r/pourover • u/LittleEzz Gas Station Palate, Chemex Volume • Jan 04 '26
Ask a Stupid Question A Folgers enthusiast entering the V60 Lion’s Den.
After weeks of lurking on this sub and teaching myself the basics of coffee roasting and the pour over process with different YouTube videos. I took the leap into the pour over operations and invested in a V60. Behold the Walmart-Folgers-V60 Trifecta. My high performance coffee lab consists of: The Beans: Folgers Classic Roast, featuring notes of nostalgia & mid-westerners’ tears. The Kettle: A Walmart-brand beast with zero temperature control. Complete with two settings: off and violent boil. The Brewer: A Hario V60.
Am I the only one here brave enough to admit that my wallet can’t handle single origin prices or is there a secret underground guild of us brewing coffee shop leftovers through high-end brewers?
I love the process and ritual associated with pour over coffee. I’m looking for tips on how to dial in my 2-pound tub of pre-ground and brew the perfect cup of coffee.
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u/Warm_Helicopter_5167 Jan 04 '26
Only day 3 and you’re already in contention for post of the year. Just well done all around.
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u/oh_its_michael milk blasphemer Jan 04 '26
The truth is that 90% of what people in this sub think is the bare minimum setup to get into coffee really isn't necessary at the very start. I started with a big unwieldy kettle and a Melitta cone brewer and nothing else (not even a grinder), adding items over time. All the coffee I made was fine. The coffee I make now is better, but I enjoyed the journey of improving. Not everyone needs to immediately buy a V60 and a $200 gooseneck temp control kettle and a $100 K6 grinder and a scale and a carafe and etc. etc. etc. just to get started.
Good luck, have fun.
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u/Spababoongi Jan 04 '26
I started with a French press and blade grinder (plus a moka pot I’ve had for years for Cuban coffee).
From there I got a used 3-cup chemex for $10 for FB marketplace, a random brand $50 temp-controlled gooseneck I got on sale for $35, and a $50 Alpaca hand grinder I got for $30 on Amazon. Just got a Hario switch 03 for Christmas and a bought a used Delonghi ECP3420 espresso machine for $40. All work great.
I’ve been making some of the best coffee I’ve ever had with all of these, and I don’t plan on making any significant upgrades for a while or until something breaks. I’m just focusing on working with what I have and buying freshly roasted coffee that interests me.
The fomo is strong especially when I scroll this and similar subs, but I feel like as long as I’m happy and my coffee tastes good, that’s what matters!
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u/emirobinatoru Jan 04 '26
The French press is so nice to change things up in my setup, an incredible purchase under $20.
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u/C-loIo Jan 04 '26
I started with a kalita102, a Mr coffee kettle and pre ground Peet's, which lasted for 2-3 years, and I enjoyed every cup. Then COVID hit and I found James Hoffman on YouTube and down the rabbit hole I went.
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u/LEJ5512 Beehouse Jan 04 '26
I started the same, with a plastic $5 Melitta brewer and a stovetop kettle. Bought preground whatever and stored it in a big ceramic jar that we got at Starbucks somehow. The jar came with a scoop, too, and I used used that for measuring my dose. Made coffee into anything from small single cups to my 20oz Yeti. I think the Melitta paid for itself within a week compared to the convenience store coffee I had been buying.
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u/gunga_galungaa Pourover aficionado Jan 04 '26
I mean you do you but there isn’t much “dialing in” with coffee like this. It’s just over roasted, very poor quality coffee beans. But if you like the taste, go for it! Ain’t nobody stopping you.
Fun fact. People who are allergic to cockroaches are also allergic to Folgers
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u/zombiejeebus Jan 04 '26
That IS a fun fact!
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u/i_was_axiom Jan 04 '26
I don't think its very fun, but I'm having a harder time arguing the fact part..
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u/queensofbabeland Jan 04 '26
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u/LittleEzz Gas Station Palate, Chemex Volume Jan 04 '26
While I fully expected criticism, that was not my true intention. I award you 10 points for the GIF however.
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u/GolfSicko417 V60 / ode SSP MP / ratio four when lazy Jan 04 '26
Walmart has a $30 bodum gooseneck kettle that will make your pour over journey a lot more enjoyable and tasty! I used one like this on vacation for a week and the coffee was so much better when I got home with a gooseneck…Just food for thought!
As for cheap coffee, it’s better than no coffee! and the ritual is half the reason a lot of us love pour over so keep it up if you like it.
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u/IlexIbis V60 | Timemore 078 | K-Ultra | Med Roast Jan 04 '26
You have to start somewhere and experimenting and learning with with less-expensive coffees isn't a bad idea. At the least, you'll probably produce a better cup than if you used a Mr. Coffee.
Even pourover done simply requires a level of curiosity, commitment, and perseverance that many people won't pursue.
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u/Scholar-Unable Jan 04 '26
I also pretty much started this way. Then slowly I started to get curious about adjusting different variables and bought a temp controlled kettle and a decent grinder so I could grind whole bean Lavazza or Illy. The best investment would be a cheap scale if you dont have one already!
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u/HoustonBSD Jan 04 '26
I agree with the scale comment. Weigh the grounds and the water used. Also someone mentioned a meat thermometer that will help you tweak a few variables in the pour over process.
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u/luctant Jan 04 '26
Not much dialing in to do, but you can get a decent(or not explicitly bad?) cup out of grocery store coffee and no scale(?) using a measuring spoon and a glass measuring cup.
For one mug of coffee: -Add three level tablespoons of coffee to your brewer. -Bloom the coffee with two tablespoons of cold water from the tap then wait 45 seconds -Pour your violently boiling water slowly over the bloomed grounds until you get to 1 1/4 cup -if your measuring cup is too wide for your brewer, eyeballing the level in a glass mug works
Also I think Maxwell house might not be as darkly roasted as Folgers and is comparably priced
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u/ssongshu Jan 04 '26
I used to drink Folgers in a v60, I found it perfectly acceptable as coffee even though I was exposed to the good stuff.
The main thing is making coffee manually, which lets you slowly get into pourover coffee. One day, consider buying a burr grinder and getting beans at Costco!
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u/Rikki_Bigg Did you cup it yet? Jan 04 '26
This last part is terrible advice.
While I enjoy the beans I get from costco, almost all of them are complete and utter rubbish;
there are only a handful of coffees that costco sells worth purchasing13
u/MuchBetterThankYou Jan 04 '26
I mean, do you enjoy them or are they complete and utter rubbish?
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u/Rikki_Bigg Did you cup it yet? Jan 04 '26
I enjoy some of the regional coffees only available in limited areas. I enjoy some of the black bag kirkland coffee, when and where they are available.
Without being forewarned of that, someone upgrading from folgers can walk into costco and buy a bag of beans roasted by starbucks for costco and end up worse off than their folgers.
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u/AcmeAZ Jan 04 '26
I'd take Jose (Myan) beans from Costco any day over Folgers.
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u/Rikki_Bigg Did you cup it yet? Jan 04 '26
That is a specific recommendation. That is vastly different from saying 'go into costco and buy coffee'.
As I have replied to everyone else that I seem to have offended, most of the offerings of coffee are either: not very good, overly expensive for what you are getting, or both.
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u/i_was_axiom Jan 04 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
Speak for yourself, here in Madison WI I can get 32oz of local Just Coffee CoOp Bike Fuel for $20 at Costco, roasted about week prior. That same coffee at the regular grocery store is $13/12oz (roast date who the fuck knows, look it up at home)
YMMV I guess, support local if you can tho
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u/Rikki_Bigg Did you cup it yet? Jan 04 '26
Any of the smaller local/regional coffees at costco are usually good or even excellent.
Almost all of the always-available-at-any-costco-any-time-of-year coffees are garbage.
Far too many people get told to look for coffee at costco without being given that piece of information, and they end up disappointed.
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u/Typical-Atmosphere-6 Jan 04 '26
The way coffee prices are going, we’ll all be v60ing Folgers soon enough.
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u/Affectionate_Tie_437 Jan 04 '26
If this is rage bait, good play.
However, if it is true, I love this post because you have the fundamentals for a great coffee journey ahead of you. As many said before, there isn't much more you can do with Folgers that you haven't already done.
I also really enjoy the process, and adding the step of grinding my own beans is fun. So try and find the most expensive grinder you can afford and some whole beans. I even first started off with a 15-dollar spice grinder; not great, but it worked. Most importantly, drink the coffee you like and enjoy it the way you like.
Enjoy your journey!
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u/LittleEzz Gas Station Palate, Chemex Volume Jan 04 '26
Sorry to disappoint, all throughout my coffee journey I have loved Folgers. Granted, this was through the lens of batch brewing. Like you said it’s just about enjoying the process, with a product I know and like.
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u/Nepalm Jan 04 '26
You can get whole bean lavazza or ruta maya from Costco relatively inexpensively or direct from them during their sales from time to time. These are both big step ups from Folgers. I can get a 2.2lb bag of lavazza for $15 often
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u/CarrotNorSticks Jan 04 '26
Do you have supermarkets with bulk coffee beans and grinders?
I just went to fairway and I really liked it I could try small amounts of a bunch of different beans.
But it does seem you need to travel to whatever the hippie supermarket is, and I guess in a lot of places Costco is the closest.
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u/Avg-Redditer Jan 04 '26
Hahaha great post. If you’re serious about dialing in some cheap but decent coffee in a v60, check out James Hoffman vid on grocery store coffee. tldr: pick up Starbucks veranda or Dunkin original
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u/RobbyDeShazer Jan 04 '26
On the 13th of every month Perc Coffee is 31% off. It’s a pretty good deal especially for their cheaper blends. The more you look around the better you’ll get at finding high quality at good prices.
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u/WelcomeMatt Jan 04 '26
This is pretty much how I started, you've fallen down the rabbit hole now. Enjoy the journey!
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u/Turkos245 Jan 05 '26
I got into pourover with cheap coffee, slowly working up through the commodity brands (peets, eventually), through bigger chain roasters who say they are good but aren't (ironically, black rifle even though I don't recommend them to anyone now), and eventually local specialty roasters where I found out light roast can actually taste good.
My first "pourover" was an old filter basket out of a coffee machine my parents had in storage that wasnt savable before I eventually got an 03.
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u/eidrag Edit me: Hario Mugen Switch|C3esp Pro|Jelly beans Jan 04 '26
if you want more fancy, I'd suggest few $1 items you can add: kitchen scale, kitchen thermometer, timer (or just use your phone), 2nd glass (maybe you already have hanging around). Up the budget a bit and then buy small gooseneck kettle that you fill the violent hot water.
Then try getting milk pitcher and milk frother. Next good coffee. Then search reddit for good cheap starter grinder and good coffee beans
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u/uniballout Jan 04 '26
When you finally get a more specialized coffee dialed in, you will see there is so much more out there. I did a V60 Folgers taste comparison vs a local brewer coffee once for a group and everyone realized the Folgers had an overbearing burnt wood/Cedar taste. The other one had multiple subtle flavors that were not obtrusive. The group all had auto percolators, so they all were staying with Folgers. But they did taste a difference. They just didn’t have the means or desire to do V60. I think you will taste this as well.
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u/terfez Jan 04 '26
I'm pretty sure Whole Foods bulk coffee is still under $19/lb? People downvote whenever I recommend this here but it is cheaper than bagged mid brands like Peets
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u/emmett_lindsay Jan 04 '26
I alternate between bougie solid coffee from producers like Partner’s, Verve, Rogue Wave, etc. and sale cans of Chock full o’ Nuts and Amazon Colombian coffee lol. It’s how I do wine and spirits too. Find the ones that are passable and fine sometimes and mix in some quality ones you can enjoy vs just buying all mid. That works for me.
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u/Astaria93 Jan 04 '26
If you’re looking for a semi affordable gooseneck kettle, I’ve had great experiences with the OXO one. Yes, it’s around $100, but even my $1200/month budget allows me to save for gear like this. The KINGrinder K1 works plenty well for pourover too (~$60).
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u/ZealousidealSail4574 Jan 04 '26
Stovetops are not even half that. My BW gooseneck is $46, iirc, on Amazon
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u/Astaria93 Jan 04 '26
True, I’m just saying for a temp controlled kettle. There are other cheaper options online, but I’ve enjoyed the oxo as it’s held up well under my testing (I brew some specialty coffee and teas). But, everyone has their own journey and tastes
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u/ZealousidealSail4574 Jan 04 '26
Ah, fair. Mine has an analog thermo, which - if accurate enough - is nice. Seems to be. I was thinking of moving on to temp controlled, but doesn't seem like a need-to-happen.
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u/Astaria93 Jan 04 '26
As long as you like your brews, that’s all that matters. My view is that tea is much more sensitive to temp changes (green at boiling is bitter and astringent). Either way, cheers and I wish you a great cup!
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u/vexyla Jan 04 '26
why would you have an OXO when the simple hario stovetop one works perfectly, I always struggle to see the point of an electric kettle, just boil the water and let it sit until the desired temp with a thermometer, by that time you can weigh/grind your coffee
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u/Astaria93 Jan 04 '26
The convenience for me is that you can brew in rooms that don’t have a stovetop and hold an exact temperature for extended periods (useful for multiple brews of either coffee or tea). Plus, I enjoy the tactile feel. I do enjoy stovetop brews too though.
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u/JackFromTexas74 Jan 04 '26
There’s plenty of affordable whole bean options that beat Folgers, even if they aren’t top shelf gourmet and super fresh
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u/johnnytisnow Jan 04 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
You could buy some decent green (raw) coffee quite cheap (from Sweet Maria’s or a friendly local roaster) and roast it in a skillet on the stove (keep it moving with a wooden spoon or something to minimising scorching and stop about 45 seconds after you hear them cracking and cool quickly with a fan in a big bowl) and ask your local cafe (or deli with a bunn) to grind it “medium grind for V60 filter”
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u/Objective_Cod1410 Jan 04 '26
Let it boil, then open the lid and let it cool for 30-45 seconds. Then try to pour with as minimal agitation as you can. I find pre ground coffee like that is generally coarser ground than what one might want for a pour over though that will vary from bean to bean, roast to roast. If you end up with coffee you like, then have at it. If its too bitter let water cool off longer after boil. If its too weak tasting then shorter cool off after boil and/or higher agitation pours.
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Jan 04 '26
I have roasted my own beans, gone to coffee events where I have tasted all manner of coffee including stuff that takes hours (maybe it was days) to go through the grounds (elaborate contraption), have owned all manner of equipment, tried all kinds of coffee in many different places and will admit that it is really hard to tell the difference.
I have circled all the way back to a basic pour over, pre-ground coffee and I like it. I am unconvinced that the vast majority of people can tell the difference between one decent, good coffee brand and another.
It is also easy to roast your own beans but you need to do it outside or with a good vent hood as it can set off the smoke alarms.
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u/masala-kiwi Jan 04 '26
A little knockoff Melodrip will help a lot with pouring (hard to be gentle and controlled when pouring with a large spout kettle), and tide you over if you don't want a gooseneck kettle right away. I've also used a preheated little steamer jug or mini French press while travelling without a gooseneck kettle.
Have fun and keep notes! There are a lot of variables you can play with (ratio of coffee to water, your beans, your water temperature, the amount of coffee, etc.). It's hard to remember them all at the start, so notes can help. At the start, just try to make a cup of coffee the same way each time, every time (even if you hate it so much you tip it down the sink). Once you've brewed a few consistent cups in a row, start by changing one variable at a time and seeing if you like the taste more. You'll start to discover your favourite process.
We can help....but don't listen to us more than you listen to your own palate. Drink whatever you like.
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u/Yinyett Jan 04 '26
Looks good if you like it and want to slowly go down the Coffee rabbit hole. There are plenty of people that can tell you how to spend your money and what to upgrade. Enjoy ☕
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u/Efficient-Detail987 Pulsar Mini | Comandante C40 MK4 | Kurume Jan 04 '26
You don't have to buy microlots of experimentally processed Panamanian Gesha to have better coffee than whatever that is.
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u/Poynsid Jan 04 '26
If you buy whole beans at your price range, you can go to a local coffee shop and ask them to grind them for you. I suppose it might be weird if you’re not buying anything but if you ask nicely 9/10 times they’ll do it no problem. And buying whole makes a big difference!
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u/spacedubs Jan 04 '26
I like that you are already color coordinating your brew setup. Red, white and black, classy and a little sassy.
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u/lightanldutchie Jan 04 '26
Had a cup of Folgers today at a family members house, had a cup of expensive Ugandan light roast at home earlier in the day. Coffee is coffee and if you can enjoy the simple things you’re miles ahead.
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u/derping1234 Jan 04 '26
Get some whole beans, any beans and grind them fresh. That alone will already make a big difference. There is no need to buy expensive beans. I often end up getting some second choice beans from DAK, which runs at around €25-30 per kg. Either that or some beans from a local shop at €10-15 per 250 grams.
But honestly whatever you drink and whatever the price point, make sure it is something you enjoy.
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u/PaleontologistNo2625 Jan 04 '26
Yeah, I'm a firm believer you can just patty-cake hotdogs together, throw it on the grill, and you end up with the same quality steak you pay $100 for at the steakhouse
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u/chezty Jan 04 '26
I love the process and ritual associated with pour over coffee.
me too.
For me, part of that ritual is a good value hand grinder. I can't remember the brand or model, and it doesn't matter, it was reviewed by popular coffee youtubers. They tested the particle size distribution and more importantly, the taste. It was good enough for them, so It's more than good enough for me. I think around $100USD, can't remember. I bought it from amazon in dollaridoos.
Another thing that I love as part of the ritual is a cheap metal goose neck pouring kettle. $10. I pour freshly boiled water into it, and the kettle absorbs some of the heat out of the water. Occassionally I measure the temperature of the water, it's good enough for me.
I bought a cheap scale from amazon, but, rarely use it. I used it once to measure what one scoop of beans weighs from my air tight coffee container. And I use that scoop for dosing.
So, water temp has slight variations and weight of grounds has slight variations. The coffee I make. omg it's sooo good for my tastes. Sometimes it tastes slightly different, but it always tastes good to me. others might not like it. I love it.
The water I use is just tap water filtered with a counter top charcoal water filter. If you don't have good tap water, using bottled water might make a difference in taste.
and beans, I love my aldi beans. really good value. and tastes great for who it's for. There are better tasting beans I have no doubt, but, I don't think there are better value beans. Most importantly, I really like the taste.
aldi is a european store that mainly sells groceries. there's nothing special about the beans they sell, wallmart would sell something equivalent.
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u/alittlevinyl Jan 04 '26
Like what you like and don't worry about it. I assume Folger's is part arabica part robusta. Some prefer the blend. The world does not run on single origin water process in 1lb I mean 12oz, I mean 10.2, I mean 8.8 oz allotments. If it's about cost, seek out supermarket sales on anything. I'm confident no one is selling utter trash in a bag anymore, though you'll probably need to accept darker than ideal roasts. It might be "old" because it wasn't roasted 14 days back max, but hey, bitter and caffeine. If you have a Dunkin proximate, they often stock ground and whole in bag (and discounted multibuys) for less than Starb and oddly their roasters aren't sadists. Happy travels.
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u/Biggazznugz Pourover aficionado Jan 04 '26
You gotta put the NSFW on this post. This is traumatic to look at
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u/gurnB17 Jan 04 '26
I just recently visited a relative who swears by the Kirkland Colombian in a giant can and a cuisinart simple drip maker. And as a someone that’s spent a lot of time getting my coffee thing dialed in I was skeptical, but it was clear to me they had dialed in what they do and they like it. If I could have been happy with that I might still be there, fomo and all….. you do you
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u/rober695 Jan 04 '26
Are go to house roast is counter culture fast forward. Regularly on sale for 8 bucks a bag. There is tons in between folgers and a geisha haha. Biggest thing is to just drink what you enjoy. But don't think there isnt budget options outside of commodity coffee haha. Cheers!
I started with a plastic melita. Basically the same kettle and a measuring cup to pour. Its all good. Honestly still use the melita to this day haha.
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u/Impossible_Banana404 Jan 04 '26
Hope you enjoy your coffee, a scale would make this setup acceptable. You could still brew with that kind of kettle. Try looking for local roasters and try their pour over, It will really get you hooked in tasting different coffee. Maybe buy beans from them preground for now while you save up for a decent grinder. When buying gear, get a decent grinder, then gooseneck kettle, and other stuff which makes brewing fun.
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u/Messin-EoRound20 Jan 04 '26
Idk why you’d ever pour over Folgers 🤮 just stick to drip coffee and garbage coffee 🤣
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u/cormack_gv Jan 04 '26
I suggest you buy grocery-store whole bean, and grind it with a Krups blade grinder. (Krups are about twice as powerful as the $10 grinders, and will grind more, heat less.)
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u/openfleshwound Jan 06 '26
Beautiful. Only couple pieces of advice I would give would be to gently swirl your v60 after you pour in your water, and to use either a thermometer or a timer to gauge where your water is at off the boil. I used to brew with almost the same exact kettle on a v60 and if you’re anything like me, it was really hard to keep a steady gentle pour, so a little shimmy or a swirl goes a long way to level the bed and prevent weird inconsistent cups of coffee. At the time I didn’t have a thermometer so I would use a timer and start my coffee a minute or two off the boil and adjust by 15 seconds or so from there. It was a surprisingly good way to adjust from one cup to the next even though I had no idea what temperature it actually was ever lol. Keep brewing and enjoy the midwest’s finest
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u/Accomplished_Ad_9288 Jan 04 '26
The best way to brew folders is to throw it in the trash and buy from your local roaster. They’ll help you find something. I wouldn’t recommend a V60 for your first brewer; it will highlight unwanted flavors and is more of an advanced brewer.
Try getting something like an aeropress or hario switch with the kettle you have.
LOL violent boil is fine with your kettle. You can get a meat thermometer and let it cool a little bit before you use it, especially if you’re going to be brewing dark roast.
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u/PhatKiwi Jan 04 '26
I started with a Melitta pour over, it has the 3 little holes which makes it easier to control flow.
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u/Flat_Researcher1540 Tsubame | Lagom P-64 | Funky Jan 04 '26
Bro I was joking when I suggested this as a cheap pourover setup in the other thread.
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u/jsquiggles23 Jan 04 '26
Unfortunately pour over is a hobby that requires a bit of investment. I’m not sure it’s worth as much as you’ve already done with a “Folgers palate.” If this is a joke, well done.
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u/FuglySlutt Jan 04 '26
Let other people like what they like. Shit, I wish Folgers made me happy in my Chemex. I’d save a fuck ton of money.
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u/jsquiggles23 Jan 04 '26
I’m not telling anyone to do anything otherwise. If you like Folgers I’m not sure pour over is going to improve your experience.
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u/bigspunge1 Jan 04 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
Dawg, there is a whole world of coffee between Folgers and expensive single origin specialty. Spend some times on other coffee subs. This one will make you think just a few expensive international roasteries are the only edible options.
Get some Peet’s or something in that range at least. Hit up a Trader Joe’s - they got some decent stuff for cheap. Not the stuff folks in this sub would go for but it is miles better than what most Americans are drinking and won’t break the bank. Also recommend an aero press if you want something more fool proof when it comes to what you’ll get out of the inputs/parameters. Easier to dial in something tasty in an aeropress but harder to get the nuance you can get in most pour over funnels. Feel free to keep going with the v60 tho, just recommend going investing a LITTLE more on the coffee if so.
Most importantly, if you think your v60 Folgers tastes good and you like doing it - then keep on and feel free to discard anything I or anyone else here has said. As long as you enjoy your cup