At-Home Pour Overs
We've released two single origins from Ethiopia. The Worka Nenke is a washed process, with a clean finish and notes of lavender, lime, and sugar cane. The Hamsho Natural has a heavier body and a more berry-forward profile.
We find one of the best ways to experience and compare a cup of coffee is to make a pour over—a technique for hand brewing a single cup of coffee that's sure to pull out as much of the flavor as possible.
If you are already lost, this tutorial is here to help!
What You Need
- Amazing coffee (see our selection here!)
- Pour over kit
We recommend a Hario V60 or a Chemex, but even cheaper sets can be found at the grocery store! - Burr Grinder
We can grind your coffee when you purchase in-store or online. - Scale that measures grams
We'll include volumetric measurements if you don't have one. - Thermometer
- Gooseneck kettle
What To Do
- Measure 19 grams of coffee. We recommend 1 gram of coffee to 16 mL of water but you can always adjust for taste. This recipe is based on a 300 mL or a 1 1/4 cup of coffee.
Bonus tip: 1 mL of water weighs exactly 1 gram. You can use the same scale to measure your coffee and your water. - Grind your coffee at a medium setting. every grinder is different and every coffee is different. Start out with a medium grind, and make small adjustments to taste! The most important thing is that your cup of coffee tastes amazing to you. Grind sizes and ratios should be taken as suggestions, not laws.
What if I don't have a grinder? That's okay! A fresh grind makes a better cup of coffee, but pre-ground coffee can still be great! Skip steps 1 and 2 and measure 19 g (1 1/14 tbsp) of pre-ground coffee. - Heat your water to 205 degrees. The water should be just short of boiling. If the water is too hot, it will pull too many bitter compounds out of the coffee. If it is too cool, the flavor will be under-extracted.
- Prepare your pour over kit. Insert a filter in the cone. Once the water is heated, pour some water into the empty filter and let it drain. This will secure the filter in place and preheat the container.
- Pour your coffee grounds into the wet filter. Make sure the grounds form a flat bed.
- Place the setup on your scale and tare it.
- Pour enough water into the grounds to wet them all. Wait 30 seconds. Freshly roasted coffee is full of CO2, which can cause your coffee to be sour and prevent the water from extracting that good flavor. By wetting the coffee and allowing it to sit, the CO2 is released from the grounds. You should see bubbles of gas escaping from the surface.
- Pour water through your grounds until you've added 300 g total. As you pour, you should alternate from spiraling toward the center of the bed, then away from the center. This way, all the grounds receive water evenly. When the water drains, the bed of grounds should remain as flat as it was when you started. If there are any lumps, it means you did not pour evenly.
- Enjoy. Congratulations! You have hand brewed an amazing cup of coffee! Grab your mug of choice, sit back, and enjoy. While you sip, maybe get started on a second cup.