Pour over recipe: 31 g of medium fine coffee to 500 g of water (1:16) at about 200°F. Bloom with about 60 g of water for 30 to 45 seconds, pour the rest in stages, and finish in 3 to 4 minutes.
What you need
This makes 500 g of coffee, about two 8 oz cups. The calculator above scales it to any amount of water.
- 31 g medium fine ground coffee
- 500 g water at about 200°F, plus extra for rinsing the filter
Equipment: a cone dripper and the paper filters made for it, a kettle, a kitchen scale that reads in grams, a timer, and a mug or carafe underneath. A gooseneck kettle makes slow, steady pours much easier, but it is not required. A regular kettle works if you pour gently and close to the coffee.
The pour over ratio, and when to change it
A pour over ratio is grams of coffee to grams of water. Most people brew somewhere between 1:15 and 1:17. We start at 1:16 because it gives a clear, full cup that is easy to nudge in either direction. Since 1 ml of water weighs 1 g, you can weigh the water straight onto the scale as you pour.
| Brewing for | Water | Coffee at 1:16 |
|---|---|---|
| One small cup | 250 g | 16 g |
| One 12 oz mug | 355 g | 22 g |
| Two 8 oz cups | 500 g | 31 g |
| A small carafe | 700 g | 44 g |
If the cup tastes balanced but weak, move to 1:15 by adding a couple of grams of coffee. If it tastes balanced but heavy, move to 1:17. Change the ratio only when the flavor is right and the strength is wrong. When the flavor itself is off, the grind is usually the better lever.
Grind and cone shape
Start with a medium fine grind, about the texture of table salt. It should be finer than you would use for a flat bottom coffee machine and much finer than French press. Grind just before you brew if you can. Pre-ground drip coffee is a little coarser than ideal, so it drains faster. It still works in a cone at a pinch: pour more slowly, or add a gram or two of coffee to make up for the quicker brew.
The shape of the dripper changes how fast water leaves it, so the same grind behaves differently in each one.
V60 and other single hole cones
A Hario V60 is a steep cone with one large hole and spiral ridges on the inside. Water flows out quickly, so your pouring controls most of the brew time. It rewards a steady hand and can taste very bright and clean. If it drains too fast, grind a little finer.
Chemex
A Chemex is a glass carafe and cone in one piece, used with thick paper filters. The heavy paper slows the flow and catches more oils and fine particles, which makes a very clean, light bodied cup. Most people grind slightly coarser for a Chemex so the brew does not stall, and it suits larger batches of three or four mugs.
Kalita Wave and other flat bottom drippers
A flat bottom dripper such as the Kalita Wave holds the coffee in an even, level bed and drains through a few small holes. The flow is steadier and less dependent on your pouring, which makes it the most forgiving of the three. It is a good first dripper if you want repeatable results.
How to brew it, step by step
- Heat the water to about 200°F, or let a boiled kettle rest for 30 seconds.
- Put a paper filter in the cone, rinse it with hot water, and pour that rinse water away.
- Add 31 g of medium fine coffee, shake it level, set everything on the scale, and tare it to zero.
- Start a timer and pour about 60 g of water to wet all the grounds, then let it bloom for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Pour slowly in small circles up to 200 g, then 350 g, then 500 g, letting the level drop a little between pours.
- Let the water drain through, which should finish 3 to 4 minutes after you started, then swirl the coffee and serve.
The bloom matters because freshly roasted coffee holds carbon dioxide. When hot water hits it, the gas rushes out and the bed puffs up. Pouring the rest of the water before that settles pushes water around the grounds rather than through them, which makes a thin, uneven cup.
Pouring technique
Good pouring is about control, not speed. A few habits make the biggest difference.
- Pour in the middle. Spiral out from the center and stop short of the paper. Water poured down the side of the filter runs past the coffee without brewing it.
- Keep the stream gentle. Pour from low, a thin and steady stream. A heavy pour from high up churns the bed and can clog the filter with fine particles.
- Hold a steady level. Aim to keep the water about the same height in the cone through each stage, rather than filling it to the brim and waiting.
- Swirl at the end. A gentle swirl after the last pour flattens the bed so it drains evenly. A flat bed at the end is a good sign.
Here is a simple schedule for 500 g. Treat the times as a guide, not a rule.
| Time | Pour to | What is happening |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | 60 g | Bloom |
| 0:45 | 200 g | First main pour |
| 1:15 | 350 g | Second pour |
| 1:45 | 500 g | Last pour, then a gentle swirl |
| 3:00 to 4:00 | Done | The bed drains dry |
Troubleshooting by taste and drawdown time
Pour over gives you two clues: how the cup tastes, and how long it took to drain. Read them together and change one thing at a time.
| What you notice | Likely cause | Try this |
|---|---|---|
| Sour or thin, and it finished under 3 minutes | Under extracted, water ran through too fast | Grind finer, or pour more slowly |
| Bitter or dry, and it took over 4 minutes | Over extracted, water sat too long | Grind coarser |
| Bitter and sour at once | Uneven extraction | Bloom longer, pour in the center, swirl at the end |
| Drains fine but tastes weak | Ratio too light | Move to 1:15 |
| Drains fine but tastes heavy | Ratio too strong | Move to 1:17 |
| Brew stalls and the bed looks muddy | Grind too fine, or pouring too hard | Grind coarser and pour lower and gentler |
Why the clock helps. Taste tells you something is off. Drawdown time tells you which way to move. A sour cup that ran fast and a sour cup that ran slow need different fixes, and the timer is how you tell them apart.
Water temperature matters too. If the kettle has been sitting, the water may be well below 200°F, and cool water tends to make a sour cup. Darker roasts often taste better a few degrees cooler, around 195°F, since they extract more easily.
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