Benefits Drawbacks of Pourover Pour Over Coffee

[Shel_B]

What are the benefits and drawbacks to making coffee using the pourover method, especially, but not limited to, using a French press?  How might some of the drawbacks be overcome?

[Porthos]

I use a French press at my FIL's house because I am the only one there drinking coffee. In my experience, and a coworker noted the same thing, it takes more coffee grounds to make French press coffee. At home I use 1/2 cup of coffee in my Hamilton Beach Brew Station to make a carafe's worth of coffee. I have to use a 1/2 cup of coffee in my French press to make about a 1/2 carafe's worth of coffee.

 

I have reason to use the Melita-style pourover coffee making system on weekends when I am doing my ren faire stuff. This style uses closer to the 1/2 cup for a carafe's worth of coffee.  ETA: It does take more time than French press coffee.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Porthos (log)

[Shel_B]

4 hours ago, Porthos said:

I use a French press at my FIL's house because I am the only one there drinking coffee. In my experience, and a coworker noted the same thing, it takes more coffee grounds to make French press coffee. At home I use 1/2 cup of coffee in my Hamilton Beach Brew Station to make a carafe's worth of coffee. I have to use a 1/2 cup of coffee in my French press to make about a 1/2 carafe's worth of coffee.

 

I have reason to use the Melita-style pourover coffee making system on weekends when I am doing my ren faire stuff. This style uses closer to the 1/2 cup for a carafe's worth of coffee.  ETA: It does take more time than French press coffee.

 

 

Interesting about the amount of coffee required.  I suspect it's because of the size of the grinds.  I don't mind that it may take a little more time to brew some pour over ... I like taking my time in the morning, and, of course, I have the time to enjoy the process.

 

My companion often buys her coffee pre-ground for a Mr. Coffee setup she has at home, and sometimes she'll buy or bring me some coffee as well.  Having the option to brew coffee more than one way, and knowing the best way to do that, is a nice option.  Of course, I can always grind my own beans for the finer, pour over grind.

 

I'd like to find a non-plastic cone and a good quality gold filter instead of using compostable paper filters.  Any suggestions for an excellent quality gold filter?  Is there something other than paper and the gold filters?

[rustwood]

I am not a connoisseur, but after smelling the coffee a co-worker made every day I bought a Clever Dripper for home and put my Keurig on a shelf in the basement.  It works well for me because I usually only make on large mug of coffee a day.  It takes me about 10 minutes in total - usually while I am fixing something else for breakfast.

 

According to this site:

"The Clever Coffee Dripper combines the best features of French press and pour-over drip brewing, eliminating the drawbacks of each. A French press allows for full immersion brewing, meaning the coffee grounds are evenly saturated and extracted through the entire brewing process. The drawbacks are typically heat loss and lots of sediment in the cup. Brewing a personal pour-over with a paper filter is easy and convenient; the problem is lack of control over steeping time (i.e. the coffee begins to drain immediately and the grounds rarely have consistent contact with the water. In addition, inconsistent turbulence from the pouring motion can easily lead to over or under extraction, which can lead to very inconsistent results from cup to cup). By adding a stopper to a filtercone, the Clever Coffee Dripper combines control over steeping time with a sediment-free cup."

 

I don't know about all of that, but it is at least some food for thought in response to your question.  I have read more than a few times/places that all of these methods generally start with a lot more coffee per cup than most people typically use in a traditional drip system.  Recommendations for grind size, brew time and amount of coffee to use with the Clever Dripper vary widely.  I am kind of happy about that because I am not very exacting - I eyeball my beans and often leave it steep too long when I am busy with other things.

[scubadoo97]

12 hours ago, Shel_B said:

What are the benefits and drawbacks to making coffee using the pourover method, especially, but not limited to, using a French press?  How might some of the drawbacks be overcome?

A pour over will certainly give you a cleaner cup compared to the French press and with the finer grind the ratio of coffee to water will be less but not by a lot.  Pour over is in essence the same as drip but you have more control with the flow rate and volume 

[Katie Meadow]

I much prefer the taste of gold-filtered coffee to paper.  I have a terrific gold filter that we've been using for years, so it has paid for itself many times over, I'm sure. Sadly it is fraying from old age. I keep using it because two other gold filters I have purchased have been disappointing. My trusty one seems to have a finer mesh, so the coffee goes through slowly. The newer ones just drain through too fast, no matter how fine I grind the coffee. They are useless. So be warned. If anyone knows of a good brand with a fine mesh to recommend I'm all ears.

[Martin Fisher]

I have four moka makers, Chemex (paper and stainless), French press, pour-over (Hario), Aero-Press (paper and stainless) and a couple Vietnamese phin coffee makers (all stainless steel).

 

The Vietnamese phin doesn't require an additional filter — and makes a fairly strong cup with little standard drip grind coffee compared to some other methods.

It's SO's preferred way to make coffee.

 

 

Edited January 23, 2017 by DiggingDogFarm (log)