Hit my first pour over ratio by accident this morning

I was trying out a new Ethiopian bean from a roaster in Portland and totally messed up my water measurement. Ended up with a 1:17 ratio instead of my usual 1:15 and the cup tasted way brighter with almost no bitterness. Anyone else stumble onto a better brew by messing up?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan1812d ago

Wait, isn't it funny how the "rules" go out the window when you actually just wing it? I've had the same thing happen, @blair70, with forgetting to preheat. My theory is that when you're not micromanaging every variable, you let the bean's natural character come through. The bitterness you usually get might be from a slightly over-extracted batch from being too precise. I think a lot of the "best practices" are just good starting points, not hard and fast laws, and sometimes a happy accident just shows you a whole new side of the coffee.

grace_knight1911d ago

Oh totally, and that reminds me of the time I was making a pour over and my scale battery died halfway through. Just had to guess the rest of the water and it turned out to be one of the best cups I've ever made. I think there's something to the idea that when you're not stressing over every gram and second, you just pour more naturally and get a better extraction. Like, the water flows at its own pace when you're not watching the clock, you know? Makes me wonder how many "perfect" brews I've missed because I was too busy following some YouTube tutorial exactly.

blair7013d ago

Wait, are you saying that accidentally using less coffee actually made it taste better? That goes against everything I've ever read, but then again my track record with following instructions is pretty spotty. In my experience, the best cups I've ever had came from when I was too sleepy to measure properly and just eyeballed everything. Your mileage may vary but I've definitely had those "whoops, that's actually amazing" moments too. I once forgot to preheat my V60 and got a cup that was somehow smoother than usual. Makes you wonder if the coffee snobs are just overcomplicating things sometimes.