How to Use a Pour Over with DaySol Coffee

April 01 2024, by Amber Chase

In the final rendition of our collaboration on home-brewing coffee with DaySol Coffee, Bert Davis describes the pour over method and tells us what he's drinking now.

How to Brew Coffee with an AeroPress

• What equipment is involved?

A funnel shaped pour over vessel, a filter, a kettle (a gooseneck kettle is best), a scale, a timer, and a cup or decanter. A lot of pour kits come with a clear server/decanter.

• Do you have a preferred pour over vessel?

If I am brewing for only myself, I use the V60 pour over because it makes a single cup. If I am brewing for more than myself, I usually use a Chemex which comes in various sizes from 3 cups to 10 cups.

• How finely should you grind the coffee beans?

Medium to medium fine: I shoot for slightly finer than what I would use for a regular coffee pot. A good test is if you brew and the water flows through too fast, your grinds are too coarse. If the water flows through too slow or gets clogged in the filter, your grind is too fine.

• What happens during the brewing process?

Pour over is an infusion method of brewing, meaning the coffee is in contact with the water for less time than an immersion method, like the French press, but longer than a method like espresso. Hot water flows over the coffee grounds and extracts flavor and caffeine from the coffee beans.

• How will this brewing technique emphasize flavor in the beans?

Pour over is an excellent way to accentuate the complexities of a coffee. This is my preferred brewing method for light roasted coffees with very complex flavors notes. Especially those on the fruity and floral side.

Pour Over Brew Steps for V60 Pour Over:

1. Place your mug, V60 brewer, and filter on a scale.

2. Heat water to 195-205 degrees.

3. Grind 21 grams of coffee to medium-fine consistency.

4. Pour a little hot water through the filter before adding coffee. This helps the filter stick and washes out some of the paper flavor which can be surprisingly obvious sometimes. Discard the rinse water from your mug.

5. Add coffee grounds to your filter. Level the grinds. Zero your scale.

6. Pour about 90 grams of water over the coffee and let sit 15-20 seconds. This part of the process is called the bloom. This aerates the coffee and allows carbon dioxide to release from the beans.

7. Pour in a slow spiral motion to evenly saturate all the grounds. I typically do this step in 2 cycles filling the filter twice and allowing it to drain down around halfway between cycles.

8. Once your scale says 350-360 grams, which will be the amount of water you added, stop pouring and let the water filter completely out of the filter.

9. Remove the pour over and filter and enjoy!!

10. Timing from bloom pour to the last drop in the filter this process should take around 3 minutes for a 10-ounce cup of coffee. You’ll realize that, even though this was a labor intense process, it was totally worth it!!

What Bert Davis is Drinking

My wife and I almost always use a French press in the morning. It’s the perfect 2 cup method, it’s easy and tastes great.

In the afternoons when it’s just me and I just want a good cup of decaf for flavor, I will use an AeroPress or pour over.

My favorite blend right now is our Gratitude Blend. Even though it’s a light roasted blend, we have so many people who normally drink a medium or darker roast but love the Gratitude Blend. It’s a great French press blend but really shines in the AeroPress and pour over!