How to Brew a Pour Over Using a Kalita 185
The pour-over is the most popular coffee brewing method to capture and experience the nuances of specialty coffee. how to brew an exceptional cup of coffee on any pour-over device. We like to use the Kalita 185. There are many others out there and various different recipes that can be used.
What is a Pour-Over and How Does it Work?
A pour-over is a type of infusion brewing where hot water is poured over ground coffee. A metal, glass, or ceramic brew basket containing a filter and ground coffee sits above your mug or carafe-this would be considered a brewing rig. Hot water is then poured over the ground coffee and brews as it passes through the coffee. The freshly brewed coffee exits the brew basket (in the case of a Kalita, it is flat-bottomed) through 3 holes in the bottom of the brewing basket and into your mug or carafe with only the help of gravity.
Water Coffee Ratio for Pour Over
We recommend a water-to-coffee ratio of 16:1 . Of course, if you prefer a more potent cup, use more a lower ratio. This means 16 grams of water for every gram of coffee. To calculate how much coffee you need, weigh the amount of water you want to brew and divide that by 16. That will give you the amount of coffee to grind.
Coffee Grind for Pour Over
You will want to grind your coffee to have a medium-fine grind consistency which feels similar to table salt. You want enough coarseness that the water passes through the grounds within your desired brew time.
Use our grind guide to learn more about coffee grinding.
Pour Over Recipe
Water coffee ratio: 16:1
Water: 300g
Coffee: 18.75g
Grind: Medium (table salt)
Gear: Gooseneck kettle (to help with even extraction), kitchen scale, timer
The pouring technique is very important when brewing a pour-over. Begin with a level bed of coffee in your brew basket. For an even extraction, pour your hot water with a gooseneck kettle using circular motions that spiral out from the middle to the outside and back to the middle again. When the brewing is complete, you should see a level bed of coffee in your filter once all the water has drained out.
Set brewing rig on kitchen scale and tare.
Start the timer and pour 38g of water to allow freshly roasted coffee, creating a bloom, to degas.
When the timer reads 0:30 Slowly add 62g of water using circular motions (scale should read 100g)
When the timer reads 1:00 Add 100g of water again with circular motions (scale should read 200g)
When the timer reads 2:00 Add the remaining water and let it filter through the coffee with a complete brew time of around 3:30 to 4 minutes
