Guerilla Pour-Over Brew Without Fancy Equipment
Everybody needs to start somewhere. Of course, we would recommend our equipment for making the best cup of coffee. Not everybody is ready to dive deep into the world of pour-over coffee without getting a taste of it first. This is why we created this guide to give some ideas on how you can make a great cup of coffee without breaking the bank.
First, we need to understand the different parts that are involved in a pour-over brew. It’s super simple. You need a vessel (to capture your delicious brew <3). A filter so you get only liquid and no slush in the cup. Lastly, some way to heat and pour water. And then, of course, the coffee beans!
Let’s look at each part individually and see where we can bend the rules a bit, so we don’t break the bank’s super-secret coffee brewing lab.
The Vessel
The idea is simple here, you need something that can hold the coffee, bonus points if you can drink from it.
If you don’t even want to leave your house, just use a big mug or water glass. The only requirement is that your filter of choice can be attached to your vessel.
The chic version that will make all of this Instagramable is a mason jar. Choose a pretty one like this one from Bormioli Rocco if you want to be extra fancy.
The Filter
Next time you are shopping for groceries, just grab a pack of paper coffee filters. This will produce the best results, and the filters a cheap. You can also brew multiple cups of coffee with one filter if you have a large enough vessel.
The “I-am-not-leaving-my-house-today” version of this would be to use a cheesecloth.
We are getting into MacGyver’esque territory here, but if you don’t have cheesecloth and still really want to make this cup of coffee happen, just use a (clean) kitchen towel. Results may vary.
Once you’ve found your filter, just use some paper clips or a large rubber band to attach the filter to your vessel.
Hot Water
Do you own an electric water kettle? Great, just use that. You can also go super simple and use a pan. A long handle will make it easier to pour the water slowly.
Coffee Beans
You could make this happen with any old beans you can find in your kitchen. To be honest, the beans are the part where you should not cheap out on, though. They are the deciding factor in making a delicious cup of coffee.
If you can, we recommend heading over to your local roastery and talking to the team there about what you like about coffee and what you don’t. You might not know it yet, but the flavor of coffee beans varies wildly depending on where and how it was grown. Tell your roastery that you are doing a pour-over brew, and they will grind the beans in the right size for you. Be nice, you will be here often from now on ;D
If you don’t have access to a local roastery, you can find great coffee online. Search for “roastery + your city/area.” You can, of course, also order from all over the US right to your doorstep. Check out Verve Coffee for some excellent beans. Choose grind “Drip / Medium.”
Depending on how well your local supermarket is stocked, you might also find some coffee that you can use for your pour-over brew there. Check on the package if you can find a french press grind. If your market has a grinder you can use, choose a medium-coarse setting. The fine grinds are for all of the espresso aficionados out there. They won’t work well for pour-over brewing.
Now go out and brew!
It’s time to do the deed. Let’s brew!
- Heat water in the heater of choice.
- Attach the filter to the vessel.
- Put around ⅛ cup of ground beans for every cup (8oz / 250ml) of coffee inside your filter.
- Once water is boiling, take off from heat and wait until it stops bubbling.
- Pour only a little bit of water over the grounds. Just make them wet.
- The coffee grounds will “bloom” (increase in size, bubble) now.
- Stare at it in awe O.O
- Now pour water until you have reached roughly 8oz / 250ml (if you have a kitchen scale, you can use that)
- Pour into a mug or drink straight out of the vessel
- Enjoy!
Check out our guide on how to do the perfect pour-over brew for more detailed guidance.