Tips for Making Barista Quality Pour Over Coffee (Part 2)

 

As promised, here’s the second half of our two-part guide to brewing impeccable pour over coffee, as good as any experienced barista:

1) Adjust Brewing Times as You Adjust Your Grind

Courser coffee grounds take longer to infuse with the water than fine grounds.  If experimenting with different coarseness levels and various different types of coffees, be sure to adjust the brewing time accordingly to suit the size of the grounds.

2) Try Bottled Mineral Water

Using filtered tap water will significantly improve the quality of the filter coffee you make at home. One step further, you may find that using bottled mineral water makes an even bigger difference. Different types of bottled waters have different mineral compositions, so feel free to experiment with this as well.

3) Aim For a 1:1 Coffee-to-Water Ratio for the Bloom

Hitting the nail on the head with a 1:1 ratio for the initial bloom (followed by a quick and careful stir) paves the way for superior results to follow. This is the most important part of the extraction process and will make a huge difference to the resulting cup of filter coffee.

4) Keep Your Grounds off the Side of the Filter

The water you pour into the filter will only come into contact with the coffee grounds in the right position at the bottom. Any that are stuck to the sides after blooming and stirring are of no use to you, and could ultimately result in coffee that tastes weak or unbalanced.

5) Pour the Water Slowly with Super Fresh Coffee

As there is usually a much higher gas quantity in fresh coffee than coffee that has been sitting around for a while, it pays to slow the pouring process. This ensures you give the coffee all the time it needs to bubble away in the filter, ensuring an efficient extraction process.

6) Keep the Temperature of the Water Around 90° C (i.e. 194º F)

Replace guesswork with a reliable thermometer and aim to keep the temperature of the water as close to 90° C (i.e. 194º F) as possible. This is the ideal temperature for ensuring efficient extraction, without scolding the coffee grounds and resulting in an unpleasant bitter flavor.

7) Always Heat the Receptacle in Advance

When coffee is deposited into a cold receptacle, it rapidly decreases in temperature and the flavor can be adversely affected. Always pour a measure of hot water into your receptacle to warm it up, prior to making your pour over coffee.

8) Pre-Wet Your Paper Filter

Last up, some paper filters have a nasty habit of adding an unwanted paper taste to pour over coffee. Not usually a problem with the better paper filters on the market, but a risk that can be eliminated by simply wetting your filters before you use them. Again, using an appropriate measure of filtered water or bottled water - not water from the tap.

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