Today, I have made pour over coffee for the first time. Well, I have made an attempt yesterday without any research and had a roasted paper weak tasting note which I would not call it coffee at all. I call this my V1 of Pour Over Coffee because the following as been theoretical knowledge that I have yet to practice on. Looking forward to connect to the spiritual world of coffee during the pandemic WFH days. This pandemic is not easy for any of us, and staying quarantined is the best we can do to help stop the spread. While staying indoor, I figured this is a good time to pick up things that I have always been interested.
Why pour over coffee?
Two years ago, I never understood why people have such vibe over pour-over coffee. I am always a latte person and only attracted to latte art. After I relocated to the Bay Area and found people talking about Philz as there’s just one around the corner at where I work, I gave it a try. In full honesty, I did not enjoy the first or first few cups of Philz, until I had Philter Soul. The hazelnut flavor and the sourness breached my mind. The door opened to me when I understood coffee isn’t about just the bitterness or the diary choice and foam.
What is pour over coffee?
Pour over coffee allows flexibility and customization for coffee enthusiasts on the taste and the strength. You can customize your favorite coffee on three important axis
1. Coffee to water ratio
2. Water temperature
3. How long the water flows
Giving this a try will make your coffee world much more wholesome!
Simple N00b guide to make pour over coffee
1. Pick out your coffee beans.
If you don’t know where to start, I’d recommend always go for medium roast, it’s not too bitter, not too sour and easier to begin with. Personally, I love love coffee with cocoa and nuts tasting notes.
2. Heat Water To 195-205 Degrees Fahrenheit
I use an electric kettle to easily control the water.
3. Weigh your coffee
The popular opinion is to have 18:1 meaning 18 grams of water for every gram of coffee. However, most bristas enjoy water:coffee ratio between 16:1 and 19:1. This is something where people’s preferences vary a lot.
4. Rinse/Wet Coffee Filter
I think this missing step at my first attempt is what caused my hardly drinkable coffee. This is an important step to discard the paper tastes from our beautiful coffee.
5. Grind your favorite coffee beans to Medium.
Grind your favorite coffee beans to Medium. Medium on the coarser side if you like more sour, fruit, and delightful notes. Medium to fine if you like stronger, heavier, more bitter notes.
6. Pour Water
Pour in two steps.
First, let the coffee bloom. Pour a little water, enough to wet the coffee grounds and let it soak up. The grounds will swell and bubble up. Usually, 30 seconds is enough.
Why do we need to do this? When beans grow, it contains CO2 inside. The longer beans are roasted, the more gas escapes. Blooming allows CO2 to escape to make the coffee less sour and allow coffee to meet water fully.
Second, brew time! Pour water in a spiral fashion to evenly distribute across the ground to eventually when you have reached your perfect water-to-coffee ratio.
7. Enjoy!
Enjoy every cup of experiments while hiking on the journey to the perfect combination. Just like any other practices, trial and error, then iterate! And let it grow into your muscle and mind memories.