How to Make Pour Over Coffee (and Make It Better)

The short answer: use 1 gram of coffee to 16 grams of water, ground medium-fine. Rinse the paper filter, bloom the coffee with a little water for 30 to 45 seconds, then pour slowly in stages with water just off the boil. Aim to finish in about 3 minutes.

Pour over means pouring hot water over ground coffee in a paper filter, so it drips through into your cup. It gives a clean, clear cup where the flavour of the coffee is easy to taste. It looks fussy, but it comes down to a few things: a scale, a timer and a consistent grind.

What you need

  • A dripper, such as a V60, with paper filters
  • Fresh coffee, ground medium-fine, a little coarser than fine sea salt
  • A scale and a timer
  • A kettle. A gooseneck spout makes pouring easier, but it is not essential

Our starting recipe

  • Coffee: 20 grams
  • Water: 320 grams, a 1 to 16 ratio
  • Water temperature: just off the boil
  • Total time: about 3 minutes. Anywhere from 2 minutes 30 to 3 minutes 30 is fine

How to make pour over coffee, step by step

  1. Rinse the filter. Put the paper filter in the dripper and pour hot water through it. This removes the papery taste and warms the cup. Tip out the water.
  2. Add the coffee and give the dripper a gentle shake to level the bed.
  3. Bloom. Zero the scale, start the timer and pour 40 grams of water, about twice the weight of the coffee, over all the grounds. Wait until about 40 seconds. Fresh coffee puffs up as it releases gas.
  4. First pour. Pour slowly in circles up to 200 grams, finishing around 1 minute 20 seconds.
  5. Second pour. Keep going to 320 grams, finishing around 2 minutes.
  6. Let it drain. It should finish at around 3 minutes. Give it a swirl, and serve.

Treat the timings as a guide. The drain time is your best feedback, and it tells you what to change next.

How to make it better: fix your cup

  • Drains too fast (under about 2 minutes 30) or tastes sour and thin: grind finer, or use hotter water.
  • Drains too slowly (over about 3 minutes 30) or tastes bitter and harsh: grind coarser, or pour a little faster.
  • Flat and dull: the coffee may be stale, or the water not hot enough.
  • Uneven, muddy cup: pour slower and keep the water level even. Aim at any dry, dark patches on the bed.

Change one thing at a time. The Roo would. The Galah pours a bit faster and calls it technique.

Which coffee to use

Freshly roasted beans, ground just before brewing, make the biggest difference. The Hooligan works well as a pour over. It is our medium roast, with milk chocolate, caramel, toasted hazelnut and a gentle stone-fruit sweetness.

Pour over FAQ

What is the best ratio for pour over?

1 to 16 is a good all-rounder, so 20 grams of coffee to 320 grams of water. Use 1 to 15 for more body and 1 to 17 for more clarity.

Do I need a gooseneck kettle?

No, but it helps. A narrow spout gives you a slow, steady pour. With a regular kettle, tilt it gently.

Why do I need to bloom the coffee?

Fresh coffee holds gas from roasting. A short bloom lets it escape, so the water can extract the coffee evenly.

Why rinse the paper filter?

It removes the papery taste and warms the dripper and cup, which keeps the brewing temperature steadier.

What grind size is best for pour over?

Medium-fine. Use your drain time as a guide: too fast means finer, too slow means coarser.

Roasted in Dubbo, NSW and sent Australia-wide. Meet The Hooligan or buy The Hooligan medium roast coffee beans. Prefer a darker roast? Meet The Cartel.

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