Pour-over basics

Pour-over is a simple way to make coffee using a cone-shaped dripper, a paper filter, and hot water. You pour the water over the grounds yourself, and the brewed coffee drips into your mug or carafe. It may look a little fancy, but the routine is easy to learn—and you can make a lovely cup with just a few basic tools.

Here’s a friendly starting recipe: rinse your paper filter with hot water, then add 15 grams of medium-fine ground coffee. Slowly pour in about 50 grams of water to wet all the grounds. Wait 30–45 seconds while the coffee blooms—this is simply the little bubbling you may see as fresh coffee releases gas. Then pour gently in circles until your scale reads 250 grams total. Try to finish in around three minutes. Your first cup doesn’t have to be perfect; use the taste to decide what to adjust next time.

Use paper filters made for your brewer. Cone-shaped drippers take cone filters. A Chemex uses its own thicker bonded paper filters: fold one into a cone with the thicker three-layer side against the pouring spout, and rinse it with hot water before adding coffee to remove paper taste and warm the brewer.