How to brew pour over coffee at home: ratio, recipe and fixes

This lesson gives you one reliable recipe with grams, temperatures and times, a ratio chart for any cup size, and a troubleshooting table for when a cup tastes off. The numbers come from the National Coffee Association and the Specialty Coffee Association.

If you are brand new to brewing and want a gentler start across several methods, begin with our beginner home coffee brewing lesson and come back here when you are ready for pour over.

What do you need to make pour over coffee at home?

You need a dripper, paper filters that fit it, freshly ground coffee, hot water and a mug or carafe. A kitchen scale and a burr grinder make the biggest difference to consistency. A gooseneck kettle helps you pour slowly, and a thermometer helps if your kettle has no temperature setting.

• Dripper. Cone drippers and flat-bottom drippers both work. Use whatever you have.
• Filters sized for your dripper.
• A scale that reads in grams. Measuring by weight removes most of the guesswork.
• A grinder. Pre-ground coffee works, but grinding right before brewing gives a fresher cup.
• A kettle. A gooseneck spout gives you control over where and how fast water lands.
• Cold, filtered water if possible. The NCA advises against distilled or softened water.

What is the best pour over ratio?

A good pour over ratio is 1 gram of coffee to 15 or 16 grams of water. The National Coffee Association recommends a range of 1:13 to 1:16. For one 10 oz mug, that works out to about 20 g of coffee and 320 g of water. Use a lower number for a stronger cup.

The SCA's Golden Cup standard for brewed coffee uses 55 g of coffee per liter of water, or about 1:18. That is a little lighter than most home pour over recipes. Many people prefer 1:15 to 1:16 for a single cup, then adjust to taste.

One gram of water is about one milliliter. Brewed coffee yield is a little less than the water used, because the grounds hold some back.

Pick one ratio and stick with it for a week before changing anything else. That way you learn what your dripper, grinder and beans actually do.

How do you brew pour over coffee, step by step?

Heat water to about 200°F (93°C), rinse the paper filter, add medium-ground coffee, and pour a small amount of water to bloom it for 30 to 45 seconds. Then pour the rest slowly in circles. Total contact time should be about 2 to 4 minutes. This recipe makes one 10 oz mug.

The recipe: 20 g coffee, 320 g water (1:16), water at 194 to 205°F (90 to 96°C).

1. Heat the water. If you are using a plain kettle, bring it to a boil and let it rest for about a minute.
2. Put the filter in the dripper, set it on your mug, and rinse the filter with hot water. Pour out the rinse water. This warms everything and reduces papery taste.
3. Grind 20 g of coffee to a medium grind, about the size of kosher salt. Add it to the filter and shake gently to level the bed.
4. Set the scale to zero and start a timer.
5. Bloom: pour 40 g of water, twice the weight of the coffee, so all the grounds are wet. Wait 30 to 45 seconds while the coffee bubbles and releases carbon dioxide.
6. Pour the remaining water slowly, starting in the center and spiraling outward, until the scale reads 320 g. You can pour in two or three smaller pulses if that is easier to control.
7. Let the water drain through. Aim to finish between 2 and 4 minutes after your first pour.
8. Remove the dripper, swirl the coffee, and let it cool a little before you taste it. Flavors are easier to pick out once it is warm rather than scalding.

Fresh coffee blooms more, because it still holds carbon dioxide from roasting. Very little bubbling usually means older beans.

What grind size and water temperature should you use?

Use a medium grind, about like kosher salt, and water between 194 and 205°F (90 to 96°C). Grind size controls how fast water flows and how much flavor it pulls out. Temperature does the same more gently. Change grind first, because it has the bigger effect on taste and timing.

Coffee extraction is the share of the coffee that dissolves into your cup. The SCA targets an extraction yield of 18% to 22% for brewed coffee. Too little and the cup tastes sour and thin. Too much and it tastes bitter and dry. You do not need lab tools to hit that range. Your brew time and your taste buds are good guides.

• Finer grind: slower flow, more extraction, longer brew time.
• Coarser grind: faster flow, less extraction, shorter brew time.
• Hotter water, closer to 205°F (96°C): more extraction.
• Cooler water, closer to 194°F (90°C): less extraction.

How do you fix pour over that tastes sour, bitter or weak?

Sour, thin coffee usually means under-extraction, so grind finer or use hotter water. Bitter, harsh coffee usually means over-extraction, so grind coarser or pour a little faster. Weak but pleasant coffee needs a stronger ratio. Change one variable at a time and brew again with the same beans.

Based on National Coffee Association pour-over guidance and SCA brewing standards.

Sour and bitter can show up in the same cup when water channels through some grounds and skips others. A level coffee bed, a gentle pour and a quick swirl of the dripper after the last pour all help water move evenly.

Which coffees taste best as pour over?

Pour over shows off clarity, so light and medium roasts with fruit, floral or tea-like notes are the classic choice. In our catalog, 96% of light roasts list fruit notes, against 42% of dark roasts. Washed coffees from Ethiopia and Kenya are a common starting point, and a sweet medium blend is the most forgiving.

These picks come from our catalog of independent roasters. The tasting notes are the roasters' own.

• Black & White Coffee Roasters Aricha: a washed, lighter roast from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. The roaster lists black tea, honey, light florals and lemonade.
• Canyon Coffee Gedeb: a washed, organic medium-light roast from Gedeb, Ethiopia, with persimmon, lime and bergamot in the roaster's notes.
• 8th & Roast Kenya Rita AB: a washed light roast from Nyeri, Kenya. The roaster lists citrus, brown sugar and berry.
• Onyx Coffee Lab Geometry: a light, washed blend of Colombia and Ethiopia with berries, stone fruit, Earl Grey and honeysuckle in the roaster's notes.
• Highwire Coffee Roasters Carrier Wave: a washed medium roast from Ahuachapán, El Salvador. The roaster lists milk chocolate, caramel and stone fruit.
• Larry's House Blend: a medium washed blend of Guatemala and Nicaragua with milk chocolate, orange and cashew. A good choice while you are still learning.

Want to put words to what you taste? Our lesson on coffee tasting notes explains what "bergamot" or "stone fruit" means in a cup, and the 96% figure comes from coffee by the numbers.

Frequently asked questions