Brewing basics, 6 minute read, October 2026

How to make pour-over coffee at home

One ratio, one grind, one pour. Here's how to get a clean, sweet cup, and what to change when it tastes off.

Pour-over is the easiest way to make coffee that tastes like the beans it came from. You put ground coffee in a paper filter, pour hot water over it in a slow, steady stream, and let it drip into your mug. The method is forgiving, and nearly every problem you'll run into is fixed by changing one thing.

What you need

• A dripper with a cone shape, such as a Hario V60, a Kalita Wave, or any similar one
• Paper filters that fit it
• A kettle. A gooseneck kettle makes the pour easier to control, but any kettle works.
• A kitchen scale that reads in grams (most can switch from ounces)
• Whole beans and, ideally, a burr grinder
• A timer. Your phone is fine.

The scale matters more than the fancy kettle. Measuring by weight, not scoops, is what makes a good cup repeatable. Coffee is weighed in grams because an ounce is about 28 of them, so ounces are too coarse to hold a ratio. Ounce equivalents are in parentheses.

Step by step

1. Rinse the filter. Put the paper filter in the dripper, set it over your mug, and pour hot water through it. This removes the papery taste and warms the mug. Pour out the water.
2. Add the coffee. Put the ground coffee in the filter, shake it flat, and put the whole setup on the scale. Set the scale to zero.
3. Bloom. Start your timer and pour about 50 g (under 2 oz) of water over all the grounds, making sure they're all wet. The coffee will puff up and bubble. That's trapped gas escaping. Wait 30 to 45 seconds.
4. Pour in slow circles. Pour gently from the center outward and back, keeping the stream thin. Aim to reach 320 g (about 11 oz) total by about 1:30 to 2:00.
5. Let it drain. Wait for the water to drip all the way through. It should finish between 2:30 and 3:30. Swirl the mug and drink.

If it doesn't taste right

Change only one thing at a time, so you know what made the difference.

• Sour, thin, or salty: the coffee is under-extracted. Grind finer, use slightly hotter water, or pour a little more slowly.
• Bitter, harsh, or dry: the coffee is over-extracted. Grind coarser, let the water cool a bit longer, or shorten the drain time.
• Weak but not sour: use more coffee. Try 22 g (0.8 oz) with the same 320 g of water.
• Draining takes forever: the grind is too fine, or the grounds are clumped. Grind coarser and level the bed before you pour.

Tips that make a bigger difference than gear

• Buy fresh beans. Beans taste best in the first few weeks after roasting. Look for a roast date on the bag, not just a best-by date.
• Grind right before you brew. Ground coffee goes stale within minutes, not days.
• Write down what you did. Dose, grind setting, and time. When a cup turns out great, you'll be able to make it again.

This guide describes a widely used starting method, not a single correct way. Beans, grinders, and water all vary, so treat the numbers as a starting point and adjust to your taste.