How Do You Make 4 Cups of Coffee Pour Over? (Solved & Explained!)

It’s easy to make four cups of pour-over coffee. You just need to measure out four cups of water and eight tablespoons (or ½ cup) of coffee grounds. Then boil the water, prepare the filter and put in the grounds. When the water is hot enough, pour it over just enough to bloom the grounds and then pour in the rest of the water.

While this is a simplistic overview, it’s the basic method of how to do it. It’s not complicated, but there is a trick and finesse in the pouring. They key is to pour the water over the grounds slowly while giving the grounds at most 45 seconds to bloom. If you do this right you’ll have a delicious cup of coffee you’ll fall in love with.

Quick Overview of the Steps

1. Items You’ll Need
2. Step 1: Measure 4 Cups of Water
3. Step 2: Heat the Water & Prepare the Filter
4. Step 3: Measure a Total of 8 Tablespoons of Coffee Grounds
5. Step 4: Bloom the Grounds
6. Step 5: Pour Over the Rest of the Water
7. Step 6: Wait for 5 Minutes & Enjoy!
8. Frequently Asked Questions

Items You’ll Need

Before you begin, make sure you have all of the following:

• Pour-Over Coffee Maker (or a Pitcher that fits a Coffee Filter Basket or a Percolator with a Top Basket)
• Coffee Grounds (Any Grind or Roast type Will Work)
• Water (Filtered, Reverse Osmosis or Purified)
• Paper Coffee Filters
• Kettle (or a Medium Sauce Pan with a Long-Handled Pourer – ie: ibrik pot)
• Thermometer (for measuring the proper temperature)
• Measuring Cups & Spoons

Step 1: Measure 4 Cups of Water

With reverse osmosis, purified or filtered water, measure out four cups (946.4 ml or 32 ounces). It’s imperative that you use clean, pure water to get the best cup of Joe possible from your pour-over coffee.

Step 2: Heat the Water & Prepare the Filter

Place the four cups of water into your kettle or medium-sized sauce pan and turn the stove onto medium-high heat. In the meantime, prepare your filter and moisten it with hot water. Place it into the top basket of your pour-over machine (or similar device).

You want to ensure the temperature of the water reaches at least 185°F. Anything hotter than this could over-extract the beans which will produce a bitter and acidic tasting coffee.

Step 3: Measure a Total of 8 Tablespoons of Coffee Grounds

While you wait for the water to heat up, grind your beans (if you have to) to whichever particle size you like. However, medium coarse is best. But you can also use whatever roast you like most. Measure out two tablespoons per cup of water. So, this translates to eight tablespoons (118.3 ml, 4 ounces or ½ cup). Put all of this into the prepared filter.

Step 4: Bloom the Grounds

When the temperature reaches 185°F, remove the kettle or saucepan from the heat. Allow this to cool for 20 seconds. Then gently pour in just enough water until you see the grounds develop a foamy and frothy appearance. Ensure you do this in slow concentric circles or spirals. Let this brew for 30 to 45 seconds.

Step 5: Pour Over the Rest of the Water

Then pour in the rest of the water. But, it’s not as easy as all that. Do not dump the water over the grounds. The idea is to slowly release the essence of the beans so that all the good stuff goes into the capturing carafe. So, pour the water in slow circular motions.

As it strains through the filter, give the grounds a little stir to ensure water gets through every bit.

Step 6: Wait for 5 Minutes & Enjoy!

Let all the water seep through into the capturing carafe for about five minutes. When all the water, foam and grounds settle into the filter and no more water is dripping out, remove the filter basket, throw away the filter and pour it into your cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Make 4 Cups of Iced Coffee with the Pour-Over Method?

If you want an iced coffee version with your pour-over method, you can do this in one of two ways. Add ice after you make a hot pot of coffee. Or, you can add ice to the capturing carafe. If you go with this latter method, you will have to halve the water you heat up and then put the other half as ice into the capturing carafe.

So, for four cups, you’ll heat up two cups of water and fill the capturing carafe with two cups of ice. But, the ice itself should measure two cups, not an actual measure of two cups of ice. This means you’ll have to know how much water each compartment of your ice tray holds. These usually come in cups of ⅛, ¼ or ⅓.

Why Do You Have to Bloom the Grounds?

You don’t have to bloom the grounds per se, but it’s a good practice to undertake. This ensures all the coffee grounds experience full extraction prior to brewing.

However, if you’re using a very dark roast with an espresso grind, you don’t need to bloom the grounds. Alternatively, if you’re using a very light roast with a coarse grind, you definitely want to bloom the grounds.

Is Pour Over Coffee the Same as Espresso?

No, pour over coffee isn’t the same as espresso. Espresso requires highly pressurized water through a small, compacted amount of fine coffee grounds. As you can see, pour over is a gentle flow of water through loose grounds.

Is Pour Over Coffee Better than Drip?

Even though the difference between drip and pour over coffee comes down to personal preference, pour over tends to be a bit better. This is because you control the brewing process and there are no plastics involved with the machine. Pour over devices are usually glass, stainless steel or porcelain.