If you love coffee and/or drink it every day, I cannot stress enough the importance of using an excellent pourover and buying freshly roasted, whole bean coffee!
Truth is K-cups are wasteful. Coffee filters are wasteful. And although sometimes it’s necessary to grab a to-go beverage from a coffee shop or dare I say fast-food joint, it’s certainly wasteful to make it a daily habit.
That being said, what’s the best way to create an easy, stress-free & delicious coffee ritual at home?? A paperless, easy to clean pourover filter (I use this one by Bean Envy), whole bean coffee from a local roaster, big mugs that keep your coffee hot AF, and your favorite milk/creamer if that’s your thang 😉
What you need:
Coffee Bean Top Picks
La Fortuna Decaf (small family farm, single origin) – smoky, tobacco, dark chocolate
Equal Exchange – Mind, Body, Soul blend (fair trade, organic) – orange, brown sugar, warm spices, chocolate – SUPER SMOOTH
Printer’s Row – Nicaragua (fair trade, organic, single origin) – tobacco, black tea, brown sugar, bright flavor
*La Fortuna and Printer’s Row are Chicago roasters, while Equal Exchange is a larger company available online and at Whole Foods and other grocers.
Bean Envy Pourover –has an awesome, easy to clean fine strainer that doesn’t require paper filters! The glass pitcher is beautiful!
Electric water kettle – heats water to boiling in 30-45 seconds, this particular model has a thermometer (ideal for pourover) although my model does not. I simply take my pitcher off the heat for 15 to 20 seconds before pouring over the coffee.
I have watched several videos on YouTube and haven’t found one that has all the best tips, but I recommend starting here with this one.
Method:
Grind your coffee and weigh 22 grams per 12oz cup of coffee. So if you are making coffee for two people, you’ll use 44 grams.
Place the coffee in the strainer over the pitcher and heat your water to 180 degrees (or boil and then allow to come down to barely a simmer)
Pour a bit of water in the pitcher and swish it around to warm the glass. Then pour an ounce or two of water over the grounds to “bloom” the coffee.
Wait 30 seconds, then continue to pour water in a circular potion over the coffee, slowly. You don’t need to pour constantly, but DO NOT allow the grounds to become dry.
Note: I only use about 10-12 oz water for 2 cups so that the coffee is concentrated enough to add 1/2 c hot milk to each cup for a cafe au lait of sorts. But if you like black coffee or just add a splash of cream you can pour a full 24 oz water for 2 mugs coffee.
Serve the coffee immediately and make sure to discard the grounds and wash out the strainer within a minute or two to avoid damaging it from residual coffee oils 😉