How to: Getting Great Pour-Overs Every Time

How to: Getting Great Pour-Overs Every Time

 Simple and Great Brews:  How to Do a Pour-Over 

Pour-over brewing is a precise but a really rewarding way to enjoy your coffee brews.  With just a little practice, you can produce brews that extract the most amazing flavors out of coffee. 

What You Need

  • Pour-Over Brewer

  • Coffee Vessel (such as a carafe or mug)

  • Fresh SteffenMarkkus Coffee Beans

  • Burr Grinder

  • Brew Scale

  • Fresh Water, Heated to 205°F

Brew Ratio

We recommend using 10 grams of coffee per 150ml (150g) of water as a starting point.  150ml is one serving coffee.  So, if you're making 3 servings, it's a simple matter of multiplying the recipe by the number of servings.  For example, if you're serving 3, it would be 30 grams of coffee to 450 grams of water.  For 4 servings, 4 x 10 = 40 grams to 4 x 150 = 600 grams, and so on.  

In our example, we will brew two servings, so that's 10x2 = 20 grams of coffee to 150x2 = 300 grams of water.  The grounds will retain a small amount of water, so we'll end up with slightly under 300ml of brewed coffee.

Step-by-Step Brewing Process for 2 servings:

1. Measure and Grind the Coffee

Using your scale, measuring out your whole coffee beans, using 10 grams per serving, then grind them using a medium grind setting (see "Drip" in picture to the grind setting relative to others).  For dark roasted coffees, grind slightly coarser and for very light roasts, grind slightly finer.  If you are using pre-ground coffee, dosing is still 10 grams per serving.  We're going to be brewing two servings, so we're going to use 20 grams.

 

2. Heat the Water

Bring fresh, filtered water to a 195-205°F. For this brew, we're using a tea kettle that we set to 205.  If you don't have a kettle with fine grained temperature control, heat the water to boiling, then remove it from the heat and let it sit for 3-4 minutes.  195-205 is ideal for extracting the most flavor for this type of brew.  

3. Prepare the Brewer

Place a filter in the brewer and rinse it with hot water. This removes any paper residue on paper filters and preheats both the brewer and the carafe/mug. Discard the rinse water.

4. Add Coffee Grounds

Pour the 20 grams of ground coffee into the filter, leveling the bed of coffee for even saturation.  Then using your finger or a spoon, place a small divot in the center of the coffee bed, this will aid with preparing the coffee bed on the initial pour.

5.  Place your Brewer and vessel on your Gram Scale, and Tare it to Zero

This is how we'll measure how much water we pour over the grounds.  

6. Initial Pour:  Blooming the Coffee

Start the brewing process by pouring 40-50 grams of water evenly over the coffee grounds. Allow the coffee to stand (and bloom) for 45 seconds. With fresh roasted and ground coffee you will see bubbles rise from the coffee bed.  This short pour wets all of the grounds and creates bed of coffee that the water pass through evenly.   

7.  Give it a Swirl

Hold onto the edges of the brewer and carafe together and give the brewer a few swirls to ensure the water goes through the entire coffee bed.  This will help prevent channeling as we pour more water.

8. Begin the 2nd Pour @ 45 seconds

Slowly pour the remaining water in two stages:

  • Pour in 2/3 to 3/4 of the water, moving in slow circles.  For this pour, that would bring the total to  ~ 225 grams on the scale.

  • After 1:15 seconds, add the remaining water, again pouring slowly in circles.  For this pour it ends at 300 grams.

  • When brewing larger batches, you may choose to pour in multiple  stages rather than attempting to push 3/4 of the water in the 2nd pour.  In these situations, 150-200 grams every 30 seconds should result in a nice even extraction. 

9. Let It Drip

Allow the coffee to fully drain through the filter. The entire brew process should take 2-3 minutes, depending on the number of servings

10. Serve and Enjoy

Once the brewing is complete, remove the brewer and give the coffee a gentle swirl in the vessel. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Tips for The Perfect Pour-Over

  • Use Fresh SteffenMarkkus Coffee Beans: Freshly roasted beans provide the best flavor.  For pour-over brews, the fresher the beans, the more flavorful and complex your coffee brew will be.  

  • Control Your Pour: A slow, circular pour ensures even saturation.

  • Adjust Grind Size if Needed: If the brew is too bitter it may be over-extracted.  To remedy this, decrease the contact time between the water and grounds by grinding coarser. If you experience sour flavors, the brew is likely under-extracted, so you need to increase the contact time between the grounds and the water by grinding the beans more fine.   If you are using pre-ground coffee, speed up or slow down the pours to increase or decrease adjust contact time.

  • Experiment with Ratios: If the coffee is too strong for your taste, adjust your dose in 1 gram increments (e.g., 9 grams per 150 ml to go weaker, and 11 grams  per 150 ml to go bolder) until you get the strength you desire.

By following these steps, you'll master the art of pour-over brewing and enjoy a delicious, well-extracted cup every time!

Back to blog