Pour-over coffee, with its advantages of simple operation, easy-to-manage equipment, and the ability to fully reveal coffee's lively aroma and clean taste, has become the preferred brewing method for many enthusiasts. However, behind the seemingly simple pouring action lie strict requirements for details such as water temperature, extraction time, stream thickness, and blooming rhythm. This article systematically outlines the basic operational standards for pour-over coffee, from stance adjustment and kettle-gripping technique through the three-part stream practice to the complete brewing process, helping beginners build solid fundamentals and gradually achieve stable, gentle extraction.

Among the many coffee-making methods, the pour-over method can both fully release the rich, lively aromas in coffee beans and preserve a clean, clear taste with soft, rounded flavor layers, allowing each bean's unique character to be presented to the greatest extent. At the same time, pour-over also has the advantages of a low barrier to entry, being easy to learn, and convenient equipment storage. However, this does not mean that pour-over can be done by casually pouring water without any method, nor that any random way of brewing will produce a satisfying cup of coffee.

Pour-over coffee looks uncomplicated on the surface, but in actual practice, from a macro level, the brewing technique, water temperature, extraction duration, and coffee-to-water ratio all have established requirements; from a micro level, the duration of the bloom, the thickness of the pouring stream, the flow rate, and the length of the intervals between pours all bring subtle yet crucial changes to the final flavor. Among the many variables in pour-over, adjusting any single step will affect the direction of the finished cup's taste. There is no single standard for pour-over coffee flavor, but a qualified good cup of coffee should possess several basic characteristics: lively aroma, clean taste, no off-flavors or astringency, rich and mutually balanced layers of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness, and a lingering, clean finish in the mouth after swallowing.

Over the past few years in teaching practice at Humen Coffee, students have encountered various problems of differing magnitudes during their pour-over learning process. Below I summarize these common issues and, combining personal experience and understanding, organize a set of basic operational standards, hoping to provide some reference for friends just beginning to explore pour-over coffee.

(1) Posture

Pour-over coffee can be said to be a craft that demands skill in the hands, and this is especially evident in the control of the water stream. The ideal brewing state is: a stream that is fine and even, soft and stable, extracting as much of the quality flavor substances as possible while keeping the coffee bed level, and avoiding the release of undesirable components. To maintain a stable stream, the most fundamental prerequisite is having a good posture; only with proper posture can one more steadily control the pour-over kettle and thereby achieve stream stability and brewing continuity.

There is no universally applicable standard posture for pour-over operation; differences in each person's physical condition, operating habits, counter height, and equipment used will all cause variations in posture. But the basic principles are consistent: stable, comfortable, easy to operate, and at the same time looking natural and proper.

First, the stance must be stable. You can stand upright facing forward with feet about ten centimeters apart; or stand with legs together and feet splayed at a sixty-degree angle. Besides standing upright, you can also adopt a staggered stance, placing the center of gravity on the front leg for stability, with the back leg assisting support and maintaining body balance. In short, before starting operation, first adjust your stance to a stable and comfortable state according to your own conditions and habits—this is the most basic step.

Second, the way to grip the kettle. Note that the pour-over kettle should be filled to nine-tenths full, as this makes it easier to control the stream. For beginners, a full pour-over kettle has a certain weight, and the stainless steel handle can be slippery, so finding a suitable grip according to your own operating habits and steadily controlling the kettle is very important. It is recommended to adopt a "lifting the kettle" posture, gripping the upper part of the handle, rather than "raising the kettle"; also be careful not to let your thumb touch the kettle wall to avoid burns.

Third, the distance between the kettle and the body. During operation, leave some space between your body and the counter to ensure free movement, but not too far—about ten centimeters, depending on individual circumstances. The position of the server on the counter relative to your body is generally also around ten centimeters; too close or too far will make operation awkward.

Fourth, the line of sight angle. When pouring with your head lowered, make sure the dripper and coffee grounds are within the range of your vertically directed gaze, rather than looking sideways at the stream or coffee bed.

Fifth, the way to exert force when pouring. Hold the kettle in hand, but be careful not to use your fingers or wrist to exert force, nor your forearm. Keep your upper arm close to your body, using the strength of the upper arm to support the kettle's weight and drive the movement; throughout the process the forearm and wrist only serve to support and transmit. Absolutely avoid using your wrist to prop up the kettle body—not only does the stream tend to tremble, but prolonged operation may cause strain.

In summary, there is no fixed template for pour-over posture; it varies by person, counter height, and pour-over kettle size, and should be flexibly adjusted according to specific circumstances. As long as it ensures stability, relaxation, and ease of control, that is sufficient. When initially practicing pouring, be sure to lay a solid foundation, trying to make the stream flow out vertically—fine, slow, even, and steadily operating.

(2) The Stream

The stream is too thick!

The stream is too fast!

The stream alternates between thick and thin!

The stream keeps trembling!

The stream keeps breaking!

These are probably the troubles beginners encounter most often!

So how can these problems be solved? —Practice, only practice. And how should one practice? Based on the students' practice progress and common problems, combined with my own experience when I first practiced, I have organized a three-part pour-over coffee stream practice regimen.

Step One: At the very beginning of practice, the stream should be extremely fine, extremely slow, and extremely even. Just as a martial arts practitioner must first start from every split kick and horse stance, and the horse stance must be absolutely solid, so too in practice should you demand the highest standard of your stream, so as to lay a firm foundation and, in actual brewing, be able to release and restrain freely like flowing water. The "extremely fine" here also has a limit: at the start of pouring, slowly tilt the spout to let water come out in drops; then continue tilting so the stream changes from drops to a slightly curved thin stream; then tilt a tiny bit more so the stream becomes slightly thicker and flows vertically in a straight line—this is the stream standard required at the initial stage of practice. "Extremely slow" means that when using the stream to draw concentric circles, the speed of drawing circles should be as slow as possible, as long as the kettle keeps rotating. "Extremely even" requires that both the thickness and speed of the stream remain stable, not suddenly fast or slow, thick or thin. According to this standard, persist in practicing continuously for more than one hour each day; the first two days you may experience sore hands and arms from the unfamiliarity, but you must persevere! Only by persisting for more than an hour can a habit form. At the fastest, you can basically stabilize the stream in three days; usually after about a week you can feel noticeable progress: the stream can be controlled relatively fine and even, and your hands will no longer ache so much.

Step Two: Make the stream soft.

After the stream has basically stabilized into shape, although it is fine and even, it often appears tense and rigid, with somewhat excessive force, easily scattering the coffee grounds and producing astringency and off-flavors. This is like after a summer rainstorm, the ground is pitted and full of gullies washed out by rainwater; whereas after a fine spring rain, the ground fully absorbs the water and becomes instead more compact and smooth. In practicing the stream, you must also find this feeling: when the water is poured down, it should feel as if you are gently patting the water onto the coffee grounds, not forcefully pouring it on, letting the stream softly and slowly pass through the coffee bed to extract the quality flavor substances within.

Step Three: Adjust the stream freely at will.

Practicing the stream is like practicing martial arts; when you can control the stream and maintain a soft state, it shows you have already developed a certain "internal skill." If at the preliminary stage you practiced every move according to the formula, then once you have the internal skill and have mastered each move, you must learn to make moves flexibly. That is to say, facing different coffee beans, different grind sizes, different drippers, different degrees of freshness, you can now appropriately adjust the thickness, height, and speed of the stream. Of course, adjustment must also be measured; the principle is to ensure the stream is soft enough to avoid extracting off-flavors, yet has a certain force to ensure sufficient extraction. The first two steps mainly rely on a certain amount of practice to achieve technical progress, while this step, besides long practice, also requires understanding of coffee beans and personal feel—of course, this feel also comes from a great deal of theoretical accumulation and practical experience.

This three-part stream regimen is actually the process from approaching pour-over coffee to truly entering into coffee. When every cup of coffee can be brewed with the "true flavor" of coffee extracted as smoothly as a master swordsman wielding a blade, then you have reached the highest realm of stream skill.

For many friends just beginning to explore pour-over coffee, a major problem may be: at the initial learning stage, the pour-over kettle that originally seemed lightweight suddenly feels as heavy as a thousand catties in hand, stream adjustment is not as easy as it looks, and after pouring for a while your hand trembles and you cannot control the stream... These situations are partly due to insufficient practice and lack of proficiency, and partly due to failure to find a suitable posture and way of exerting force. What posture is best for pour-over coffee? There is no standard answer to this question; everyone's height, body type, and operating habits differ, so postures will vary. But for beginners, if you grasp the key points of posture and learn to adjust your stance according to your own conditions, practice will yield twice the result with half the effort. Below is a summary of the most basic and simplest pour-over beginner's posture for everyone's reference.

1. Preparation

Keep the operating area clean and orderly, and prepare all necessary tools: pour-over kettle, dripper, server, filter paper, coffee grounds receiving cup, towel, and fill the pour-over kettle with water to nine-tenths full.

2. Adjust posture

Move your limbs a little to keep your body comfortable and relaxed.

During operation, two stances can be adopted: first, facing straight forward with feet one fist's distance apart, standing upright; second, standing with the body turned toward the left front, left leg forward and right leg back, heels touching and feet splayed at a thirty-degree angle. Adjust your stance according to individual physical conditions; both stances must ensure: soles on the ground, center of gravity on both feet, maintaining stability, back straight, shoulders naturally open, the whole body both composed and relaxed.

3. Adjust the distance between your body, the counter, and the equipment. Keep the distance between your body and the counter at about five to ten centimeters. Place the server directly in front of your body, within ten centimeters of the counter edge, ensuring that when pouring, your gaze can look down directly at the dripper and stream. Gently rest your left hand on the counter to assist body balance, and hold the kettle with your right hand.

4. Lift the kettle and pour water. When gripping the kettle, the thumb and little finger are on the outside of the handle, and the index, middle, and ring fingers are on the inside, gripping the pour-over kettle in a ring-clasp form to maintain stability. With the shoulder as the axis, lift the kettle by exerting force through the upper arm; the forearm, wrist, and fingers are responsible for stabilizing the pour-over kettle, maintaining a natural and comfortable state.

5. Pour water. Lift the pour-over kettle, with the spout about three centimeters above the dripper, aim the spout at the very center of the dripper, look directly at the dripper, and gently tilt the spout angle to let the stream flow out slowly. With the center point of the dripper as the circle center, pour clockwise, drawing concentric circles from inside to outside. The outermost circle should be within one centimeter of the dripper's edge. Keep the stream fine, even, slow, and stable. When stopping the pour, be careful to keep the stream gentle.

After becoming proficient at pouring, proceed according to the normal extraction pouring steps: bloom, then first, second, and third pours practiced at ratios of 60%, 30%, and 10% of the total water amount respectively.

After the three pours are finished, gently separate the dripper from the server, being careful not to let residual water drops from the dripper splash onto the counter.

Pour-over coffee making steps:

1. Prepare equipment and boil water.

2. Grind coffee grounds and put them into the dripper.

3. Preheat the server and adjust to the appropriate water temperature.

4. Brew.

(1) Bloom. Wet the coffee grounds with a small amount of water to let them fully expand.

(2) When expansion reaches its peak, perform the first pour. (60%)

(3) When the expanded surface falls back to level, perform the second pour.

(4) Third pour.

(5) Separate the dripper.

5. Pour the coffee into a cup and clean and organize the equipment.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.