Hand Drip Coffee Tutorial
This is a tutorial on how to brew the perfect cup of hand drip coffee so you can enjoy the smooth taste of pour-over in the comfort of your own home.
Equipment
- 1 Hand drip maker (pour over) Chemex is what we use and is a popular brand.
- 1 Carafe or mug depending on the type of hand drip maker you have, you'll need a separate carafe or mug for the coffee to pour into.
- 1 Filter a permanent filter or filter paper.
- 1 Gooseneck kettle you can use a regular kettle, but the gooseneck spout makes it much easier to do the spiral pour.
- 1 Coffee grinder if you aren't buying pre-ground coffee beans, you'll need a grinder.
Ingredients
- 6 tbs coffee grounds
- 4 cups filtered water
Instructions
- If using a paper filter, pour some water through the filter and let it drain through into the carafe so to dampen the entire filter. Skip this step if using a permanant filter.
- Grind beans to a coarseness similar to sea salt and pour the beans into the filter.
- Gently tap the hand drip maker so the bed of coffee grounds flattens.
- Boil your water to 195-205 F, then let it sit for about 30 seconds before starting your first pour.
- First pour (the bloom): Slowly pour water in a circle over the grounds, starting at the outer edge and moving inward. Be sure to saturate all the coffee grounds but stop as soon as you reach the middle.
- Wait and watch the coffee swell up into a bloom. Once the grounds stop blooming, move to the second pour. This should take about 30 seconds.
- The second pour starts in the center and moves outward to the outside edge of the coffee grounds. Pour a little more coffee this time, but still move slowly over the grounds ensuring to saturate all of them.
- Let the coffee drain through for about a minute before moving to the third pour.
- The third pour is when I start to pour from the outside in again (this is contrary to what others do, but it works best to get all the coffee off the sides of the filter).
- Let the coffee drain through for about a minute before moving to the fourth pour.
- The fourth pour uses the exact same method as the third pour and will ideally be your last pour.
Video
Notes
Hand Drip Tips
- Grind your own beans - for max freshness and best flavor, grind your beans right before brewing your cup of coffee. Coffee begins to lose flavor and aroma the second its ground.
- Proper coarseness of beans - Grinding your beans to the proper coarseness is essential for the best flavor. See the 'coarseness' section below for more details.
- Filtered water is a must - Since there are only two ingredients in hand drip coffee and water is the primary ingredient, it's important to use quality, uncontaminated water.
- Boil water at the right temperature - the ideal temperature is 195-205 degrees F. If the water is too hot it will result in bitter coffee.
- Spend time on "the bloom" - This first pour is the most important pour when it comes to brewing hand drip coffee. Be sure to pour slowly in a circular motion and saturate all the grounds.
