Pour Over

METHOD

The ritual of the pour over is like a meditation: There’s no machine in your way, no flashing greenlights, no electric power cords.

Just you and a few simple tools. The final cup is reminiscent of one from a drip coffeemaker, but noticeably more delicate and complex. Observe the bloom, experience the first trace of coffee-drunk steam, notice how the spiral of the pour alters the final cup. This simple experience gets you in tune with your coffee.

Step 1
Bring 1½ cups (350 g) of water to a boil.

Step 2
Place the dripper on a carafe or cup (whichever you would like to brew into) then place a filter in the dripper.

Step 3
Add 20 g of perfectly ground coffee into filter. Gently shake the dripper to level out the surface of the grounds.

Step 4
First pour, or the “bloom”: Pour about ¼ cup of hot water over the coffee, starting at the outer rim and moving inward in a steady spiral toward the centre of the grounds. Make sure all of the grounds are saturated during your first pour.

Step 5
Pause about 30 seconds so the coffee grounds can “bloom”.

Step 6
Pour remaining hot water over the coffee in roughly 2 to 3 equal parts, pausing between each pour to allow the coffee to drip and the waterline to drop about a thumb’s width (be careful not to dry out the grounds). Start in the centre of the grounds, pouring at a medium flow rate, moving out to the edge and then back into the middle. The goal during this second pour is to sink all of the grounds on the surface of the bed. This creates a gentle turbulence that “stirs” the coffee, allowing water to more evenly extract the grounds.