parkermorgan•2mo agoProlific Poster

My barista friend insisted I should never stir my pour-over...

I've been making pour-over coffee at home for about a year, and my friend who works at a shop in Austin told me to just let it bloom and drain without touching it. He said stirring would mess up the extraction and make it bitter. I followed that advice for months, but my coffee always tasted a bit weak and sour. Last month, I watched a video from a roaster in Portland where they gently stirred the slurry after the bloom. I tried it with my usual beans, using a small spoon to stir for just 5 seconds. The difference was huge... the sourness was gone and the flavor was much fuller. I guess his rule was right for his shop's specific method, but wrong for my setup at home. Has anyone else found that a hard coffee rule just didn't work for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

sageallen2mo ago

Coffee rules are more like guidelines for a specific setup. Your grinder and water probably need that stir to get even extraction. The key is just trying stuff to see what works for your own kitchen.

dakota_taylor392mo ago

Totally agree! I used to follow recipes exactly and my coffee was always just okay. Once I started messing with the steps for my own gear, it got way better. It's all about tweaking things for your own setup.

lee6278d ago

@sageallen nailed it about the water and grinder... that's half the battle right there. People get so hung up on the bean but ignore the other stuff. Once you start dialing in your own gear, it's like a whole new world opens up. Recipes are fine as a starting point, but they're just that... a starting point. You gotta make it yours.