If you are a regular coffee drinker, there is a good chance you have already heard people singing the praises of pour over coffee makers. With a good pour over coffee maker, you can quickly make yourself a delicious cup of flavorful coffee, without the need for an expensive and bulky coffee dripper.
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Coffee drinkers love to discuss the best way to make that perfect cup, so it is no surprise one of the more traditional ways to make coffee has seen a massive surge in popularity over the last few years.
The pour-over method gives the coffee maker much more control than they would get with a machine and it really helps you feel more involved in the coffee-making experience.
As if a tastier cup of coffee and more controlled brewing process was not motivation enough, pour-over coffee makers are very affordable and take up much less counter space than bulky coffee machines.
To help you discover how you can enjoy the best pour over coffee, we have provided a helpful guide that will explain all the benefits of this traditional way to brew coffee, explain how you can get the best results yourself, and finally, provide our reviews for the best pour over coffee maker on the market today!
The Three Most Important Benefits To Using Pour Over Coffee Makers
It may seem a bit counterintuitive that a more simplified method of making coffee would yield better results than those you would get from a more expensive and complicated machine, but there are some serious benefits to using a pour over coffee maker over a standard coffee dripper.
Even skilled baristas at high end specialty coffee shops often favor a pour over coffee maker over complicated machines. These benefits are:
- They make you feel involved during every step of the process.
- You can experiment until you get your perfect cup of coffee.
- Highlights the finer quality of coffee beans.
1. POUR OVER COFFEE MAKERS MAKE SURE YOU FEEL INVOLVED DURING EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS
The more control you have during the coffee making process, the easier it will be to make a cup of coffee that tastes exactly how you want it to. With a high quality grinder, some freshly roasted coffee beans, a kettle, and the right pour over coffee maker, you will be able to make a delicious cup of coffee with ease and consistency.
There is something about making a drink or meal for yourself that makes it taste and smell better. You appreciate each step of the process because you were present throughout it.
Plugin coffee machines sterilize the ritual of coffee making and make it a mundane chore. They take a process that should be filled with pride and satisfaction and turn it into a stale and boring routine that involves no thought or pride.
Using a pour over coffee maker, you will grind the beans to your favored coarseness, heat the water to your liking, and pour the water over the beans yourself, which will make sure you are present when your coffee maker releases the delicious aroma that occurs when hot water first makes contact with coffee grinds.
It is no secret that freshly ground coffee beans smell delicious, so grinding your coffee each morning before you use your pour over coffee maker can become one of the most enjoyable and relaxing parts of your morning routine. Once your boiled water hits those freshly ground beans, your entire kitchen will be filled with the warm and delicious aroma of fresh brewed coffee.
Enjoy the ritual of making coffee yourself and your entire mornings will be transformed.
2. WITH A POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER, YOU CAN EXPERIMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE FOUND THE EXACT WAY TO MAKE YOUR FAVORITE CUP OF COFFEE
Again, with pour over coffee makers, you have a high degree of control over the entire process. This will let you find the perfect combination of water temperature and grind coarseness for your particular tastes. Calibrate the recipe until you have found exactly what you like.
Just like a chef tweaking recipes to meet his or her exact preferences, pour over coffee makers allow you to become the artist. A coffee machine makes coffee one simple way, which removes you from the entire process. If you are someone that enjoys experimenting and fine-tuning things, you will love the level of precision you get with a pour over coffee maker. Rather than sitting back and letting a machine make your morning beverage, you get to sit in the driver’s seat and make sure your coffee is made exactly the way you like it.
Adjust the grinds, water temperature, pour speed, and type of beans until your mornings start with a cup of coffee that was made just for you, by you. Getting the best results can become a bit of a journey and when you get that perfect cup, you will feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that will carry you through the day.
3. POUR OVER COFFEE MAKING WILL HIGHLIGHT THE FINER QUALITIES OF YOUR COFFEE BEANS
If you are someone that is willing to pay extra for higher quality coffee beans and cringes at the idea of using a can of generic, off-brand, pre-ground coffee, you will really appreciate how much more pronounced the flavor of the coffee beans is when they are prepared using the pour over method.
Pour over coffee makers produce a higher quality cup of coffee than you get with a coffee machine. This partially explains why pour over coffee makers are favored by the best baristas.
While you will have to wait a little bit longer for your coffee than you would have to with a machine, the wait is well worth it when you can actually taste the flavor of the coffee beans you buy.
Part of the reason why coffee machines produce poorer quality cups of coffee is because they are not precise. They are designed for speed and ease of use, rather than quality. If you are someone that appreciates quality over quantity, you are probably a good candidate for a pour over coffee maker.
Another explanation for why a dripper produces inferior tasting coffee is how dirty they get over time. Making pots of low quality coffee day in and day out would take a toll on any coffee maker.
The insides of coffee machines become covered in stains and clogged up with mineral scale. The brown stains and mineral deposits left behind from the coffee grounds and water builds up inside of coffee machines and taints the flavor of each pot of coffee they make.
Pour over coffee makers are extremely easy to clean. You will not have to deal with old coffee stains and hard water deposits ruining the flavor of your morning coffee. On the other hand, cleaning a coffee dripper takes an incredible amount of time. It almost always involves the use of dangerous cleaning chemicals.
Take your time and enjoy a better tasting cup of coffee. Speed is not always a good thing, especially when it comes to making something as enjoyable as a cup of tasty coffee.
The Best Pour Over Coffee Makers
There are countless pour over coffee makers on the market today. This is further proof of how popular this traditional way to make coffee is becoming. While it is great to have options, it can be a little overwhelming choosing a high quality pour over coffee maker that is going to give you the best results.
Luckily, we have done the work of finding what we consider to be some of the best pour over coffee makers out there today!
BODUM – 34 OUNCE POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER WITH PERMANENT FILTER
Bodum are now recognized as one of the best manufacturers of traditional coffee makers and coffee making accessories. Their popular 34-ounce pour over coffee maker offers a perfect explanation for why the brand has such a solid reputation.
The coffee maker uses a stainless steel mesh coffee filter. It is designed to help release the aromatic oils and subtle flavors in your coffee beans in a way that is far superior to what you would get with a paper filter.
The carafe is made from a durable, heat resistant type of borosilicate glass. It is both functional and elegant. As with all Bodum products, it also features color options and a branded silicone band. This helps give the coffee maker a more modern appearance. You can make 8 cups of delicious coffee in a single pour.
Best of all, the carafe and filter are easy to hand wash and can even be cleaned in the dishwasher.
SAKI – BARISTA QUALITY POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER WITH STAINLESS STEEL FILTER
This elegant looking pour over coffee maker from SAKI is designed to give you delicious tasting coffee from the comfort of your own home. You can save time and money by making barista quality cups of coffee, without having to pay café prices. The paperless coffee filter helps cut down on waste and saves you from having to buy paper filters to use your coffee maker.
The stainless steel mesh filter helps preserve the natural flavors of your coffee beans and will not influence the taste of your coffee as a single-use paper filter would. The entire coffee maker uses zero plastic in its design. It is completely BPA free and safe to use.
This coffee maker has a sleek, modern design and a really handy ergonomic handle. This allows you to easily make a delicious pot of coffee for you and your guests.
SAKI is so confident you will love this coffee maker and the coffee it produces that they back it with a 100 percent money-back guarantee.
PARKBREW COFFEE CO. – POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER WITH REUSABLE FILTER
This sharp looking pour over coffee maker from ParkBrew Coffee Co. is made from a borosilicate carafe that has thicker glass than you would get with a lower quality coffee maker.
It features a well-designed spout and helpful measurement guide. This makes it much easier to pour from. This pour over coffee maker was intentionally designed for beginners. So, if you are new to pour over coffee, you might want to consider starting here. It also comes with a silicone carafe lid. It helps keep your unused coffee warm.
ParkBrew Coffee Co. will also make a charitable donation to the National Park Foundation after every purchase. This is a nice touch, especially for outdoorsy coffee lovers!
OSAKA – GLASS POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER WITH REUSABLE STAINLESS STEEL FILTER
This 37-ounce pour over coffee maker features an impressive laser-cut stainless steel coffee filter. It has uniquely designed curved flow channels that help extract more flavor and aroma from your coffee beans than you would get with most reusable and non-reusable filters.
The glass carafe will not absorb odors, chemicals, or other types of residue. Your coffee will always taste the way it should. The glass lid closes the mouth of the carafe and helps trap in heat and prevent spills.
It features a colorful, heat resistant collar that helps you pour your coffee. Say goodbye to worrying about painful burns.
This beautiful pour over coffee maker has a unique Japanese style that makes it perfect for amateur coffee enthusiasts and professional baristas alike.
CHEMEX – SERIES 8 CLASSIC GLASS POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER
This pour over coffee maker from CHEMEX combines traditional style and high quality materials. The timeless design is really easy to use and produces flavorful cups of coffee that can be customized to meet your exact tastes.
It is made from a non-porous borosilicate glass, which will not absorb odors or chemical residues and is also really simple to clean. It will keep looking great for years to come. Unlike the coffee makers above, the CHEMEX uses disposable filters.
Some people prefer paper filters because they do not have to be cleaned. Not everyone has the time to clean coffee grinds out of a mesh filter each time they finish making coffee.
ASOBU - DOUBLE WALLED STAINLESS STEEL POUR OVER COFFEE MAKER
This unique pour over coffee maker features a sleek, modern-looking design. It is also capable of making a delicious cup of coffee. It will also look great on the counter of a more contemporary kitchen. So if you appreciate modern designs, you might want to consider using this stainless steel coffee maker.
Most carafes are made from glass. However, ASOBU opted for a double-walled stainless steel exterior because it looks great and offers a higher level of insulation. In fact, it is so insulated that it can keep coffee hot for up to 12 hours!
It features a detachable stainless steel micromesh coffee filter. You do not have to worry about buying wasteful paper filters. It also has an easy-grip design and is available in four colors.
Tips For Making The Perfect Cup With A Pour Over Coffee Maker
While pour over coffee makers will allow you to make a much tastier and satisfying cup of coffee than you can get with a traditional coffee dripper, they do require a certain level of skill and patience.
To get the most out of your pour over coffee maker, you should take the following tips into consideration. Learn from the best baristas and take your coffee making skills to the next level. Not only will you enjoy drinking your pour over coffee, you will be able to impress your guests with a cup of coffee that will blow them away.
Tip # 1 – Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans Taste Better
Far too many people use stale coffee beans and wonder why their coffee tastes bitter and unpleasant.
You can avoid using spoiled coffee beans by choosing to buy from roasters that clearly print the roast date on the packaging. The best coffee bean roasters take pride in their work and are always upfront about the roast date of each batch.
Ideally, you want to buy coffee beans that were roasted only a few days before you bought them.
You can even find online retailers that will only roast beans after an order has been placed. This way you will know your coffee beans have not gone stale in a cold and damp storage room before you purchased them.
As soon as coffee beans are roasted, they become susceptible to mold, rot, and general staleness. To get the most from your beans, try to use them within four weeks of their roast date.
It is also worth noting how quickly ground coffee beans go stale. This is why pre-ground coffee beans never taste as good as those that you grind yourself.
The way you store your coffee beans will also influence their flavor. Many people store their coffee beans in the refrigerator, but this is actually a mistake.
Beans should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Ideally, you would transfer your coffee beans from their original packaging into a container you can seal.
Tip Number 2 – Pay Attention to the Type of Water You Are Using
Far too many people ignore the type of water they are using when they make coffee. While it seems obvious that high quality, freshly roasted coffee beans will make a better tasting cup of coffee, it is just as important to make sure that the water you are using is free from unwanted contaminants.
Water that is filled with mineral deposits, treatment chemicals, and any other sorts of contaminants will negatively impact your coffee’s taste. Coffee beans are surprisingly sensitive during the coffee brewing process.
Anything in your water will interact with the coffee brewer during the brewing process and can alter the flavor.
Water softeners tend to give water a strange flavor, which will almost always influence the way your coffee tastes. Try avoiding water that has been treated with a water softener.
If you notice your tap water tastes strange on its own, do not use it to make your coffee and expect it to taste right. If your tap water is treated, consider using bottled water if you really want that cup of coffee to taste its best.
Remember, a cup of coffee is almost 99 percent water, so obviously the quality of that water is going to influence the cup’s overall flavor and aroma.
Tip # 3 – Do Not Grind More Coffee Than You Need
Coffee beans will spoil much faster after they have been ground. Oxygen and moisture in the air can start to spoil coffee beans minutes after they have been ground. This is why you will only want to grind the beans you intend on brewing that morning.
If you do accidentally grind more coffee than you need and you do not want those beans to go to waste, you should put them in an airtight, sealable container and place them in the refrigerator. While you should not store unground coffee beans in the refrigerator, you can get away with cold storing ground beans for a day or two. They will lose some of their flavor.
| Grind Size | What Does It Look Like? | Brewing Method |
| Extra Course | Peppercorns | Cold Brew |
| Coarse | Sea Salt | French Press or Percolator |
| Medium/Coarse | Coarse Sand | Chemex, Clever Dripper |
| Medium | Sand | Flat Bottom Drip Coffee Machines, Cone Shaped pour-over brewers |
| Medium Fine | Sugar | Cone Shaped Pour Over Brewers |
| Fine | Salt | Espresso, Aeropress |
| Extra Fine | Flour | Turkish Coffee |
Also, it is worth mentioning how important the coarseness of the grind is to the overall flavor of the coffee. For a pour over coffee maker, you will want to use a coarser grind than you would with a coffee machine. However, to a certain extent, grind coarseness is also a matter of taste. Play around with different levels of coarseness until you find one that you prefer.
Would I Buy This? Final Thoughts On Pour Over Coffee Makers
If you really want to treat yourself and your guests to a delicious cup of coffee, make sure to pick up one of the pour over coffee makers we discussed above. Take our helpful tips into consideration and play around with your new coffee maker. Soon you will have perfected the exact cup of coffee you enjoy most.
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Coffee making and drinking does not have to be a mundane experience. Far too many people view coffee as a source of caffeine first and as a delicious beverage second. Making coffee does not always have to be boring. With the right equipment and patience, making coffee can turn into a delicious form of art.
Originally Published September 26, 2020
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