Poorboy's pour-over

Bronzelife

New member
Mar 27, 2017
3
0
Visit site
IMG_1017.JPG

My quick take experimenting with pour overs.

after getting a few great cups from local shops I surmised I deserved better coffee at home and I'd give pour overs a shot. So after some trial and error I found a method that I think is respectable in my mr. coffee maker.

Boil 5 cups of water
grind 1/3 cup of coffee - 2 weeks to month old tops
use and rinse an unbleached filter

grind coffee to med coarse then flatten it in the filter with a small depression in the middle and higher sides. Pour in water starting in the center and then around the edge. Wait 30-45 seconds for bloom. Then pour a full brew in a circular motion starting outside and moving in breaking the bloom. Wait til the grinds are visible and repeat second step for full brew.

finally I transfer the coffee while it's HOT to a Stanley thermos. I never reheat coffee or leave it on a source of heat.

In my opinion, it's a pretty good cup and quite comparable to what I get at the better shops. Now I'm thinking of investing in a better, or maybe it's just more expensive, pour over system. Anyone familiar with my method? Did you upgrade your pour over system and get way better results?
 
Last edited:

Bronzelife

New member
Mar 27, 2017
3
0
Visit site
Don't see why that wouldn't make a decent cup and surely better than what that brewer could make but you should consider a burr grinder next.

Duffy, can you expand on the grind difference a little more. I'm using a cheap chopper now with acceptable results imo. And what would be the difference in moving to a more traditional pour over system like a bodum or pricier melitta besides the obvious style points?

so far I've found that the greatest factors in getting a decent cup are coffee quality, roast date, and water quality.
 

Duffyjr

Member
Jan 10, 2017
344
0
Nebraska
Visit site
When I went from a blade grinder to a burr grinder I couldn't believe how much better the coffee tasted. With a blade grinder I was getting to many fines in the grind and if I backed off the amount of grind time it lost it's flavor some but the fines were still there and was making my coffee taste bitter. With that being said I used a spice mill for many years before I had a burr grinder so if the coffee tastes ok to you that's all that matters in the long run. A lot of folks will agree with me on the blade vs burr grinder.

As far as pour overs the only one I use is a Chemex and I'm still in the learning phase so I can't help much with the difference in pour over methods. There's lots of guys here that use other pour overs so hopefully they will chime in.
 

Bronzelife

New member
Mar 27, 2017
3
0
Visit site
After reading your reply and watching multiple YouTube videos I can see a burr grinder is definitely the next step in getting a better cup. Wish they were a little cheaper but the difference in uniformity is night and day. No matter how many tricks you use with a blade the consistency just isn't there.

excited to get even better cups, not excited to spend $200 on a decent grinder. thanks for the direction!
 

Duffyjr

Member
Jan 10, 2017
344
0
Nebraska
Visit site
I know it's a little spendy but I don't think your will regret it. I bought a Baratza Virtuoso but I think if I had it to do over gain I'd get the Baratza Encore, it's a little cheaper but has good reviews. I know some have mentioned a few under $100 that work but don't recall the brand.

Let us know which one you get.
 
Top