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How to Brew — Filter Coffee

A slow, gravity-driven brewing process that gently extracts nuanced flavour into your cup, filter brewing is an elegant and precision driven way to experience specialty coffee.

An Introduction to Filter Brewing

Filter brewing stands as a cornerstone of coffee culture, celebrated for its simplicity and ability to highlight the nuanced flavors of the beans. This method, encompassing techniques such as pour-over, drip, and immersion brewing, offers coffee enthusiasts a versatile and accessible way to craft their perfect cup.

The V60 pour-over method involves a unique cone-shaped dripper, allowing for optimal extraction and flavor, refining the brewing process and enhancing the coffee-drinking experience.

What you’ll need for filter brewing

  • Fresh coffee, ground for filter brewing.

  • A spouted kettle of boiling water.

  • A pour over dripper or filter cone (we think our HARIO x Allpress V60 is pretty neat).

  • Filter papers.

  • Your favourite mug or coffee server.

Picking the best coffee for filter brewing

For filter brewing, selecting the right coffee beans is essential to achieving a balanced and flavorful cup. Opt for high-quality, freshly roasted beans with a medium grind size. Light to medium roasts are preferred, as they retain more of the bean's natural flavors and acidity, resulting in a bright and complex brew. Single-origin coffees are well suited as they often showcase distinct tasting notes that shine through in filter brewing methods. Ultimately, choosing coffee beans that match your taste preferences will ensure a delightful and satisfying brewing experience.

Recommended Recipe

For filter brewing, we recommend a coffee:water ratio of 1:16 as a starting point. For a single brew, we use the following:

  • 15g medium/coarse ground

  • 250g water (just off the boil)

  • 3-4 mins brew time

Step-by-step guide for filter brewing

Step 1 - Place a filter paper in your pour-over, and set it on the server on your scales.

Step 2 - Rinse the paper thoroughly with hot water and discard. Tare (zero) your scales.

Step 3 - Add your coffee dose and tare scales again.

Step 4 - Pour 30g of water over the coffee and agitate to ensure all coffee is saturated. Let it bloom for 30s.

Step 5 - Slowly add another 120g of water in a circular motion until the scales read 150g. Leave for 30s.

Step 6 - Add the final 100g of water until the scales read 250g and wait for the waters to fully pass through the grounds.

Serve and enjoy!

Additional Tips

  • If your filter brew is taking too long, try grinding your coffee a little courser add your water faster to improve flow.

Filter brewing FAQ's

How much do filter cones cost?

Filter cones vary in price with plastic cones starting as low as $10/£5. As the quality of the build and design increases, so will the price with glass and ceramic costing $60/£30 on average. For a quality built cone, we recommend the HARIO X Allpress V60 cone available through our web store.

How many cups can I make with pour over coffee?

A typical filter cone will be able to hold enough coffee for two large cups (250ml). For brewing more than this we recommend discarding your grounds and used filter paper and starting fresh.

How do I grind coffee for pour over?

Pour over requires a grind that is finer than sand but coarser than espresso (think table salt). If your coffee is coming out consistently thin or weak, try a finer grind; if your brew is consistently bitter, or brothy, try a coarser approach.

How to clean your filter cone.

As a simple piece of solid equipment, most filter cones will be dishwasher-safe. However, always check the manufacturer's instructions as more sensitive materials may require soaking or washing in warm soapy water.

Why is my filter coffee watery?

If your filter coffee is flowing too fast, or tasting too watery, you may need to grind finer to slow down the flow rate. Check out our online coffee grind guide for a good starting point and adjust from there.

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