The benefits & joys of pour over coffee

There’s a lot to love about pour over coffee. You need very little equipment and have maximum flexibility to customize your brew. If you’re not already doing it, here are six big benefits and two total joys to inspire you to give it a try.

 But wait—why is pour over even different from machine-made coffee or French Press? The magic is in  the method.

When you use an automatic coffee maker, you simply can’t control several elements of the brew process—like how hot the water gets and how fast or slow it pours through the grounds. And subtle changes to those elements change the flavor and texture of the finished coffee. In a word, you have more control over the end taste.

In the case of French Press, you also get the added benefit of a filter, which absorbs some of the oils and chemicals in the beans and results in a balanced brew. 

Need motivation to try it? We rounded up the top eight reasons people make the switch.

It’s so so simple

After years of having a big automatic machine sitting on the counter, it feels remarkable to have...almost nothing in its place.

You need ground coffee (of course!), a kettle, a filter and some way to hold the filter in place over your cup. We love our trusty Chemex, but you’ve got lots of options. 

When you’re ready to make a cup or four, just heat water, pour it through the grounds in the filter, then enjoy your coffee.

You don’t (technically) need electricity

OK—you do need to heat the water. So, if you have an electric kettle, then you’ll use a little electricity. But it’s not strictly required. If the electricity goes out or your travelling, you can break out the camp stove or build a fire and still have your perfect cup of coffee. 

It’s more sustainable

Because pour over coffee is so simple, the equipment is simple too. A glass, metal or ceramic dripper will last ages before you need to replace them, if you ever do. And if you’re reading this blog, then you know your can skip the paper filters too. 

Check out your sock options for drippers in our hot brew shop. 

Less waste—exactly the amount you need

Pour over is infinitely flexible and customizable. Because you have more control over the water and grounds, you’ll figure out the exact amount of each you need and minimize waste.  

Then there’s the filter—we toss out billions of paper filters each year. With a reusable filter, you’ll throw out less paper waste.  

It’s super portable

If you’re frequently on the go, this may be the biggest and best reason to love pour over. You can take it with you and always have your coffee just the way you like it.

Check out our blog on how to brew your coffee on the road or the trail. 

Easy to customize to your tastes

Experiment with coffee types, ground sizes, water temperature and how fast or slow you pour the water through. If you’re a budding coffee aficionado, you’ll have maximum ability to calibrate each input and savor the subtle differences they create.

For the scientifically minded, try isolating the variables and keeping notes until you get just the right formula for your own perfect cup. 

It really does taste better

We may all have slightly different tastes and preferences, but most agree that pour over simply tastes better than machine dripped coffee. That could be for a couple of reasons. The first is that you can get your brew just right (see “easy to customize” above), the second is the way pour over uses fresh water.

When you pour hot water slowly over the grounds, the water soaks through the grounds slowly, picking up more of the nuance of the beans. Then, you pour on more fresh water to do it again. So, the method deepens the flavors and tastes fresher. 

The method adds a sense of ritual

Some mornings, it can feel like autopilot—get your coffee and jump into the day ahead hoping we’ll be productive. When you have to slow down for just a few short minutes and pour water slowly over grounds, you can find unexpected joy in the stillness. You’ll feel the steamy water, small the fresh coffee, and have a minute or two to wake up and reflect.

That may be the biggest magic of pour over—what felt at first like an inconvenience becomes a lovely little morning ritual.