Why Drip Coffee Tastes Better Than Your Pour Over Coffee

Drip Coffee vs Pour Over Coffee: Which is Tastier?

The pour over method is the pinnacle of taste when it comes to coffee, right? That’s what all the coffee connoisseurs tell us. So, why am I saying they’re wrong?

It’s not that they’re wrong per se—the likely reason your pour over coffee doesn’t taste as good as you expect is that you may not know how to make it properly. Pour over coffee requires more attention to detail to get it just right, and if you don’t have the technique down, your brew might not turn out as expected.

If you tried brewing one today, it would likely end up tasting terrible, and you’d go back to your drip coffee machine in a heartbeat.

What Makes Drip Coffee Good?

Drip coffee is like the dependable friend who always shows up on time—it might not be the most glamorous, but you can always count on it to get the job done. No need to overthink it—just add some grounds to a filter, press a button, and you're ready to go.

Although it’s simple, drip coffee gives us exactly what we want: a great cup of coffee almost every time. It may not have the flair of pour over, but when you need consistency and reliability, it’s hard to beat.

Convenience

The simplicity and convenience of the drip process give us exactly what we want: a great cup of coffee with minimal effort, and this is something that pour over lacks.

For those who value convenience, modern drip machines have taken things to the next level with features like automatic scheduling, temperature control, and app connectivity. You can set up your coffee the night before and have it brewing while you’re still in bed.

The most convenient part of drip coffee, though, is that it ensures consistent results every time, making it the reliable choice for those who want the perfect cup without the hassle.

Consistency

Pour over coffee requires precision—small mistakes can lead to varying flavors from one brew to the next, while drip coffee gives you consistent results every time.

Thanks to the automation process, you don’t have to stress about the amount of water to pour, how long to pour it, or avoid disturbing the bed. The machine takes care of all the nitty-gritty and gives you the coffee to enjoy every time.

What Makes Pour Over Coffee Taste Bad?

Pour over coffee can be an excellent choice for coffee lovers who enjoy a more hands-on brewing process. However, if you're not careful, it can quickly go wrong.

When comparing drip coffee vs pour over coffee, the pour over method requires more attention to detail. Even small mistakes can result in bitter or sour coffee, unlike drip coffee machines, which are more forgiving.

Let’s break down what could be going wrong when brewing pour over coffee.

Bitter Coffee: Signs of Over-Extraction in Pour Over Brewing

One of the most common issues with pour over coffee is bitterness, which typically happens due to over-extraction. Over-extraction occurs when the water is too hot or it stays in contact with the coffee grounds for too long. When compared to drip coffee, pour over requires more control over temperature and brew time, and a lack of attention to either factor can pull out excessive bitter flavors.

Another factor leading to bitterness is fine grinds. While drip coffee machines often use a standard grind size, pour over brewing demands precision in grind size. Fine grinds can cause over-extraction because the water takes longer to filter through, picking up too many bitter compounds.

Your brew ratio can also be the cause of bitterness. If you accidentally use more water than intended, it can lead to over-extraction of the bitter notes.

Sour Coffee: Signs of Under-Extraction in Pour Over Brewing

Sourness in your coffee often points to under-extraction. This is when the water doesn’t stay in contact with the grounds long enough or is at too low of a temperature. While drip coffee machines are designed to maintain a steady brewing process, pour over requires more control. If your water is too cold or the extraction time is too short, you end up with an acidic, sour cup.

Another reason for sour coffee is coarse grinds. In pour over, a coarse grind can cause the water to flow too quickly, leaving the coffee under-extracted. With drip coffee, the process is more automated and usually results in a more balanced brew.

Using the wrong brew ratio can also cause your coffee to taste sour. If you accidentally use too little water, you can under-extract the coffee, leading to more sour notes.

Other Common Pour Over Coffee Problems to Watch Out For

• Bloom Time: This helps release CO2 from the beans. If you skip or shorten the bloom time, you risk a flat and sour tasting coffee, which you won’t experience with drip coffee machines that handle all the timing for you.
• Pouring Technique: If you don’t pour in a circular motion or pour too quickly, you’ll get uneven extraction, leading to unbalanced flavors. In contrast, drip coffee machines pour automatically in a controlled manner, ensuring even extraction every time.

The Perfect Pour Over Coffee

So, you now know what makes a pour over coffee worse than a drip, but you probably want to know how to make that perfect pour over too.

This is a step by step guide to the perfect pour over referencing James Hoffmann’s video “The Ultimate V60 Technique” plus some personal preference.

1. Weight your beans right before you brew your coffee. Weight out enough for a 1:17 ratio of coffee to water (you can adjust this to your preference).
   
   
2. Grind your coffee beans on the finer side of medium (this may take some trial and error to get right).
   
   
3. Rinse your filter paper with your boiled water to remove the paper taste and heat your brewer to lessen heat loss during brewing.
   
   
4. Add your ground coffee to the center of your brewer and create a well in the middle.
   
   
5. Make sure your water is as hot a possible before you begin your pour (above 95°C/203°F)
   
   
6. Place your brewer on your scale and zero it.
   
   
7. Begin to gently pour 2g of water per 1g of coffee making sure to get all your coffee wet.
   
   
8. Place the kettle down and begin to swirl your brewer to help evenly distribute the water on your coffee grinds. Let the coffee rest and bloom for 30-45 seconds.
   
   
9. Pour your remaining water in 1 continuous pour, aiming to get 60% of your total water in your filter in 30 seconds, followed by maintaining a slower pour, aiming to get the rest of the water in within 30 seconds.
   
   
10. Once you’ve poured your needed weight of water, get a spoon and stir inside the filter 1 full clockwise rotation and 1 full counterclockwise rotation to knock ground on the sides of the filter paper off without creating too strong a swirling motion.
    
    
11. Let the filter drain until the water level is low enough to give the brewer 1 final swirl.