Pour Over Equipment

HOME BREWING | OCTOBER 17, 2020

This journal was inspired by the many friends who’ve asked me for pour over equipment recommendations. While working at different cafes and experimenting at home over the years, I’ve been able to try different tools for pour overs and other brew methods. The ones mentioned below are some of my personal favorites that I’ve shared with others.

Not all of the products listed are required to make pour overs, but each of them allows for additional control of variables that will affect the overall taste of your resulting cup of coffee. We’re going to get pretty in-depth about the importance of each piece of equipment, but our intention is not to flood you with lots of information. Our ultimate goal for this series is to make pour over coffee simple for beginners, while also allowing experienced brewers to add to their knowledge. Learning the process may take some time, but hopefully this equipment guide brings us all one step closer.

The first thing you’ll need for a pour over is a dripper. It is the vessel that will hold your coffee and filter as you pour in hot water and brew your coffee. There’s a wide variety of drippers to choose from, but here we recommend the clear plastic size 01 Hario V60. Note that if you wish to make more than one cup at a time, you’ll want to get the V60 in size 02 or 03. We start with the V60 because it results in a clean, bright cup of coffee with lots of aroma.

You will also need a coffee filter specific to the size and shape of the brewer you choose. The coffee filter is typically made of thin paper, which contains your coffee grounds and keeps oils and particles from ending up in your cup of coffee. We recommend the white size 01 Hario V60 coffee filters.

An accurate scale allows you to measure the weight of coffee beans you use per cup, often referred to as the coffee dose. The scale also allows you to keep track of the total weight of the hot water you pour during your brew. For a pour over, the brew ratio is typically around 1 gram of coffee per 15 to 16 grams of water. If you want a stronger cup of coffee, you can always try using a higher coffee dose and vice versa.

Coffee scales also often have timers, which allow you to keep track of how long your pour overs take. Similar to the coffee dose, an extended brew time will increase the strength of your cup of coffee and vice versa. Pour overs typically take around 3 minutes to complete.

Ultimately, a coffee scale allows you to repeat brews you like and make necessary adjustments to brews you want to improve. For instance, if your coffee tastes bitter or harsh, indicating that it’s too strong, you could try to reduce the coffee dose or brew time. Conversely, if your coffee tastes flat or watery, you could try to increase your coffee dose or brew time. Here we recommend the Acaia Pearl coffee scale. Another more affordable option is the Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale. You can also use a common kitchen scale that measures to a tenth of a gram along with a phone timer.

A pour over kettle allows you to retain the high temperature of your water and control the flow rate of your pour. Higher water temperatures increase the strength of your coffee while low water temperatures can often lead to coffee that tastes muddy or flat. The long, thin spout of pour over or gooseneck kettles allows you to pour close to the dripper and retain a slow and controlled flow rate necessary for the long brew times of pour overs. In our journal, we use the Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle, which allows you to set your water digitally to specific temperatures. However, any spouted heating vessel should work, ideally with a thermometer to keep track of the water temperature.

Ground coffee, due to its increased surface area, loses its freshness and flavor much faster than whole coffee beans. Grinding coffee beans right before brewing ensures your coffee is as fresh as possible, maximizing your ability to draw out unique notes and aromas from high quality beans.

In addition, adjustable burr grinders allow you to control the size of the grind, which is a major factor that determines the extraction and taste of your coffee. For pour overs and a variety of other brew methods, the grind size is usually the first variable that is adjusted, a process often referred to as ‘dialing in.’ For instance, if your brew time is way shorter or longer than the typical 3 minutes, you can try to adjust the grind size. A finer grind will extend your brew, while a coarser grind will shorten it. You can also adjust the grind size based on taste. If a coffee tastes sour or acidic, indicative of under-extraction, you could try grinding your coffee finer. If the coffee tastes bitter or harsh, indicative of over-extraction, you could try grinding your coffee coarser.

In this series, we recommend the Baratza Encore, which is an electric burr grinder. Manual burr grinders are also a good, affordable option for those who don’t mind the extra effort of grinding by hand. The Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder was my first coffee grinder and allowed me to taste unique notes in pour overs that I had never experienced in coffee before.

Whether for aesthetic purposes or for sharing larger batches of coffee, beautiful glassware is always a nice addition to any pour over set-up. Here we use the Mighty Small Glass Carafe from Fellow. Of course, you can always brew directly into a cup or mug when you’re making one cup at a time.

Remember, you don’t need to buy everything on this list to make a great tasting pour over at home. Depending on what equipment you already have in your kitchen, a dripper and coffee filters may be enough to get started. The order of our recommendations is a loose guide for what pieces of equipment we would prioritize most. 

Above all, find what works for you, take your time, and most importantly — enjoy the process.

Words by Samuel Han
Photography by Tina Park