Pour Over Recipe

Discover the art of brewing a perfect cup of pour-over coffee with our Ultimate Pour Over Guide. This recipe is crafted for a single, exquisite cup of coffee, emphasizing precision and technique. By following this guide, you'll achieve a balanced brew with a 1:17 coffee-to-water ratio, ensuring a rich, aromatic cup every time. Whether you're a seasoned barista or a coffee enthusiast eager to refine your skills, this guide will help you master the pour-over method, bringing out the full flavor and complexity of your coffee.

While this brewing technique can accommodate any coffee variety, we recommend using light to medium roasts with delicate acidity and a well-balanced taste

What You'll Need

Equipment:

  1. Grinder or preground coffee (not ideal)
  2. Any pour-over device (like the V60)
  3. Pour-over filter paper
  4. Gooseneck kettle
  5. Scale

Recipe Overview:

This recipe is designed for a single cup of pour over coffee. For different sizes adjust the dose and water volume accordingly while maintaining the same ratio of dose to water. 

  • Brew Ratio: 1:15 (Coffee to Water)  
  • Grind: Medium - coarse 
  • Dose: 15g 
  • Water Volume: 250g filtered water 
  • Water Temperature: 95°C 

Advised Methods:

Step 1: Measure and Grind Coffee

Coffee Dosage- 15g

Ratio- 1:15 (15g of water for every 1g of coffee)

Grind- Medium-Coarse

Grind size is one of the biggest factors influencing your brew. It controls how quickly water passes through the coffee and, ultimately, how your cup tastes.

For most pour-over brews, a medium-coarse grind will produce a balanced extraction in around 3 minutes. Use this as your starting point, then let taste guide your adjustments.

If your brew finishes too quickly, the water hasn't had enough time to extract the coffee, often resulting in a sour or underdeveloped cup. Adjust your grinder slightly finer to slow the flow.

If your brew takes too long, the coffee can become over-extracted, producing bitter or heavy flavours. In this case, adjust your grinder slightly coarser to speed up the brew.

Place your brewer and paper filter on top of your mug or server, then rinse the filter with hot water. This simple step removes any papery taste from the filter, allowing the coffee to shine through.

As a bonus, the hot water also preheats your brewer and cup, helping maintain a stable brewing temperature from the very first pour.

Then discard water.

Step 3: Add Coffee and Heat Up Your Water

Water Amount: 240g (8.5 oz)

Add your ground coffee to the rinsed filter, place your brewer on the scales, and tare to zero. If your scales have a built-in timer, have it ready to start with your first pour.

Heat 240g of fresh spring water to the right temperature for your coffee. As a general guide, lighter roasts benefit from hotter water, while darker roasts prefer slightly cooler temperatures to keep the cup balanced and sweet.

Bloom Water: 45g (3–4 times coffee weight)

Bloom Time: 1:00

Your first pour is the bloom—a simple but important step that releases trapped gases from freshly roasted coffee and sets the stage for a more even extraction. If your coffee is fresh, you'll see the bed rise and bubble as it blooms.

Pour 45g of water, making sure every ground is evenly saturated. A gentle swirl after pouring can help ensure no dry pockets remain.

Bloom times vary from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, but 60 seconds is a great place to start. As always, trust your taste and adjust to suit the coffee in your cup.

Step 5: Remaining Pour

Pour Frequency- 6–8g per second.

Final Weight- 240g.

Target Time- 3:00–3:30 minutes.

Once the bloom is complete, slowly pour the remaining water in a steady, controlled stream until you reach 240g. We recommend a continuous pour at around 6–8g per second, aiming for a total brew time of 3 to 3½ minutes.

There are plenty of ways to approach this stage, from pulsed pours to one continuous pour. At Cold Start, we prefer a slow, steady pour. Keeping the water flowing consistently helps maintain the coffee bed temperature, encouraging a sweeter, more balanced extraction.

If the coffee begins draining more slowly than expected, don't panic. A gentle swirl of the brewer can help level the bed and improve the flow.

Time to enjoy your brew. Follow the recipe, trust your technique, and let the coffee do the talking. If the cup tastes a little sour or bitter, make a small adjustment to your grind size or brew time and try again. Great coffee is built one brew at a time.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pour Over Coffee?

Pour over is one of the simplest and most rewarding ways to brew coffee. By manually pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee, you control every stage of the extraction, allowing the coffee's natural flavours to shine.

Unlike automatic brewers, pour over gives you complete control over grind size, water temperature, pour rate and brew time. The result is a cleaner, brighter cup that highlights the unique character of each coffee.

While it takes a little more time and attention, the process is all part of the experience—slowing down, enjoying the ritual, and brewing a cup that's crafted exactly the way you like it.
How temperature affects taste

  • Water too hot: Can over-extract the coffee, leading to bitterness and harsh flavours.
  • Water too cool: Can under-extract the coffee, resulting in sourness, thin body and muted sweetness.
what temperature should you use for Pour Over Coffee?

Water temperature has a surprisingly big impact on flavour. Hotter water extracts more from the coffee, while cooler water extracts less. A good starting point is to match the temperature to the roast level.

Roast Level Water Temperature Results:

Light Roast 96–98°C- Brings out acidity, sweetness and complex fruit notes.

Medium Roast 93–96°C- Produces a balanced cup with good sweetness and body.

Medium-Dark Roast 91–94°C- Reduces bitterness while maintaining richness.

Dark Roast 88–91°C- Keeps the cup smooth and chocolatey, avoiding over-extraction.

For most of your Cold Start coffees, I'd recommend:

  • Light & Light-Medium: 96°C
  • Medium: 94°C
  • Medium-Dark: 92°C

This keeps the guidance simple for customers while giving excellent results.
What does bloom mean?

Blooming is the first stage of the pour over process. When hot water first meets freshly ground coffee, it releases trapped carbon dioxide left behind from roasting. This creates the bubbling and rising effect you'll often see in the coffee bed.

Allowing the coffee to bloom helps the remaining water flow more evenly through the grounds, leading to a cleaner, sweeter and more balanced cup.

Freshly roasted coffee will produce a more noticeable bloom, while older coffee may show very little activity. Both can still make great coffee, but a lively bloom is often a sign of freshness.
what are the pour over timings?
0:00 – Start the Bloom
  • Pour 45g of water (around 3× your coffee weight), making sure all the grounds are evenly saturated.
0:00–1:00 – Bloom
  • Allow the coffee to bloom for 60 seconds. This gives the coffee time to release trapped gases, helping create a more even extraction.
1:00–3:00 – Main Pour
  • Slowly add the remaining water in a steady, controlled stream at around 6–8g per second, aiming to reach your final weight of 240g.
3:00–3:30 – Drawdown
  • Once you've reached 240g, stop pouring and let the remaining water filter through the coffee. The drawdown should finish between 3:00 and 3:30.