How To Make A Perfect Cup Of Coffee

Your new morning ritual

Hey, everyone!

Today’s post is about what I consider the best method for making coffee— the pour-over.

I’ve noticed that there are a ton of companies out there trying to sell you various ways of making coffee more quickly— concentrates, pods, frozen coffee capsules. I’m here to show you the opposite— the slow method of making coffee that allows you to experience this beautiful beverage at its absolute best.

One of the things I like most about coffee is how accessible it is. Unlike say wine or whiskey, world-class coffee is available to pretty much anyone willing to make it at home. And the nice thing is that this process is actually quite simple. You can complete the entire thing in less than 10 minutes, and it’s a nice little ritual to kick off your day. And once you experience coffee this way, you’ll never go back.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Myles

Equipment

There are a few pieces of equipment you need to make a pour-over. The first is a pour-over device (brewer + filters). I use a Chemex, but the Hario v60 and Kalita Wave are just as good. You’ll also need a gooseneck kettle and a scale, both of which can be purchased on Amazon for cheap.

Finally, you’ll need a grinder. If you’re just getting started, you can have your local coffee shop grind your beans for you (just make sure you tell them it’s for a pour-over so they can calibrate the grind). But eventually you’ll want to get your own, as freshly-ground beans make a huge difference. The Baratza Encore is by far the best option for performance and price.

In the photos below you’ll see that I’m using unbleached Chemex filters— but you can also find reusable filters like this one that perform really well.

Finally, you’ll need some good coffee. If you don’t have a local roaster you love, a few of my recent favorites are Sey Coffee and Klatch Coffee.

Step 1: Heat Your Water

Start by filling up a gooseneck kettle and heating it to just below boiling. I usually set mine for 205°F.

Step 2: Weigh and Grind Your Beans

I use a 15:1 ratio of water to coffee when I make pour-overs. For one person I use 20g of coffee and 300g of water. Feel free to scale up or down depending on how much you want to make.

Weigh out 20g of beans, and then grind them to a medium-fine grind. Most grinders have a setting specifically for the pour-over device you’re using, so look it up to get perfectly calibrated.

Step 3: Wet Your Filter

You always want to wet your filter with hot water before you add your coffee. This serves two purposes– it heats up the filter and the glass below it so that your coffee isn't dripping onto cold glass. And it gets rid of any "papery" taste you might get from the raw filter. Do this even if you’re using a metal filter, since you want everything warm before you add your coffee.

Pour a bit of hot water over the filter, swirl it around in the glass below, and then dump it out.

Step 4: Add Your Grounds

Now, you can add your grounds directly over the filter. Give them a quick shake after you dump them in so that they sit in a flat layer.

Once you add your grounds, tare your scale to zero so that you can measure exactly how much water you add.

Step 5: Bloom The Coffee

"Blooming" your coffee refers to the process where you add just a bit of water to start things out. The coffee will immediately start to react to the heat and water, and will start to release gas and bubbles like the photo above.

This process serves to activate a lot of the flavor compounds, and it makes a big difference. If you drown it with a ton of water before it has a chance to bloom, it won't taste nearly as good.

To bloom, simply add about 50-60g of water to the grounds, or enough to just completely wet the grounds. Then, give the coffee 30-60 seconds to bloom. You'll see the reaction happen immediately, especially with freshly roasted coffee.

Step 6: Complete The Pour

The final step is to complete your pour.

To do this, you want to start by zig-zagging across the surface of the coffee to cover the whole area. Then, slowly pour in concentric circles across the top until you reach your total amount of water.

Step 7: Enjoy

Once your coffee has finished steeping, simply remove the filter, give the coffee a quick swirl, and pour it into your cup. Now you're ready to enjoy a world-class cup of coffee.