Pour Over Cone
As with the other pour over methods, brewing with a cone filter requires a bit of finesse but the results are spectacular. The paper filter brew method catches oils and fines to serve a delicate yet complex coffee experience, minus the full body of a French press brew.
Fine Ethiopian coffees work well here, with the resulting brew somewhat resembling the appearance and experience of a flavoursome, sweet red tea.
Examples of these pour overs are Kalita Wave, Hario V60 and Brewista V Dripper. They typically have a shelf to rest the device on your cup and the designs differ to affect the flow of water, thereby influencing the final outcome.
You'll need...
Pour over device
Filter (Paper or Metal)
Grinder
Kettle
Drip Scales
Timer
Stirrer
Brew time | 2.30 - 3 minutes
Brew Ratio | 1:15 - 1:18
Water Temp | 92-96C
Remember these are guidelines, experimentation is encouraged.
1
Boil your water & grind your Coffee
Try using a ratio of 60-66g of coffee per litre of water. Weigh out as much coffee as you need for the size of your brew and grind it to a medium-fine coarseness (similar to salt). Boil your low mineral content water.
If using a metal mesh, grind a little finer to slow down the rate of flow.
2
Prepare your filter
Place the cone onto your cup and pop your filter paper into the V60. Soak it with hot water. This will remove the paper’s taste, stick it to the walls of the V60 and heat up your equipment. Add your ground coffee and shake to make it flat and even.
3
Bloom time
Pour out the rinse water. Now add 50-80 ml of hot water to the grounds and watch your coffee expand. This lovely spectacle is called the bloom. To ensure there are no dry pockets and to ease escape of carbon dioxide, give the grounds a gentle stir.
Start the timer as the water hits the coffee. This should all take 30 seconds.
4
The Pour
Pour the rest of your water over the coffee. This may take a couple of pours or you could do one, slow pour. Just try to keep the coffee bed flat by pouring in a spiral motion to avoid uneven extraction.
Experiment with different pouring speeds to find out your favourite flavour result.
5
Let the coffee drip
Let the water drip through until a flat coffee bed is exposed. The entire process should take up to 3 minutes.
6
Clean, Swirl and Enjoy
Now lift the cone and remove the coffee-holding filter. Rinse and clean the cone while your coffee cools – you don’t want to stain your brewer!
Don’t forget to stir or swirl your coffee. The various compounds are extracted at different stages of the brew so this aid mixing. Now, enjoy.
If your coffee is too watery, grind a little finer next time to increase contact time and extraction.