Pour-over coffee is an excellent brew method when you have time to sit and savor a cup of coffee. Watching the coffee grounds bloom in your Chemex as you add hot water is a relaxing ritual.
The proper technique is essential to achieve the perfect cup of pour-over coffee. But, with the right coffee beans, your best efforts may be worthwhile.
So which are the best brands for pour-over coffee? And what roast and grind size should you choose?
Let's look at some of the tastiest coffee bean options for pour-over coffee.
What type of coffee beans are best for pour-over brews?
When experimenting with different coffee-making styles, you should choose the right coffee beans for your method. A dark, fine roast may be perfect for espresso. However, when you brew with a Chemex, it can quickly become over-extracted, bitter sludge.
Most coffee lovers choose light to medium roasts with a medium grind size for pour-over coffee.
The best roast
Both medium and light roasts can taste delicious when brewed through the pour-over slow brewing method. However, most coffee connoisseurs' first choice is a light roast.
The flavor profile of a light roast coffee is bright and acidic, with multifaceted flavor notes and aromas. In contrast with the heavier caramel and chocolate notes in dark roasts, light roasts can contain sweet, fruity, tangy, or even floral notes.
Light roasts are roasted just past the first crack allowing them to retain many flavors that burn away with darker roasts. The beans have been taken off the heat source before the natural oils rise to the surface or carmelize. The result is more complex flavors with a lighter body and mouthfeel than other roasts.
The best grind size
Since pour-over coffee is a slow brew, many use a medium-coarse grind. This grind size is about the size of sugar in the raw. It allows the coffee flavors to release slowly without becoming bitter.
Other coffee lovers choose a medium-fine grind and a shorter brew time. This grind size allows you to speed up the brewing process. However, rushing the brew may result in less flavor.
As with any brew style, freshly ground coffee will taste best.
We've gone through a brief run-down of roasts and grind sizes. Now, it's time to check out a few of the best pour-over coffee beans in today's market.
The five best pour-over coffee beans in today's market
For Chemex pour-over coffee, we chose light and medium roasts in a medium-range grind size. Here are a few of our favorite pour-over coffee beans for your tasting pleasure.
1. Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
Roast: Medium/light
Origin: Single; Southern Ethiopia
Flavor profile: Earthy aroma with lemon, blueberry, and blackberry notes.
Volcanica Yirgacheffe Ethiopian coffee has a medium body with just the right amount of acidity. This bean crop is chosen carefully from wild coffee trees giving it an exotic range of flavors.
Wine-like berry and citrus notes intermingle with an earthy aroma for a delicious cup of pour-over coffee. The medium-light roast brings out the intricate flavors of the beans.
These Volcanica coffee beans are organically grown, and Fair-Trade certified.
2. Caribou Coffee Daybreak Morning Blend
Roast: Light
Origin: Blend; Americas and East Africa
Flavor profile: Cherry, floral notes with caramel sweetness and a nutty finish.
Caribou Coffee Daybreak Morning Blend is a light roast coffee from the Americas and East Africa. It has a sweetness and nuttiness similar to dark roasts. However, since these beans are roasted just past the first crack, you get a more expansive range of fruity and floral tastes.
Caribou Coffee beans are 100% Arabica and roasted in small batches for quality flavor. This blend is also Rainforest Alliance certified, which makes it an ethical choice.
3. Kicking Horse Three Sisters Medium Roast
Roast: Medium
Origin: Blend; Indonesia, Central & South America
Flavor profile: Sweet tobacco and stone fruit tastes with a cocoa finish.
The Kicking Horse coffee brand roasts its coffee beans at the foot of three mountain peaks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. This Three Sisters coffee gets its name from this towering landmark.
The beans come from opposite parts of the world geographically. However, when the American and Indonesian coffee beans combine, they create a rich, well-rounded blend.
Kicking Horse Three Sisters coffee beans are shade-grown and low-key on the fruity and floral notes. Instead, the more forward flavors are tobacco and cocoa.
This Fairtrade organic coffee is a delicious choice for pour-over or cold-brew coffee.
4. Lavazza Organic ¡Tierra! Whole Bean Coffee Blend
Roast: Light
Origin: Blend; Central and South America
Flavor profile: Zesty aroma with floral and citrus fruit notes.
Lavazza Organic Tierra coffee is one of the best cheap coffee beans for pour-over. Although the Lavazza brand is well-loved by Europeans for its rich espresso roasts, this light roast is also worth a try. The Organic Tierra coffee blend has light fruity and floral coffee notes. Brew it in a Chemex coffee maker for a beautiful golden cup. This 100% Arabica blend from the Americas is USDA organic certified.
5. City Girl Coffee' Blondie Brazil' Light Roast
Roast: Light
Origin: Single; Ethiopia
Flavor profile: Delicately sweet and floral with honeysuckle and hibiscus notes.
When you brew using a pour-over method, you can taste all the delicate flavors in City Girl's Blondie Brazil coffee beans. Roasting in small batches produces the best coffee best flavor for these single-origin beans. You can taste Brazil's complex, exotic flavors each time you brew these beans in your Chemex.
This naturally sweet, floral coffee has exotic notes of honeysuckle and hibiscus.
City Girl is a women-owned business that works with many women-owned coffee farms. City girl proudly supports women around the world and sustainable agricultural practices.
Which pour-over coffee beans are right for you?
Do you enjoy smooth, sweet, and fruity coffee, or prefer darker flavors such as cocoa and tobacco? Whether you choose a light or medium roast, single-origin, or blend, you have plenty of options in today's market.
We've listed five of our favorite coffee beans for pour-over coffee. Now it's time to choose which beans are best for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Starbucks sell pour-over coffee?
Most Starbucks stores do not brew pour-over coffee. However, you can find it at high-end Starbucks Reserve stores for $5 to $8 per cup. Many stores also sell pour-over coffee makers and coffee beans for brewing coffee at home. The Veranda Blend blonde roast is one of the best Starbucks coffee beans for pour-over.
Should I stir pour-over coffee?
When you brew pour-over coffee, stirring and swirling are both acceptable methods. The main goal is to coat each coffee ground evenly with hot water. An even extraction gives you the best flavor from your coffee beans. Many baristas also pour the water in one direction and then in the opposite direction. This technique keeps the coffee grounds from sticking to the sides of your Chemex.
What is the best coffee ratio for pour-over coffee?
The SCAA's Golden Cup Standard for brewing coffee is a coffee-to-water ratio of 55 g/L ± 10%. In simpler terms, this is approximately a 1:18 coffee-to-water ratio. If you like a stronger-tasting pour-over brew, use a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio instead. Weigh the amount of water you plan to use. Then, divide it by 16 to find the proper amount of coffee grounds to use.
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