper smell (if any).

Reference source:

  • www.scottrao.com/Some Observations on Hand Pours
  • prima-coffee.com/ Guest Review: Flat-Bottom Coffee Drippers
Share

Author

Helena Coffee Vietnam

Helena Coffee Processing & Export in Vietnam | Helena., JSC, which was established in 2016, is a Vietnamese coffee exporter, manufacturer & supplier. We provide the most prevalent varieties of coffee grown in Vietnam’s renowned producing regions.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *