Welcome to our pourover coffee guide. Either you're here because you're already a huge fan of filter coffee, and you'd like some more tips.
Or you're here as a newbie to discover all the basics of the wonderful style of coffee making.
The good news?
I'm personally a huge fan and have been drinking it for years, so you're in great hands.
Before we get brewing, let's clarify a couple of things so we're both on the same page.
Did you know that pourover coffee is actually a subcategory of filter coffee? It's worth defining the differences between filter coffee and espresso because if you're new to coffee, this might be confusing.
Here's a quick summary to bring you up to speed:
Filter Coffee Vs Espresso: The Science
Unless you're an absolute coffee nerd and switch daily between filter and espresso-based drinks, then it's normal to have a preference for one or the other.
The main difference between the two is the brewing process, the coffee used and how the coffee is extracted. Let's deep dive into the various brewing styles and the associated popular coffee brewing devices:
Immersion
A perfect example of immersion brewing is the classic Cafetiere brewer. How does it work? Hot water is saturated with freshly ground coffee for 6-9 minutes.
During this process, the hot water and coffee infuse, extracting both caffeine and beautiful flavour notes of the speciality coffee. No gravity or other forces are applied, and the only variable is time.
Gravity
One of the most popular manual pour-over coffee methods is the gravity method. The reason it's called gravity (or drip coffee) is that water passes through coffee at its own flow rate using gravity.
Time is the variable here, and this is singularly controlled by the coffee grind setting you use. A medium grind is used for gravity methods and common brewing devices include, Hario V60, Chemex, and any pourover coffee making device.
Pressure
The last type to cover is pressure. This means that the brewing device you use exerts pressure to push water through the coffee grounds.
The result is a fuller body, yielding a rich, delicious cup of coffee. The popular Aeropress Coffee Maker uses approximately 3 bars of pressure since you manually apply hand pressure.
Although it has been labelled an espresso maker, its primary function is to filter coffee, as espresso is typically produced at 8-9 bars.
Next is the Moka Pot, which uses around 1.5 bars of pressure generated by water reaching the boiling point.
It then forces water upwards to create a full-bodied coffee. This method is traditionally very popular with Italians.
Finally, we're on to the Espresso Machine, which is distinctively different to all the other methods described above.
So why does it deserve its own category?
Since a high-powered espresso machine forces water under extreme pressure (9 bars), it creates a very different result in the cup.
I'm sure you've tasted a shot of espresso, or a flat white or an americano?
An espresso machine produces a far more viscous, concentrated beverage that is also much shorter in volume.
Espresso packs a punch, which is why it pairs perfectly with milk to create flat whites, lattes and cappuccinos.
This has provided you with a good understanding of the differences between filter coffee and espresso.
Let's delve into pourover coffee since that's why you're here, right?
Types of Pourover Coffee:
Pourover coffee has been around since 1908, when Amalie Auguste Melitta Bentz first popularised it. So how did she discover this forge this new coffee brewing device?
Fortunately for us, she was fed up with drinking percolated coffee because of the excess coffee grounds left in her cup. She decided to invent a device that used blotter paper with a small hole to trap coffee grounds as the coffee was brewed.
Thankfully, this produced a far cleaner cup, and the Melitta Brewer was born. In recent years, brands like Hario have created popular versions, including the Hario V60. You can read our guide for brewing with a Hario V60.
Hario V60
Interested in this method? Read our Hario V60 Brew Guide or watch me brewing in the video below.
Chemex Coffee Maker
Please read our full Chemex guide and learn how to make Chemex coffee at home.
Kalita Wave Coffee Dripper
The Kalita wave pourover coffee brewer is another first-class favourite for many baristas. It rose in popularity from 2015 onward and became a direct competitor to Hario with the V60.
We will also share other pour-over coffee filter devices for your consideration.
Best Coffee for Pour-Over
Which coffee do we recommend for pourover? Does any coffee work, or do you need to consider some additional factors?
Here's the thing: coffee is very subjective. If you like a dark roast, you'll want a richer flavour profile than a light to medium roast, which will be naturally sweeter and more delicate.
There is no right or wrong when we're talking about what you like. However, I can certainly provide some expert guidance having worked within the coffee industry for over a decade...
If you're drinking pourover coffee, would you enjoy a clean filtered cup? Part of the reason it takes so long is that the paper filters help trap coffee oils and grounds from sliding into your cup.
Therefore, try a rare, exclusive single origin coffee, as its beans have a light to medium roast profile and contain few oils. In fact, single-origin coffees with light, medium, or roast profiles are perfect for brewing with filter coffee.
Why? Because you get to taste every subtle note of coffee in your clean, filtered cup.
Best Pourover Coffee Makers
So you're looking to buy the best pour-over coffee maker or simply want to upgrade? It's always a good idea since you can explore more flavours and brewing styles with different methods.
Each give you a unique result. To find out which is the best pour-over coffee maker in the UK, we've broken them down into two categories below.
Manual Pourover Makers
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- Hario V60
- Chemex Coffee Maker
- Kalita Wave
- The Clever Dripper
- Oxo Brew Pourover Maker
- Hario Woodneck Brewer
Automatic Pourover Makers
Bodrum Coffee Maker
The pourover coffee maker Bodrum is exactly what you need if you want to upgrade to one of the best automatic coffee machines designed for drip coffee.
The Perfect Pourover: What you'll need:
Equipment List
1. Coffee Scales
2. Best Coffee Grinder for Pourover
3. Best Electric Kettle for Pourover
4. Fresh Healthy Coffee
5. Coffee Grinder
6. Filtered Water (Preferably)
7. Timer
Pourover Coffee Ratio
Understanding coffee ratios is one of the most important factors in producing world-class-tasting coffee.
Becoming a Barista Pro with Pourover Coffee:
Suppose you're a total coffee nerd who loves weighing your coffee, buying beans, grinding fresh with your favourite coffee grinder, and analysing every brewing detail. In that case, there's a reason you continued reading.
Here is some top-rated advice if you want to take things to the next level. If you've ticked off all the equipment buys, weighing and technique, there are only two things left to consider;
1. Buy the best coffee beans in the UK.
2. Invest some time and money in exploring the best water for coffee.
Why? Well, water makes up 98% of your brew, and if you aren't using the best possible water when you brew coffee, you'll always lose.
Check out our guide on choosing the right water for coffee to take things to the next level.
Understanding coffee ratios is one of the most important factors in producing world-class-tasting coffee.
