The Pourover Process, Part Three: The Instructions

You’re becoming a pourover expert! If you’ve read the first two installments of our pourover blog series, you’ll understand the basic science of pourover brewing, and you’ll know the various elements that make a good cup of coffee.Now, let’s go through the steps of the process.

• Pour boiling water over the coffee filter and thoroughly soak it. This helps heat the brewer, and it washes away any residual paper flavors from the filter. Place it in the cone of your brewer, and place your brewer over a pot or cup.
• Put your beans through a burr grinder until they are about as course as sea salt. Then, pour them in your filter.
• Take your index finger and make an inch-and-a-half indent in the grounds so water will evenly spread throughout the mound and reach the grounds at the bottom.
• Pre-wet the coffee by pouring water into the indent.
• After the bloom, pour about six more ounces of boiling water over the grounds, moving your kettle in a clockwise motion. The pour should take about 15 seconds. Gently whisk clockwise, pulling the grounds from the sides of the filter. This encourages an even infusion.
• Once the water has seeped about halfway through the mound (which should take about 30 seconds), pour about three more ounces over the filter, still moving in a clockwise motion. Stir gently.
• Wait about 45-65 seconds.
• Water will drip through the grounds and into a mug below your pourover brewer. The liquid in the mug, of course, will be your delicious coffee. Give it a good stir before serving.

Sounds simple, right? Well, be careful. Basic elements like water-to-ground ratios and brew time can completely change the taste. Don’t get discouraged if your first few cups don’t turn out as well as you had hoped. Stay positive and keep brewing!