Pour Over Intro

HOME BREWING | OCTOBER 13, 2020

The pour over is arguably the most basic form of specialty coffee, consisting of hot water poured into a bed of coffee grounds and drawn through a filter by gravity. An irony exists between the simplicity of a pour over and how it allows for intimate control of variables that influence the extraction and taste of coffee. This explains why they are often the most expensive coffee items on the menu. Skilled baristas utilize the control of a pour over to showcase unique flavor profiles intrinsic to high quality coffees from specific origins. Each one is made by hand and perfected through meticulous adjustments to water temperature, flow rate, coffee dose, and grind size.

Paradoxically, pour over coffee is one of the most accessible options for anyone who wants to make specialty coffee at home. The necessary equipment is relatively affordable and unfettered by complicated machines. And while perfecting a pour over is an art that continually evolves with new trends and techniques, learning to make one is an extremely simple and rewarding process, a morning ritual that gives us pause and results in a delicious cup of coffee. 

Wherever you are in your knowledge of coffee, understanding the pour over is a great place to start.

Words by Samuel Han
Photography by Tina Park