Glossary · Pour over
What is pour-over coffee?
Also called: pour-over, V60, drip
The pour-over workflow
- Heat water to 92-96°C. Filter coffee tolerates a wider temperature range than espresso.
- Rinse the filter with hot water to remove paper taste and preheat the cone.
- Grind 15-25g of coffee at medium-fine (think table salt). Add to the filter.
- Bloom — pour 2x the dose weight of water (e.g. 40ml for 20g), stir or swirl, let sit 30-45 seconds. Grounds release CO2.
- Main pour(s) — pour the remaining water in 1-3 phases over 1-3 minutes, keeping the bed agitated and water level above the grounds.
- Drawdown — water finishes percolating; total brew time should land 3-4 minutes for most recipes.
The three cone designs
- Hario V60 — conical with a single large hole and internal spiral ribs. The most popular cone among specialty roasters. Allows fast flow and high-pour-skill control. Produces clean, bright cups with origin character.
- Kalita Wave — flat-bottom with three small holes. Slower flow than V60, more forgiving — pours land in the bed regardless of where you pour, and the flat bottom evens out extraction. Best for beginners and consistency-focused brewers.
- Chemex — flared glass body with proprietary thick paper filters (20-30% heavier than standard). Slower drawdown, more oils retained by the filter, produces noticeably cleaner cups. Larger capacity (1-8 cups) makes it good for groups.
Pour-over vs drip coffee maker
An auto-drip machine is also technically percolation — water passes through a grounds bed in a filter. The difference is control. Pour-over lets you regulate water temperature, pour speed, pour pattern, bloom duration, and total contact time individually. A drip machine sets all of those at the factory.
The result: a well-poured V60 from a light Ethiopian usually beats the same coffee through a $200 drip machine. The trade-off is time and attention — pour-over is 5 minutes of active engagement vs 30 seconds of pressing a button.
Equipment that matters
- Gooseneck kettle — the long thin spout gives flow control that a standard kettle cannot. $50-200 depending on whether it has temperature control.
- Burr grinder — pour-over tolerates a wider grind range than espresso, but uniform particle size is still the single biggest variable for cup quality.
- Scale with timer — for ratio and brew-time measurement.
- Cone + filters — V60 or Kalita Wave start under $20. Chemex is $40-50 with proprietary filters.
Real-world examples from our catalog
Products in our catalog that illustrate this term in practice — each linked to its full specs and our editorial notes.
-
Hario V60-02 Ceramic Dripper · $25
The Hario V60 02 is the entry standard — ceramic cone, paired with Hario filters or aftermarket Cafec/Sibarist filters for more control over drawdown.
-
Kalita Wave 185 Stainless · $45
The Kalita Wave 185 is the forgiving alternative to V60 — flat-bottom with three small holes, easier for beginners, less pour-technique-dependent.
-
Chemex Classic 6-Cup · $49
The Chemex Classic 6-Cup is the classic Chemex form — borosilicate glass, wood collar, proprietary thick filters that produce a notably cleaner cup than V60 or Kalita.
-
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle · $195
The Fellow Stagg EKG is the standard temperature-controllable gooseneck kettle — pairs with any pour-over cone and gives precise flow control and 1°C temperature accuracy.
Common questions
What grind size for pour-over?
Medium-fine, similar to table salt. The exact setting depends on your grinder and cone — V60 wants slightly finer than Kalita Wave. Dial by brew time: 3-4 minutes total is the target.
What ratio should I use for pour-over?
1:15 to 1:17 (coffee:water by mass) is the standard range. 20g coffee to 320g water is a common starting recipe. Adjust to taste — stronger or weaker is fine within this range.
Is a gooseneck kettle really necessary?
For consistent pour-over, yes — the thin spout lets you control flow rate. A standard kettle dumps water too fast and disturbs the bed unevenly. Many manual brewers consider it the second-most-important purchase after the grinder.
How is pour-over different from AeroPress?
Pour-over is pure percolation — water flows through the bed by gravity. AeroPress is hybrid immersion-and-pressure — grounds steep first, then you press water through with a plunger. AeroPress produces a heavier-bodied cup; pour-over a brighter, cleaner one.
Can I use pre-ground coffee for pour-over?
Yes, but fresh-ground produces a noticeably better cup. Pour-over is more forgiving of grinder quality than espresso, but stale ground coffee (more than 1-2 weeks old) tastes flat regardless of method.
Last reviewed: . We update glossary pages when the term shifts in common usage, when new catalog products change the practical examples, or when community consensus moves on a debated point.