How-to · Pour-over technique
How to dial in grind size for pour over (V60, Chemex, Kalita)
Pour-over coffee is more forgiving than espresso but less forgiving than people assume. The difference between a balanced V60 and a thin, sour or harsh, bitter cup is often one or two grinder clicks. The good news: once you have a starting recipe, you only re-dial when the bean changes — beans are the dominant variable, the brewer is not.
The dial-in process is identical across V60, Chemex, and Kalita. Target a brew time, observe whether the actual time is over or under, adjust grind in one direction, repeat. The only difference between brewers is that Chemex uses a thicker paper filter which slows flow — so for the same bean you grind coarser on Chemex than on V60.
What you'll need
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A grinder with usable medium-coarse settings
Most burr grinders work. Blade grinders cannot produce a consistent particle distribution and pour-over will be muddy.
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0.1 g scale
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Timer
Phone is fine.
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Gooseneck kettle (for controlled pour)
A normal kettle works too — the gooseneck just makes the pour easier to control. If you already have a kettle, skip this until you are comfortable with the rest of the process.
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Fresh beans (5-30 days post-roast)
Beans outside this window will not dial in cleanly. Buy fresh first, then dial.
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Pick a target brew time for your brewer
Standard starting targets, total brew time (first pour to last drip):
- V60 (15 g dose): 2:30 to 3:00
- V60 (30 g dose): 3:30 to 4:00
- Chemex (6 cup, 40 g dose): 4:30 to 5:30
- Kalita Wave 185 (25 g dose): 3:30 to 4:00
These are ranges, not laws. Stick with one target for your dial-in session.
- Step 2
Use a 1:16 starting ratio
Coffee-to-water ratio for pour over: 1:15 to 1:17 is the typical range. Start at 1:16 — for 20 g of coffee, that is 320 g of water. Variation by ±1 changes strength but not whether the grind is right.
- Step 3
Brew with your existing grind setting
Whatever grind you have now, use it as the starting point. Set the kettle to 200°F (96°C), wet the filter, dose your coffee, level the bed. Pour in your usual schedule (bloom + 2-3 main pours typical). Start the timer when water first touches the grounds, stop it when the last drip falls.
- Step 4
Read the result by time and taste
Three outcomes:
- Brew finished too fast (e.g. 2:00 on a V60 target of 2:45): grind is too coarse. The cup will taste thin, sour, watery.
- Brew finished too slow (e.g. 4:00 on the same target): grind is too fine. The cup will taste muddy, bitter, harsh.
- Brew finished in target: taste it. Balanced = done. Sour-leaning = grind slightly finer. Bitter-leaning = grind slightly coarser.
- Step 5
Adjust one click at a time
Move the grinder 1 step finer or coarser. Brew again with the same dose, ratio, water temp, and pour schedule. Time and taste. Repeat. Most dial-ins converge in 3-5 brews; novel beans on a familiar grinder converge in 2.
Resist the temptation to change multiple variables. Same pour schedule, same dose, same water temp — only grind changes.
- Step 6
Lock the recipe; re-dial only when the bean ages or changes
Once a recipe lands, note the grinder setting plus the bean + roast date. As the bag ages past 3 weeks, you may need 1 step coarser as CO₂ off-gasses. New bag of the same bean from a new roast date = re-dial from scratch (faster the second time).
Common mistakes to avoid
- Changing dose, water temp, and grind on the same brew. With three variables moving you have no signal — fix two, change one.
- Dialing in with stale beans (>6 weeks past roast). The grind window narrows so much that nothing tastes good. Get fresh beans first.
- Confusing slow brew time with strong coffee. A slow drip can be over-extracted and bitter, not "strong." Strength = ratio. Time tells you about extraction.
- Using boiling water from a kettle just off the heat. 212°F over-extracts most light-roast pour over. Aim for 195-205°F (90-96°C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need a gooseneck kettle for pour over?
No, especially when you are starting. A regular kettle pour with practice works for V60 and Chemex. The gooseneck makes the bloom and concentric pour easier to control, which improves consistency once you have the rest dialed in. Add it after you have nailed grind and ratio.
What grind setting on my Comandante / Encore should I start with?
Comandante for V60: 22-26 clicks. Chemex: 28-32. Baratza Encore for V60: setting 18-22. Chemex: 22-26. These are starting points only — your bean and water will shift you ±2 from there.
My pour over tastes muddy. Is that the grind?
Often, yes — too fine creates fines that clog the filter, slow the brew, and over-extract. Try 1 step coarser. If muddy persists at a coarse grind, the issue is fines from a low-quality grinder, not the dial-in.
How do I know when to stop dialing in and just enjoy the cup?
When two consecutive brews land in the target time window and taste balanced (not sour, not bitter, not flat). Beyond that, micro-adjustments are diminishing returns — you are tasting the bean, not the dial-in.
Last reviewed: . We update this guide when the manufacturer publishes new maintenance documentation or when community consensus on best practice shifts.