One of the easiest ways to get your coffee averse friends into our favorite beverage is with pour over! This is a simple brew method that can offer a fun, meditative experience, and incredible flavor. The best part? It’s affordable enough to get into pour over that the gear to do it makes great gifts. So let's take a look!
A great pour over grinder is one that’s consistent in the mid and coarse ranges of the grinding spectrum. This means you don’t want to use an espresso grinder for pour over. You’ll also want to avoid cheap blade grinders that chop up the beans. This does mean that you can get a strong pour over grinder at an affordable price compared to higher end espresso grinders. While there are options out there like the Fellow Ode, which offer unbeatable quality for pour over and loads of bells and whistles, you can easily get an excellent pour over with something more affordable. For us, that looks like the Solis Scala. This grinder provides a consistency on par with much more expensive grinders at a great price. It makes a great gift as well due to that much more affordable price point. With a grinder like this, they’ll be brewing up delicious slow brew coffee for years.
Drippers are largely something you have to decide on taste. While a great starting point is the Hario V60, alternatives like the Kalita Wave and Espro Bloom
make a great pour over as well. One easy way to select a dripper to gift is look at your price range and what you think looks nice! In terms of carafes, you can actually skip this bit if your giftee wants to brew by the cup. One of the great things about pour over is that you can just put the dripper right on your mug! If you do want to get them a carafe to brew into, the Hario V60 Glass Server is a good choice.
One absolute must for brewing consistent pour over is a decent scale. While some kitchen scales can be to the task, it’s worth investing in something purpose built for best results. For something in a giftable price range, we love the Hario V60 Drip Scale and the Oxo Precision Scale and Timer. Both of these scales offer great feedback and performance for pour over. In terms of kettles, you can get by with a basic kitchen kettle. However, something with a gooseneck and an adjustable temperature setting is ideal. Bonavita’s Variable Temperature Kettle is a great, affordable pick for this! Oh, and don’t forget the filters, or a gift coffee subscription from Seattle Coffee Gear!E1574
