Recipe — Pour Over Coffee
by Michael Cleland
The Assembly brew method for pour over coffee
As the term suggests, the pour over method refers to any technique where ground coffee sits in a paper filter and water is poured over to agitate the coffee, releasing the flavour within as the water filters down through the coffee into a vessel below.
It's our preferred method for filter coffee as we find it promotes optimum clarity in both flavour and body.
Our approach to the method uses a fine grind and fast brew method to enhance sweetness, avoid astringency and ultimately optimise clear expression of taste in the final cup.
1. The coffee brewer
For optimum results we need a brewer that facilitates consistent and fast drainage for water. Evenly dispersed draining enables:
- Increased predictability when brewing
- Less clumping of grounds and subsequent channeling (leading to under extraction)
- The use of finer grind sizes (and thus increased surface area of coffee) that can enable more flavour development in the cup.
For these reasons we choose to use the Orea Coffee Brewer.
2. Dry coffee dose
We dose 15g for a 250g final brew weight.
3. Coffee grind size
We use a slightly finer grind than we usually use for the pour over method due to the Orea's uniquely efficient and optimised drainage system. A useful reference point is that the coffee should have a texture closer to table salt than sea salt.
4. Set water temperature
We set our kettle to 98 degrees Celcius (slightly hotter than usual) and we pour quickly. Brightness and clarity are enhanced in the cup by brewing fast, with even dispersion of water.
We balance the speed of the brew with a high water temperature to maximise the probability that we are extracting as much as possible from the cup. A higher temperature more effectively engages the soluble compounds within the ground coffee.
5. Bloom the coffee
Pour 50g of water, swirl gently to agitate the coffee and encourage infusion, and allow to bloom for 30 seconds.
6. Pour onto grounds
Pour 50g of water and allow to drain. Repeat this process three more times until a total brew weight of 250g is achieved. The brewing process should be complete around 2 minutes 30 seconds.
7. Drain
Drain the brewer, decant the coffee, drink.
Browse our current coffees for your perfect pour over using the Orea Coffee Brewer.
