So you’ve decided to switch over to making pour overs and they aren’t turning out quite right, or maybe they just aren’t where you want them to be. The thing is, different beans and different roast levels (light, medium, dark) need a bit of calibration. So get your scale out and a timer ready for the tips below!

Grind: If you’ve been doing any research you’ve probably noticed that this is one of those ‘broken record’ tips that you hear everywhere. While that is true, it is also the (or one of the) most important aspect of any type of brewing. For a pour over we want the grind to be somewhere close to the consistency of general drip coffee but a little finer. If you find your coffee to be coming out a little too bitter or a little too watery, try grinding coarser or finer respectively.

Timing: This is where your grind and roast level’s are going to come into play and timing can vary greatly. A pour over can go from 2-5 minutes (give or take 30 seconds on either end), depending on how much you are brewing and the roast profile of the bean. You’ll find dark beans to extract a bit quicker than light. You’ll also quickly find that adjustments here will make a big difference in the brew.

Ratios: Everyone runs different ratios, however slightly that may be. A happy median is a ratio of 1:15 (meaning 1 gram of coffee to 15 grams of water) but can go up or down a few grams on the water side of the ratio. Try Aiming for 1:15 and adjust slightly up or down from there.

Weights: So you’ve got it dialed in and just want to know how much to grind. A quick way is to put your favorite coffee cup on a scale, fill it to a comfortable level with water and divide the weight by 15 (or your water ratio) to get your coffee weight. Generally 20 grams of coffee turns into a good sized cup with upwards of 60 grams for a carafe.