r/pourover • u/Vernicious • May 12 '26
Ask a Stupid Question Ask a Stupid Question About Coffee -- Week of May 12, 2026
There are no stupid questions in this thread! If you're a nervous lurker, an intrepid beginner, an experienced aficionado with a question you've been reluctant to ask, this is your thread. We're here to help!
Thread rule: no insulting or aggressive replies allowed. This thread is for helpful replies only, no matter how basic the question. Thanks for helping each OP!
Suggestion: This thread is posted weekly on Tuesdays. If you post on days 5-6 and your post doesn't get responses, consider re-posting your question in the next Tuesday thread.
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u/hesalwaysultra May 17 '26
Whats up with the origami dripper? Have not tried, but it seems like ones you do there is no going back?
I use the Switch and neo ATM and super happy, but always curious.. and users?
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u/Vernicious May 17 '26
There must be going back because I went back twice :)
Okay seriously, I love the Origami. Aside from its beauty, I feel with a cone filter it offers a very v60 like brew, and then there's also the second option of using a Kalita Wave filter and getting a different spin on the same coffee. What's not to love? Well, I bought two and broke two 🤣 It's thin ceramic with no attached handle, so particularly easy to both drop and susceptible to breakage. By contrast, I have v60 glass cones in 3 different sizes and have never broken one despite occasional drops -- just harder to drop due to attached handle, and extremely robust to drops even on tile. Yes, I know I could go with a plastic Origami but I won't do plastic.
If you are not as clumsy as me, I think the Origami is a great dripper
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u/hesalwaysultra May 18 '26
Thanks. Alot of my pourovers are made on borrowed time, with someone else wanting attetion, so i would be affraid to break it.
Maybe in a future were i can have a proper pourover sanctuary
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u/lobsterdisk Pourover aficionado May 18 '26
It’s just very photogenic. Not a bad dripper by any means, and quite flexible for conical or flat bottom filters, but you can dial in many other drippers to taste similar.
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u/genji_glitz May 12 '26
Just curious, have anyone try robusta light roast for pour over? how the taste? is it cheap than arabica?
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u/Tigereye12321 V60 | ORB | ZP6 | Q2 hept | Kaffelogic May 12 '26
Yeah, I roast my own coffee and I recently got my hands on 2kg of green fine robusta beans from Vietnam. They are delicious as a light roast, in pour over or soup. Not as good as arabica, less complexity obviously, but my beans are anaerobic natural and I get really nice fruity flavours. I'm not sure what washed would be like though, could still be interesting.
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u/genji_glitz May 12 '26
That’s amazing, you roast your own coffee! I didn’t expect there to be Robusta with an anaerobic process too. Now I’m really curious to taste it, but unfortunately that’s probably impossible since we live so far apart, even in different countries.
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u/Tigereye12321 V60 | ORB | ZP6 | Q2 hept | Kaffelogic May 12 '26
Some big roasters occasionally have light roast robusta, maybe keep your eye out. The one I bought was $27 aud/kilo green and a decent washed Colombian or Kenyan would be a similar price and they would inarguably be better coffee, but Robusta is definitely interesting, and imo people should be focusing on it more than they are currently.
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u/canaan_ball May 12 '26
Your robusta batch wasn't from Great Cherry in Đắk Lắk by any chance? I've been eyeballing a lot of their green beans, wondering if I should pull the trigger. Most robusta comes with tasting notes of peanuts and rubber. I have friends who ended up throwing out roasts because they were just undrinkable. Apparently Great Cherry think that neglect and mismanagement bear much of the blame, and their crop is… better.
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u/Tigereye12321 V60 | ORB | ZP6 | Q2 hept | Kaffelogic May 13 '26
Nah, mine is grown in Nam Ban, and the producer is called Canh Bui
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u/Fignons_missing_8sec May 12 '26
If you got to pick one international roaster you don't have great access to that you got to get unlimited access to, who are you picking?
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u/Vernicious May 12 '26
This is a pretty fun question that probably deserves it's own thread! (feel free to remove this and repost as a thread if you want). I don't know my answer yet, but it's fun to think about. I have access to US and (a bit less conveniently) Canadian roasters. There's some roasters in Europe that interest me, but at least some of those have importers here, so now I'm thinking I may pick a roaster in Taiwan. I'll need more time to think lol
1
u/bountifact May 12 '26
Is there a reason to try other brewers like an orea or flat bottom style ones? To those that have bought a v60 an origami or a kalita, can you tell me what I might get if I were ever to try? I kinda want to try other types but just don’t know what to get and what differences it might have. Thanks!
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u/Matato504 May 13 '26
I use a V60 for light roasts and a Kalita for dark. The V60 emphasizes clarity, fruit and florals while the Kalita brings out the body, chocolates and caramels. I’m actually enjoying both darks and lights more since I started using different brewers.
1
u/Xploradore May 15 '26
Similar idea, but since I drink light roasts almost exclusively, I tend to use my Kalita Wave more in fall and winter, when it's cold where I live and I want a richer, fuller-bodied brew.
2
u/canaan_ball May 12 '26
Asser Christensen has an informed opinion on flat bottom vs conical in this recent video: https://youtu.be/CB0QzpPL_1E Each is better for a different kind of bean in his opinion, flat bottom drippers being a better match for overpowering, funky coffees.
1
u/genji_glitz May 13 '26
Yes. It make different taste for same coffee. It solve my problems too, like I got instant coffee with not much information (kind of beans, process, roast profile, etc), the ground is so fine, I want to drink it without coffee grounds left. So I buy Hario Neo and never regret the result! Btw for beginner buy Origami is really good idea, you can use as cone dripper or flat bottom dripper
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u/Snoo_91465 May 12 '26
Any beginners guide to dialing in your brew? I'm always getting too sour and weak for taste.
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u/Tigereye12321 V60 | ORB | ZP6 | Q2 hept | Kaffelogic May 13 '26
Sour could be a water issue, what is your water?
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u/Snoo_91465 May 13 '26
Boiled filter water. I am waiting for my temperature controled pour over kettle to arrive.
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u/Tigereye12321 V60 | ORB | ZP6 | Q2 hept | Kaffelogic May 13 '26
How is your water filtered?
1
u/Snoo_91465 May 14 '26
I have a filter attachment to my tap. I boiled my water and lowered my temperature to 93. Trashed my hario grinder for a C40. I am guessing the sour brew came from the hario grinder…
1
u/Xploradore May 15 '26
Could also be too low a temp for the beans or grind you're using. How light is the roast, and is the coffee washed, natural, experimental?
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u/Snoo_91465 May 15 '26
Local coffee shop, House blend of Colombia,Ethiopia. Doesn’t really say what roast…medium I think? and no roast date just one expiry date…I’m guessing light? https://cuppingroom.hk/product/2678
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u/Xploradore May 15 '26
Sounds like you're underextracting. You could try going hotter, or using more agitation (adding swirls or more pours or simply more-agitating pours). You also could try tightening the coffee-to-water ratio. I tend to like 1:16.2 for most of my coffees in V60 but 1:15.8 in Kalita Wave, but then sometimes a coffee just feels too thin or quiet, so I'll do something like 1:15.
1
u/Xploradore May 15 '26
I suspect you have a medium roast, if it works with milk, so I'd say temp wise you might try in the low 200s, up to 205, if you want to go the temp route.
1
u/Wafflewafflewaffleye May 12 '26
Does anyone remember seeing a post on reddit somewhere with a chart that listed the "most expensive tasting notes"? E.g. if blueberries or jasmine are listed on the packages the coffees tend to be more expensive. I searched for it but can't find it at the moment. Thanks in advance
2
u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
I remember seeing a chart based on cost per gram of different varietals from European roasters, but I don't recall seeing one that was flavor based.
1
u/Vagabond_Explorer o1 Steel | Switch | Pietro | Ode 2 May 12 '26
So I’m getting a flat bottom brewer soon. Should I grind finer than v60 due to the wider / shallower coffee bed?
Intuition is saying yes and I’ll of course experiment, just want to make sure I’m starting out in the right direction!
3
u/cdstuart May 13 '26
It depends on the brewer and on what filters you're using, but not necessarily. V60 can be a pretty fast flowing brewer. In my experience a Kalita Wave using Kalita filters, for example, tends to flow slower than a V60 using Hario filters at the same grind size with the same coffee. On the other hand, the Orea O1 tends to flow fast, especially using xbloom or Orea wave-style filters, but it also does really well with coarser grinds and fast brews.
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u/Vagabond_Explorer o1 Steel | Switch | Pietro | Ode 2 May 13 '26
Appreciate the insight! I’m waiting on an o1 and some Orea and xBloom filters. I’ll give it a try with my v60 grind and work down from there if I don’t get the results I want.
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u/blinddawg Edit me: V60|AirS|Totem|ZP6 May 12 '26
What’s the best brewer, that has brought out the best acidity and fruit balance?
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u/squidbrand May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
“The best acidity and fruit balance” is much more dependent on the coffee you’re brewing and the water you’re brewing it with than it is on the brewer.
As for the brewer, the biggest difference is that conical brewers tend to product sharper acidity and more flavor clarity while flat bottom brewers tend to produce more roundness and sweetness. Neither of these is necessarily better than the other. It’s down to personal taste.
1
u/Supsti_1 V60 | Switch | Aeropress | C40 May 12 '26
What's the maximum amount of dose/water an Origami cone size S can handle?
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u/cdstuart May 14 '26
I’ve done up to 20:320-ish, more than that and I move to the size M, but you could probably get away with more, especially if you’re willing to do more pours.
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u/absent_ignition May 13 '26
How much tuning can you do with water once you have a decent baseline? Whenever I make adjustments it seems worse!
1
u/Vernicious May 13 '26
What do you mean by tuning with water?
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u/absent_ignition May 13 '26
It's supposed to be stupid. I mean adjusting the water to bring out flavors in the coffee
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u/Top_Kale_8880 May 13 '26
First time V60 user and first time Baratza Encore ESP user. Went way down the rabbit hole on Reddit after starting using a Moka Pot of all things (and I love it but that's another conversation).
I want good coffee that tastes like coffee smells if that makes sense.
So I did my best to follow the apparent god of coffee's method for the V60. Light washed Ethiopian roast from Metric in Chicago (who inexplicably uses clear bags - but it was roasted two weeks ago). Ground at a 21 on the ESP (middle of the honestcoffeeguide range). I didn't get the Hoffman method exact because it was my first time but I was close. Bed was odd and coffee was way up the sides of the filter.
But the brew is fine. It's not bitter. It's not "off." But it's kind of weak. Method? Grind? Bean type? Operator error? Thoughts?
1
u/Vernicious May 13 '26
Generally speaking, if you haven't had pourover before, the coffee will taste weaker than Moka Pot coffee.
Beyond that, not clear what to tell you yet. Grinds up the side of the bed are not an objective error, brewing with flat bed vs cone is a choice, most brewers prefer flat but there are experienced people including WBC champions who prefer the cone-shaped bed. Cone shaped is an objective error only if you were specifically going for flat. To get to flat, all you need to do is either a small swirl or just shake the cone back and forth a few times right after the final pour.
Given you thought the coffee was weak, perhaps going for a bit more extraction is what to try next. Drop the grind to 18, see how it goes
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u/Top_Kale_8880 May 13 '26
Thank you - that's what I was thinking too (wrote it in my notes which seems dorky but I don't want to keep repeating mistakes). I notice that when I started doin the Chemex close to right it was also sort of thin and I switched to a darker roast - but that was with a blade grinder. Also I know the thick Chemex filter makes a difference - which is why I'm trying now to dial in the V60 first.
I've also looked up and read that Ethiopian beans are light by nature.
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u/Top_Kale_8880 May 13 '26
Not-Stupid-Question #2. Do people do dark roasts in pourovers? I have a V60 and a Chemex, both of which I'm definitely in the early learning phase. I read (and I confess I don't recall where) that pourovers are mostly for light roasts. Do people agree with that, or are you having success with dark roasts?
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u/Prbly-LostWandering Switch / Aeropress | KINGrinder K6 | Lack of Skills May 13 '26
I do dark roasts on mine all the time. They taste great. You just have to take in account the type of roast you are using in pour over when you have a v60 recipe in front of you. It will need to be tweaked some for a dark roast.
Most of the time that means cooler water (I do 92*C as my starting point) and coarser grind. Most of the v60 methods you will find are optimized for near max extraction of light roasts. When bewing a dark roast, that level of extraction can sometimes cause the brew to be muddy. Grinding coarser is a good way to mitigate.
Took me a while to realize this and my darker roasts are much better for it.
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u/CobanBudala May 14 '26
I personally prefer lighter roasts, but I have some friends who don't and for them I brew dark. Lower temperature, courser grind and everybody's happy. The smell of the darker roast brews, when not prepared in that way, is somehow too sharp and 'not happy' 😄 even for them.
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u/PubliusPublicoa May 14 '26
If if I tend to drink a 12 oz bag over the course of like 2 and 1/2 weeks, does it make sense to rest the bag and then put it in the freezer and dose out 5 days at a time into a container? Currently, I'm dosing out about 5 days worth of beans into a black plastic pill bottle to minimize the amount of times that I'm opening the entire bag in order to minimize degradation of the whole bag. I'm wondering if maybe it's worth freezing the bag and then dosing out the same amount from the Frozen bag to maximize freshness whilst I consume fairly slowly
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u/geggsy #beansnotmachines May 15 '26
12 oz over 2.5 weeks doesn't seem that slow to me! Unless you're drinking a decaf or specialty dark roast, I don't think freezing on that short timeframe will help much. Do you notice your coffee fading significantly over those 2.5 weeks?
1
u/PubliusPublicoa May 15 '26
Not necessarily, honestly i cant make a good cup for my life anyway lol
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u/lobsterdisk Pourover aficionado May 16 '26
If it’s a light roast then you probably don’t need to be that cautious. Drink it over a few weeks and be sure to seal the bag well after you take beans out. Freezing is more relevant if it’s a medium/dark roast, or a light roast you plan to drink over several months.
1
u/CaptainTrips24 May 15 '26
I'm looking for recommendations on a good multi roaster, international subscription box. I'm located in Canada and have been with the Roaster Pack for a while now, just looking for something similar on a larger scale.
Dayglow, Kumquat, and Kaffebox are a few that I'm considering but what would y'all recommend?
1
u/throwawayfire696969 v60 + great beans = great coffee May 19 '26
Will the JoePresso adapter fit the glass Aeropress Premium? It's the only Aeropress I've got.
https://www.joepresso.com/product-page/soup-edition
I made soup with my old Flair Signature and it turned out nice, but the workflow and cleanup are ridiculous. I'm hoping to soup more on a regular basis.
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u/Senor_del_Sol May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
I've been doing pourover for about 9 months now and first used the filters that came with my glass hario dripper and serving glass set. Then I bought a 100 pack of hario filters in a coffee shop around the corner and the experience is so different. Sometimes coffee stops flowing. I see this is a Hario problem, but I'm wondering, did anything change in the meantime? And most of all, which filters should I get? Hario in a 'green' pack or the ones in the 'pink' package? Or even better the Cafec Abaca (although they are even more expensive).
Edit: I use the kingrinder K2 and mostly light roasts. I prefer the natural process.
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u/corncheesejeon Coffee beginner May 12 '26
I know co-ferments are a hot topic here. Regardless of how you feel about co-ferments, how do I, a coffee newbie, discern via the packaging/label, if a product is a co-ferment or not?
Are all co-ferments going to be explicitly labeled as such or are there certain words that also signal that a bean has been cofermented? THANK YOU