Yes, at 39, I've found coffee. I'm really interested in the whole pour over method. What gear would be good for a beginner?
Kindly,
Adam
Kindly,
Adam
New to Coffee, recommend me a pour over setup.
- Thread starter KeenDogg
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here's one. i don't own it, but i like to watch this.
I am a coffee geek and roast my own. That said, I think people go overboard with the nuances of pour-over.
To make excellent coffee you need 1) excellent fresh ground beans (which means a high quality grinder) 2) 200 degrees F water and 3) some way to have the water meet the coffee.
If you want to do pour over I think any set up is reasonable.
I have a device with a valve which is a slight variation on pour over.
You put the grounds in, add the water and wait 4 mins then put on on your mug and it drains out. I like the convenience (there's a model that uses paper filters and one with a permanent mesh filter).
The Espro is a variation on a French Press (that manages not to yield gritty coffee) and I think works extremely well with less hassle than pour over. They probably give slightly different flavor profiles (don't ask me what the difference is though).
To make excellent coffee you need 1) excellent fresh ground beans (which means a high quality grinder) 2) 200 degrees F water and 3) some way to have the water meet the coffee.
If you want to do pour over I think any set up is reasonable.
I have a device with a valve which is a slight variation on pour over.
You put the grounds in, add the water and wait 4 mins then put on on your mug and it drains out. I like the convenience (there's a model that uses paper filters and one with a permanent mesh filter).
The Espro is a variation on a French Press (that manages not to yield gritty coffee) and I think works extremely well with less hassle than pour over. They probably give slightly different flavor profiles (don't ask me what the difference is though).
Start with a Melitta #4 kit. You should be able to get this at a local grocery store.
Use fresh coffee.
shoponline.melitta.com
Use fresh coffee.
Melitta® Coffee Pour-Over & Glass Carafe (36 oz) | Official
Shop the largest selection of our coffee, filters, pourovers and more, including the Melitta® Pour-Over Coffeemaker & Glass Carafe - 36oz at the official Melitta® Shop.
I actually like the Bodum Pour Over with the permanent filter. Now, I don't have it. I don't have any pour over coffee makers. But after doing some research when I was thinking of getting one I really liked the permanent filter because you don't have to keep buying paper filters. I'm more of a french press guy but if I were to get a pour over, and I just might, I'd get this one.
It's interesting @MntnMan62 , I have the #4 like @Mick mentioned. Working with the paper filters I got used to the flow and soak times. Then, for the longest time, I used my double boiler Espresso Maker and forgot all about doing pour-over. Well, the Espresso machine has a steam/pressure leak and I've been a damn lazy bum since. But it did have me pull out the Melitta.
Then I got the kewl idea of getting a permanent filter as I ran out of the first box of papers! Well... it's fast. I mean really fast. Fast to the point I now know how much water the one-litre pot holds and use a measuring cup to brew the pour-over coffee, then pour the liquid through the permanent filter in the Melitta ceramic funnel to catch the grounds that I didn't keep in the measuring cup!
Oh, and the Espro does a far better job all round. Just get one that is larger than you think you need. Otherwise, you'll make it twice or go without that full morning charge. Ya, I know all about that one too.
Then I got the kewl idea of getting a permanent filter as I ran out of the first box of papers! Well... it's fast. I mean really fast. Fast to the point I now know how much water the one-litre pot holds and use a measuring cup to brew the pour-over coffee, then pour the liquid through the permanent filter in the Melitta ceramic funnel to catch the grounds that I didn't keep in the measuring cup!
Oh, and the Espro does a far better job all round. Just get one that is larger than you think you need. Otherwise, you'll make it twice or go without that full morning charge. Ya, I know all about that one too.
I've come to learn that you can make good coffee in pretty much any kind of device. I think the things in common with any device are you need to use fresh good quality coffee. That means finding beans that have been roasted fairly recently. Ultimatley you want to use beans that are no older than 3 to 4 weeks from the date of being roasted. And grinding it just before you brew it. And you need to dial in your grind. It takes a bit of trial and error to hone in on the size grind you like for your style of coffee. Also, use fresh filtered water. If your water tastes bad, so will your coffee. And you want to also dial in your water to coffee ratio. For french press I use 1:13 coffee to water. Which also means I have a scale to weigh my beans and water. Just like shaving, you can really get carried away with this hobby as well. And as a true shaving lunatic, I am a nut case when it comes to my french press. I like the french press because the method allows more of the oils from the coffee into the cup. And if you do it right, you don't get the sludge that everyone is always complaining about with french press. I just find I prefer the full bodied flavor and mouth feel of french press.
There are a lot of good brands/styles of brewers available, almost too many to choose from. A few things to consider is whether you have a preference for one made out of plastic, ceramic, glass, or metal. And how much you will typically brew, i.e. by the "mug" or by the "pot" and the shape of the receiving vessel.
Personally I like using a Melitta #2 when brewing directly into a coffee mug, and a Hario 02 (which can also accept Melitta #4 filters with an extra fold) when brewing into my Thermos bottle, as the opening is too small for flat bottom drippers like a Melitta, beehouse, or Kalita wave. One could repurpose an old eletric dripper basket but it is tricky to balance and just doesn't look very nice.
Once you start making pour-over coffee, you will also appreciate a nice kettle.
Personally I like using a Melitta #2 when brewing directly into a coffee mug, and a Hario 02 (which can also accept Melitta #4 filters with an extra fold) when brewing into my Thermos bottle, as the opening is too small for flat bottom drippers like a Melitta, beehouse, or Kalita wave. One could repurpose an old eletric dripper basket but it is tricky to balance and just doesn't look very nice.
Once you start making pour-over coffee, you will also appreciate a nice kettle.
Here's another guy that prefers French press over pour-over, both for simplicity and quality (and I don't mind the fines in my mug).
I have several styles of Bodum pour overs. Never been fond of mesh screens. To me the purpose of pour over is a clean cup and screens let too much sediment through.
I use a Chemex paper filter in my Bodum brewers and get a clean cup.
I have the ParkBrew and love it. But, I only use it on the weekends when I have more time to grind fresh beans, etc. I also use the kettle with the thermometer on top so I get the correct temperature.
Amazon.com: ParkBrew Pour Over Coffee Maker - includes glass pourover carafe (up to 27 fl. oz.), heat retaining lid, and reusable coffee filter or dripper: Kitchen & Dining
Amazon.com: ParkBrew Pour Over Coffee Maker - includes glass pourover carafe (up to 27 fl. oz.), heat retaining lid, and reusable coffee filter or dripper: Kitchen & Dining
www.amazon.com
I've used a Chemex for a few years, also a fair amount of French Press. I like the speed of both versus a Mr Coffee style dripper, and I think I get a slightly better brew. The Chemex has "natural" or bleached filters. The natural flows faster and has a slightly different taste than the bleached, I prefer the bleached. I typically use darker, French Roast, beans.
I concur. Keep it simple. You can always complicate things later.
You really can’t go wrong with a chemex man. They’re beautiful pieces to have on your counter top and they’ll never be the reason why your coffee doesn’t taste great.
I personally get great results from my chemex with paper filters paired up with my coffee gator gooseneck kettle, OXO conical burr grinder, and a decent coffee scale with built in timer. You can get all of that on amazon. The most intimidating purchase is the coffee grinder but the burr grinder is really worth the money if you’re a daily drinker. Blade grinders will really miss up your blend.
If you’re wanting to get even fancier, you could step it up a little further and get an electric kettle with gooseneck, but those are really expensive and I’ve heard mixed reviews regarding problems with rust. Getting a gooseneck kettle is definitely important though for pour over makers. I can’t imagine trying to use my chemex without it.
A few other pieces of advise are to log your results, fresh coffee is always best (3-10 days after roasting is the sweet spot IMO, I’d recommend hitting up a local farmers market for local roasters), be sure your bloom is successful - it really does a lot of good for the overall taste of your brew, and watch your brew time - more time = more extraction and can really kill a cup of coffee.
I personally get great results from my chemex with paper filters paired up with my coffee gator gooseneck kettle, OXO conical burr grinder, and a decent coffee scale with built in timer. You can get all of that on amazon. The most intimidating purchase is the coffee grinder but the burr grinder is really worth the money if you’re a daily drinker. Blade grinders will really miss up your blend.
If you’re wanting to get even fancier, you could step it up a little further and get an electric kettle with gooseneck, but those are really expensive and I’ve heard mixed reviews regarding problems with rust. Getting a gooseneck kettle is definitely important though for pour over makers. I can’t imagine trying to use my chemex without it.
A few other pieces of advise are to log your results, fresh coffee is always best (3-10 days after roasting is the sweet spot IMO, I’d recommend hitting up a local farmers market for local roasters), be sure your bloom is successful - it really does a lot of good for the overall taste of your brew, and watch your brew time - more time = more extraction and can really kill a cup of coffee.
Also one thing to remember that separates the chemex paper filters from other pour over sets with non-disposable metal filters is that the chemex paper filter removes all the unwanted oils/fats from your coffee which is great! You aren’t going to get that from a metal filter.
I have an inexpensive electric kettle, no goose neck. Heats a pot in a couple minutes, much faster than the stove. The goose neck is probably a little neater, but my plain kettle works OK, just have to pay attention I don't glop a bunch of water and overflow the filter...
The Chemex filters seem to be the tightest on the market, much tighter than the Mr Coffee style. I can microwave coffee that's gone cold and it does not get the nasty scorched bitter micro coffee flavor. I assume they don't pass the oils or whatever the micro scorches.
The Chemex filters seem to be the tightest on the market, much tighter than the Mr Coffee style. I can microwave coffee that's gone cold and it does not get the nasty scorched bitter micro coffee flavor. I assume they don't pass the oils or whatever the micro scorches.
The
The nice thing about the Espro is that it has a double mesh system and lets very little sediment through (especially if you have a uniform grinder and dial it in right).
It'll never be as clean a cup as filter but for me it stikes an ideal balance between drip and French Press.
The only downside for me is that you tend to waste a little coffe at the end.
The nice thing about the Espro is that it has a double mesh system and lets very little sediment through (especially if you have a uniform grinder and dial it in right).
It'll never be as clean a cup as filter but for me it stikes an ideal balance between drip and French Press.
The only downside for me is that you tend to waste a little coffe at the end.
Well, if you use a regular french press the right way, you will always have a little coffee left over in the bottom of the carafe. Here's the thing. My vintage Bodum Bistro 8 cup french press is pretty cheap. I broke my original one and found a couple of New In Box ones on the e of the bay for like $20. The Espro is something like $120. Anyway, my technique is to let the coffee sit a bew for 4 minutes after pouring the water in. During that time a crust forms on top of the liquid. After the 4 minutes, I stir the crust. Some of it sinks to the bottom and what remains floating with some foam I scoop off with a spoon. I then put the plunger just above the level of the coffee liquid and let it sit for another 5 to 7 minutes. During that time any remaining sediment sinks to the bottom. Once the 5 to 7 minutes is up, I DO NOT PLUNGE THE PLUNGER. All plunging does is stir up the sediment. I simply use the plunger as a filter and carefully and slowly pour the coffee into the cup. Doing it this way I get no sediment in my cup. Not like I used to before adopting this technique, which I learned from James Hoffmann on the you of the tube. So, I find no need to spend big bucks on a french press when a good quality classic one does it just as well. At $13 a pound for the beans I use, that $100 savings puts a fair amount of coffee in my carafe.
Some great info here! 
My only experience with one involved a sock ...
AA
Edit: an antique. It looked like a sock, anyways.
My only experience with one involved a sock ...
AA
Edit: an antique. It looked like a sock, anyways.
Yes. The Espro is pricey. On the other hand it should last about 150 years (except for the mesh basket which can be replaced. It definitely filters the coffee way better than a stand French Press and you can use a finer grind for better coffee extraction. It also does a great job keeping the coffee hot for a good while. I don't have to let anything sit for 5-7 more minutes. That would be a deal-breaker in the morning for me (I need the time for shaving!).
I don't need to save $ for the beans as I roast my owns so the cost is about 1/2.
Anyway, as I said in my original post there are many ways to make great coffee. OP has lots of options.
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