That barista who corrected my pour over technique at a shop in Portland

I was making a V60 at this little cafe in Portland last spring, doing my usual thing with the water. This barista came over and said "you're pouring too fast, let it bloom for 30 seconds minimum." I laughed it off at first but tried it their way after they walked away. The difference in flavor was honestly night and day - cleaner and way less bitter. Has anyone else had a random stranger change how you make coffee with just one tip?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.thea25d ago

Oh man, that's the best feeling when someone actually knows their stuff and isn't just being a snob. I had a similar thing happen with a pour over at a shop in Seattle, the barista told me to use way less water at first so the grounds don't just wash through. Tried it and my coffee stopped tasting like dirt water. Now I always let it bloom for 40 seconds and pour in circles, not just dump it all in. That small tweak fixed my morning brew more than any expensive grinder I've bought.

wyatt_mitchell2624d ago

Swear to god, the pour over circle pour is basically a cheat code. I used to just dump water in like I was filling a gas tank and wonder why it tasted like sadness. Tried the bloom thing once and felt like i'd been lied to my whole life. Now I'm that guy at home doing 40 second timers and feeling like a total snob myself. Pretty sure my morning brew costs more in shame than it does in beans at this point.

gracec1624d ago

That line about "dirt water" really hit home for me. I had a similar moment when I went back to my parents' house for Thanksgiving and grabbed a bag of their grocery store pre-ground coffee, just assuming it would be fine for a few days. My brother-in-law, who works at a roastery in Chicago, made me a cup using their drip machine and the flavor was so smooth it almost didn't taste like the same beans. Turns out they'd been storing their grounds in the freezer and using water straight from the tap, and he just switched to cold filtered water and a proper ratio. Now I'm that annoying person who brings my own beans and a scale whenever I visit anyone.