The Best Pour Over Maker

Buying Guide

Although single-cup coffeemakers and drip brewers may be unrivaled for convenience, they can’t quite get around the fact that flavor is typically lost through the brewing process. For that reason, true coffee connoisseurs have fallen in love with pour over coffee-making in recent years. Traditionally, pour over coffee-making was too complicated, requiring special equipment and plenty of patience. However, manufacturers have come up with tools that give you great flavor without all the work.

One of the reasons the pour over method is so useful is that it doesn’t always require paper filters, which trap some of the natural oils in coffee along with the grounds. So you’ll find that the pour over coffeemakers on the market today try to honor that, with many offering stainless steel reusable filters that are both good for the environment and great for preserving flavor.

Paperless filtering helps keep natural oils from coffee, leading to a richer flavor. However, you may find that without that excess filtration, you get some grounds in your coffee. Coffeemakers with microfiber paper and narrow openings can help ensure your cup is as clean as possible, but be aware this can dull the taste.

If you’ve never used a pour over coffeemaker before, you’re understandably concerned about the learning curve. Some coffeemakers come with recipe books, but you can also easily find instructions online, including videos that walk you through it. It may take a bit of a learning curve, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Before you buy, consider the capacity you’ll want. Pour over coffee isn’t meant to be like that pot of coffee you make at seven a.m. that takes you all the way through lunch. Instead, it’s intended to make only enough for the cup you’re presently drinking. However, if you have two or more coffee drinkers in the house, it may be well worth getting a higher-capacity coffeemaker. Otherwise, you’ll have to heat water up separately for each person. Since pour over coffeemakers don’t have a way to stay warm in between cups, you’ll need to use each batch relatively quickly after heating the water up.

• The most important feature any pour over coffeemaker can have is taste. A model made from nonporous glass keeps chemicals from the container from seeping into your coffee, ensuring a pure experience.
• Another factor affecting coffee taste is filtration. The paper coffee filters typically used when brewing have a bad habit of absorbing the oils in the coffee, dulling the flavor. Many pour over coffeemakers feature reusable stainless steel filters that not only keep you from having to buy paper filters, but they allow for a richer flavor experience.
• Consider a pour over maker that is made from laser-cut steel that makes it impossible for small particles to pass through. If you prefer paper filters, keep in mind you’ll have to purchase the filters separately. Certain paper filters use microfine paper that catches even the smallest coffee grounds to provide a truly clean cup of coffee. These filters are a bit pricey, so make sure you factor that in if you’re comparing prices. However, the trade-off of having a particle-free cup of coffee is that you’ll lose those natural oils that looser filters allow through.
• Capacity is an important consideration. Most models come in either 3, 6, 8 or 10-cup models, so you can purchase one that matches the number of cups you need at any given time. Some even come in 17, 34 or 51-ounce versions.
• One feature you may not think about with pour over coffee is how warm it will stay once you’ve poured your first cup. This is especially important if you’re investing in a coffeemaker with a capacity that goes beyond one cup. There is no function that keeps pour over coffeemakers warm when not in use, so larger-capacity models may not be very useful unless you’re making coffee for multiple people at once.
• Some pour over coffeemakers are plastic, while others are made from glass. The biggest benefit of plastic-based coffeemakers is that they’re more durable than glass usually is. Some models are plastic, while other models are made from glass and therefore not as likely to survive a drop. But you do sacrifice taste with plastic, as water heated in plastic can taste slightly contaminated. To overcome this limitation while also being somewhat durable, some pourers are made from borosilicate glass, which is thick enough that it can take the heat and handle gentle drops. It’s important to note that this doesn’t make them completely shatter-resistant, just more so than coffeemakers made from thinner types of glass.
• Safety is another consideration if you choose glass over plastic. Glass can more easily transfer heat to your hands. To compensate for that, most pour over coffee makers with filters have a collar around the middle of each carafe that you can use when picking it up. Some also keep you safe with a rubber handle. You’ll still need to be careful where you grab any time you have heated liquids inside glass.