Brewing coffee using the pour-over method (often called Melitta because of the company's ubiquitous reign over pour-over methods) is a great way to enjoy coffee at its freshest. It is the drip coffee equivalent to shots of espresso in terms of speed and efficiency. Some coffee houses are even switching to pour-over methods for selling drip coffee because it is so quick and makes a fresh cup that hasn't been sitting in an airpot for over an hour. You can find flat bottom pour-over filters if you search, but the conic pour-over filter is far more available and makes a better cup of coffee. The following steps are guidelines to make an easy and quick pour-over coffee. We encourage you to experiment with the parameters and find the best method to suit you.
Tools: Melitta cone with paper filters, grinder, drinking cup or carafe, tablespoon, hot water, coffee1. Setting up the Melitta
Place the Melitta cone on top of the apparatus that you are going to serve the coffee in either a mug or a carafe. Melittas come in different sizes, so make sure that the apparatus you are using fits the size of the Melitta cone. After the Melitta is set in place, position the filter so that it fits snugly with the shape of the cone. You can choose between a gold filter, which is a permanent filter that can be used over and over again, or a paper filter that is disposed after one use. Although the gold filter does have its advantages, mainly that you can use it over and over again, we have found that a paper filter aides in the extraction process much better, as it inhibits less of the oils and flavors of the coffee, while filtering out the sediment that results in a clean, crisp cup of coffee.
2. Grind
Pour-over coffee is usually ground finer than press pot coffee, but not as fine as espresso. If you are using a Melitta cone (which we recommend) the grind will be finer than that of a flat bottom pour-over. If you are using a burr grinder, we recommend using a setting a few notches coarser than espresso.
3. Dose
Using the "Golden Ratio" of coffee to water (one tablespoon of ground coffee to 4oz of water), we recommend that you know how much coffee you are going to make in advance and set the dosing from there. If you are making a twelve oz cup, for example, use three tablespoons of coffee. The grind of the coffee also affects the dose as the extraction will take longer and be more complete with finer-ground coffee. Be careful not to over extract the grounds by using too much coffee or too fine a grind. After dosing, place the grounds inside the filter of the Melitta cone.
4. Pour over
First, bring your water to a boil and let it sit, off the burner, for about a minute. The temperature of the water should be about 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once again, pre-measure the amount of water you are planning on using. When your water is ready, pour it slowly and deliberately over the grounds in the Melitta filter. Make sure that the grounds are saturated evenly and that there are no dry lumps of coffee floating on the surface. The water will slowly drip into cup underneath the Melitta. Add the rest of the water you pre-measured and then don't add any more. It is important to pre-measure the amount of water you are going to use because, once you start pouring, it can be difficult to tell how much water you have used already.
What you are looking for in a cup of pour-over coffee:
Pour-over coffee is the on-the-spot alternative to airpot-brewed coffee. It is meant to be enjoyed within minutes, not hours, of brewing. It is also a heavily filtered coffee, so is much more clean and snappy of a cup than press pot coffee. You should notice the brightness and acidity being highlighted in the cup while the body not as pronounced and the mouth feel thin and less syrupy.
