Pour Over Coffee: The Beans And Brewers We Like

What’s the point of making coffee with a pour over cone and special kettle? Is it worth the effort? Which of these brewers do you suggest and which beans work the best with them?

We admit, pour over coffee can seem pretty weird. We all have a moment of shock and confusion when we see baristas slowly pouring water over a cone to make a single cup of coffee for the first time.

It seems like way too much effort for the reward. Why would anyone do that?

Well, it’s not just to look cool. Pour over brewing actually has a big impact on the flavor of your coffee—a pretty significant impact—which is why it has become such a popular coffee brewing method in the last decade.

2 Reasons To Try Pour Over Brewing At Home

It’s not just hype. Pour over brewing can be a huge upgrade to your daily coffee routine, especially if you like lighter roast coffees. Here’s why:

• It tends to highlight lighter and delicate flavors. Espresso and french press coffee are big and bold, but pour over brewing brings out the tasting notes that are more subtle and complex. It also lets the acidity shine through a bit more, making this style of brewing perfect for top-shelf coffees where you want to experience the full range of flavors.

• Making a cup by hand is a meditative experience. Pouring water over your coffee slowly and carefully is an engaging experience. It has a way of drawing you in and enhancing your coffee ritual from start to finish.

Here’s how Sunni Ellis, our Barista Trainer, puts it.

“The most rewarding part of pour over coffee is discovering those fruity and floral flavors that tend to be buried in your more traditional brewing methods, like the french press.”

Sure, you spend a couple minutes making 1-3 hands-on cups of coffee, but it’s worth it. The quality flavor you can get with a pour over brewer can really only be matched by high-end, somewhat pricey automatic coffee brewers.

Best Pour Over Coffee Makers On The Market Today

In Amavida cafes, we actually make coffee using our two favorite pour over cones: the Chemex and Hario V60. Here are some of the differences:

There are tons of pour over cones out there, but these two are by far the most popular in the coffee industry—and for good reason.

What Coffee To Use for Pour Over Brewing

Any coffee can taste great when made with a pour over cone, but coffees with fruity and floral flavors seem to be better suited for this method.

We asked three of our team members (Martin Trejo, Madison Daum, and Sunni Ellis) which beans they suggest and were impressed that they all pretty much agreed on their top picks:

• Kenya Nyeri Hill AB — Extra sweet with notes of honeysuckle, caramel, and molasses
• Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Negele Gorbitu — Smooth earl grey, jasmine, and a bright candied grape tang.
• Ethiopia Sidama Fero — Floral jasmine meets tangy clementine and smooth black tea.
• Congo Muungano — Berries. All the berries.

These may be our favorites for pour over coffee, but we’d love to hear yours, so shoot us a message and let us know.

What other pour over coffee questions do you have? We’d love to answer them at a cafe (our baristas are knowledgeable) or you can email us and we’ll gladly help out.