This is still one of the most common ways to make coffee as well as one of the least expensive in terms of equipment. Essentially, manual pour over coffee make
consists of a glass or plastic housing that contains a coffee filter, and a container to collect the brewed coffee. They come on both individual one-cup serving sizes, that perch over a mug, and larger sizes up to 12 cups. My very first coffee maker was a manual pour over. In my case, it was one of the plastic Melitta filter cones that I used with Melitta paper coffee filters. There are other brands besides Melitta—purists often favor the Chemex manual pour over coffee makers because the entire thing is made of high quality tempered glass. In my glass, I used a plastic Melitta filter cone, and a porcelain coffeepot, with an air tight lid that would keep the coffee hot.
In crude terms, you put the ground coffee (two tablespoons per 8 oz cup, please) in the filter, bring the water just to a boil, then pour it over the coffee. There are a few things that make a difference, and if, you keep them in mind, you can reliably produce one of the best cups of coffee you've ever had. First, you have to start with good quality coffee, second, it's amazing what a difference it makes it you grind the coffee just before you use it, third, use pure, clean cold water, and if it's not actually enjoyable to drink the water from the tap, purchased purified water.
Brewing Pour Over Coffee
Ingredients and Equipment
- 1 Pour over coffee maker
- 1 Container for brewed coffee
- Fresh ground coffee (two tables spoons per 8 oz cup, and one for the brewer)
- Cold drinkable water
- Kettle
Procedure
- Heat the water; allow 8 ounces per cup
- Grind the coffee to a medium grind once you hear the water start to boil.
- Pour a little hot water, slowly, over the grounds, to saturate them.
- Pause, then pour the rest, keeping an eye on the liquid level.
- If the water covers the grounds completely (this depends on how much coffee you are brewing), gently stir the slurry, so that all the grounds are equally saturated.
- Wait for the water to drip through.
- Serve the coffee.
Here are two other, slightly more complicated methods. If you're not sure where to shop for a brew over coffee maker, you can find them online. If you want to make iced coffee, use about 1/3 less water to make the same amount of coffee, since you'll be serving it over ice.