Article 1

Guide To Pour Over Coffee

Have you ever been in a coffee shop queue and overheard customers asking for "pour over" or
"brewed" coffee?

Maybe you were interested enough to place an order for yourself. If you're here, it must have been
because of the incredible impact of your pour over coffee. You enjoyed it so much that you looked up
the recipe to see if it was something you could make at home, and the answer is yes!

It's time you became a true coffee connoisseur and learned the art of brewing excellent coffee.

What Exactly Is Pour Over Coffee?

Do you know what is pour over coffee? So what is it about this coffee that makes it so incredibly special?
The method and the outcome are equally important. Many coffee drinkers choose for this approach
because it gives them more control over the final product, both in terms of flavor and intensity. After
giving this approach a try, you'll wonder why it wasn't available sooner in your coffee-drinking history.

Coffee prepared by pouring hot water over freshly ground beans is known as pour over (or manual filter
coffee).

Three elements to Excellent Filter Coffee Prepared Using a Pour Over Method

 Freshly ground coffee

 To filter coffee with (of some sort)
 An apparatus for brewing using a pour-over method (duh)

Slowly dripping water over a coffee bed extracts the coffee flavor from the beans, and the resulting
brew is collected in a cup or carafe for optimal drinking.

Although making beer by hand may seem straightforward, it really takes practice to master. It will take
time, effort, and determination. Just like the best things in life.

You're going to uncover the secrets, so don't worry.

List of Equipment For Filter Coffee

If your goal is to make great coffee, don't skimp on the process. You'll need these items in addition to a
pour over or manual drip coffee maker:

 A coffee maker that uses a pour-over method

 To filter coffee with (the type reliant on the brewer you choose)
 An excellent burr grinder for your coffee.
 A "gooseneck kettle" (for maximum hot water flow). To do this, you'll need a pour-over kettle.
  High-Quality Water
 A water temperature gauge or regulator is required.
 A gram scale for weighing coffee.
 Dish used for serving (optional)

Making Pour Over Coffee

Crush some beans, brew some water, and enjoy some tasty coffee. Seems simple enough. The fact is
that mastering this kind of beer takes time and effort.

But if you stick to this detailed tutorial, you will be able to brew the coffee of your dreams: full-bodied,
silky smooth, and fragrant.

1. Heat the water to a Temperature Between 195 and 205°F

It is crucial to maintain a water temperature between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wait for the water to boil, then take it off the heat and let it sit for 30 seconds before brewing if you
don't have a thermometer.

Try using a smart kettle if you want to include some modern technology. The water in these kettles may
be heated to a certain temperature and maintained there until it is needed.

The Bonavita digital variable temperature pour over kettle is a top pick in its category and a personal
favorite of mine. It looks great, can be operated with no effort, and keeps water at the ideal
temperature for as long as you need it to.

You can better regulate the brew's water content by using a gooseneck kettle. Use the proper water
while brewing coffee for maximum effect (it makes a difference).

2. Weigh Your Coffee.

How many cups of coffee would you like? One of the most important aspects of coffee taste is how
much water is used. One common advice is for 18 g of water for every g of coffee.

For reference, you'll need between 9 and 11 grams of coffee for a 6-ounce (171 gram) cup. If you poll a
group of baristas, you could get replies ranging from 16:1 to 19:1. Why? Simply said, people like the
flavor of their coffee.

More coffee, as a Pretty general rule, means better taste.

What criteria do you use to choose the greatest flavor? If you're using a scale, try out some alternative
proportions and take some notes.

3. Rinse/Wet Your Filter.

This is a crucial step, so don't forget about it or your coffee may wind up tasting like paper. Rinse the
filter to get rid of the paper flavor.

To properly rinse the filter, set the brewer in the dripper, pour water around it in a circular motion,
being careful to go up the sides. Let the water run for approximately five seconds, and then empty it out
of the cup or carafe.

Still not convinced? Try this out once and inhale the damp cardboard aroma emanating from the filter
paper. This will now be a standard procedure for you.

The carafe of fetid water must be emptied immediately. There's no way someone would want to
consume it.

4. Grind The Coffee.

By grinding the beans just before brewing, you may fine-tune the taste to your liking. The flavor is
enhanced with a finer grind, although the taste might become unpleasant. Although while a coarser
grind yields a sweeter cup, it is more likely to be under-extracted, acidic, and weak.

Finding a middle ground is your homework (the perfect particle size). The recommended grind size for a
pour over is somewhere between coarse salt and fine sand.

Want to do some research? Test your coffee with a setting in the center of your grinder's range (note
down the result for next time). Like it softer? Coarsen the grinding. Want more depth? It needs to be
ground up more.

Into the clean filter, pour the ground coffee, then...

5. Pour Water.

Bloom and brew time are two phases of the water pouring process.

Bloom by soaking the grounds in a little amount of water (30 grams or so). The earth will rise, bubble,
and swell. Wait 30 seconds for the flower to fully blossom.

Brew the coffee by carefully pouring the remaining water over the grounds.

To uniformly water the grounds, you should begin in the middle and work your way out in a widening
spiral. After the desired amount of water has been added, stop.

Although the Hario V60 requires more finesse than a standard pour over brewer, there are many that
just demand a simple pour.

Pour Over Coffee Ratio

The most significant influence on the final taste of your coffee comes from the amount of water used. T
hick or thin? Which is more affluent, rich or mild? Dismal or resentful? The secret to the best cup of joe
is revealed.

The "golden ratio" of 55 grams of coffee to 1 liter of water is recommended by the Specialty Coffee
Association (1). It works out to around 9-11 grams of beans in a 6-ounce serving. The ratio of water to
coffee in this case comes out to 18:1 after a quick calculation.

Nevertheless, some baristas use a ratio of 16:1 or even 19:1. Why? Simply said, people like the flavor of
their coffee.

Since these proportions are only suggestions, however, how can you determine your optimal intake?
Experiment. Make a cup of coffee and write down the amount of water you used.

Take a swig of that coffee. Does it have a luxurious flavor? Is it just a tad feeble? Is it too powerful? Too
bitter?

If you've already figured out the proportions, here's how to get there:

Need a deeper taste? Do it with coffee. Find the current brew too bitter? Take it easy on the coffee.

After a few trials, you should be able to make the ideal cup.

Some Advice on Making the Perfect Cup of Joe

These suggestions may seem obvious, but with this kind of brewing, it's the small things that add up to a
big difference:

Always Keep in Mind That Your Grinder Is Your Secret Ingredient

We coffee nerds put themselves through this for one reason only: the flavor.

You've put in the effort to choose the best beans and learn the best method for making pour over
coffee, so it stands to reason that you would also select the best grinder.

The grind you select will have a significant effect on the brewing time of any coffee you make. Keep in
mind that this is a procedure, and any snags along the way will affect the final result. In order to master
the timing, you must master the grind. When making filter coffee by hand, the size of the grind is quite
important.

Kicking Horse Coffee staff members concur that :

« Grinding exposes all volatile flavours and aromatics locked in the coffee bean. Grind size will greatly
affect the coffee you brew. »

The water will percolate through the coffee more quickly if it is ground coarsely because the granules
will be bigger. A finer grind, on the other hand, has the opposite effect since the granules are so much
smaller. These will prevent the water from percolating readily through them, preventing the taste from
being extracted.

You need to use the Goldilocks method to grinding for perfect filter coffee, which means not too coarse
and not too fine.

A little miscalculation will result in either over- or under-extracted coffee.

A high-quality coffee grinder is essential for producing uniformly fine grounds and ensuring a consistent
coffee extraction. I can't emphasize this enough: you must have uniformly sized grounds. Check out our
coffee grind size chart if you're serious about learning about grinding and need a visual aid.

Let's make some coffee now that you know how crucial the coffee grounds are to a great cup of joe.

Don’t Skip The Bloom

Here's a key idea: wetting, also known as blooming. Hold on tight, because this is where science comes
in!

Carbon dioxide is produced in the coffee grinds as a byproduct of the grinding process (2). This is not
necessarily a bad thing, but if the carbon dioxide isn't released first, the water won't be able to fully
permeate the grinds. By wetting or "blooming" the coffee, the trapped carbon dioxide is released.

In order to make coffee properly, you must first wet the grounds with water, then wait for them to
"bloom" and release carbon dioxide. Take action by:

 Applying an optimal amount of water to ensure that all soil is saturated.

 In order to release the trapped carbon dioxide, we will be pausing for about 30 seconds.
 Seeing the landscaping grow and flourish is a sight to behold.

The grounds also emit a pleasant aroma at this time. So go ahead and soak in the beautiful scent. You've
earned this.

Be Consistent (And Keep A Record)

Maintaining uniformity is crucial to the success of this endeavor. If you make some blunders along the
way (hey, you're human), this will help you fix them, and it will also give you the freedom to try new
things after you've mastered the fundamentals. And, to quote our pals at Perfect Daily Grind (3):

« Keep in mind that there is room for experimentation at every stage of the brewing process. »

For the love of all things caffeinated, follow these guidelines to ensure consistency:

 A high-quality, precise scale should be used.

 Get yourself a good burr grinder.
 Adhere strictly to a brewing recipe (so you get even extraction).
  To ensure success, it is essential to document the process from the outset (use a brew journal,
so you know where to start next time).

Say, for argument's sake, you prepare a very delicious beverage. Note down the steps you took: Make a
note in a journal of the coffee-making details, such as the quantity of coffee you used, the temperature
of the water, and the time you spent pouring.

Keep The Cleaning Part in Mind

In their blueprint for producing the perfect cup of coffee, Sweet Maria's includes the step of cleaning
your equipment, which is the least appealing element of preparing coffee.

« A good rule of thumb is: if you smell an odor from your equipment, clean it. If you can’t remember the
last time you cleaned your brewer, clean it. » says Sweet Maria.

Make sure your brewing apparatus is thoroughly cleaned after each use so that it is free of coffee oils
before you use it again. Your tongue will express its gratitude.

You can find a lot of information online to assist you figure out how to utilize your new pour over
brewing gear. The Blue Bottles Craft of Coffee Book by James Freeman et al. and Scott Rao's Everything
except Espresso are two of the greatest books about coffee. To wit:
Trying out recipes from the top chefs in the world is another useful tip. In this video, Steven from Home
Grounds accomplishes just that, trying out three winning dishes from the World Brewers Cup.

Choosing A Brewer

You've learned all there is to know about pour over, often known as manual drip coffee, and now it's
time to pick out the right gear. Picking a brewer is like picking a life partner; you want to find someone
you click with so you can go through life's ups and downs together.

Choosing the one you believe looks best is not the only option. Every brew session is unique due to the
individuality and "needs" of the brewer. The things you like and dislike will vary.

What I mean is as follows. Paper filters work with certain pour over brewers, while others need
specialized filters that can only be purchased online. Some breweries need an elaborate setup and
procedure, while others may get by with simply a bed of grounds and some water.
Want some advice? If you're just getting started, I suggest the Kalita Wave brewer from our selection of
pour over coffee makers.

This article provided a high-level introduction to the pour-over brewing method. Check out these
brewing guidelines to get an idea of how each kind of pour over dripper works:

 Kalita Wave Brew guide

 Chemex brew guide
 Clever dripper pour over recipe
 Hario V60 brewing guide

What You Need For Pour Over (Or Hand Drip) Coffee

If you want to create great coffee, don't skimp on the process. Here are some supplementary resources
you'll require:

 An object used to filter coffee (the type reliant on the brewer you choose)
 A high-quality coffee grinder (I know I just said this, but it bears repeating)
 An exceptional teapot. Having access to hot water alone is insufficient. You'll need a steady
stream of hot water.
 The greatest gooseneck kettles are designed specifically for pour over brewing, and they are
available here.
 A gram scale, since accuracy is key when measuring coffee.
 A thermometer or other means of regulating the temperature of the water.

To elevate your pour over to the next level, try utilizing a granular grind with a sifter like the Kruve.

Final Thoughts

This concludes our short introduction to making hand filter coffee. After you've got the fundamentals
down, you can start playing around with different brewers and adjusting your brew to suit your mood.
Here are some great coffee brewing YouTube channels to subscribe to if you want to learn more about
the art.

Article 2
The Importance Of The Coffee Bloom

I have written extensively about the merits of using freshly roasted coffee in this blog. You should try to
get your hands on freshly roasted beans (or better yet, roast them yourself) and ground them just
before you brew.
To ensure that you get the most out of your morning joe, I have included evaluations of beans and
coffee making tools. I feel obligated to warn you about the disadvantage of drinking freshly brewed
coffee, so here goes:

As in, CO2 gas.

Read on for advice on how to degas your fresh grounds for optimal taste, since I wouldn't send you a
problem without a solution. That is to say, the method of coffee blossoming.

Coffee Bloom Explained

Coffee bloom is a term that might come up in your search for the ideal brewing conditions. Those who
like pour over brewing techniques are the most likely to employ it. To do this, you just pour a tiny
quantity of water over the coffee and let it rest for a few moments (around 30) before continuing to
brew.

You can tell when coffee is "blooming" because the grinds expand and bubbles form on the surface. The
beans are emitting carbon dioxide (CO2), which may be seen as the bubbles.

Carbon Dioxide

Since the surface area of ground beans is much greater than that of whole beans, they degas much more
rapidly. The flavor-inducing volatile chemicals leave with the carbon dioxide during natural degassing,
leading to stale coffee.

Up to the time of brewing, carbon dioxide is on our side. The gas has a dual effect on the taste of your
beverage:

1. carbon dioxide is a sour gas. It may be nice in a glass of carbonated water, but it's not the kind of
taste we're going for with our high-quality beans.
2. The gas prevents any moisture from reaching the coffee. In order for the water to extract all the
flavorful chemicals needed for your brew, the gas must first be released.

Because of this, releasing the gas after brewing is worth an extra 30 seconds.

After roasting, coffee is degassed, but you still need to do the last step in the brewing procedure. How?

How To Bloom Coffee

There’s nothing complicated about getting your coffee to release the gas:

 Prepare your preferred pour-over coffee machine with freshly ground beans.
 Measure out twice as much water when it reaches the ideal temperature (so for 25g of beans,
50g of water).
 Add the water to the coffee and stir.
 Hold on a minute. The coffee should foam up and release gas in the form of bubbles.
 Add the remaining water and continue brewing as usual.

An expert recommendation: invest in a gooseneck coffee pot for precise temperature control.
The amount of gas produced during blooming depends on a variety of parameters.

 I've previously gushed about how great the coffee is.

 The darker you want your roast, the less CO2 you'll emit throughout the blooming process.
 The difficulty of the carbon dioxide penetrating the bean may also be a result of the bean's
toughness.
 The water's temperature, as well as the ambient temperature and humidity on the day of
brewing, may all have a role (colder temperatures mean less gas release).

Nonetheless, if there are many bubbles, the coffee is likely to be quite fresh.

Tips For Blooming With Different Brewing Methods

While blooming is most beneficial when using the pour over method, doing it before any other brewing
process won't damage.

Some of the most well-liked brewing techniques, and some pointers on how to excel at them, are
included here. Try blooming a batch of the one you normally use to see if the flavor improves.

Pour Over

When people speak about "blooming" coffee, they usually mean a pour over method using a device like
the Hario V60 or Chemex.

Don't think that because your spill over is flourishing that nothing else can or will. To get the most out of
your Chemex, you should still use freshly roasted beans and grind them to a medium-coarse consistency
before measuring out your water and coffee (55 grams per liter). Adjust the settings until the coffee is
perfect for your taste.

If not, you may probably use the same approach as in the preceding steps.

French Press

This is another another widely used and easy brewing technique. It's simple to implement, and it
improves with a "blooming" stage of the brewing process.

To achieve blooming using a French press, you need to add the "bloom time" to the procedure at the
point it would normally be added.

After the coffee has been ground and placed in the carafe, the water should be added directly to the
carafe, rather than first being measured out.

Let them to blossom for 30 seconds before adding the remaining water and stirring gently.
Pro Tip : Recall that the recommended brewing time of three to four minutes does not include the thirty
seconds spent blooming the beans.

Automatic Drip Makers

Even though you probably use a drip coffee maker because of how convenient it is, you should give this
method a go at least once to ensure you're getting the greatest possible extraction from your beans.

Drip coffee machines need just a tiny quantity of water to be boiled before production can begin. When
you're ready to brew, place the filter and coffee grounds in the basket, then pour the hot water from the
separate kettle over the grounds, as described above.

Pro Tip : If any water escapes through the earth, collect it in a carafe below the surface.

In this instance, 45-90 seconds is usually recommended to allow the flowers to open (1).

If you prepare the grounds properly, you won't have the sinking area where the water first struck them
after brewing. This is because, after the grounds have flowered, the water may pool on top of them
before percolating more uniformly through them, resulting in a higher quality extraction.

If you use a drip coffee machine and are scoffing at these "extra steps," know that you are not alone;
nonetheless, the fact is that sometimes drip coffee doesn't benefit as drastically from blooming as pour
over. Yet, there is another alternative besides heating the water in advance if you find the difference to
be unacceptable.

Several high-end drip brewers are designed with a particular bloom feature.

Cold Brew

Although there are several techniques for making cold brew coffee (and a wide variety of ways to enjoy
it), one interesting variation is the "hot bloom / cold brew" approach (2). This approach integrates the
greatest features of both brewing processes into a seamless whole, producing really exceptional coffee.

Your coarsely ground coffee should be placed in the container, and hot water should be poured directly
into the grounds for 30-45 seconds, as per the previous instructions.

Add the remaining cold water and let the mixture steep for the standard 12-24 hours required for cold
brew.

Manual Espresso Machine

The bloom is beneficial for your manual espresso machine, but it won't look the same as the bloom in a
Hario or French press. Although though it isn't technically a bloom, it helps with extraction and taste by
thoroughly wetting the coffee grounds.
This process is known as pre-infusion in espresso machines. Pre-infusion works to enhance the
resistance to forcing the hot water through the filter basket by soaking the coffee grounds and causing
them to expand within the portafilter. This guarantees that as much of the espresso's surface as possible
comes into touch with the hot water, making for a more robust taste.

How can you pre-infuse coffee in a lever espresso machine, umm, bloom it? Simple: Raise the lever until
it "latches" into place, wait 15 seconds for the filter basket to fill with hot water, and then bring the
lever down to about halfway before releasing it. Some espresso will seep through, but only very slowly.
(At least, that's how the La Pavoni is prepared in the Hunker Down Kitchen.) If you clock it, you'll see
that the total time it takes to let the filter basket fill and then perform the half-pull is 30 seconds, the
same as the bloom time for a pour over. Then, pull the lever up for another 30 seconds.

« Espresso preinfusion is similar to prewetting during a hand pour or batch brew. Ideally, espresso
preinfusion occurs at a zero bars of pressure and a low flow rate (say, 2–3 ml/second), and pressure
does not increase until the entire coffee bed is wet,» says Scott Rao.

You can just push a button and let the machine do the rest of the work for you when using a high-end
automated espresso machine that incorporates a pre-infusion step into its brewing cycle. Whether
you're making an espresso to drink on its own or a frothy milk beverage like a cappuccino or latte, this
step is crucial.

When Is Blooming Necessary?

As I've previously said, using a bloom in your brewing process will have no unfavorable effects. There is
no comparison between the benefits of pour over and immersion or higher intensity techniques like
percolators or espresso machines.

This is because the water only makes brief contact with the beans using pour over techniques. Anything
(read: carbon dioxide) blocking the water's ability to extract flavor will be detectable in the final product.

You don't have to worry nearly as much if you use a French press, for example, since the grounds will
remain in touch with the water for a much longer period of time.

Except for cold brew, of course. Using the hot bloom/cold brew method might be helpful since the hot
water aids in gas removal. To get the most out of your cold brew coffee, use hot water to "bloom" the
grounds first.

You don't have to make a big deal out of your brew, but you should still give the grounds a good soaking
and distribute the water evenly. The beans' gas production may thus be more evenly distributed.

We have already established that a gooseneck kettle is useful for pouring.

Nirvana

I hope you get the allusion. Heaven is a different name for "In Bloom," a song by Nirvana.
Coffee Heaven

No. Ignore it. Adding an extra 30 seconds to your coffee's brewing time could be all you need to unlock
its full taste potential. Do a pour-over with it the next time you make coffee and see if you notice a
change in flavor.