6 Quick Tips for Better Pour-Over

At Best Coffee we are passionate about pour-over specialty coffee gear. We believe that the best cup of coffee can only be the best, if you have successfully brewed it by hand yourself.

Our modern hectic lifestyle can make us forget to appreciate and enjoy the simple things in life, such as health, friends and of course brewing delicious coffee with a V60 coffee dripper.

We have prepared 6 quick tips for better pour-over coffee for those of you that are new to the Hario V60 routine. If you follow the tips below, you will get the most out of your V60 method and you will also be able to drink the most delicious coffee that you'll love and share with others.

6 Quick Tips for a Better Pour-Over

1. Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans

There is a reason why this one is at the top of the list. Coffee is at its best from 3 days to about 3 weeks after being roasted. If you think you will get away with some cheap supermarket coffee beans, that have been sitting on the same shelf for months - you can simply forget it! We would recommend you find coffee beans from local speciality coffee roasters, or even better, get yourself a coffee beans subscription up and receive freshly roasted coffee beans in the comfort of your home each month.

2. High Quality Coffee Equipment

This one is a no-brainer. If you love coffee then you should love the coffee gear that you brew it with. Whatever you do, don't try to knock a hole in a ceramic cup just to see if it will work as a coffee dripper and don't even think of constructing a coffee syphon from light bulbs like this clever guy did. Stick to what barista world champions are using and you will be a winner in the long run. Start with a plastic Hario dripper 02 (it only costs a fiver!), or get the HARIO ceramic white 01 coffee dripper. Other dripper options are available in glass or metal, including the beautiful V60 copper dripper that will last forever!

3. Grind Size

You might want to experiment with the grind size but medium grind is just fine to start with. The most popular hand coffee grinders are Skerton and Mini Mill to do the job. They are consistent, adjustable and come with ceramic burrs for reliability.

4. Wet the Paper Filters

Rinse the V60 coffee dripper paper filters with hot water. This serves two purposes; it will warm the dripper and vessel in preparation for your brew and it will also ensure there is absolutely no paper taste in your coffee.

5. Pre-infuse the coffee grounds

Another important step is to pre-infuse the coffee grounds. Once coffee grounds have been saturated you will get more consistent results because the coffee extraction will be more even. Ideally you would like to pre-infuse between 30 - 60 seconds. You will see the "bloom" form as the grounds release carbon dioxide; the fresher the beans, the more pronounced this bloom will be.

6. Pour-over rate

And last but not least - the pour-over rate. Get your timing right by timing your pour-over rate and discover your preferred taste. Timing also helps to get consistent results every single time. The perfect tool for that is the Hario scales. With the scales from Hario you can set the timer to your preferred brewing time and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee brewed by yourself.

To sum it up. Make sure you buy fresh coffee beans and high quality coffee gear, get the grind size right, pre-infuse and pour consistently by timing the pour-over rate. So there you have it folks, six quick tips for better pour-over coffee.