Coffee Guide: How to brew pour over coffee

Coffee Guide: How to brew pour over coffee (step by step)

Many people wonder how to brew pour over coffee properly. With the right technique, you can bring out the natural aromas and subtle flavors of the coffee in a way that many other brewing methods cannot.

Pour over is one of the most popular brewing methods among coffee enthusiasts. The method is simple, yet it gives you a high level of control over the brewing process and allows the character of the coffee to come through clearly.

To achieve a good result, it is also important to use the right coffee-to-water ratio. In our guide on how much coffee per cup, we explain more about the correct proportions.

In this guide, we explain what pour over coffee is, which coffee beans work best, and how to brew a great cup of coffee step by step.

What is pour over coffee?

Pour over simply means pouring hot water over ground coffee in a filter. The water slowly passes through the coffee and drips into a carafe or cup below.

This method is often used with brewers such as V60, Chemex or other manual drippers.

Advantages of pour over coffee:

• you have full control over the brewing process

• the coffee’s flavor nuances become clearer

• the result is often clean and aromatic

Many specialty coffee roasters use pour over when tasting coffee because the method makes it easier to experience the different flavor notes in the cup.

Which coffee beans work best?

Pour over works best with coffees that have clear and vibrant flavor notes.

These types of coffee often work especially well:

• single origin coffees

• coffee from Ethiopia or Kenya

• coffees with fruity or floral notes

• light to medium roasts

Lighter roasts often work better for pour over because they preserve more of the coffee’s natural aromas.

At our roastery, we often find that Ethiopian coffees work particularly well for pour over, since their fruity and floral aromas become very clear with this brewing method.

The most important thing, however, is always to use fresh coffee beans and grind them just before brewing.

Step-by-step brewing guide

Brewing pour over coffee is simple once you understand the basic technique.

1. Prepare the filter

Place the filter in the brewer and rinse it with hot water.

This serves two purposes:

• it removes any paper taste

• it warms the brewer and the cup

2. Add coffee

Use roughly 16–18 grams of water per gram of coffee.

A common recipe is:

20 g coffee
320 g water

Grind the coffee medium-coarse, similar to coarse sand.

Grind size has a big impact on the flavor in the cup. If you want to learn more, you can read our guide about coffee grind size.

A useful tip is to use a scale, since small differences in the amount of coffee can influence the taste more than you might expect.

3. Blooming

First pour a small amount of water over the coffee (about twice the weight of the coffee) and let it sit for 30–40 seconds.

This step is called blooming and helps the coffee release carbon dioxide, which improves extraction and flavor.

4. Continue pouring

Slowly pour the remaining water in gentle circular movements.

Try to maintain a steady and even pour so that all the coffee is extracted evenly.

5. Let the coffee drip through

The total brewing time is usually around 2.5–3 minutes.

Once all the water has passed through the coffee, your pour over coffee is ready to serve.

Common mistakes

If your coffee does not taste the way you expected, it is often due to small details in the brewing process.

Here are some common mistakes:

Grind too coarse
→ the coffee becomes weak and thin.

Grind too fine
→ the coffee may become bitter and over-extracted.

Pouring the water too quickly
→ the coffee does not extract properly.

Old coffee beans
→ the flavor becomes flat and less aromatic.

Fresh beans and the right grind size often make the biggest difference.

Frequently asked questions about pour over coffee

How coarse should coffee be ground for pour over?

For pour over coffee, the grind should be medium-coarse, similar to coarse sand.

How long should pour over coffee brew?

A good brewing time is usually between 2.5 and 3 minutes.

How hot should the water be?

The water should be about 92–96 °C. If the water has just boiled, let it rest for about 30 seconds before brewing.

Coffee beans that work well for pour over

For pour over coffee, we often recommend lighter or fruitier roasts, where the coffee’s natural aromas can really shine.

Examples of coffee beans that work well with this brewing method include:

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Colombia Las Flores
Kenya Endebess Estate

These coffees often produce a clean cup with clear fruity and floral notes, making them perfect for pour over brewing.

If you would like to try pour over coffee at home, you can find several of our coffee beans in our webshop, where we roast coffee in small batches at our roastery in Småland.

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At our roastery in Småland we roast coffee in small batches.
Here you can find our full range of coffee beans.