Pour Over / Flash Brew

What is Pour-Over?

A Pour-Over is a manual coffee brewing method where hot water is poured over ground coffee in a filter, allowing gravity to pull the brewed coffee down into a vessel below. This method emphasizes control over water temperature, pouring speed, and bloom time, enabling the brewer to extract a well-balanced cup with nuanced flavors and aromas. The pour-over technique is favored for its ability to highlight the coffee’s unique characteristics, particularly with single-origin beans (Scott, 2019).

Steps

1. Prepare and Preheat: Place the filter in the dripper and rinse with hot water to eliminate any paper taste and preheat the dripper and carafe. Discard the rinse water.

2. Add Coffee Grounds: Place grams of freshly ground coffee in the dripper and gently shake to level the grounds for even extraction.

3. Bloom: Start the timer and pour 40 grams of water over the grounds, enough to saturate them completely. Allow the coffee to “bloom” (release trapped gases) for 30–45 seconds. This step enhances flavor clarity.

4. Main Pour: Starting from the center, slowly pour the remaining water in a steady, spiral motion until you reach 300 grams, making sure to pour evenly over all grounds. Aim to finish pouring within 1.5 to 2 minutes.

5. Drawdown: Allow the water to fully draw down through the grounds, usually completing around the 3 to 3.5-minute mark. This total time includes both the bloom and main pour.

6. Serve and Enjoy: Once the water has fully drawn down, remove the dripper, give the coffee a gentle swirl, and pour it into your cup.

Flash Brew

Flash brew, also known as Japanese iced coffee, is a method of brewing hot coffee directly over ice. This technique involves using a pour-over setup where a portion of the water is replaced with ice in the carafe. When hot coffee is brewed directly onto the ice, it cools almost instantly, preserving the coffee's aromatic compounds and acidity, resulting in a bright and flavorful iced coffee. Flash brew allows for the coffee’s flavors and complexity to shine in a cold format, making it a popular choice for high-quality single-origin beans (McCarthy, 2018; Rao, 2019).

1. Prepare Ice: Place 140 grams of ice in the carafe under your pour-over dripper.

2. Bloom: Pour about 40 grams of hot water over the coffee grounds to saturate them. Allow the coffee to bloom for 30–45 seconds. This helps release carbon dioxide for a cleaner extraction.

3. First Pour: After the bloom, slowly pour hot water in a circular motion until you reach 100 grams. Pour steadily, allowing water to flow through evenly.

4. Second Pour: Continue pouring up to 160 grams, aiming to complete pouring in about 1.5–2 minutes. The total brew time, including the bloom, should be around 2.5–3 minutes.

5. Chill and Swirl: Once the coffee finishes brewing, the hot liquid will melt part of the ice, cooling the coffee quickly and preserving its aroma and acidity. Gently swirl the carafe to ensure even cooling.

Tips

• Grind Size: For flash brew, aim for a grind size similar to table salt, though adjust as needed based on your pour-over device and desired strength.

• Adjust Ice and Water Ratio: You can adjust the ice and water ratios based on your preferred coffee strength. More ice will yield a lighter brew, while less ice will result in a stronger flavor.