Question about changing my pour over technique after a café visit in Portland

I was in Portland last month and stopped into this tiny café called Heart. The barista there showed me how he does his pour over and it was totally different from what I was doing at home. He used a much coarser grind and let the water sit for way longer before pouring. I tried it when I got back and my coffee tastes way cleaner now. No more bitter bite at the end. I'm still figuring out the exact timing though. Has anyone else picked up a new method from watching a pro work? Curious what changes made the biggest difference for you.

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.riley5d ago

That part about "no more bitter bite at the end" really hit home for me. The coarser grind thing is a game changer, I had the exact same problem before I tried it. I think most people grind way too fine because they think finer means better extraction, but it just makes the water struggle to get through and pulls out all those harsh flavors. The longer bloom is key too, letting the coffee degas properly before you start pouring makes the flavor way more even. I'd bet your water temp is probably too high as well, I dropped mine to like 200 degrees and it cleaned everything up even more.

sagejackson5d ago

@torres.riley Right there with you man, 200 degrees fixed everything for me too.

the_elizabeth5d ago

Wait, did they tell you their water temp too? That Portland barista probably had a specific temp dialed in since their tap water is so soft. I've been messing with temp adjustments but I'm not sure if I should go lower or higher with a coarser grind. What temp are you using now?