Pour-over gets a bad reputation for being fussy, but it is actually one of the most forgiving brew methods once you understand the basics. You do not need fancy equipment or a degree in coffee. You need a dripper, some hot water and a little patience.
This is the method we teach in our barista courses and the one we use for our batch filter every morning. It works with almost any light or medium roast and almost any pour-over dripper.
What you actually need
The gear list is short: a V60 or similar dripper, paper filters, a gooseneck kettle if you have one (a regular kettle works fine), a scale and freshly roasted coffee. That is it. Total cost if you buy everything new is around $80, and the kettle lasts forever.
The one thing worth spending on is the scale. Coffee is a ratio game and guessing amounts is how you end up with coffee that tastes like a dare. A $20 scale changes everything.
The recipe: 20 grams in, 300 out
Start with 20g of medium-fine ground coffee (about the texture of table salt). Rinse the filter with hot water to remove the paper taste and warm the server. Add the grounds, level them, and start your timer.
Pour 50g of water (just off the boil, around 94°C) in a slow spiral to saturate the bed. Wait 30 seconds for the bloom. Then pour the remaining 250g in two or three steady pours over the next two minutes. Total brew time should land around 3:00 to 3:30.
The bloom is not optional. Those 30 seconds are where the coffee releases the gases that make it taste alive.
Daniel Mercer, head roaster
Troubleshooting the two common problems
If your brew tastes sour or thin, it is probably under-extracted. Try grinding finer, using hotter water or pouring slower. If it tastes bitter or hollow, it is over-extracted. Grind coarser or shorten the brew time.
Do not change everything at once. Adjust one variable, brew again, taste again. That is how you actually learn what your coffee wants rather than following someone else's recipe forever.
If your brew finishes in under 2:30 it is too fast, grind finer. If it drags past 4:00 it is too slow, grind coarser. Total time is your best friend.
Water temperature matters more than people think. Just off the boil for most coffees, slightly cooler (88-90°C) for very light roasts that taste burnt easily.
Dialling in your own beans
Every coffee is different. A washed Yirgacheffe wants a finer grind and cooler water than a natural Guji. The recipe above is a starting point, not a law. Taste, adjust, repeat.
If you buy beans from us, the bag tells you the roast date and we include a brew card with recommended starting points. The subscription page has grind settings for every brew method we stock.
Level up: try a slightly different ratio
Once you have the basic recipe down, play with the ratio. 1:16 (20g to 320g) is our standard. Try 1:15 for a stronger cup or 1:17 for something lighter and more tea-like.
The best pour-over is the one you actually make every morning. Do not obsess over perfection. Make it good enough that you reach for the kettle before the instant coffee.
The short version
- Ratio is 1:16 — 20g coffee to 320g water is a reliable start
- Water at 92–96°C, poured in slow circles, total brew time around 3 minutes
- Bloom first: 40g of water, wait 45 seconds, then pour the rest
- Taste and adjust one variable at a time — grind first, then ratio
Common questions about pour-over brewing
You can, but it will never taste as good as freshly ground. Coffee starts losing aromatics within minutes of grinding. If you must use pre-ground, buy small amounts and use it within a week.
No. A regular kettle works fine for most people. A gooseneck gives you more control over pour speed, which matters if you are competing or want to be very precise. For home brewing, a normal kettle is fine.
Medium-fine, about the texture of table salt or slightly finer. If your brew finishes too fast, go finer. Too slow, go coarser. A burr grinder makes this much easier than a blade grinder.
Related reading & services
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