Do: Start with a ratio you can taste

Pour-over is forgiving if you begin with a solid baseline. Most home brewers do well with 1:16—that's 30 grams of coffee to 480 grams of water. That gives you a cup that's strong enough to notice but not so intense that you miss the subtle notes.

If you're using a RAMI Coffee ceramic dripper, you'll want to measure your beans before grinding. A cheap kitchen scale is worth it—scoops are too inconsistent. Once you've brewed a few cups at 1:16, nudge the ratio to suit your taste. Prefer a bolder cup? Try 1:15. Lighter and more tea-like? Go to 1:17.

Do not: Obsess over the perfect pour

You've probably seen baristas do the dramatic spiral pour. That's great for show, but at home, a steady, slow pour in a circular motion is all you need. The goal is even saturation, not artistry.

Avoid pouring all the water at once. That might cause channeling, where water finds a path through the coffee bed and leaves the rest dry. Result: weak, uneven extraction. Instead, do a quick bloom—pour just enough water to wet the grounds, wait 30 seconds, then continue in circles.

Do: Match grind size to your brew time

You want the whole brew to finish in about 3 to 4 minutes. If it's running too fast—say, 2 minutes—your grind is too coarse. That gives you a sour, weak cup. If it's dragging past 5 minutes, your grind is too fine, and you're probably pulling out bitter compounds.

A medium-fine grind, like table salt, is a good starting point for most pour-over setups. From there, adjust based on taste. If you're buying pre-ground, you're stuck—but most home brewers find they get better results with a burr grinder. Not essential, but it helps.

Do not: Boil the water and pour immediately

Fresh off the boil, water is around 212°F. That's too hot for pour-over. It can scorch the coffee and make it taste bitter and flat. Let it sit for 30 to 60 seconds after boiling, which brings it down to around 200°F. If you have a gooseneck kettle with a thermometer, even better. If not, a simple trick: boil, wait a minute, then pour.

Temperature matters more than people think. A few degrees either way can change the flavor dramatically. Too hot and you get harshness; too cool and you get weak, sour coffee.

Do: Keep a simple brew journal

Spring is a great time to start a brew journal. It doesn't need to be fancy—just a notebook where you jot down the ratio, grind setting, water temperature, and how the cup tasted. That way, when you nail a brew you love, you can repeat it.

You'll also start to see patterns. Maybe your favorite cups always come from a slightly finer grind, or you prefer a lower ratio on humid days. Writing it down makes dialing in easier and more fun.

Do not: Change everything at once

When a cup doesn't taste right, it's tempting to tweak everything at once—grind, ratio, temperature, pour speed. Resist that. Change one variable at a time. Otherwise, you won't know what helped or hurt.

For example, if your coffee tastes bitter today, first try grinding coarser. If that doesn't fix it, next try lowering the water temperature. Keep notes, and you'll know exactly what works for your taste.

Tie-breaker when both apply

Sometimes you'll hit a cup that's both bitter and sour—that's the classic sign of uneven extraction, not a single fix. This usually comes from a pour that was too aggressive or a coffee bed that wasn't level. Focus on your pouring technique first. Slow, gentle, and even. If the issue persists, check your grinder—a burr grinder gives more consistent particle sizes than a blade grinder.

Another tie-breaker: if you're at a loss, try a slightly finer grind with a gentler pour. That combination often smooths out the extremes. But always change one thing at a time, so you know which adjustment worked.

Ready to dial in your perfect spring cup? Grab your favorite RAMI Coffee beans, check out our merch for gear that makes the ritual more enjoyable, and join the Windbar Community to share your recipe. If you're brewing outdoors this season, our guide on pour-over for spring events has more tips.

Column FAQs

Q: What's the best coffee-to-water ratio for pour-over?

A good starting point is 1:16—one gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. If you prefer a stronger cup, try 1:15; for a lighter, tea-like cup, go to 1:17. Adjust by taste, not by what anyone else says.

Q: Why does my pour-over taste bitter?

Bitterness usually means over-extraction. Your grind might be too fine, your water too hot, or your pour too aggressive. Try grinding coarser, letting the water cool slightly after boiling, and pouring more gently.

Q: How do I know if my pour-over is under-extracted?

If your coffee tastes sour or thin, it's under-extracted. That means you need more extraction—try a finer grind, hotter water, or a slower pour. Small tweaks go a long way.