Pour over coffee starter kit

This kit includes everything you’ll need to make pour-over coffee at home, along with a set of simple steps to brew your first cup.

Gear you’ll need

Kalita Wave

I’ve tried many different devices for making pour-over coffee and have found the Kalita Wave to be the easiest to work with and most forgiving. This model is recommended for 3-4 cups of coffee; a smaller model is available for 1-2 cups. I chose the large model since I typically make coffee for two.

You’ll also need coffee filters, a burr grinder, a scale and a water kettle. I’ve included recommendations for each with this kit.

Kalita Wave Filters

Coffee filters designed for the Kalita Wave.

Baratza Burr Grinder

This is the burr grinder that I use at home, but really, you can use whatever you’d like. I’d look through the reviews to see which grinders are highly rated and go with the cheapest best option (or just buy this one).

Bonavita Gooseneck Electric Kettle

Electric kettles are the best. Water should be heated to 205° (give or take) to make pour over coffee.

Stainless Steel Pitcher

An inexpensive pitcher for the coffee to drip into. You could also use a glass pitcher or even a coffee cup (though you’ll be limited to a smaller volume of coffee).

Coffee-wise, pick up a pound from your favorite local shop. Be sure to ask the barista for their recommendations on what beans would work well for pour-over. I’ve also included a Counter Culture recommendation you can order online. There are dozens of great roasters in the US that sell online, including Intelligentsia (Chicago), Blue Bottle (SF), Ritual Coffee (SF), Sightglass (SF), Four Barrel (SF) and Heart (Portland) to name a handful.

Brewing process

1. Heat the kettle of water to 205°
2. Place the Kalita Wave and the glass or metal picture onto the scale. Set the scale units to grams and tare.
3. While water is heating, place the filter into the KW and rinse with hot water - this will clear any residue from the filter (make sure to restart the kettle boil too)
4. Pour coffee grounds into the Kalita Wave. The coffee-to-water ratio should be 16:1. I usually grind 40g of coffee, then pour 640g of water. Remember the weight and tare scale again.
5. Pour water over coffee grounds. You’ll want to experiment here with a quick initial pour to get the grounds wet and open the flavor, then make frequent pours after that to reach your target volume (16:1 ratio above).
6. Pour a cup and enjoy :)