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Not a fan of instant coffee or Espresso shots? Time for you to be initiated into the realm of pour-overs! Calling for just a slight tweak in the way water is to be used, pour-over coffee foregrounds the intricate flavours characteristic of a given coffee bean to degrees that those two nasties can never hope of rivalling. What’s more, as shall be made clear below, the process of brewing it can be delightfully affordable and simple😌!
1. Getting Fresh Grounds
Hop over to a local cafe to purchase coffee beans—you can get them freshly ground there without any extra cost! We recommend Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee and Common Man Coffee Roasters.
While many such cafes offer the option to purchase online, you should only take that up if you know exactly what type of coffee bean you want and are willing to settle for whatever grind size(s) the cafe sets as the standard(s) for its online orders. Going down in person affords you a lot more flexibility and the chance to draw on the barista’s expertise!
On your first purchase, do inform the barista of what you intend to use the beans for (pour-over!) and the kind of flavours you prefer (nutty, floral, etc.). This will help them decide on the right type of coffee bean and grind size for you. And do note the size they eventually decide on so that you can request for adjustments with reference to it on subsequent purchases, should you find your pour-overs too sour or bitter (see Note 1 below).
Alternatively, you could ask the barista to divide up a single bag of beans into a few portions and grind each of them to a different size. This way, you won’t have to spend on entire bags of beans (and down numerous cups of disappointment) before finally determining what’s right for your palate. You’ll just have to do a bit of befriending (or chatting up😉)!
2. Preparing the Water
A gooseneck receptacle of some sort is a must-have as you will need the water to be poured over the grounds in a thin and uniform stream in Step 3.
Here are your two options:
Heat water to 85-95°C in a gooseneck kettle. Such an appliance will allow you to maintain the water at the exact temperature (see Note 2 below) that brings out the flavours of the coffee you most enjoy (or to experiment and thus determine that✨magic✨temperature).
Boil water by whatever means (pot over stove, bowl in microwave, etc.) and transfer it into a gooseneck pot. This is the cheaper option, of course, but bear in mind that pouring water from one vessel into another will decrease its temperature by about 10°C, which means you’d only get to work with water at 90°C (or lower if not used immediately). If you go for this method, be sure to work on I-V of Step 3 while your water is boiling to minimise heat loss!
3. Pouring Over!
The must-haves at this stage are a coffee dripper, a coffee server, a piece of filter paper, a timer (your phone will do), and—most importantly—a weighing scale.
I. Place a small and light cup, or a paper muffin mould, on the weighing scale.
II. Click ‘tare’ or ‘zero’ on the weighing scale and measure out your coffee grounds by pouring them into the cup or mould. You’ll need 15g per serving.
III. Remove the cup/mould of coffee grounds from the weighing scale.
IV. Place the server on the weighing scale and the dripper on top of the server.
V. Line the dripper with the filter paper.
VI. Pour some of the hot water onto the filter paper, soaking it entirely so that it sticks to the dripper.
VII. Once the water has finished dripping into the server, pour it away.
VIII. Pour the coffee grounds into the dripper.
IX. Lightly tap the dripper to break up lumps in, and flatten the surface of, the coffee grounds.
X. Click ‘tare’ or ‘zero’ on the weighing scale and pour some of the hot water onto the coffee grounds, starting from the centre and working your way outwards in a spiral. You should be pouring enough to wet all the coffee grounds but not so much as to submerge them.
XI. Start the timer upon completing this first pour and let the water drip for 30 seconds. You’ll notice bubbles (of carbon dioxide) being expelled from the coffee grounds—because of that, the first pour is dubbed ‘blooming’.
XII. Start the timer and pour more hot water onto the coffee grounds in a spiral for 15 seconds, without worrying about submerging them, and allow the water to drip through for an additional 30 seconds.
XIII. Repeat XII until the weighing scale reads 22 times the mass of your coffee grounds, i.e., 330g for 1 serving.
~Visual Summary~
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