Your First Pour-Over Coffee - Without Going Broke

Part II of our series: Pour Over at Home—Brewing Better Coffee, One Step at a Time 

In this multi-part blog series, we help you get started with doing pour-over, one of the best, most consistent ways to extract coffee when brewing at home. In the first post of the series, The Case for Pour-over, we discussed the reasons why pour-over is a great method for brewing at home (it’s a wonderful ritual that produces incredible flavor). In this post we talk about walking the walk…actually producing your first pour-over coffee. 

Getting Started with Your First Pour Over

So you’ve decided to give pour-over a shot. Good call. You don’t need to toss your drip machine out the window just yet, but you do get additional bragging rights for adding pour over to your skillset and making your very first cup by hand.

And here’s the secret: you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get started. In fact, with just the basics: a dripper, a filter, some coffee, and hot water—you’re ready to make your first pour-over. You’ll be surprised at how simple the process really is. 

The Bare-Bones Pour Over Gear List

Before you click “add to cart” on every shiny coffee gadget you see, let’s keep it simple. Here’s what you need for round one:

• Dripper: Get yourself a dripper of any sort. Most will work well enough to produce a better cup of coffee, even a $5 plastic dripper from the supermarket. If you do look for brands check out Hario V60, Kalita Wave, or Melitta cone. They are all relatively inexpensive and are proven to produce solid pour-over results. We personally use the Hario and Kalita products and rely on them all the time.

• Filter: Paper filters sized to fit your dripper. They don’t even have to be the same brand as your dripper, but should be a similar shape (cut to fit in the dripper style you have).   

• A mug or carafe: Something for the coffee to land in. If you’re making a single cup you can simply use the coffee mug you will be drinking from but if you’re making a larger volume (e.g. two cups) then you’ll want something larger like a carafe or large ball jar. 

• A kettle: Any kettle will do as long as you can pour from it. A gooseneck kettle gives you more control over the pour but you can get one of those later.

• Coffee: Use freshly ground if you have it, but recently-purchased pre-ground works fine to start. Steer away from ground that has been sitting for a few weeks as it will have lost its freshness. 

That’s it. The gear is pretty simple! No scale, no thermometer, no $200 burr grinder required. We’re going to start with the absolute basics to get you brewing pour over and we’ll talk about upleveling and fine-tuning later. 

Your First Pour Over Recipe

Here’s a simple recipe to get your feet wet (well, your beans wet):

What you’ll need:

• 3 1/3 level tablespoons of medium-ground coffee (about 20 grams)

• About 11 oz of hot water (just off boil, around 200°F)

• A timer or your phone clock (optional)

Steps:

1. Heat your water. Just get it boiling and then let it sit for 30 seconds to cool down to about 200F or 96C. No thermometer necessary.

2. Set up your dripper. Place the dripper on your mug or carafe, pop in the paper filter. If you feel fancy, rinse the filter with hot water to remove any papery taste and warm up the dripper. (most filters have very little paper taste) 

3. Add the coffee. Aim for a medium grind—like table salt. If you’re using pre-ground, just scoop it in. Try to measure accurately so that you can use the same amount every time. 

4. Bloom. The first pour is called the “bloom pour” and its purpose is to wet the grounds so that they release trapped Co2 gas. When you pour make sure you wet all the grounds, then wait 30–45 seconds. This lets gases escape and preps the coffee to extract evenly. You’ll see bubbles—it’s alive! (that is the CO2 escaping)

5. The pour. Slowly pour the rest of the water in gentle spirals, starting in the center and moving outward. Take your time. Aim for 2½–3 minutes total brew time. Slow and steady is the name of the game here. Enjoy the process! 

6. Sip and smile. You did it—your first pour over.

Drinking your Pour Over (Temperature Matters)

You might think there isn’t a need to talk about how to drink a pour over, but in general people tend to drink coffee too hot! At some point in our lives we are taught that coffee should be extremely hot. Of course, drinking hot coffee is comforting. It’s a wonderful way to contrast cold weather outside with hot coffee inside. It helps wake us up in the morning and nothing beats holding and drinking hot coffee. 

But here’s a fascinating part of the coffee experience. If you let coffee cool down, you’ll experience the whole flavor and aroma profile of the bean…a profile that changes at each temperature. As coffee cools down from nearly boiling, the smell and flavor change…so much so that you’ll smell and taste new flavors at lower temperatures. It sounds funny, but give it a try and you’ll notice that coffee is even more complex that you might have thought! 

When Coffee Tastes Best 

Right after brewing, your coffee is piping hot — usually around 195–205°F (90–96°C). At that temperature, it’s almost too hot for your taste buds to notice the subtle flavors. You’ll feel the heat, but not the nuance.

Here’s what happens as it cools:

Dark roasts tend to taste best a little hotter — think rich, chocolatey, and comforting.
Light roasts often reveal their best selves as they cool — fruity, floral, and complex.

Try sipping your pour-over at different stages. It’s like tasting three different coffees from the same cup.

Managing Expectations

Ok, so you’ve tasted your first pour over. It might not have tasted like the $6 cup at your favorite café but that’s okay. What matters is:

• It will taste cleaner and fresher than your drip machine.

• You probably noticed a few nuances that you hadn’t noticed before. 

• You’ve just created a little ritual for your morning.

• Each time, you’ll get a little better and notice even more.

Pro tip: if you’re brewing with a dark roast, you’ll probably have a decent cup right away. Dark roasts are typically more forgiving than light roasts. If you’re trying a light roast, it might taste a little sour or acidic at first. Light roasts are generally more difficult to dial in. Don’t worry, if your dark roast is bitter or your light roast is acidic, we’ll fix that in Post 3.

Notice the Difference

Here’s the fun part: tomorrow, brew your normal drip machine coffee. The next day, make another pour over. Or even better, if you’re drinking with someone else prepare them side by side. Then sip them. Notice a difference? Even without fancy gear, pour over almost always tastes smoother, brighter, and just a little more alive.

That’s the magic. And given that you’re going to drink hundreds or thousands of cups of coffee in your lifetime, why not learn how to brew a better cup each day? That’s our goal with this blog post series. 

Next Up: Dialing It In

You’ve dipped your toe in the water (literally). Next time, we’ll talk about how to level up: dialing in grind size, adjusting water temperature, and learning how to make your cup taste exactly the way you want it. We’ll even start talking about the gear you can use to upgrade your pour over game. 

Spoiler: this is where pour over gets addictive—in the best way. 

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We are White Whale Coffee, a fresh-off-the-boat coffee and roasting company working to create world-class dark roasts while building a strong, independent New England brand. Read our story or subscribe to our newsletter to follow our journey.