How to Use a Coffee Maker for Pour-Over Brewing

A basic pour-over setup needs a gooseneck kettle, a dripper, filter paper, a thermometer, a digital scale, a sharing pitcher, coffee beans and a grinder. An eight-step brewing method then follows, aimed at home enthusiasts and small cafés. Everyday single-origin beans keep practice affordable at roughly six yuan per cup.

Kettle choice matters most. The Takahiro Shizuku, known as the cheating kettle, offers strong water flow control in 18-8 stainless steel with a 0.9L capacity, though it costs just over five hundred yuan. Popular models such as the Hario VKB can disappoint in daily use, so buying one dependable kettle early avoids repeated spending.

The appeal of pour-over coffee lies in the fact that everyone can brew a flavor that is uniquely their own. This article is aimed at home enthusiasts and small coffee shops, systematically laying out all the equipment needed to get started with pour-over — from the gooseneck kettle, dripper, and grinder to filters, digital scale, thermometer, and sharing pitcher — providing detailed pros and cons of specific brand models along with purchasing advice, plus a complete eight-step brewing tutorial. Finally, we recommend several high-value Front Street single-origin coffee beans, at a cost of only about six yuan per cup, perfect for daily practice and home enjoyment.

People who are obsessed with pour-over coffee tend to value its unique charm — the same beans, brewed by different people, yield distinctly different results, each with a clear personal style. In fact, as long as you have filter paper, a dripper, and a kettle on hand, you can quite easily make a cup of pour-over.

However, the equipment on Taobao is a bewildering array — which ones should you buy, and which can you skip? The following suggestions are mainly aimed at small home cafés and home coffee enthusiasts.

To make a cup of pour-over coffee, the most basic setup includes:

1. One gooseneck kettle

2. One dripper

3. Filter paper, thermometer, digital scale (consumables and auxiliary tools)

4. Sharing pitcher

5. Coffee beans and grinder

Part 1. Gooseneck Kettle

Among pour-over equipment, the kettle is the category most likely to make you keep "chopping your hands" — there are so many styles it makes your eyes spin, so just pick a shape you like. I don't recommend the popular Hario VKB because the actual user experience is poor. Below are several kettles suitable for the beginner stage; the price differences aren't huge, so it's better to go straight for the good one and avoid spending money over and over.

Takahiro Shizuku - "Shizuku" (the cheating kettle)

The Takahiro Shizuku is popularly known as the "cheating kettle" — with its outstanding water flow control and flawless craftsmanship, if you only plan to buy one single-purpose pour-over kettle, it's almost the first choice. The price of just over five hundred yuan may not seem cheap at first glance, but it's worth every penny. The 0.9L capacity is enough for most scenarios, and the material is 18-8 stainless steel. It has two shortcomings: first, the lid is stainless steel, so people used to holding the lid with their other hand can easily get burned; second, there's no way to add a flow restrictor.

Bonavita Temperature-Control Long-Spout Kettle "Kettle"

Representative fine-spout kettles (inner diameter 6mm or more) include the Bonavita temperature-controlled pour-over kettle and the Bonavita pour-over kettle. It features an imported British Strix temperature control system, with precise water temperature control and an error of only plus or minus 1 degree Celsius. The professional goose-neck fine-tip spout design makes water speed, flow rate, and direction easier to control, and the base has temperature adjustment, heat preservation, and memory functions. The body is solidly built, the top lid is plastic, and a throttle valve can be added, giving it better water flow control than the VKB. One kettle meets all needs — the ideal choice for small cafés.

Kalita Crane-Neck Kettle

Kalita is a time-honored equipment brand that inherits Japan's tradition of fine craftsmanship, with build quality reaching the level of art. Of course, this crane-neck kettle still has a gap compared to top-tier products, but if you've never used anything higher-end before, using it is already a pleasure. The handle feels excellent in the hand, and the upper and lower double handles make the body very stable. The crane-neck is an advanced style with more ways to play and more fun. The combination of wood and stainless steel is perfect, and it pairs beautifully with their own stainless steel dripper. Appearance is a matter of taste — at least I think it looks pretty cool.

When first getting into pour-over, if you choose a fine-spout kettle with a spout inner diameter of 5mm or less, such as the KALITA copper kettle 900, it can help enthusiasts brew a delicious single-origin coffee in a shorter time. But if you're using an ordinary fine-spout kettle, a palace kettle, or a pointed crane-neck kettle, with a little practice you can totally handle it.

Kalita POT900 Copper Kettle

The representative of fine-spout kettles (inner diameter 4-5mm) is the Kalita POT900 copper kettle. The spout is slender and long — no matter how your hand shakes or how you tilt the kettle, the stream stays fine and steady; but conversely, when you need to increase the water volume, the impact of the stream becomes very strong.

Enamel Ware

3. The representative of the flat-cut wide-mouth spout is enamel ware. Its strength is that the large-column stream is smooth, and the controllable range of stream thickness is greater, but the fine stream is not easy to control — tilt the angle just slightly wrong and water easily comes gushing out.

Kalita Wave Kettle

The representative of the pointed crane-neck kettle is the Kalita Wave kettle. The spout extends longer, making it convenient for the user to observe where the stream lands; the stream is smooth, and both large and small columns are relatively easy to control.

Taguchi Mamoru Coffee Master Pour-Over Kettle

The representative of the wide-mouth crane-neck kettle is the Taguchi Mamoru Coffee Master pour-over kettle. The pouring force is much gentler than its bold appearance suggests, suitable for a slow-permeation brewing method.

Kalita700

The representative of the elephant-trunk neck is the Kalita 700. Its pouring range is fairly wide, allowing different flow rates when brewing coffee grounds of different coarseness. But if not controlled properly, the stream thickness tends to be unstable, demanding a relatively high level of brewing skill from the user.

HARIO Hand Grenade

Pour-over coffee stainless steel drip long-spout pointed fine-mouth kettle: the body is made of pure stainless steel and subjected to a secondary matte polishing treatment, which can prevent small scratches from slight bumps or washing. The body and lid are stainless steel, and the lid cap and handle are phenol formaldehyde resin. The reason Japanese Hario pour-over kettles are popular worldwide, besides excellent craftsmanship and design, is that it's an all-purpose kettle that can control both large and small water flows. Compared to the various 5mm-caliber "god kettles" that can only brew with a small stream, this Hario kettle can satisfy the immersion brewing method popular in Europe and America, and can also achieve the small stream of the drip method through control.

Part 2. Dripper

Mainstream: Hario V60

Strictly speaking, the Hario V60 is a series, including three materials: resin, glass, and ceramic. The V60's design caters to many variables in coffee making, mainly reflected in three points:

1. 60-degree angle cone: extends the time for water to pass through the coffee grounds toward the center.

2. Large filter hole: coffee flavor can be adjusted by changing the water flow rate.

3. Spiral ribs: allow air to escape upward from all around, maximizing the expansion of the coffee grounds.

【Dripper Kalita】Kalita

Pour-over coffee 2-4 person household fan-shaped three-hole ceramic dripper Kalita is hailed as Japan's number one coffee accessories brand, founded in 1959, renowned in Japan for producing excellent coffee equipment made of ceramic, copper, and stainless steel. The Kalita 2-4 person household fan-shaped three-hole ceramic dripper is made entirely of ceramic; ceramic coffee drippers have stronger heat retention, uniform glaze, and true color. The cup shape is a rather retro three-hole trapezoid, with a single-sided cup ring, and clear filter ribs inside the cup body. Coffee filtered through this dripper is mellow and rich, suitable for coffee beans with weak acidity and high body.

Kalita Wave 155

The Kalita Wave coffee dripper comes in two sizes, #155 and #185. The #155 is smaller and suitable for brewing one cup of coffee, while the #185 is larger and suitable for 2-4 servings. The Kalita Wave coffee dripper comes in glass and stainless steel materials, among which the #185 also has a ceramic version.

The Kalita Wave Dripper is a flat-bottom pour-over dripper from Japan; the flat-bottom design allows for fuller extraction. The difference between the Kalita Wave and the familiar Hario V60 is that its bottom is flat. Brewing with a cake-cup dripper, although the aroma and flavor changes are not as intense as with a cone dripper, the overall flavor of the beans and the solid mouthfeel and sweetness on entry always perform excellently.

Chemex 6-Cup

Classic Series Glass Coffee Maker American-style coffee filter jug — the coffee pot and dripper are one piece. The upper part has a funnel-shaped air channel that can smoothly supply air during coffee extraction. Coffee extracted with the American-style filter jug can remove excess oils and bitterness; the extracted coffee is very pure, and even after frozen storage and reheating, its flavor won't change.

【key's】Conical Diamond-Pattern Dripper

Dripper design: perfect cone, diamond-shaped ridges, large central round hole.

Extraction characteristics: the diamond ridge design of the dripper makes the flow rate more uniform; the large central round hole design increases the flow rate, compensating to a certain degree for extraction unevenness. Using the diamond dripper also requires a certain level of brewing skill and stability — if you pour hot water the same way as with a V60, the filtration speed will differ, and therefore the extraction time will change. The difference in extraction time will lead to different coffee flavors.

KONO

KONO's coffee drippers and natural-wood-handle coffee pots have always enjoyed high prestige among drip coffee fans. The president Mr. Kono, who designed the coffee drippers and coffee pots, has studied delicious coffee for many years and designed a series of rustic KONO-style coffee drippers and natural-wood-handle coffee pots. KONO is the professional coffee equipment most favored by Japanese coffee specialty shops and coffee professionals, and also the product sought after by many drip coffee enthusiasts.

If you look closely at the ribs of the KONO dripper, you'll find that KONO's ribs don't extend from the bottom all the way to the top, but stop before reaching half the height of the dripper. This height is designed to ensure that during dripping, the filter paper, after absorbing water, can cling tightly to the dripper wall. Once the venting space is restricted, air flow is also restricted, and this increases the time for coffee ground particles to absorb water.

Part 3. Grinder

Actually, this is the key to coffee output quality. It's just that it has long been underestimated. If you're afraid of the effort, go electric by all means, but considering some friends may only use about 15 g (one serving) per day, some relatively refined manual grinders are also a very good choice. AKIRA A12, HARIO 1B/2TB, KILITA, PORLEX, etc. are basically all usable. HERO and TIAMO, please consciously avoid — that's my advice. Of course, the Encore, as a grinder everyone recommends, I also recommend it, but it really doesn't feel great to use.

OE Lido

Compared to grinders like the Porlex and Hario 1B/2TB, the Lido probably deserves only the title of "giant." The price is also very high, but the value is in the good grind quality; as a manual grinder, retained grounds are also relatively serious. For those pursuing something higher but not requiring high output, you can look at the HG one.

【Japan PROLEX】: relatively popular recently, grinds fine powder well, ceramic burr.

【Helor 101 Manual Coffee Grinder】: stainless steel main shaft, portable, high precision, all parts replaceable, relatively high price.

Fuji royal R220

Popularly called "Little Fuji" or "Little Nurse," because there's also a larger version — a grinder designed specifically for pour-over. An optional machine for coffee shops and friends who drink a lot of coffee every day, priced at 3k-4k. Durable and long-lasting, nothing more to say. Processing speed is also fast. The downside is unavoidable retained grounds; preparing 2-3 beans to wash the grinder each time will improve the effect a bit.

Baratza Electric Coffee Grinder

Electric coffee grinder: 【Baratza Electric Coffee Grinder】30 fixed grinding settings, each setting can be finely adjusted across 9 grind degrees, covering almost all brewing grind settings currently in use.

Left is 【Ghost-Tooth Little Pegasus】, right is 【Round-Blade Little Eagle】

Yellow is the domestic Little Fuji, black is the original 【Little Fuji Fujiroyal Electric Coffee Grinder R-220 Ghost-Tooth】220V original imported from Japan, the domestic Little Fuji is abbreviated as "Little Cannon" (pictured below). The ghost-tooth burr can grind more uniform coffee powder while producing fewer fines, with higher grinding efficiency. Coffee powder ground by ghost teeth has particles closer to round, and the ratio of coarse to fine powder is more uniform, so the coffee taste is cleaner and the flavor is more three-dimensional and full, but the machine price is relatively high.

Part 4. Filter Paper

Special recommendation: Kono unbleached coffee filter paper 100 sheets, 01 size, for 1-2 people. Reject Tiamo, if you want to spend over 400 ML of water each time to wash the filter paper.

Chemex's filter paper is the most expensive, but its water permeability is very strong — you get what you pay for. It can be reused; if reused 3 times, the price can drop to 5 jiao per sheet, but the time spent cleaning is also a problem~ If not cleaned thoroughly, it may also leave residual flavors from the last coffee made…

Hario - V60's filter paper can be said to be quite standard. Given the huge ownership of its V-shaped dripper, its original filter paper is definitely the first choice. Filter paper can absorb the miscellaneous flavors and oils of coffee, so the brewed coffee is bright in color and refreshing in taste.

Part 5. Digital Scale

The digital scale, which we most easily overlook, is actually the simplest — the amount of powder and the amount of water poured when brewing coffee. How much coffee to extract requires how many beans, how much powder to grind — there is a certain water-to-powder ratio.

Smart high-end: Acaia Pour-Over Scale

By connecting with an IOS device, the Acaia can obtain your pour-over water curve, thereby scientifically guiding your pouring process. A bit expensive — whether it's worth it depends on you. If it's just for drinking a cup, this thing has no meaning; if you want to keep practicing and even become a world champion, it might really be useful. It's just a bit expensive (basic version 1k, advanced version 2k). If you can't quite afford it, Hario's pour-over scale VST-2000 is enough; on this point, settling for second best, buying Tiamo or even an ordinary kitchen scale is also fine — just control the amount of water poured, no need to be too particular.

【HARIO V60 Digital Scale】

Part 6. Thermometer

The thermometer is used to measure water temperature. You can also buy a pour-over kettle with a thermometer on the lid, because the importance of water temperature to pour-over coffee is self-evident.

Special recommendation:

【Kalita 64225 Thermometer for Drip Coffee Pot】Made of stainless steel, dial width 3.5×length 14.7cm, needle length width 4×length 13cm, suitable for pour-over kettles and milk frothing pitchers.

HARIO electronic thermometer — a thermometer specially designed for use with fine-spout pour-over kettles. The temperature probe is designed to rest near the water outlet of the fine spout, directly measuring the change in water temperature during the pour-over process.

【Dual-Channel Thermometer - TASI】

Part 7. Sharing Pitcher

The sharing pitcher is for holding coffee. If one person is drinking, you can skip the sharing pitcher and drip directly onto a mug. Extracting coffee for multiple people requires a sharing pitcher. With the scale markings and transparent material of the sharing pitcher, you can also more easily understand and control the extraction process, so the sharing pitcher is not just for dividing cups.

【HARIO V60 Cloud Sharing Pitcher】600ml

【kalita】Sharing Pitcher 600ml

【tiamo】Sharing Pitcher

【Beginner Brewing Guide: Pour-Over Coffee】

Fold the filter paper

Step One: After folding the filter paper, place it into the dripper.

Rinse the filter paper with hot water

Step Two: Rinse the filter paper with hot water, just enough to wet the entire filter paper, thereby removing the paper taste. (Although the water for rinsing the filter paper is only a tiny bit, don't forget to pour it out before proceeding.)

Poke a small hole in the coffee grounds

Step Three: Pour in the coffee grounds, distribute them evenly, and poke a small hole in the center with your little finger.

Pour hot water into the small hole

Step Four: With hot water at 87 to 92 degrees, first pour a little hot water into the small hole, then slowly spread clockwise or counterclockwise to the surrounding coffee grounds, until there's a slight sense of dripping, then stop the water and let it bloom for 30 seconds. (Blooming allows the coffee grounds to absorb hot water and release carbon dioxide, which helps with the subsequent extraction of aromatic substances.)

The coffee grounds will expand and puff up

Step Five: During blooming, the coffee grounds will expand and puff up (the fresher the coffee grounds, the more they puff up), until they're about to collapse, then you can pour in the hot water.

Spread in circles from the center

Step Six: When pouring, use the center as the pivot, slowly spreading outward in circles, allowing the hot water to spread horizontally within the coffee grounds, to extract rich coffee flavor. (When circling during the pour, don't pour directly onto the outermost ring — doing so will make the hot water fall straight down along the edge of the filter paper, not only failing to extract but also diluting the coffee strength.)

Use hot water pressure to stir up the coffee grounds

Step Seven: Before finishing the pour, you can slightly raise the kettle and swirl it in the middle of the coffee grounds, increasing the brewing pressure, using hot water pressure to stir up the coffee grounds, for the final extraction before finishing.

Let the water in the filter paper drip slowly

Step Eight: Stop the water, letting the water in the filter paper drip slowly. Once it has dripped to your preferred coffee-to-water ratio, you can pick it up and enjoy.

Front Street Pour-Over Coffee Beans Brand Recommendation

To learn pour-over coffee, Front Street single-origin coffee beans are the first choice. If it's for daily practice, then the first choice is the Front Street daily staple series: if you like a full-bodied taste with spice notes, buy Front Street Indonesia Mandheling; if you like floral notes and citric acidity, try Front Street Yirgacheffe; if you want creamy nutty aroma, buy Front Street Brazil Cerrado; if you're after dark chocolate flavor, drink Front Street Colombia Huila; finally, there's also the Front Street Yunnan small-bean and Front Street Costa Rica Tarrazu, with soft acidity and nutty aroma.

Front Street Coffee's roasted single-origin Front Street pour-over coffee beans offer full assurance in both brand and quality. And more importantly, the value for money is extremely high — a half-pound bag of 227 grams, priced on average around 80-90 yuan. Calculated at 15g of grounds per cup of single-origin coffee, one bag can make 15 cups, at only about 6 yuan per cup — extremely high value for money compared to the dozens of yuan per cup sold in cafés, very suitable for enthusiasts who want to try pour-over coffee at home~

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