Pour-Over Coffee at Home

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It’s no secret that I love coffee. We have several coffee machines on our counter. We have a Tassimo, a Nespresso, and a regular drip coffee machine. Lately, I’ve really been having fun experimenting with pour-over coffee.

I think the first time I had a pour-over coffee was several years ago when we lived in Virginia. There was an independent coffee shop in our town and the lady that owned it convinced me to try it. It was fun to watch her make it and it was delicious.

I don’t know why I recently decided to start making coffee this way, but I am trying a few different methods.

Pour-over coffee is very popular right now. Chemex is the brand that is most familiar to everyone looking to try this brewing method. I was at a store yesterday and saw an entire display devoted to pour-over coffee.

Many of these devices used to brew a pour-over coffee can get pricey, but it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money to try it out.

There are lots of fancy kettles and filters and carafes. All you really need is a cup, a pour-over coffee dripper, a filter, and coffee.

I have a coffee dripper made by Zevro that is so easy to use. I like the fact that when you lift it from the cup, it stops dripping.

So to make pour-over coffee using one of these, you simply take your coffee cup and place the dripper on top of the cup. Then you put in a coffee filter and the amount of coffee grounds you want. I use 2 1/2 tablespoons.

You need boiling water. There are fancy kettles with narrow spouts that many like to use.

I just boil water in the microwave.

You will not want to use more water than your cup will hold. You don’t want an overflow situation.

Then you pour just enough water over the grounds to get them wet. Wait about 30 seconds for the water to drain and the grounds to “bloom.”

Then you gradually pour the rest of the water over the grounds. Some like to make a circular motion while pouring the water. Some like to pour a little bit of water, let it drip, then add a bit more, until all the water has been incorporated.

I place the lid on my dripper and let the water drain. This takes anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes.

That’s it. Lift the dripper off of your cup and you can drink it black or add cream and sugar or whatever you like.

Recently I found an even easier way to try this pour-over method without having to buy any equipment. It is a little Pour-Over Set by Copper Cow.

Copper Cow is a Vietnamese coffee brand available in grocery stores and online. This pour-over set comes with a little paper device that holds the coffee grounds and fits over your coffee cup. It also comes with sweetened condensed milk to use as a creamer.

Here is the little bag that holds the coffee. It has cardboard arms that hold it on your cup.

You tear open the top of the little bag to expose the grounds. Then you extend the little cardboard arms and put them on your cup.

 

You follow the same process of wetting the grounds and allowing them to “bloom” for 30 seconds. Then continue to add the boiling water.

This bag is much smaller than a coffee filter, so you will have to add your water just a bit at a time, then allow it to drain.

Wait for about 3 to 5 minutes, then add the sweetened condensed milk creamer and enjoy!

When I first tried this method, I was worried that the little cardboard arms would be too flimsy and would start to sag, making the whole thing fall into the cup once enough water was added.

That absolutely did not happen. This little cardboard thing is extremely well designed and very sturdy. It worked like a charm.

So these are two very easy methods you can use to try out pour-over coffee to see if you like it before you decide to invest in some pricier equipment.

One of the pros of this method of brewing coffee is the quality of the brew. It really is smoother and silkier than a regular drip coffee pot coffee. My daughter says the “mouth-feel” is even better.

One of the cons of doing it the way I have shown is that you can only do one cup at a time. This is where investing in a Chemex carafe would be a better choice if you like this method. That way you can have more than one cup or serve several people at once.

I think a drawback with the Chemex, not unlike a French Press, is that the carafe doesn’t retain heat. You would need to drink the coffee right away to enjoy it hot. I like to drink coffee all day long so this would be a challenge for me.

(Although I do like the looks of the insulated French Press coffee pots I’ve started seeing lately.)

I’m also thinking about taking a look at a pour-over coffee machine that would make a larger quantity.

I’ll let you know if I decide to go this route. If you have one of these machines, I’d love to hear what you think of it!

If you’ve been curious about pour-over coffee, I hope you have gotten some ideas about how to try it out. If you already make your coffee this way, I’d love to hear any tips you have.

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