table with prismo and aeropress brewing into carter mug and stagg kettle brewing pourover into carter mug
table with prismo and aeropress brewing into carter mug and stagg kettle brewing pourover into carter mug

By Hannah Miller |

Back To Brewing School: Pour-Over Basics 101

Coffee class is back in session. To help ace your morning routine, here's a primer on pour-over. No prerequisites required! 

Course Materials:

Stagg EKG
Ode Brew Grinder
Stagg [X] Pour-Over Set
Coffee

Dial In Your Degrees 🌡
Sure, you can brew your coffee at “about boiling,” but you’re cutting yourself short in producing the best tasting cup. Set your Stagg EKG between 195°F-205°F.

Beans Beans The Magical Fruit 🔮
A bag of pre-ground coffee is tempting, but we promise, freshly ground beans will change the game. Grind 20 grams of beans at setting 3.2 on Ode Brew Grinder—aiming for the consistency of coarse sand.

Prep The Dripper 💧
With your dripper on the carafe, pour enough hot water to wet the filter. This not only gets rid of potential “papery” tasting notes, but also preheats your carafe for extra heat retention.

Make The Bed 🛏
After dumping out the water, dump your coffee grind into the dripper and shake lightly to flatten the bed. Why? If your coffee bed resembles a topographic map, your brew will be more prone to clogging and uneven extraction.

The Bloom Is Key 🌻
Start pouring at the center of your dripper, working your way out to the sides. Pour 40 grams and wait 30 seconds for the coffee to “bloom” and release CO2.

Bring It Home 🏠
Continue pouring evenly from the center of the dripper, outward in a circular path until your scale reads 150 grams. Once you see grinds starting to peek out above the water, pour again up to 250 grams and then finally up 320 grams. Your total brew time should land between 2:30-3:00 minutes.

Your Final Test 📝

The pour-over is complete, but now it’s clean-up time. What do you do?

A. Sprint to the trash with your hand under the dripper trying to stop hot coffee from leaking onto the floor.

B. Set Stagg [X] calmly on its drip cup. Give your carafe a few swirls and fill your cup. Dump your filter into the compost bin with no mess or 1st degree hand burns.
 
If you chose B, you officially passed pour-over basics. For extra credit, study up on our other brewing techniques to expand your coffee curriculum. Class dismissed!