The pour-over brewing is one of the best ways to make coffee to your liking. But you may have noticed that some coffee beans produce a better-tasting cup than others when using this brew method. So how can you pick the best coffee beans for pour-over brewers?
Read on to determine which coffee beans are the best and truly shine when brewed using a pour-over.
How to choose the best coffee for pour-over
A great thing about pour-over coffee brewers is that preparing, blooming, and brewing coffee is the same whether you use a Hario V60, Kalita Wave, or a Chemex. All you have to do is place ground coffee in a paper filter and slowly pour hot water over it from a gooseneck kettle or other pot.
Unlike with an automatic drip machines, you have more control over the brewing process. The intricacies and advantages of pour-over coffee making lie in the meticulous control over variables like water temperature and volume, coffee beans, grind size, and technique, which can significantly impact the final product. So it’s all about your coffee brewing technique and your coffee beans.
Of course, the taste is a subjective matter. But knowing the primary factors that affect coffee’s flavor can help you sift your options and find the beans that best suit your taste.
So what factors do you need to consider when choosing coffee beans for pour-over? Let’s take a closer look at them!
Coffee origin
Coffee is like wine — the soil, climate, and altitude will affect its taste. Therefore, superficially identical Arabica coffee beans from different regions and even grown by different coffee farmers can taste quite distinct.
Here is a quick overview of the flavor profiles you can expect from coffees from various geographic regions:
- Central American coffees, such as those from Costa Rica, are often quite complex, with a rich body and even a hint of spice.
- South American coffees can be quite sweet. They have low acidity and often have notes of chocolate and caramel that the pour-over method can extract.
- African coffees generally have a higher acidity level, producing sharper flavor. But at the same time, they have fruity and floral notes, with hints of red berries and citrus.
- Asian coffees, like those from Indonesia, have a certain rich smokiness. These beans make a mildly acidic cup of coffee with a full body and robust flavor.
- Hawaiian volcanic soil imparts a balanced and bright taste to coffee. These beans are sweet and mild, with hints of fruits and berries.
Note that these tasting notes apply to single-origin coffee beans. Blended coffees mix the flavors and can produce a bold or mellow cup, depending on the combination.
Processing
Coffee beans are not legumes; they are seeds found inside a coffee fruit known as a “cherry.” As such, they are processed to remove the fruit skin and pulp.
The coffee processing method affects the coffee taste. Coffee producers typically use one of three processing methods. To make washed coffee, they remove every bit of the fruit surrounding the coffee beans before drying them. The coffee cherries are dried in the sun with the seeds inside using the natural coffee processing method. Finally, honey-processed coffee is made by removing the fruit, but the beans are not washed, leaving some of the fruit’s sugars and secretions called “honey” on them.
Coffee processed using any method is suitable for pour-over brewing. But natural and honey-processed coffee beans will reveal more complex fruity flavors.
Roast level
All coffee beans need roasting, and the intensity and length of the roasting process significantly impact how the brew tastes.
Light and medium roasts are particularly great for pour-over. This slow manual brewing method can bring out the floral, fruity notes and complex flavors of coffee that other techniques might muddle. Lighter roasts tend to preserve the unique flavors of the coffee beans and are preferred by many pour-over enthusiasts.
Using darker roasts with pour-overs can result in overly bitter brew. But, of course, if you are a fan of bitterness, a pour-over coffee made with dark roast coffee beans might suit your palate.
Grind size
It’s always best to buy whole-bean coffee and grind it in small batches before you brew it, regardless of your brewing method.
Using a medium to coarse grind for the pour-over method is crucial as it prevents over-extraction and preserves the intricate flavors in the coffee. This way, your coffee will be bursting with aromas and flavors.
A good burr grinder lets you adjust the grind to deliver an ideal consistency for your favorite coffee drink. But not everyone has a , or maybe you don’t want to put that much effort into your morning cup. There’s nothing wrong with that!
Medium-coarse to medium-grind coffee is the best grind size for making coffee with a pour-over. But some coffee enthusiasts prefer to grind finer, so feel free to experiment until you find what works best.
A coarse grind, on the other hand, can let the hot water flow through the paper filter too quickly. As a result, it will make your coffee taste watery with dulled flavor notes.
The best coffee beans for pour-over in 2024
Once you know what factors can affect the brew, you are well-equipped to pick a bag of beans that sounds good to you. Here are my top picks for the top-rated coffee beans for pour-over.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Top Pick  | Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry |
| Check Price |
Most Versatile  | Fresh Roasted Coffee Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Kochere |
| Check Price |
Breakfast Blend  | Stumptown Coffee Roasters Hundred Mile Blend |
| Check Price |
 | Coffee Bros Light Roast Signature Blend |
| Check Price |
 | Joe Coffee Company Amsterdam Blend |
| Check Price |
 | Kicking Horse Coffee Smart Ass |
| Check Price |
 | River Moon Coffee Kona Waves |
| Check Price |
 | San Francisco Bay Coffee Fog Chaser |
| Check Price |
Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry
The Arabica beans for Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry coffee come from the slopes of the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. This medium roast, fair-trade coffee is unique because it contains hand-selected peaberry beans.
Peaberry comes from coffee cherries that grow at the tips of the coffee tree branches. Smaller than the usual cherries, they contain only one pea-shaped coffee seed instead of the typical two. It means that more natural oils and nutrients that would distribute between two seeds are all packed into a single one!
This abundance of goodness gives the peaberry coffee a rich, full-bodied, and sweeter smooth taste with bright acidity. You will smell the chocolatey aromas tinged with dried fruit and orange. You might even mistake the aroma for freshly baked waffles!
These beans have a rich flavor typical of darker roasts without its bitter taste. And the best thing is that the beans have a very affordable price as far as peaberry coffee goes.
A smooth body and sweet acidity make the Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry the ideal pour-over coffee to satisfy even the most demanding coffee lovers. The Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry coffee grounds are perfect for pour-over brewing due to their medium roast and smooth body.
Fresh Roasted Coffee Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Kochere
Yirgacheffe Kochere is medium-roasted, single-origin coffee from Ethiopia. Fresh Roasted Coffee company sources the beans with the environment and community in mind. The beans are packaged using nitrogen flush to help keep them fresh until they reach your cup.
This coffee has a medium body, a smooth flavor, and noticeably bright fruity notes with hints of lemon and honey. No matter what pour-over method you prefer, you can enjoy a balanced citrusy coffee flavor.
Yirgacheffe Kochere beans make an excellent rich and creamy pour-over coffee, but they are also very versatile. These beans can also be used as espresso beans, providing a rich and intense flavor profile. So if you have an espresso machine or a Moka Pot, you can use them to make barista-quality drinks like cappuccinos or lattes.
These beans also pack enough flavor to make cold-brew coffee. As a result, they are an excellent choice for coffee drinkers who like variety in their lives.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters Hundred Mile Blend
Do you have a sweet tooth? Then Stumptown Coffee Roasters’ unique blend of certified organic Arabica bean coffee from Africa and Central and South America will produce the perfect cup for your taste buds.
This medium-roasted Arabica coffee brings you a complex and delicious bouquet of flavors. The African beans introduce lovely floral notes that blend perfectly with the flavors of jam and toffee of South and Central American coffee.
Stumptown Hundred Mile coffee has a sweet and rich flavor. It is a great breakfast blend that will have you looking forward to your morning cup. It will pair well with breakfast food, such as eggs, toast, or freshly baked pastries.
The Hundred Mile Blend contains carefully selected best coffee beans for pour-over coffee. It does not have any bitterness, and its sweetness will shine through no matter what brewing method you use.
Many coffee lovers like this blend with a French press or Moka Pot. It also makes an excellent base for various coffees with milk.
This blend from Stumptown Coffee Roasters is excellent if you enjoy sweeter coffee flavors. And these coffee beans are inexpensive to boot, so you can enjoy a good cup without breaking the budget.
Coffee Bros Light Roast Signature Blend
You may be pleasantly surprised when you open a bag of Coffee Bros Signature Blend coffee. This blend of Arabica beans packs a real flavor explosion. You can tell that Coffee Bros have given special attention to selecting the best beans to maximize the flavor and quality.
This certified organic blend perfectly combines the fruitiness of Ethiopian coffee with the sweetness of Colombian beans. The flavor profile contains floral notes melded with honey and citrus.
Coffee Bros Light Roast blend is perfect for the pour-over brewing method. It will produce a cup of coffee with a silky body that will give an amazing start to your day.
But wait, there’s more. These light-roasted coffee beans also make for a great espresso. So if you have an espresso machine or a hand-held espresso maker, you might want to give it a shot (pun intended).
And to top it all off, this blend is affordable and provides excellent value.
Joe Coffee Company Amsterdam Blend
Don’t let the name trick you — this coffee is not from the Netherlands. Instead, the Joe Coffee Company Amsterdam blend is made of medium roasted single-origin coffee beans from the Minas Gerais region in Brazil.
The beans are dried naturally, utilizing environmentally and socially responsible practices. The natural process involves drying whole coffee cherries with the skin on, which results in more depth and flavor in the coffee.
This processing method gives the Amsterdam Blend complex earthy aromas. You will notice a nutty flavor with toffee, walnut, and dark chocolate notes. In addition, the blend has less acidity and a smooth, delicate taste.
Joe Coffee roasts the beans carefully to give the coffee lots of body without creating a smoky and over-roasted flavor.
The Amsterdam Blend works great with pour-over to brew a bold cup that strikes a delicate balance between complex acidity and sweetness. So you can count on never getting a boring cup, whether you enjoy your coffee black or with some add-ins.
Kicking Horse Coffee Smart Ass
Kicking Horse Coffee have named their brand appropriately. Their Smart Ass blend of medium roasted beans from Africa, South, and Central America will kick your butt — in the way good coffee should!
You will notice a complex and satisfying flavor from the first sip. There are hints of berries like red currants and a sweetness that will remind you of sugar cane and milk chocolate.
This Arabica blend is right for you if you are not fond of acidic or bitter coffee. It contains a lot of natural sweetness to satisfy the most demanding coffee drinker. Even people who don’t usually drink black coffee say they don’t want to add anything.
Pour-over is a great brewing method for this coffee, but it also works well for espresso, French press, or cold brew. This blend makes for a smooth yet strong cup that will open your eyes in the morning.
Smart Ass coffee is a great choice for a socially and environmentally conscious coffee lover who wants the strength of black coffee without the associated burnt flavor. This blend’s coffees are certified kosher, organic, and fair trade.
River Moon Coffee Kona Waves
The Kona Waves blend from River Moon Coffee combines the characteristic bright acidity and flavor of organic Hawaiian Kona beans with different coffee beans from all over the world.
The blend has no acidic aftertaste, and the Kona coffee shines through in the pour-over cup. The result is a balanced flavor profile that makes for an exceptional coffee.
The Kona beans are grown without pesticides or other chemicals on the tropical slopes of the Big Island’s Hualalai volcano. The coffee is harvested by hand, which helps keep the beans intact and ensures the highest quality. In addition, River Moon Coffee uses rainwater to wash the coffee and an energy-saving roasting process that is more environmentally friendly.
These freshly roasted beans have a medium-dark roast level and are packaged using a one-way valve to preserve the flavor. Pour-over coffee brewers are ideal for bringing out the complex flavors of this blend, but you can also use them with your French press or drip coffee machine.
San Francisco Bay Coffee Fog Chaser
San Francisco Bay Coffee Fog Chaser blend will demonstrate that choosing the right beans can make all the difference in the world. Even though this is the darkest roast on this list, the overwhelming bitterness of dark-roasted coffee is nowhere to be found.
The beans of the Fog Chaser blend have that beautiful sheen of coffee’s natural oils, but they don’t feel greasy like many extra-dark roasts. It only proves that skillful roasting can bring the best out of coffee beans.
As you sip your brew, you’ll taste dark cocoa and caramel. You can even detect the sweet flavor of mandarin — not something you’d expect from Central and South American beans. The complex flavor profile will take even the biggest coffee connoisseur on an exciting sensory adventure.
Chemex, V60, Kalita Wave, or other slow-drip coffee makers will help you extract the best properties of this coffee. French press is also a good bet if you prefer immersion brewing. And if you feel adventurous, you can set your coffee grinder on the fine grind setting and try to make a pour-over espresso with this blend.
For consistent results, pay attention to the coffee-to-water ratio, starting with a 1:17 ratio to achieve a balanced flavor profile. This blend is also popular in coffee shops for its balanced and smooth flavor.
Regardless of the roast level and flavor preferences, all the coffees reviewed here are great for your pour-over coffee maker. Each bag has its unique flavor, so you will certainly find something that tickles your tastebuds. So get your hands on some of these beans and embark on the exciting journey of flavor discovery!
