At some point, every coffee enthusiast goes through the same cycle. You start with curiosity—maybe it’s a Chemex, a V60, or a French press. Anything to escape the soulless sludge of a Keurig. You grind your own beans, you try a pour-over, and suddenly the world opens up.
Then, before you know it, you’re in too deep.
You stumble into the coffee community online, where people are dissecting particle size distribution, debating the impact of agitation on extraction, and referencing research papers on water chemistry. Someone just spent $27 on a single bag of beans, and another is insisting that a 1.7mm filter will change your life.
It’s exciting at first. And then, for many people, it gets overwhelming.
Somewhere along the way, coffee becomes more stress than joy.
If that sounds familiar, let me offer you a way back.
Find a Baseline, Then Build From There
There’s no single perfect way to brew coffee. No magical ratio, no sacred technique that guarantees the best cup ever. But there is a good place to start—a foundation you can return to when the noise gets too loud.
A Simple Pour-Over Guide
• Coffee-to-water ratio: Start with 1:17 (e.g., 20g coffee to 340g water).
• Grind size: Medium-coarse, similar to coarse sea salt.
• Water temperature: 94–96°C (201–205°F) for most coffees.
• Bloom: Pour 3x the weight of your coffee (e.g., 60g water for 20g coffee), let it sit for 45 seconds.
• Main pour: Add the rest of the water in controlled pulses, aiming for a total brew time of 3:00–4:00 minutes.
That’s it. No gimmicks. No over-engineering.
Once you’ve dialed in a cup you enjoy, you can start experimenting. But don’t overcomplicate it from the start.
What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)
There’s a ton of conflicting advice about how to get the perfect pour-over. Some of it’s science-backed, and some of it’s just coffee nerd mythology. Let’s break it down.
What Matters:
✅ Ratio: This controls strength—more coffee means a stronger cup.
✅ Grind Size: Too fine = bitter. Too coarse = weak.
✅ Water Temperature: Hotter water extracts more; cooler water slows things down.
✅ Fresh, Good Coffee: No method will fix bad, stale beans.
What Doesn’t Matter (As Much As You Think):
❌ Agitation Techniques: Stir, swirl, or don’t—unless your pour is wildly uneven, you’ll be fine.
❌ Ultra-Precise Blooming Times: 30 seconds? 45 seconds? One minute? If your coffee blooms at all, you’re ahead of the game.
❌ Exact Pour Intervals: You don’t need a stopwatch. Pour steadily, and watch your bed settle evenly.
Perfection is Overrated
There’s an idea floating around that you should aim to extract 100% of your coffee’s potential—but what does that even mean? The truth is, chasing perfection will wear you out.
Instead of obsessing over the last 2% of theoretical quality, aim for the fastest way to 80%. Find a repeatable, enjoyable method, and tweak from there.
Most people just want a cup that tastes great and feels effortless—and that’s enough.
Coffee is Fun. Don’t Forget That.
The coffee world is full of people who love to overcomplicate things. They’ll make you feel like you’re doing it wrong unless you own a $500 grinder or use laboratory-grade filtered water. But the best cup of coffee?
It’s the one you enjoy making and drinking.
Start simple. Find what works for you. Experiment when you feel like it—but don’t stress.
Because at the end of the day, coffee isn’t a competition. It’s a moment.