Pour Over Coffee

In just about any worthy pursuit, the exact information — in this case — knowing your coffee, makes a whole ‘cup’ of difference.

We all can relate to standing in line to place an order for some coffee, and left head-scratching — because we’re unable to come to terms with a chock full of words in the coffee register, breaking a sweat to figure out what each aroma means. Oh, and splitting headaches due to coffee-induced dilemmas like “why ristretto instead of an espresso?” If you’re stuck trying to find your way in this coffee wilderness, stress less. We won’t leave you hanging! This post promises to put you on the right path to knowing your coffee, so you can stray away from your treasured brew without losing any sleep regarding how it turns out.

Pour-Over Coffee Features

• It’s Simple to Brew: If the name ‘pour over’ hasn't dished out much of a clue already, then you should know that this brew of coffee is gotten by slowly pouring the boiling water on the coffee grounds placed in a pour-over coffee maker. This liquid then flows into a cup that houses the potently, freshly brewed coffee.
• Minimum Brew time: Using the pour over coffee brewing method, you can spend as little as less than five minutes to make this awesomely self-manufactured cup of joe. Your average brewing time should be about 2.5 - 3 minutes if you're looking for a dark-roasted coffee, and about 4 minutes if medium-to-light roasted cuppa rocks your boat!
• Completely adjustable to suit your taste buds: Much unlike the French press that requires a lot of brew time where you’re damned if you stop short in your brewing (your cup will be watery) and damned if you brew for too long (your cuppa turns muddy), the pour over is very forgiving, as long as you pour the hot water slowly until the coffee beans reach full saturation.

How to choose the best

• Roast Profile - The pour over method of brewing coffee works well enough to highlight subtle hints of flavor and aromas in your cup. A light roast coffee beans may also bring along the best results if you’re looking to get that perfect cup of pour over coffee.
• The Grind Size - It follows logically that the rate of extraction will be affected by the size of your coffee beans especially as the pour over method is an infusion method and not an immersion method where the coffee beans stay for longer periods in water than, say, an espresso. For optimum results, start with a medium-size grind and work your way up or down accordingly. If sour, give finer grinds a shot, and if too bitter, you might want to try giving it some sweet notes with coarser grinds. To maintain overall consistency in size — and consequently — taste, within the coffee beans, you should consider investing in a quality pour over coffee grinder.

Pour Over Coffee Benefits

For coffee shops, the sight of a skilled barista pouring over the coffee adds to your customer experience as you’ll get to see ‘how it’s done’. You'll also get the instant gratification of partaking in every step of the brewing process if you’ve chosen to be your own barista and you’re brewing at home. That said, the benefits of pour over coffee abound.

You get more control

Nope. That doesn’t mean you’re being a control freak! But if you're looking for a little bit more control of the outcome, the water temperature for pouring over coffee from your freshly ground coffee beans should be hot to create that perfect coffee slurry. Pouring over coffee also gives you that extra bit of foothold on the taste and strength of your coffee.

You can perfectly calibrate the mixture of water and coffee grind for the desired effect

If you are the kind of person to find entertainment in experimenting with juices and taking some extra effort to find that sweet spot for your inch-perfect pour over coffee, then you simply cannot go wrong with the pour over coffee. This brewing method works best if you are sifting through the clutters for that unique taste.

It yields fresh coffee that showcases the fine quality of the coffee bean

The pour over coffee allows for a slow pour of water over the coffee grounds that allows time for the water to extract the highest quality of flavor from the coffee grounds. And as you may very well know, this is a crucial step to achieving a richer, bolder, and tastier flavor. The wisdom in the theory that goes ‘the finer the coffee beans, the fresher the cuppa’ rings true with the pour over method of coffee brewing.

Parting thoughts

Granted, insider knowledge about the eclectic brews of coffee may come across as something you’d want to leave to the curious energy of the coffee aficionados. But the opportunity cost of coffee-savvy apathy is often far-reaching — quite far-reaching enough to determine if you’re going to be having the perfect pour over coffee, or wincing at your awkward tasting, sub-par mix of ‘bean juice’.

While sorting through the sea of coffee brews to make a good pour over coffee for yourself may be tricky, we believe that this guide will set you on the right path to discovering what pour over tips and tricks best work for your palates.

FAQ

What is pour over coffee?

Pour over coffee does what it says on the tin, just you, your coffee beans, a cup, a funnel, and a filter. No machines. However, people who are not super-skilled in the art and science of making spectacular cups of coffee may prefer to use a machine especially if they're looking for convenience and more consistency across a handful of cups.

Is pour over coffee good for you?

Besides the very obvious perk that you’re getting the best flavors of your coffee from the pour over method especially as the coffee soluble and the other variables that may affect the extraction process are all in your control. So, WUBIWUG (What you brew is what you get).

Is pour over coffee healthy?

Pour over coffee brewing method has been found to remove potentially harming cholesterol from coffee, thanks to the filter which eliminates chemical compounds in coffee that tend to increase lipid levels. This is a significant health booster for some people who are prone to cardiovascular diseases.

What does pour over coffee taste like?

If we were to describe what this cuppa tastes like in one word, it’ll be ‘flavorful’. Pour over coffee, when brewed properly, has a strong flavor that adorns your taste buds with a silkier mouthfeel — since the brewing takes significantly longer.

Where to buy pour over coffee?

We get it. Pour over coffee is most conveniently gotten in the comfort of your kitchen, especially as you’re probably going to want more than one cup at once. But you can still walk up to your nearest coffee shop or place an order online to get a taste of this amazing cup of coffee goodness. Just like any other worthwhile treat, It promises to be worth stepping out of your comfort zone!

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