The pour over, or V60, method lends itself to a beautiful, fresh-tasting cup of coffee.
Over the last several decades, the pour over cone has seen a lot of changes in design, shape, and material.
Despite the level of sophistication that this pour over brewing method has achieved, it had much more humble beginnings in a small town in Italy in the early 1900s. A woman named Amalie Auguste Melitta Bentz was seeking to produce a way of brewing that allowed for a less extracted and bitter-tasting cup of coffee. She began experimenting with a bit of blotting paper and a pot with a puncture at the bottom. Her rudimentary design did the trick and started making waves in the 1930s after seeing a few changes over time. If the name "Melitta" rang a bell, it might be because you're familiar with the Melitta pour over that was inspired by her and is now a popular brand in the coffee industry even today.
Pour over recipes vary, but at Oceana Coffee, we use 17g of coffee at a medium-fine grind for a 12 oz. cup. A roast we routinely recommend is our Ethiopia Limu, one of our seasonal offerings. It's a naturally processed roast with notes of delicate florals and sweet fruit, blueberry being particularly prominent. This coffee always scores very well for us at Golden Bean North America and with 94 points from Coffee Review.
Some important tips for setting yourself up for success are:
1. Always use filtered water!
2. Temperature range should be between 195-205 degrees F.
3. Rinse your paper filter first. (This will keep any paper or chlorine taste from becoming part of your brew.)
4. Use a scale.
5. Set a timer when you start pouring your water.
The first pour is called the "bloom" phase. Once you've settled the grounds in the rinsed filter and tare out your scale, you can start gently pouring your water over the coffee grounds. Some experts insist on using a gooseneck kettle, others say you can use a regular kettle; the important thing is that you pour gently, slowly, and in a circular motion.
A good rule of thumb for how much water to add in the "bloom" phase is a 3:1 ratio of water to coffee (so if you're using 20 grams of coffee, the first pour should be 60 grams of water). Once you've done this, you're going to let it sit for a good 30-45 seconds. While you let it sit, you're allowing CO2 to escape and the grounds to saturate, which allows the grounds to be better extracted in the next pours. Continue pouring until you reach 325g of water. The process should take about 3-4 minutes total from first pour to finish!
There are several great options for making a pour over at home. At Oceana Coffee, we supply the ceramic Hario V60 pour over, the Bodum pour over, and a brand new Mr. Coffee pour over machine which includes the scale, kettle, stand, and pour over, essentially everything you need to get brewing at home! When you purchase one in store we will teach you how to use any of these methods. The Mr. Coffee unit, teaches you by prompting you to take each step, it's very smart!
Overall this is a great method for home, easy to use with great results in the cup.....Perfect for your new Sunday morning routine !
