Best Coffee For Pour-Over (Excellent Picks)

Pour-over is the best way to treat your morning with rich, flavorful, full, and robust coffee. This is the barista’s favorite method to make coffee as it extracts the best of flavor out of beans. 

To help you decide which coffee is best for pour-over, we reviewed 5 best coffees brand for pour-over:

• Coffee Bros. – Light Roast Coffee Beans
• Lifeboost Medium Roast 
• Koa Coffee Grande Domaine 
• Bulletproof – The Mentalist
• Volcanica Ethiopian Sidamo 

Let’s dig into the details and some FAQs you need to know about pour-over! 

How to make perfect pour-over?

Pour-over may seem easy. And yes, there is a simple way to make it at home. However, you need to know some essential steps to make your pour-over perfect. 

Rinse and Repeat

Before you start the brewing process rinse your filter with hot water. This step ensures that all residue is rinsed out that can ruin the taste, plus it also helps keep the temperature stable for brewing. 

Grind Right

Always remember the when, how, and what size of the grind is perfect for pour-over. 

Once coffee beans grind, they tend to oxidize faster. That’s why it is recommended to grind your beans right before the brew. 

Grind size is also essential as it affects extraction so make sure to use the right grinder. A blade grinder that can chop the coffee into irregular-sized pieces is perfect for uneven extraction.

Right Balance 

Use twice the amount of water to pour over coffee and stir lightly for 30-45 seconds. 

Always pour slow and steady spirals to keep things even. 

Clean Water 

Remember the mantra. Clean water = clean coffee. 

Boil your water to be at around 205 degrees or about 30 seconds before your start brewing. 

Ratio Test

I talked about coffee ratios and their importance in my other article that you can check out. Using the right and consistent amount of water is critical. The general rule is 1:17, coffee to water weight ratio. 

Watch the video to learn more about how to make perfect pour-over coffee:

What kind of coffee is best for a pour-over?

Light to medium roast is best for pour-over. Here are amazing coffees to make perfect and flavorful pour-over coffee at home. 

Coffee Bros. – Light Roast Coffee Beans

Roast Level: Light roast whole beans

Flavor notes: fruit, floral, honey, and citrus

The Coffee Bros., founded by two brothers Dan and Nick, brought to life four outstanding blends to please all taste palates – light, medium, dark, and espresso. The fresh light roast coffee is the ultimate blend of rich flavors, which is best for pour-over. 

Pros:

• Made with 100% Arabica beans 

• Coffee is roasted by hand

• Use of latest technology for roasting 

Cons: 

• Coffee tastes fruity because of the ingredient used in it 

Lifeboost Medium Roast 

Roast level: Medium

Flavor notes: Nuts, chocolate, strawberry

Lifeboost offers healthy and delicious coffees founded by Dr. Charles Livingston, a nutrition expert.

It is made of the top 0.5% of arabica beans grown worldwide and processed with care. The coffee offers clean flavors, low acidity and is third-party certified free from mycotoxins.

Pros: 

• Kosher

• Fairly traded

• Organic

• GMO-free

Cons:

• A bit pricey

• No variety of origins

Koa Coffee Grande Domaine 

Roast level: Dark Roast

Tasting notes: Tropical fruits, coconut, chocolate

Light roast is made best pour-over brew. However, this high-end roast can’t be ignored due to dark roast flavors.

Koe coffee is expertly roasted bend which is better than low-quality products that taste bitter and burnt in the pour-over process. 

It has notes of passionfruit, toasted coconut, and milk chocolate with floral aromas.

Pros: 

• Grande Domaine is made with the rarest and most prized type of beans sourced from centuries-old trees.

• Grande Domaine Kona is Kona Coffee Cupping Contest Winner for outstanding quality and balance.

• A smooth coffee with minimal bitterness.

Cons:

• Only available is dark roast

• Pricey 

Bulletproof – The Mentalist

Roast level: Medium Dark

Tasting notes: Almond and caramel

The Mentalist medium-dark roast is a blend of cocoa and vanilla aromatics open up to a rich, full-bodied coffee with cherry sweetness and notes of almond and caramel. It also contains notes of cinnamon, plum, and orange.

This one is rainforest alliance, sourced from Guatemala, Colombia & El Salvador.

Made with 100% arabica beans, the mentalist is a Keto- friendly coffee. 

Pros:

• Certified Clean coffee and Keto friendly.

• Grounds are perfect for pour-over and drip coffee. 

• Sustainably washed premium product.

Cons:

• Pricey than other organic, mildew-free coffees.
• Does not quite live up to its hype.

Volcanica Ethiopian Sidamo

Roast level: Medium

Flavors notes: Citrus, cane sugar, delicate fruits, spice, chocolate

Volcanica coffee came from the high altitude of volcanic regions and fertile soils that produce the best arabica beans. 

The brand claims to provide organic, single-origin, keeping the flavor profiles rich that give you the chance to experience. It has the flavor of rich chocolate without a hint of bitterness. The contrasting notes of cane sugar, citrus, and delicate fruits balance the dominant chocolatey note.

Pros:

• Sourced from highly regarded growing areas of the world.

• Appropriately packaged to keep the flavor intact.

• Coffee is made in ethical and environmental standards.

Cons:

• Not a good coffee option for robusta lovers.

Here is a table containing the best coffee for pour-over:

What roast is best for a pour-over?

Light roast is best for a pour-over. 

The pour-over method highlights subtle flavor notes and aromas, which is why a light roast will work well. Beans that are roasted light are the brightest, with the most acidic flavors.

Contrary to popular belief, light roasts showcase the most authentic quality of the coffee and are more bitter than dark roasts.

However, you can also go with medium or even dark if you prefer less bitter coffee, but the light roast method complements subtle flavors.

What is the difference between a pour-over and drip coffee?

Pour-over and drip coffee methods are pretty similar. However, you have little to no control over how the machine brews in drip coffee.

Though both methods require you to saturate coffee grounds with water and collect coffee as it passes through the filter. You can read about drip coffee here if you’re interested to know more.

What’s so special about pour-over coffee?

The pour-over method tends to amplify the flavors and notes found in coffee. It also cleans and gets rid of a few of the harmful components of coffee due to the filter.

What makes pour-over special is the brewing process that ensures the healthiest and cleanest coffee. 

When you pour water over coffee grounds in a circular motion, it produces lighter, smoother, and intricate flavors compared to other brewing methods such as the french press.

Does pour-over coffee raise cholesterol?

Pour-over does not raise cholesterol. The filter method of pour-over coffee removes heart-harming cholesterol from coffee.

Even examining links between coffee brewing methods and risks of heart attacks will result in the conclusion that filtered coffee is healthy. Scandinavian researchers found those who preferred filtered coffee were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease CVD than those who drank unfiltered coffee.

Can you use a regular coffee filter for pour-over?

Obviously, you can! You can use filters in devices like “cones” or “drippers” that hold the coffee filter. 

Sometimes you find a permanent filter is built into the cone itself, like with the JavaPresse Pour-Over Dripper.

Wrapping Up 

The pour-over coffee is tasty and fun to drink on cold, cozy mornings. It is one of the most favorite ways to make coffee!

It’s meditative, helps you focus in the morning, and satisfies your taste buds with rich coffee flavors.

In my opinion, these brands make the best coffee for pour-over:

• Coffee Bros. – Light Roast Coffee Beans
• Lifeboost Medium Roast 
• Koa Coffee Grande Domaine 
• Bulletproof – The Mentalist
• Volcanica Ethiopian Sidamo 

Do try out one of these for pour-over next time you make one!

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