How To Make The Perfect Pour Over

Process Overview

Pour-over brewing is a simple way to brew a clean, bright cup. It brings out subtle nuances in coffee, particularly those with bright, sparkling flavors.

Highlights

  • Total Time: ~5 minutes
  • Makes: 12 oz., or one mug
  • Skill Level: Moderate

What You'll Need

Getting Started

With a Pour Over
  1. 1. Heat

    Heat fresh water to 200° F.

  2. 2. Measure

    Measure 25 grams of freshly roasted coffee beans.

    Peet's tip: 25 grams is about 5 tablespoons or 2.5 standard coffee scoops.

  3. 3. Prepare the Filter and Grind

    Fold down the seam of the paper filter and place it into the pour over cone so it lies flat. Then rinse the filter with hot water. Grind coffee to the coarseness of sand.

    Peet's tip: Rinsing the filter helps eliminate any paper flavors and preheating cone and carafe can help keep temperature consistent throughout the brewing process. Grind size affects drip time and extraction. If your brew is too slow, try a slightly coarser grind. If it drips through too quickly, try a little finer.

  4. 4. Bloom

    Discard the hot water and place the pour over brewer and jug on your scale. Add ground coffee and then zero out or "tare" the scale. Pour just enough water (50 grams, or twice the weight of the coffee grounds) in a spiral motion to saturate the grounds, then wait 30 seconds.

    Peet's tip: When hot water meets coffee grounds, CO2 escapes and expands, creating a "bloom." Once the off-gassing is complete, the grounds are more receptive to absorbing water, resulting in a better extraction of flavors.

  5. 5. Pour

    At the 30 second mark, resume pouring water over the grounds until your scale reaches 400 grams and your timer reaches 2 minutes. Pour first in a spiral pattern, and then straight down, keeping coffee grounds fully saturated from start to finish.

    Peet's tip: The secret to perfect coffee is the right ratio of coffee to water —1:16, or 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water.

  6. 6. Enjoy

    Give the coffee in your carafe a final swirl. Your coffee is now ready for you to enjoy.