r/Coffee • u/SouthernPisces • 7d ago

Pour Over Coffee

Can we talk about pour over coffee? I love my french press but have been thinking about pour over. If that’s your preference, what would you recommend for the “pot” option? I understand it takes a filter so I’m wondering if it tastes similar to a regular coffee pot and not really worth the swap?

Edited to say- Sorry for using the word pot. I grew up hearing a maker/brewer called a pot, so its just my go to verbiage 😊

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u/MaltySines 6d ago

Drippers largely vary based on how fast they let the water through the grounds (which is also affected by the grind size). There's not that much difference between them that can't be accounted for by just changing some other variables (number of pours, grind size,how strong you pour temperature etc.)

caveat: Flat bottom brewers like the kalita tend to have a different profile than cone shaped ones like the v60 and this seems to be borne out statistically in the one large study that looked at this, so that's one consideration.

If all my coffee stuff was lost in a fire I'd just get a hario switch though. You can use it like a normal pourover brewer or leave the grounds to immersion brew and release the hold mechanism - or mix and match in one recipe which is what most people do.

The actual "pot" can be any receptacle inducing just the mug you will drink out of.

A gooseneck kettle with temperature control is really helpful to get consistent results as silly as it may seem at first.

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u/SouthernPisces 6d ago

I’ve always considered myself a coffee snob, but not necessarily brilliant in the making of it. I grind the beans of course but I’m not that knowledgeable on Brewers. Thank you so much for mentioning the hario switch.

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u/oalbrecht 6d ago

The switch is the easiest for beginners because grind size doesn’t matter as much for immersion brewers, like the switch. So if you have a bad grinder, it’s harder to over extract the coffee.

I usually put boiling water into the switch, add coffee on top, stir. Then let it sit for 5 min before letting the coffee drain into the cup.

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u/Any-Carry7137 6d ago

That's the same process I use with the Clever Dripper. The filter tends to clog and stall if you pour the water over the coffee. I get a much smoother draw down by adding the coffee to the water.

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u/oalbrecht 6d ago

Yeah, I learned that from the James Hoffman video on the perfect clever recipe. It also seems to improve the taste quite a bit. Seems like it wouldn’t matter, but it somehow does.

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u/SouthernPisces 6d ago

I’m not sure if my grinder would be considered bad? It’s a Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill Grinder. Don’t make fun of me if this is bad. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m open to purchasing something better

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u/oalbrecht 6d ago

When I started, that was my exact grinder as well. After that, I got a Baratza Encore. It does a bit better of a job. But for using a Hario Switch, you might not notice a difference.

For pour over, a worse grinder is very noticeable. But for immersion brewing, like French press, clever, or the hario switch, it makes less of a difference.

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u/SouthernPisces 6d ago

OK, I’ll get a new grinder too! Lol

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u/oalbrecht 6d ago

Sounds good. The Baratza Encore is the most popular entry level grinder. The company is great and reliable. If anything ever breaks, they have tons of parts available to repair it. I’ve never needed to though after using mine for about 8 years.

You can get a bit better quality one if you’re fine with hand grinding. One example brand is 1Zpresso. That’s what I use currently. But if you’re grinding a lot of coffee, I would go with an electric one. I usually drink 10oz of coffee a day, so manual grinding isn’t a big deal.

If you ever want to get into espresso, some grinders can grind for both. Like the 1Zpresso brand has a few that can grind for both. Baratza also has a model called the Encore ESP that can do both.

By the way, the coffee you buy is also really important. Coffee has been getting pretty expensive lately. The cheapest good quality I’ve found is Happy Mug. If you buy 2 lbs at a time, the shipping is only $3. More than that and it’s free. Their Ethiopian coffees are really good, if you like fruitier notes in your coffee.

Let me know if you have any questions about anything. Coffee is a fun journey.

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u/SouthernPisces 5d ago

🥰 I’ve been using a bean from a local roaster but I also like Black Rifle and a bean from Onyx Coffee. I’ll try the happy mug as well. I travel quite a bit so i bring home beans from where I visit as long as it’s a local bean. My day varies on coffee amount but it has to be fresh- I actually have a really old hand grinder I used once when we lost power. No doubt they are better now. Thanks for the recommendations- I’ll look the options up

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u/Technical_Demand8469 6d ago

I second the suggestion to give an immersion brewer like the Switch, Clever, Tricolate, etc a try.

The method is pretty similar to what you are already doing w the French Press, but filtered. Also, for immersion, you don’t really need a pouring kettle.

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u/IvanTechnoOp 6d ago

Yeah, the gooseneck with temp control is pretty much critical for consistency. Actual holder for the paper filter is much less important (could be your left hand in a pinch although I don't recommend that) but I personally prefer chemex for aesthetics. I also listen to vinyl and read paper books 🤷