Beta & Brew: A guide to pour-overs | Coffee 101

*Sigh*… The time has finally come, I can’t avoid it any longer. After a fair few requests, we’re finally going to cover pour-overs. The reason I’ve been so hesitant is simple: pour-over coffee is a huge topic with enough nuance to easily fill a book, several books actually, including one written by a Canadian astrophysicist (The Physics of Filter Coffee). And here I am trying to cover it in two pages (and no qualifications in physics beyond knowing how big of a fall a #1 RP can hold). 

It would be like trying to teach someone all the nuances of trad without actually being able to demonstrate anything to them, speak to them, ask where they’re climbing, or even know what type of gear they’re going to be using. There’s also no one way when it comes to pour-over methods (much like there’s no one way to protect a route), so I encourage you to experiment with other recipes too—check out James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick on YouTube for some great tips.

 – Sule (VL’s Resident Coffee & Gear Nerd)

Best for: 

• Climbers who want another hobby (and enjoy the learning process)

You’ll need:

• A conical or flat-bottom brewer/dripper (there are many options, but the Hario V60 is probably the easiest to find and a good place to start) 
• Filter papers (make sure they’re designed to fit your brewer)
• A coffee grinder (you can use pre-ground, but it ruins the fun of dialling in)
• A kettle (ideally a gooseneck kettle, but there are workarounds for normal kettles*)
• A scale (seriously, just get one already)
• A timer (don’t be lazy, just use your phone)

STEPS:

1. I’d recommend starting by using a 1:16 ratio, so however much coffee you plan to use (say 20g) you should use 16 times more water (20g x 16= 320ml water). Different brewers have different capacities, but I’d between 15g to 25g for this recipe.
   Note: Depending on your coffee, you may have to try using higher ratio (1:17) and lower (1:15) ratios to find the sweet spot.
2. Place your filter paper in the brewer and pre-rinse it with hot water so the paper adheres to the side, make sure to toss the water afterwards. Now put your 20g of coffee into the brewer and gently shake it to level the bed of coffee. Now tare your scale so it reads zero.
   Note: Conveying grind size is tricky since it changes depending on your grinder and coffee, but start at a similar size to sea salt
3. Start your timer and pour in 60g of hot water just below boiling (3x the weight of your coffee), use a small spoon to gently stir the slurry, trying to saturate all the dry coffee. Now let it sit and ‘bloom’ until anywhere from 30s to 2mins (start with 30s, then try 1/1.5/2mins until you find your sweet spot). Just make sure to keep the kettle hot enough if you bloom for 2 mins. 
4. Now pour 50% of your remaining water weight (130ml) until your scale reaches a total of 190g, then pick up the brewer and gently swirl it to both agitate the coffee and help flatten the bed. 
   Note: This pour pattern uses a bloom (60g) plus two pours (130g+130g) to reach the total brew weight (320g), but you could also try a bloom plus three pours or even four until you find your sweet spot.
5. Place your filter paper in the brewer and pre-rinse it with hot water so the paper adheres to the side, make sure to toss the water afterwards. Now put your 20g of coffee into the brewer and gently shake it to level the bed of coffee. Now tare your scale so it reads zero.
   Note: While you should be dialing in based off taste, keeping track of time can help keep you on the right track. I’d expect most brews for this recipe to finish anywhere between 3-5 mins, but if it finishes outside of this timeframe and still tastes good then don’t worry about it!

Tastes acidic or sour? 

• Grind finer (if the brew time is a bit short)
• Bloom longer
• Try a higher ratio such as 1:17 (especially if it’s too concentrated)
• Try three pours instead of two
• Use hotter water

Tastes bitter/astringent/ashy?

• Grind coarser (if the brew time is a bit long)
• Bloom for less time
• Try a lower ratio such as 1:15 (especially if it tastes dilute)
• Try less pours (you can even try a bloom + one pour)
• Use cooler water (if it tastes ashy/roasty) 

Too Muddy?

• Pour less aggressively 
• Swirl less aggressively
• Grind coarser