Lesson 1 of 5 · Home Barista Basics

Pour-over coffee

  • Free video
  • Beginner
  • Coffee, Tea & Barista Skills
  • 5 min
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Video by The Coffee Chronicler on YouTube: “3 Pour Over Mistakes Beginners Make” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 1 of 5

Brew a clean, balanced cup of pour-over coffee and avoid the three mistakes beginners make most often.

  • Start with a 1:16 ratio of coffee to water
  • Use water just off the boil, 195–205°F
  • Adjust grind size to fix sour or bitter cups

Ingredients for this lesson

Single-Origin Coffee SamplerStandard / 6-count 2oz sample packs · VanillaGoods$29.99
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Ugandan Single-Origin CoffeeCoarse / 12oz · VanillaGoods$25.99
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

A starting recipe

  • 20 g coffee to 320 g water (about 1:16)
  • Medium-fine grind, like table salt
  • Water at 195–205°F (90–96°C)
  • Bloom with about 40 g water for 30–45 seconds, then pour in slow stages
  • Aim for a total brew time of about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes

Fixing your cup

  • Sour or thin: grind finer or pour slower
  • Bitter or harsh: grind coarser
  • Weak: use more coffee for the same water

Watch for

A scale and a gooseneck kettle make pour-over far more consistent, and fresh beans make the biggest difference of all.

Next: French press →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

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