Pour over: high flavor third-wave coffee
This is one of the first women-owned inventions, registered at the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin. The German Amalie Auguste Melitta Bentz created the Pour over method back in the early 1900s. Other inelegant, heavy and often over-extracted methods existed, but Bentz introduced a major transformation: the concept of a paper filter to more easily make a robust, flavorful coffee.
Brewing details
Origin
Germany
Method
Pour-over
Coffee
Light - medium roasts
Filter
Paper
Grind size
Medium-fine to medium-coarse
Time
5 - 10 minutes
Can the pour over technique be used for specialty coffee?
This gentle method has regained popularity as it produces a clean, light-bodied yet complex brew. Pour over is what most of us call "drip" coffee. The water is poured over the top of ground coffee, through a (paper) filter into a carafe below. Cotton filters have been used for years in Latin America and Asia. Costa Rica had a similar device named chorreador with a fabric filter, or bolsita.
Brewing process
Step 1
Start with a general ratio of 1 ounce of beans for every 16 ounces of water.
Step 2
Ready your hot water (just below boiling) and grind your coffee.
Step 3
Fold the filter's edges, add the grounds and prepare to pour.
Step 4
Prime your dripper and mug: pour enough water to fully saturate the filter.
Step 5
Pour slowly, move in a steady spiral and wait. Be patient (30 - 45 seconds).
Step 6
After blooming, begin pouring from the center. It takes 2-3 minutes.
A morning ritual
The pour over is like meditation: it's you and a few simple tools.
Decolonize your coffee