How to Brew the Perfect Pour Over

How to Brew the Perfect Pour Over at Home

Pour over coffee is one of the simplest ways to make a great cup, and it's the method we reach for most often when brewing our own beans at home. It gives you full control over every variable, and once you get the hang of it, the whole process takes about four minutes from first pour to last sip.

Here's exactly how we do it.

What You'll Need

You don't need a ton of gear to get started. Here's the short list:

A pour over dripper. The Hario V60 is the most popular option, but a Kalita Wave or Melitta work great too. Each one produces a slightly different cup, but the technique below applies to all of them.

Paper filters. Matched to your dripper. Bleached or unbleached, your call.

A gooseneck kettle. This is the one piece of equipment that makes the biggest difference. The narrow spout gives you the control you need to pour slowly and evenly. Electric models with temperature settings are convenient, but a stovetop gooseneck works just as well.

A kitchen scale. Coffee brewing is all about ratios. Eyeballing scoops will get you in the neighborhood, but a scale gets you to the exact address. Any kitchen scale that measures in grams will do.

A timer. Your phone works fine.

Freshly roasted, whole bean coffee. We'd recommend our Guatemala for your first pour over. Its clean, balanced profile makes it very forgiving across different brew variables. The Ethiopia is also outstanding here if you want something brighter and more fruit-forward.

A burr grinder. Pre-ground coffee loses flavor fast. Grinding right before you brew is the single biggest upgrade you can make. A hand grinder like the Timemore C2 is a solid entry point if you don't want to spend a lot.

The Recipe

This is the recipe we use at home and recommend to anyone just getting started.

Coffee: 20 g Water: 325 g Ratio: Roughly 1:16 Water temperature: 200 to 205°F (just off the boil) Grind size: Medium-fine, about the texture of table salt Total brew time: 3:00 to 3:30

Step by Step

1. Heat your water. Bring your kettle to a boil, then let it sit for about 30 seconds. You're aiming for 200 to 205°F. If your kettle has a temperature setting, dial it to 205°F.

2. Grind your coffee. Weigh out 20 g of whole bean coffee and grind it to a medium-fine consistency. Think table salt. If the grind is too coarse, water will rush through too quickly and the coffee will taste thin and sour. Too fine, and it'll drain slowly and taste bitter and over-extracted.

3. Rinse the filter. Place your paper filter in the dripper, set it on your mug or carafe, and pour hot water through the filter until it's fully saturated. This rinses away any papery taste and preheats the dripper. Dump the rinse water before you start brewing.

4. Add the coffee and level the bed. Pour your 20 g of ground coffee into the rinsed filter. Give the dripper a gentle shake to flatten the surface so the water hits the grounds evenly.

5. Bloom (0:00 to 0:45). Start your timer and pour about 40 to 50 g of water in a slow, circular motion, just enough to saturate all the grounds. You'll see the coffee puff up and bubble. That's CO2 escaping, and it's a sign your beans are fresh. Let it sit and bloom for about 45 seconds.

6. First pour (0:45 to 1:15). Starting from the center, pour in slow, steady circles outward toward the edge of the coffee bed, then back to the center. Add water until your scale reads about 150 g. Keep your pour slow and controlled. The goal is an even extraction, so try not to pour directly onto the filter walls.

7. Second pour (1:15 to 1:45). Repeat the same circular pattern, bringing the total water weight up to about 250 g.

8. Final pour (1:45 to 2:15). One more round. Pour until you hit your target of 325 g total. Keep the same slow, even circles.

9. Let it drain. Once you've poured all 325 g, let the water draw down through the coffee bed. The total brew time from your first pour to the last drip should land somewhere around 3:00 to 3:30. If it finishes much faster, your grind was probably too coarse. If it takes a lot longer, go a bit coarser next time.

10. Enjoy. Remove the dripper, toss the filter and grounds, and drink it while it's hot. As the cup cools, you'll notice the flavors open up and change, especially with a single-origin like our Ethiopia or Guatemala. That's one of the best parts of pour over.

Dialing It In

Your first cup might not be perfect, and that's completely fine. Here's how to adjust:

Tastes sour, thin, or tea-like? Your coffee is under-extracted. Try grinding finer, using slightly hotter water, or pouring a little more slowly.

Tastes bitter, harsh, or astringent? Your coffee is over-extracted. Try grinding coarser, using slightly cooler water, or speeding up your pour.

Tastes flat or muted? Your beans might not be fresh enough. Coffee is at its best within about four to six weeks of the roast date. Because we roast in small batches, every bag of Nomad Detroit Coffee ships within that window.

Change one variable at a time so you know what's actually making the difference. After a few rounds, you'll land on a brew that feels dialed in for your taste.

One Last Thing

The best cup of pour over is the one you enjoy drinking. If you like it stronger, use a little more coffee. If you like it lighter, add a little more water. The recipe above is a starting point, not a set of rules. The whole point of pour over is that you get to make it yours.

If you try this method with one of our coffees, we'd love to hear how it turns out. Drop us a line at hello@nomaddetroit.coffee, text us at 313-751-3699, or come find us at the Royal Oak Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. We're always happy to talk brewing.

Happy pouring.

Sean & Marcel Nomad Detroit Coffee