Whether you’re chasing the flavor of a delicious cup at the local cafe or just looking for something to spice up your morning cup of coffee, getting your own pour over coffee setup is a great investment. Pour over coffee is one of the most affordable brew methods, and it can also be one of the most flavorful and delicious. It might not have the same level of popularity as espresso or drip coffee, but it’s growing to be a favorite brew method of tons of coffee enthusiasts. So how do you get started?
What You’ll Need
To get brewing with pour over you’ll need a grinder, a dripper, a scale, hot water, and of course, fresh coffee. One of the nice parts about this brew method is that the tools to do it will help with other ways to brew as well. This is why it helps to start with a pour over setup, then add in other gear as you want to explore different brew methods. For example, the type of coffee grinder you’ll want for pour over will work great with drip brewing, press, and cold brew coffee methods. This is because you don’t need the fine precision that an espresso grinder requires. It also means that you can get an affordable entry level grinder like the Solis Scala and save for your first setup. Then, if you want more high-end features like what you find on a Fellow Ode or Eureka Mignon Brew Pro you can upgrade in that direction. On the other hand, if you decide you want something more espresso focused, you can pick up something more tuned for that instead and still have an affordable, solid slow brew grinder.
Gear Recommendations
We’ve shared our Solis Scala recommendation for a grinder. This is a great, affordable option that still offers solid performance. For a scale, it’s really up to you. We have a selection of scales available, but anything that provides good response time and accuracy will work (you may even already have a good scale). Then there’s your kettle. Our biggest recommendation for having a good pour over starting point is to pick up a variable temperature kettle. Yes, they’re a bit more expensive, but knowing you’re at the right temperature for brewing is so key. Finally, there’s your dripper choice. This may seem confusing, but it’s really not so bad. Chemex, V60s, and the Kalita Wave are all great drippers. Even the Melitta pour over dripper is good for your first option. Pour over dripper choice has a very subtle effect on flavor and it likely won’t be noticeable if you’re new to the brew method. Instead, pick the dripper that you think you’ll enjoy using the most based on the way it looks and what filters it uses. If you’re still not sure, the V60 is a wonderful first dripper!
Don’t Forget the Coffee Beans
Finally, there’s the coffee beans. Pour over brewing tends to bring out and expand subtle coffee flavors. For this reason, lighter roasts with strong fruity and floral notes are a great match for the brew method. If you want something darker consider a medium roast; anything particularly dark will generally be better suited for press or drip brewing. We hope these tips help to get you on your way to your first home-crafted pour over!
