Required Tools to Elevate the Pour Over Technique

The basic process behind making a cup of coffee with a pour over is simple. Pour hot water over ground coffee beans and allow for extraction via gravity and design, through a filter. Amongst those key process steps are specific techniques that can result in a remarkable and reproducible cup of coffee. 

Specific tools aid these techniques. I’ve listed the critical tools that should be a staple in the pour-over brewer’s toolkit. . This list applies to all manual pour overs such as Hario, Kalita, etc.

1. Digital Scale (with timer)

2. Burr Grinder

3. Goose neck kettle

4. Thermometer

5. Coffee Server

Digital Scale (with timer)

I have chosen to start with this because I consider it to be the most important. 

Knowing how much coffee and water you are using is critical when brewing with ratios and would be useful for all methods of making coffee (French press, Aeropress etc). 

A digital scale helps you accurately measure the coffee dose and the water dose according to the coffee ratio being applied. Measuring the coffee dose is easy enough but adding the water dose requires active measurement and timing.

A scale is very useful when determining the water quantity being poured during a pour over to give one an indication of:

• How much water is poured during the bloom phase,

• How much water is poured in the subsequent pours, and most importantly,

• When to stop pouring to ensure that the required coffee:water ratio is maintained.

The water dose is added in small measures over the brew time. A timer used with the scale will help you pour the correct amount of water at the correct time. 

Chances are that you already have a digital scale in your pantry, which is great. But, if you don't, invest in one that has a built-in timer with it. 

If your scale is not equipped with a built-in timer then, I find it best to use the stopwatch feature on my cellphone as a substitute.

Burr Grinder

Although not #1 on my list, a good quality burr grinder is an essential tool for any advancing home barista. 

Whether electric or manual, a burr grinder allows one to vary the grind size to achieve the desired strength and taste profile. Another advantage of the burr grinder is that all the beans are consistently ground to a similar size. Burr grinding at home ensures that recipes and techniques are repeatable and consistent.

Pairing the burr grinder with freshly roasted beans is a recipe for success. Grinding fresh beans will always result in the freshest cup of coffee. It just sets the tone. It conveys the message to anyone in the vicinity, “Cue Reverence, Barista at Work!”.

Gooseneck Kettle

One could make a reasonable pour over without a gooseneck kettle, but as the title suggests, this is a tool that would elevate your skill, and by extension, the resultant cup of coffee. 

Gooseneck kettles create consistency and repeatability by giving you control. 

The water volume and pour rate are easily controlled when using a  gooseneck kettle. Varying the water stream height and volume agitates the grounds when needed. The gooseneck kettle also increases accuracy, helping you avoid pouring along the edges and straight through the filter. 

A variable used when ‘dialling-in’ coffee is the temperature of the water. After adjusting the grind size and introducing agitation, water temperature is the next logical controllable variable to change. 

Brew lighter roasts at higher water temperatures to prevent under-extracted, sour coffee. Brew darker roasts at lower temperatures to prevent over-extraction, and a bitter-tasting brew. The right gooseneck kettle can help you manage the water temperature. 

When choosing a gooseneck kettle, it is better to select a kettle where the water will be heated directly (either electric or stovetop), rather than transferring the water from an electric kettle to a separate pouring kettle as this would result in an unwanted heat loss. 

Thermometer

A thermometer is useful when perfecting a technique or when exploring the full potential of a new bag of beans. 

The water temperature can play a significant role in extraction. It is an adjustable variable if you're using pre-ground coffee. Or it can be adjusted if you're trying to get the best out of the roast level. 

If water temperature is an influencing factor in your brewing process, then a thermometer is essential.  The first prize would be to get an electric gooseneck kettle with a built-in thermometer on the lid (the stuff of dreams).

Coffee Server

Finally, unless you are making coffee for one, in which case, you could just place the Hario over your cup, it is nice to use a coffee server when making more than 2 cups. 

The reasoning for this, is that, the flavour profile during the extraction is not consistent. There are various stages in the brewing process (wetting, blooming and pouring), in which the degree of extraction varies. Using a server allows you to swirl the coffee once the pour over is complete. This ensures that the resultant cups are of a uniform temperature, strength and taste.

Although not essential for a pour over technique, the items discussed above will be sure to enhance both the result and consistency of your coffee. Do you think that there is an item that should be on this list? Let us know in the comment section below.