Pour Over Quick Start Checklist

Everything you need to brew a genuinely good first cup, in order, with nothing skipped. Print it, tape it to your kettle, and follow it top to bottom. The recipe baked into this checklist is The Standard V60 Recipe — once it feels routine, branch out using the rest of the vault. New to the whole idea? Read What Is Pour Over Coffee first.

#🛒 Before You Brew — Gather

• [ ] A dripper — a Hario V60 is the classic starting point → Equipment and Drippers
• [ ] The matching paper filters → Coffee Filters — Paper, Metal, and Cloth
• [ ] A burr grinder (skip the blade grinder) → Burr Grinders vs Blade Grinders
• [ ] A scale that reads to 0.1 g, ideally with a timer → Scales, Timers, and Servers
• [ ] A kettle — a gooseneck makes pouring easier but is optional → Gooseneck Kettles
• [ ] Fresh coffee, roasted within the last few weeks → Coffee Freshness and Degassing
• [ ] Good water — filtered is a safe default → Filtered, Bottled, and Tap Water

#⚙️ Setup

1. [ ] Heat water to about 93°C (just off the boil, rested ~30 s) → Water Temperature for Brewing
2. [ ] Weigh 18 g of beans → The Brew Ratio
3. [ ] Grind to medium (like coarse table salt) → Grind Size for Pour Over
4. [ ] Put the filter in the dripper and rinse it with hot water; discard the rinse → Pre-Wetting the Filter
5. [ ] Add the grounds, level the bed, and place the dripper on your cup or server on the scale
6. [ ] Tare the scale to zero

#🌊 Brew (target ~3:00 total)

1. [ ] Bloom: pour ~50 g of water to wet all the grounds, then wait 30–45 s → The Bloom
2. [ ] First pours: add water in slow concentric circles up to ~150 g → Pouring Technique
3. [ ] Final pours: continue to 288 g total, keeping the bed gently submerged → Pulse vs Continuous Pouring
4. [ ] Drawdown: let it drain; aim to finish around 2:45–3:15 → The Drawdown
5. [ ] Give the dripper a gentle swirl or tap to settle the bed if needed

#🍵 Taste & Adjust

1. [ ] Let it cool slightly, then taste → How to Taste Coffee
2. [ ] Too sour? Grind finer or brew hotter next time
3. [ ] Too bitter? Grind coarser or brew cooler next time
4. [ ] Change one variable per brew and keep notes → Dialing In Grind Size

#Continue Reading

• The Standard V60 Recipe — the full recipe this checklist follows
• Pour Over Troubleshooting Guide — when the cup tastes off
• Frequently Asked Questions — the early questions, answered
• Brewing Technique — go deeper on the craft of the pour