Brew Methods: Manual Brew (Pour Over)
You may recognize this particular glass pitcher because you’ve seen it in episodes of Mary Tyler Moore, Friends (we’re dating ourselves, we know), or Mad Men. It’s a Chemex brewer and is one of two styles of manual brews we currently offer in our shop. The other choice we have is a Hario V60.
In recent years, the manual brew (or pour over) method has started to make a comeback, and for good reason. The different types of manual brew methods available create a delicious cup of coffee, and are especially good for highlighting nuances and tasting notes in single origin coffees like the ones we carry by Presta Coffee Roasters. Both the Chemex and V60 create different cups of coffee, even using the same bean. It’s fun to experiment to see which one produces a cup of coffee that you enjoy.
Both of these methods are brewed, you guessed, by hand using no automated equipment. We prepare our equipment for brewing and grind each cup just before we brew to ensure the freshest cup. At Viva we use the pulse pour method (meaning we bloom, and then do three separate pours and let the water filter down through the bed of coffee each time before the next pour. We chose this method simply for workflow purposes, but the continuous pour is also fun to do!).
Manual brewing can be very technical, and while there is a lot of science going on during the brew process, it doesn’t have to be out of reach. At Viva Coffee House, we love to provide delicious coffee using the most current, science-based techniques, but we also like it to be friendly to everyone. Next time you come in, chat up our friendly baristas about your favorite brew methods or feel free to ask them questions. They won’t bite, we promise 😉
Interested in bringing a pour over method to your home kitchen? You can certainly purchase the best of the best equipment (scales and kettles), or you can keep it simple with more budget-friendly, but still industry-respected equipment from Amazon. If you practice you will succeed in making delicious coffee at home. You can also join one of our monthly Brew Better Coffee At Home Class to get hands-on help in learning best practices (see the events page for more details and to reserve your space in the upcoming class). We hope you find this information useful.
What’s your favorite way to brew coffee? Tell us in the comments below!
