Aside from always using fresh roasted coffee and quality water, the secret to making cafe-quality coffee at home truly lies in the brewer's technique and attention-to-detail. Unlike many other ways of making coffee at home, the pour over method is unique in that there are no bulky, expensive coffee makers or wasteful coffee pods in your way and there is virtually zero automation occurring for you. It is just you, a few simple brew tools, and your own technique and attention-to-detail that is making the perfect cup of coffee at home. While this brew method may feel less convenient than what you're used to at first, we promise it will pay dividends in the quality of the coffee you drink at home!
Because they accentuate coffee flavor notes to a much greater degree than other brewing methods, the pour over is our preferred brewing method in our cafes. While the pour over method may seem similar to how a drip coffee maker operates, they are not the same.
For example, with the pour over method you can control the temperature of your water as well as the rate (or speed) in which your water passes through your coffee grounds. While the pour over method is entirely manual, the advantage to this is that it allows you to modify every step of the pour over process to match your personal coffee preferences. Simply put, the pour over is not a "set it and forget it" method of brewing like a drip coffee maker.
Perfecting your pour over technique is not only a rewarding experience but is very much worth the effort. It won't be long before you start detecting a more complex and delicate flavor profile from the coffee you brew.
While there are many pour over coffee makers available to order online for at home use such as the Kalita Wave and the Hario V60 (both of which we also like), Chemex pour over brewers are what we use in each of our cafes and what we will be using for this pour over coffee brew guide. While we do not believe that a "best pour over coffee maker" exists, we do believe that each produces its own unique cup of coffee and are all worthy in their own right. If possible, we recommend giving each a try and see which pour over brewer resonates with you the most.
WHY DO WE USE CHEMEX IN OUR CAFES?
Simply put, the Chemex has been around for decades and is a staple in the specialty coffee world.
Not only do we feel that the Chemex allows the most delicate of flavor notes to really shine, the Chemex is large enough to brew for two people which makes it a great option for when you're brewing coffee for more than one person.
While you can brew any coffee you would like via the pour over method, its important to note that not all coffees are created equal and this does mean that some coffees are more suitable for certain brew methods than others.
For pour overs, we absolutely love our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe single origin coffee. This modern, light roast coffee features bright notes of lemon and black tea. These notes paired with this coffee's clean body mouthfeel lends itself perfectly to our signature pour over brew method. Learn more about this Ethiopian coffee below or feel free to simply proceed to our step-by-step pour over instructions.
● Chemex (or your preferred pour over brewer)
● Chemex Filter
● Grinder
● Kettle
● 32 grams of coffee
● 1 metal spoons
● Scale
● Timer
● Mug
For this pour over brew guide recipe, we recommend 32 grams of coffee grounds to 575 grams of water. In ounces, this translates to 1oz. of coffee grounds to 20oz. of water.
For those looking to level up their home brewing skills, look no further. Below you will find our signature, in-house recipe for the perfect Chemex pour over. We have been experimenting and perfecting our own in-house pour over method for nearly 15 years and we are extremely excited to share our take on this increasingly-popular brew method with you. Let’s get started!
Thoroughly rinse your pour over filter with hot water and allow this hot water to preheat your Chemex.
● Using your coffee scale, weigh out 32 grams of coffee beans.
● Select your grind size and grind your coffee beans (if not already ground for pour over). For this recipe, we recommend a medium course ground coffee.
● Now that your pour over coffee maker is preheated, empty the hot water from it. You may carefully discard this hot water entirely as we will be using fresh hot water from your kettle for our pour over.
● For this pour over recipe, heat 575g of fresh water in your kettle. In ounces, this would be 20 ounces of water.
● Carefully add 32g of coffee to your pour over coffee brewer.
● Level your coffee bed so that it has an even surface. Then, create a small "bird’s nest" in the center of your coffee bed as pictured.
● Place your Chemex on your coffee scale and then tare it so that the weight displayed on your scale resets to zero.
● Start your coffee scale timer and gently pour 75g of water into the "bird's nest" you created in your coffee bed. This will create your coffee bloom.
● Using your coffee scale's timer, wait 30 seconds before proceeding to our next step.
WHAT IS A COFFEE BLOOM?
A coffee bloom refers to the process in which CO2 is released from the coffee as a result of your hot water passing through your grounds. This allows the forthcoming hot water in our next step to fully absorb the flavor of your coffee beans.
The term "bloom" also serves as the inspiration for the name of our Bloom coffee blend.
● Proceed with pouring 100g of water over a period of ten seconds and then pause for ten seconds.
● Repeat this step 5 times so that we now have a total of 575g of hot water that has passed through our coffee bed and filter into our Chemex.
Gently stir any remaining water in one circular motion to help it pass through the grounds and filter.
● Remove and discard your pour over coffee filter when the stream of hot water entering your Chemex turns to a slow drip.
● Relax and enjoy your delicious cup of pour over coffee!
As you can see, learning how to brew incredible coffee via the pour over method is a relatively simple process. With a few rounds of honing your pour over technique, you'll be efficiently brewing delicious coffee at home in no time.
However, if after following this brew guide, you're still unsatisfied with the pour over coffee that you're brewing at home, consider the following:
● Adjust your coffee grind size
● Adjust your hot water temperature
● Adjust your coffee grounds to water ratio
● Consider brewing with a coffee that is more suitable for the pour over brew method. Of our coffee that is available to order online, we recommend our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe single origin coffee for pour overs.
Learn more about us and what makes us unique by clicking here.
While our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe single origin coffee is perfect for pour overs, we offer a variety of exclusive blends and single origin coffees that are available in a variety of grind sizes. Take our coffee match quiz below and we'll recommend an expertly roasted coffee that we think you'll love.
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