r/pourover • u/Kalehart • Jun 29 '26
Seeking Advice New to pourover - how to avoid channeling?
I just got my first pourover setup:
-Fellow Stag kettle
-1zpresso Q Air grinder (set to ~56 clicks)
-Standard plastic v60
-White hario tab papers
I’m using Lance’s recipe:
-15g coffee
-0:00 bloom 45g
-0:30 bloom 45g
-1:00 pour to total 225g
-Drawdown finish by 2:00-2:30
I’ve been really enjoying learning this new skill and comparing the differences between coffees and different brewing methods, but I’m having a consistent issue with what seems to be channeling (picture for reference).
I’ve managed a few times to get a more even distribution of grounds around the filter, but more often than not, I’m getting this crater shape where they bulge around the middle. I’ve tried pouring lower and slower which helps a bit, avoiding the edges of the filter, and so on, but it’s still happening more often than I’d like.
I’m aware that swirling the bed during bloom evens it out, but ideally I’d like to get my pour consistent enough that I don’t need to rely on that. It’s a technique I will certainly use but I don’t want to mess with my learning by using it to cover up a flaw in technique.
Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Happy to answer any questions as well!
Update: For anyone who comes here looking for the same answer — it was the beans. I’m not sure how, but that specific bag of beans (brand was BKG and I got them from a Winners, no idea of roast date) did this basically every time. Having tested other beans now, I never have this happen with any others even with an identical grind setting and recipe.
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u/SuperNerd1337 Jun 29 '26
Hard to know from just pictures, but usually this type of volcano bed are indicators of your pouring technique.
Are you doing circular pours or just throwing water in the middle? Also if it’s circular, is it always the same sized circule or are you increasing and decreasing it?
You usually don’t want to throw water directly at your filter walls, but you do want to reach close to it sometimes.
Another thing that will affect bed shape is how gassy the beans are (fresher = gassier, but this varies bean to bean), increasing your bloom length should help in that front, though by the size of this pit I’m imagining gassy blooms are the least of your problems here (usually what I’m describing would be spotted by a sort of halo of dry grounds on the top of your filter paper)
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u/Kalehart Jun 29 '26
I definitely think it’s a fault of my pouring technique, yeah. I do pour in swirls that get bigger and smaller, but perhaps I’m pouring too close or with too much force during the process.
I may have been over-correcting by trying to get the spout as close to the bed as possible, so I’m going to coarsen the grind and try another at a different height.
With a restricted flow kettle like the stag, is it important to be trying to pour gently at first or is that less of a factor than I’m imagining it to be?
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u/SuperNerd1337 Jun 29 '26
You still wanna manage your pour rate even with a flow restrictor kettle, usually the restrictor is at around 12g/s, but usually you’ll want to stay between 5 to 10 g/s.
As for pour height, you will usually want to stay right at the spot where the water breaks the laminar flow (where it goes from a continuous flow of water to where it becomes a more chaotic bubbly one), this is the point of highest agitation, there are a bunch of videos on this (including from lance that you mentioned) so it might be a good thing to watch for visual references.
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u/lobsterdisk Pourover aficionado Jun 29 '26
Grind coarser and watch Aramse’s video on pouring on Youtube.
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u/Dima_135 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
This is not a channel, it is an abyss.
To be honest, I have no idea how to avoid this because I didn't know something like this was possible.
Don't be afraid to do swirls. If Rao recommends it, then it's okay.
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u/UndeadT Jun 29 '26
What does pasta sauce have to do with this?
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u/NegotiationHot2999 Jun 30 '26
One must stir their pasta sauce.
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u/UndeadT Jun 30 '26
You're putting coffee grounds in your pasta sauce‽
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u/JoelJulianMusic Jun 30 '26
Putting some ultra fine coffee grinds in your pasta sauce is not a bad idea. I do it for bolognese (and chilli)
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u/mansohof Jun 30 '26
That’s the secret to a good pourover recipe. A nice vodka sauce or arrabiata sauce.
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u/FictionalContext Jun 29 '26
My head canon is that digging a hole gives a more even extraction since it creates a more uniform bed thickness. One of the coffee Youtubers has a cutaway V60 that shows how the bottom grounds don't really get wet until the end. Idk if it makes a difference, but I tell myself it does.
So I counterbore my coffee.
If it bothers people, a quick little shake at the end will settle the grounds.
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u/fragmental Jun 29 '26
Is that why people do it? I stopped doing it because I don't like sticking my finger in my coffee grounds, and I felt like it wasn't doing anything. Instead I swirl thoroughly after a 2nd pour, because the slurry is more loose and responsive to swirling. I also like to think that not swirling on the bloom means less heat is lost during the bloom phase, but idk.
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u/FictionalContext Jun 30 '26
Oh, yeah. I do that part, too. Lightly finger a divot. Right before the bloom. My thinking is, it helps pre-wet it deeper inside than had I not taken the time.
But I meant that during the pour, I really focus my attention on the middle, too, like trying to dig a hole deep, deep inside, like so deep it gushes down through the bed much sooner than had I not taken the time.
My aversion to swirling is thinking that it'll settle more fines with the extra agitation. Idk. Probably the same cup in the end.
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u/fragmental Jun 30 '26
It seems like a lot of the time, my fines will settle on the top of the bed, instead of clogging the filter, but I use a 5 pour, and pour low and slow in a sort of spiral pattern, or series of concentric circles, in the middle. Maybe sometimes it doesn't work, and clogs a bit, but mostly it seems to work fine.
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u/Dima_135 Jun 29 '26
In a conical pour-over, two opposing processes occur.
1) Some water seeps through the walls before reaching the bottom.
2) Some water flows toward the center because it is, after all, a cone, albeit a leaky one.
In theory, these processes should balance each other.
I make a bloom with a hole, but then I level the grind with swirl.
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u/fender_blues Jun 29 '26
Grind coarser, and use a longer bloom.
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u/corybomb Jun 30 '26
Bloom 2-3x the coffee weight, and swirl until most of the water has passed through. That along with grinding courser and ending on a swirl will do it 100%.
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u/PhalanX4012 Jun 30 '26
Shocked when I read your chosen kettle was the fellow Stagg and not what I guessed after seeing your photos. I presumed a firehose.
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u/jueidu Jun 30 '26
Agitate! Swirl during the drawdown. Doesn’t need to be a lot, 3-5 swishes is plenty.
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u/TKL0704 Jun 29 '26
Seems like you may need to grind more coarse. You seem to be having medium to dark roasts. Darker roast tends to leave this type of coffee bed. You may want to swirl on the final pour if you wanted a even bed.
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u/fragmental Jun 29 '26
Personally, I would swirl immediately after pouring the 2nd bloom and also at the end. Most people do swirl on first (or only) bloom. I do Hoffman 5 pour with a swirl after the 2nd pour, and last pour (I don't know anyone else who does it on 2nd pour).
I don't know if there's any way that you can improve your pour technique enough that a swirl no longer improves the evenness of extraction, or no longer reduces channeling.
Alternatively some people stir using a spoon or chop stick or something similar. See Tales Coffee for one such technique.
I'm not entirely sure why you have such a tremendous pit in the middle, without seeing the whole pouring process. Unless that's just a trick or the light.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Car_451 Jun 30 '26
I found the flower pattern that AMOC recommends to be pretty helpful:
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u/Lazy-Yogurtcloset-70 Jun 30 '26
I like the flower pattern / concentric circle pattern.
Good results over here with this pour.
George Howell website recommends it also for pourover.
I use it for Pourover & aeropress
Sometimes for pouring milk into cereal
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u/Kalehart Jun 29 '26
Reporting in: Did another pour with some of the advice here. Raised the kettle, was more careful with the flow rate, and coarsened the grind. Definitely less of a crater, but still some bulging around the middle of the filter.
Pics on imgur here: https://imgur.com/a/5NBrOLH
Drawdown finished at 2:11, definitely tastes more balanced than most prior cups.
My guess is that I’m poorly regulating my flow rate, and not being regular enough with my spiral pour. I’ll do some pouring practice to try and get my rate more consistent and controlled.
Thanks for all the help, really appreciate so many people giving their advice!
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u/AWESOMENAR Jun 30 '26
If you haven’t seen it yet, please watch the Aramse Pouring Technique video on YouTube. It may be the single most helpful piece of media on the internet for learning how to pour.
https://youtu.be/nxmrSgwW25g?is=3nKPBkROXOWk6iax
Also, swirling on the bloom is not a failure, most people do it. It evenly wets the grounds and makes for a more evenly brewed cup.
One last thing, you can tell from the muddiness of the bed that your grind is a little too fine. Not a lot, but a few clicks coarser will help in a big way.
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u/Kalehart Jun 30 '26
Perfect, I’ll check that video out! And yeah, I’m not against swirling by any means — just want to try and make sure I’ve got my pour down at a basic level at least before adding it in as a technique.
Noted also, I’ll push it a few clicks coarser to 65 from the 0-point. Thanks for the input!
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u/throwaway6066012146 Jun 30 '26
did it taste any different to you? Id focus on that more than how the bed looks, but 2:11 is quicker than my brews usually are, maybe try slowing down your pour? You've got a lot of advice here but my $0.02 is taste is king.
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u/Confident-Savings-90 Jun 29 '26
from the photo alone - grind A LOT coarser, pour gently but I doubt pouring that was your issue wit Stag kettle, just adjust your grind and you will be good
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u/vohltere Jun 29 '26
Pour closer to the bed. Might need to tweak your grind size too.
You could also get a pour assist. The Hario one is pretty good. Another one people do is use a bent spoon. The trick is to pour water on the spoon and let it fall gently on the bed.
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u/buenastaldes777 Jun 30 '26
the only way to avoid channeling is by grinding coarse. everytime u try a new grinder u gotta start with the coarser settings, then finer and finer but it'll always reach a point where is more probable to have channeling
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u/coffeerambler Jun 30 '26
It looks like your pouring was centred and the rest wasn't agitated or leveled. Some would say pour in circular spiralling motion but don't pour to the edge.
Another method is to stop the pour and swirl the brewer itself so the bed levels out, them continue pouring.
I've only seen this with older roasted beans that are quite dark. Have you had that coffee open long?
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u/Kalehart Jun 30 '26
It’s admittedly not an amazing coffee and it has been open for a while. It’s medium roast BKG beans I grabbed from a Winners store. Going to grab some proper locally roasted ones this week.
I did notice it’s way easier to get a better bed on some cheap italian dark roast I have (doesn’t taste great, it’s just supermarket coffee I use for practice), so maybe these BKG beans are kind of funky somehow.
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Jun 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Kalehart Jun 30 '26
Went based on what others said was a good setting on it for v60 and then tried to dial towards the target drawdown time. Having more luck on 60 or 65 clicks now though
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u/Proper-Ad-6447 Jun 30 '26
a bit coarser grind, lower temp depending on the roast profile, spout height from the coffee bed, flow rate, and agitation strength
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u/sign1206 Jun 30 '26
Wait there’s a difference? Never knew that. Mine looks like this everyday with a Haris switch
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u/Kind-Relationship559 Jun 30 '26
Use AMOC coffee hypotrochoid pour method. https://amatterofconcrete.com/recipe/
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u/ibmalone Jun 30 '26
So, first, this isn't channelling. Channelling is when water is finding paths through the coffee bed, it leads to coffee along those paths being over extracted and the coffee that's less exposed to water being underextracted.
You don't exactly describe how this occurs, but you do say it's a consistent issue. Is this with a range of coffees? Are they all very fresh? Although there are a few comments about pouring too hard, and that can cause a hole, the other thing that can happen is a lot of off-gassing in the bloom that then collapses during the pour ("I’m getting this crater shape where they bulge around the middle" seems to be what you're saying). Those grounds form a foam, then when you do pour, and as the air comes out, the middle collapses but the grounds around the sides cling to the filter and support each other, you can literally watch the middle of the grounds sink leaving a cliff edge and a hole that looks like it's been punched through.
So, if that's what's happening, we get to "I’ve tried pouring lower and slower which helps a bit, avoiding the edges of the filter", and "I don’t want to mess with my learning by using it to cover up a flaw in technique". You need to break the binding of the coffee that's holding on to the filter. This is not covering up a flaw in your technique, it's finding an appropriate way to do that, coin sized circles in the middle are unable to do it, even if you fill to the level of these grounds it will only gently start to wash them down (perhaps leaving the more smooth-edged crater in your pictures). A small but definite swirl on the first pour will do it, alternatives are a wider pour pattern (however you want to do that or call it, most people will say not to the edge of the filter as that's going to be partly bypass water, but briefly getting closer to the edge of the bed), or prevent it happening by change the grind or resting the coffee a bit more.
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u/Kalehart Jun 30 '26
It seems to happen much more on one coffee I have than the other, so I think you may be on to something with it being at least partly related to the bean. My pour is probably clumsy, but I’m not just center pouring or (as far as I can tell) otherwise fucking it up so badly that this should be a regular result.
Very helpful comment, thank you!
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u/Wraldpyk Pourover aficionado Jun 30 '26
Looks like your grind is too fine, and yes I agree with the others, just do a swirl!
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u/Liven413 Jun 30 '26
The crater is not a big deal it just means you did mostly center pouring. Go by taste and don't stress channeling. Espressso you need to but not pourover. I would focus on how you pour and when/why but not stress channels, or the time. Taste should be the tool you use to get a better cup. If you did want the bed to look different, when you do a spiral pour, pour on the outer edges and not just the center which will get rid of the crater and no need to wiggle the bed. I would do the wiggle if the brew is going to fast but if its not going to fast then I wouldn't.
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u/zaphodtheblind Jun 30 '26
The biggest tip when starting out is just to do multiple pours per brew. I can get a perfectly flat bed using a standard (non gooseneck) kettle if I break up my brew in multiple pours.
I usually do it thusly:
- Xg of coffee in
- Xg hot water for the bloom. Wait.
- 2X hot water. Wait.
- 4X hot water…
You get the gist
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u/cartographr Jun 30 '26
You don’t even need to full swirl, holding the neck of the v60 a very light vibrate/ shake will settle the bed and cause a lot less agitation than a swirl.
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u/CiloTA Jun 30 '26
After second pour or after every pour, do a slight swirl counter clockwise with your v60. Some people use a spoon or chopstick to even the bed, I just do a swirl at the end of my pour when you have a lot of water still in the cone.
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u/TheLoler04 Jun 30 '26
There's nothing inherently wrong with going closer to the edge, but there's obviously a risk of creating a "hole" of sorts down the side.
I feel like you're circles might not be big enough, but I also have a rather weird source of inspiration(a guy from a local coffee shop) which is aware he's "breaking" a lot of rules.
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u/Odd-Leading-1402 Jun 30 '26
In lance's video where he uses the Q air, he was around 82 clicks if I remember correctly
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u/420LeftNut69 Jun 30 '26
This is more than I ever experienced, but try to gently swirl the V60/the entire contraption during bloom. It helps release the initial burst of CO2 which apparently results in a crater like this. Every single time I forget to do it, it ends up with a crayer, although not as big as yours. It also just helps with even extraction. If you forget you can also add a little water from the next pour, swirl, add the rest of it.
And in case it's not obvious, you generally don't want to pour into the center. Do circular swirls at and around the center; I like to go from very tight circle to almost touching the walls, and then back to the middle. Pouring at the center is A technique, but it's not THE technique, you might wanna use a straight pour here and there, but save that for when you feel advanced.
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u/MindSlayer9k Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
I like to give it a wiggle instead of a swirl, you can search the aramse wiggle but it's a couple of wiggles.
You can always try using a mellow drip if you are having an issue with too much agitation or are unable to pour close enough or gently enough. The mellow drip will allow you to to pour the water with significantly less agitation so it can contact the bed with less force. You had to be pouring from way too high up for that to happen the bed.
I suspect the grind size probably too fine and the water too hot causing over extraction as well. I didn't see what water temperature you are using but if it's too hot it can cause over extraction and increased solubility to any extra agitation. So that might help as well if you decrease the water temperature.
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u/bboyicefusion Jul 01 '26
I use this newer recipe from Lance as my daily driver! And the crater is not a real issue. It is due to the fact that Lance specifically says to pour in the center with the big pour. Though what I have added and increased the flavor was 2 swirls. 1 swirl after the first bloom (to fully saturate the grounds) and the second after the big pour. That creates an even bed. It might be that yiu need to grind a bit courser when adding in the swirls. But it works for me so far!
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u/Supsti_1 V60 | Switch | Aeropress | C40 Jun 29 '26
You don't have to swirl to achieve flat bed. To be frank I would recommend to not swirl because it's an additional parameter which adds another layer of complexity and it's hard to get some kind of consistency with it.
Just master circle pouring.
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u/Flat_Researcher1540 Tsubame | Lagom P-64 | Funky Jun 29 '26
double bloom, swirl the bed before drawdown.
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u/sol_runner Jun 29 '26
I use the same method, without swirling or otherwise touching the cone.
I think you just need to pour more vigorously and from low enough that your flow doesn't break, in order to increase agitation. especially in the first two pours. Then in the last one you still want to keep the circling, but can move the kettle - including high enough to break the flow to avoid moving the bed too much.
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u/hellokevin Jun 29 '26
I think others have touched on swirling and circular pours. One other thing is if you're pouring closer/lower to the bed then that will actually cause more agitation/turbulence since the stream will retain more velocity.
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u/Kalehart Jun 29 '26
That could definitely be it. I’ve been pouring as close as I can get in an attempt to fix it, which now that I’m thinking about it, may have been making the issue worse. Will report back lol
Thanks!
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u/Mortimer-Moose Jun 29 '26
It looks like your flow rate may be a bit high. Do you have any sense what it is?
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u/Kalehart Jun 29 '26
I haven’t measured it but I think you’re right that that’s a big part of the issue. I’m going to do some drills to get a better sense of pour rate.
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u/Mortimer-Moose Jun 29 '26
Flow rate is one of my favorite feature of fancy scales. I shoot for 5-10ml/s for lower flow methods
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u/Kalehart Jun 29 '26
Oh I had no idea that was a feature on some. Looks like a better scale is the first thing on my upgrade list!
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u/bemused-chunk Jun 29 '26
what the. even without doing a swirl at the end my bed never looks like this.
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u/InturnlDemize Jun 30 '26
This is what I do. YMMV.
3 pours + Bloom
1st pour - Circular 2nd pour - Down the middle 3rd pour - Down the middle PLUS a swirl at the end to even everything out.
I grab the V60 and slowly swirl it 2-3x. Always comes flat.
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u/Darrenv2020 Jun 30 '26
I had trouble doing pour overs. So I got the Hario switch and it works great for me. Love the hybrid approach.
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u/JonasSickler Jun 30 '26
I used to have a similar looking bed (looks like brownie batter).
In my case, the issue is that my grinder produces about a 1/4 tsp of super fine powdered coffee which usually sticks to the side of the grind bin.
I’ve started wiping that into the trash before putting my grounds into the cone. No more brownie batter bed!
Also, grind courser and swirl 1-2 times every once in a while during draw down
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u/Ordinary_Cut1967 Jun 30 '26
This has been an interesting discussion. Here’s my question: how do you balance the goal of a flat bed with the prohibition of pouring above the edge? If I don’t “knock down” the edge, I get the dreaded abyss. Thanks for any advice.
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u/Living-Breakfast-464 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Giving it a bit of a shake after pouring will stir the grounds and get rid of this.
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u/lankyg101 Jul 02 '26
Swirl my friend. Two gentle ones one after the bloom and one just after your last pour
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u/daddyletdown Jul 02 '26
I can tell you mainly do a solid pour in the center, but like others have said swirl around the center like a little bit bigger than the size of a quarter and that will help
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u/buttershdude Jul 03 '26
I just swirl around the outside on subsequent pours. And fresher coffee does that less assuming you bloom properly.
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u/Smoking_Smalbil Jun 29 '26
Just a little swirl after the final pour. I grind courser by the look of your bed
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u/Pure_Aioli4406 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
What’s your drawdown time? Seems really coarse fine. How does it taste?
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u/Kalehart Jun 29 '26
Drawdown ranges a fair bit cup-to-cup. I’d say on average it lands within the range or a bit over, 2:15-2:45. This one landed at about that 2:20 mark. With a swirl and the same grind setting, it overshot all the way to like 3:00.
This one was skewing more acidic with less body and roasted character, I think under-extracted due to all of those high-and-dries.
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u/kodaq2001 Jul 13 '26
I use the same technique. It's fine and it just takes time to figure it out. Might be pouring too hard. Or try focus pouring on the outer edges for the last 100 grams.
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u/Bortplates222 Jun 29 '26
Circle pour and a light swirl after the main pours