How To Make Killer Pour Over Coffee Every Time

Hi there, welcome to Flawed yet Functional! If you checked in with me on Monday you saw that I was able to successfully reintroduce coffee into my diet. Woot! Although I was hesitant that I even still liked coffee after 2 years without it, my first cup of black drip coffee was supremely delicious. My husband and I are go-big-or-go-home people, so we go big when it comes to a good cup of coffee. Let me show you how to make pour over coffee with precision. With my specifications, you will be able to make a perfect cup of coffee every time. Check it out!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links which just means if you purchase from the links provided, I may get a small commission at no additional cost to you! At Flawed yet Functional, I only reference products that have real value that I actually use.

Pour Over Coffee Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Gooseneck kettle
• Filtered water
• Chemex coffeemaker
• Coffee filters
• Whole bean coffee
• Baratza Virtuoso coffee grinder
• ThermoWorks instant-read thermometer (Classic or Mk4)

Proper equipment ensures a proper cup of coffee. Now, not all the equipment up above is absolutely necessary. The two main items are a quality coffee bean grinder and an instant-read thermometer. The consistency of the bean grind, as well as the precise temperature of the water, are the two biggest factors in creating an excellent cup of coffee.

I think I should point out that, yes, the coffee grinder and thermometer allow for the biggest impact on flavor; however, a simple kitchen scale is the key to consistency. Maintaining the right ratio of coffee beans to water is imperative to have a perfect cup of coffee every single time. Weigh the beans and weigh the water as you pour it over your grounds every time you make coffee. This precision will allow you to create a perfect cup of joe every time.

Be resourceful with the rest of the items! My brother has been known to make his own pour over coffee by using a kettle to pour into his open drip coffee maker. It’s a little unique, but it does work! So if you do not have a Chemex Coffeemaker, there are other ways to go!

Pour Over Coffee Instructions

Okay, let’s jump into the specifics for how to make pour over coffee. Consistently perfect coffee is within your reach!

Grind Coffee Beans

First up, you need to begin with freshly ground coffee beans. Invest in a good coffee bean grinder to ensure that the coffee beans are ground to a consistent size. Cheap coffee bean grinders will be inconsistent in the grind size. There will be fine flakes right along with beans that are barely chopped.

Another reason for beginning with freshly ground coffee is that the flavor is so much brighter. Coffee stales quickly after it is ground. Buying coffee pre-ground from the store ensures stale coffee as it was ground in a factory some time ago. Even grinding at the store isn’t ideal because the whole bag begins to age from the moment you grind it. Not good! If you don’t believe me, do a side-by-side comparison of store-bought ground coffee to freshly ground. There is a noticeable difference!

The coffee bean grinder we have is a Baratza Virtuoso, and it does a great job grinding coffee. However, it is quite an investment. I completely understand if you don’t want to put that kind of money into your coffee! Make do with whatever coffee grinder you can afford and upgrade when you feel like it. But know that this will make a difference in the outcome of your cup of coffee.

For the most precise results, weigh the coffee beans before you grind them. My favorite ratio is 60 grams of coffee beans to 900 grams of water which makes 4, 8-ounce cups of coffee. Experiment with these measurements to find your preferred ratio.

Heat Filtered Water in Kettle

Next, fill your kettle with filtered water. Yes, filtered, it makes a difference! Place it on the stove and begin to warm it. Bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool to 185°.

The precise temperature of your water is up for discussion (in my opinion). The optimal range is 195° to 205° (source). However, my husband and I have experimented many times with temperature, and we both prefer 185°. Even though this is what I like, feel free to experiment with warmer or cooler water to see what you prefer.

Rinse Coffee Filter

Before you put the ground coffee into the coffee filter, give it a rinse with the hot kettle water first. Allowing water to flow through the filter removes any loose paper filaments and the flavors that go along with the paper.

Pour out the rinse water, and you are ready to make your coffee!

Bloom Ground Coffee Beans

Pour your coffee grounds into the rinsed filter, then pour about 100 grams of the heated water, in a circular pattern, over the coffee grounds.

The exact amount of water is not important but that the water completely wets the grounds. Do not pour any more water in just yet! Let coffee grounds soak in the water and bloom. This will allow for a richer flavor of coffee at the end. Let the coffee bloom for 30 to 45 seconds before continuing.

Pour Slowly in Circular Patterns

After the bloom, pour in the remainder of the water in the same circular pattern until you reach 900 grams total of water. You will need to pause occasionally to not overflow the filter.

Note: Make sure you’re using a kitchen scale that resets the time-out when additional weight is added to the scale. We had an old kitchen scale that would time out based on how long ago it was turned on. Which meant it frequently timed out in the middle of this circular pouring.

Once 900 grams of water have been poured onto the grounds, wait for the grounds to filter completely then discard the filter and wet grounds. 

Be earth-friendly! Use the ground coffee in your garden, landscaping, or in your compost pile to make use of every piece of this process! We buy undyed, recycled filters so that we can just toss the filter and the coffee grounds into the compost pile.

Why Pour Over Coffee?

If you’re reading this and wondering why should I make pour over coffee? Why should I try so hard when a Keurig is a one-touch option? The coffee store is so convenient, why should I make coffee in this laborious process at home? Well, let me shed some light on this delicious drink and process!

Pour over coffee at home boils down to control. When you can control all the aspects of an excellent cup of coffee, you will get an excellent cup of coffee every single time. I hate going to a coffee store and paying $5 for a cup of coffee only to have it be burnt or stale. At home, you can control everything!

Control of Water Temperature

The temperature of the water absolutely matters when brewing a cup of coffee. At most chain coffee shops, they just use hot if not boiling water to brew their coffee. Water at this temperature will burn the grounds. You know the flavor of burnt coffee right? Nobody likes burnt coffee, especially when you have to pay for it!

Control of Bean Grind

In addition to the water temperature, you can control the bean grind coarseness. The coffee grinder I use allows you to adjust the coarseness of the grind. You can experiment with how coarse or fine you like your coffee. If you got a coffee grinder with this adjustment, you can even make your own espresso at home. What a win! (I set my grinder to 25 for regular coffee.)

The coarseness of the bean grind is important because it allows the water to flow through faster or slower which gives you a different flavor to your cup of coffee.

Control of Freshness

Just like I mentioned above, if you make coffee at home, you can grind your beans fresh before every cup. This is how you have awesomely fresh coffee every time.

Coffee How You Like It

Even though I’ve given you my measurements for the perfect cup of coffee, you should still experiment! Coffee is such a personal experience. There’s no definitive guide to making coffee one single way. Experiment with the coarseness of your coffee grinds, the temperature of your water, and a ratio of coffee grinds to water to create the perfect cup of coffee for you!

It’s Cheaper!

You know I had to throw this one in there! Coffee from a coffee shop is exorbitantly expensive, and even those little K-Cups to make your Keurig work are overpriced. You can buy very high-quality coffee beans and still make a cup of coffee for a fraction of the price of either of those options.

I usually buy coffee for around $8-$13 a pound which translates into $.26-$.43 per cup of coffee. That’s so cheap and my coffee tastes a thousand times better than most of what comes out of a Keurig or a coffee shop!

Coffee shops are definitely convenient, but they cannot guarantee a delicious cup of coffee every time like this pour over method that I have shown you. So if you would like to up your coffee game, learn how to make pour over coffee at home.  Follow these pour over coffee instructions to wow your friends and family with your perfect, awesome coffee. Soon they’ll be asking you to make coffee every time they are over!

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