Pour over and drip coffee are very similar brewing methods, but there are key differences between the two. Both brew coffee by pouring water over the grounds and letting it drip through a filter. The main difference is that pour over coffee gives more control over the pouring method than an automatic drip machine, which affects coffee flavor and consistency.
The key differences between pour over and drip coffee will be laid out in the following.
Are Pour Over and Drip Coffee Different?
Pour over and drip coffee both immerse coffee grounds in hot water before dripping the water through a filter. But there are differences in the equipment used which affect the control, flavor, consistency and convenience of your brew. Automatic drip machines are easier and more convenient, yet pour over gives you more control for a richer taste.
What Are the Key Differences Between Pour Over and Drip Coffee?
We will explore in detail the key differences between these two methods, such as equipment, control, flavor, consistency, convenience and price.
Method
| Pour Over | Drip |
| Coffee grounds are placed inside a filter. Hot water is poured over the grounds. Once they have bloomed coffee is steeped for a few minutes as the water drips through into a vessel. | Coffee grounds are placed into a filter. This filter is placed into a basket inside an automatic drip machine. Hot water drips through the grounds and filter and into a vessel. |
Time
| Pour Over | Drip |
| Takes around 3 minutes. Water is added to coffee grounds which bloom for 30 seconds. The rest of the water is poured and drips through for a couple of minutes. | Takes around 5 minutes. Water is poured over grounds and slowly drips through into a vessel for a couple of minutes. |
Equipment and Features
| Pour Over | Drip |
| Material: can be made of plastic, ceramic, metal, or glass. Plastic pour overs are cheaper and usually make one cup. Glass, ceramic and stainless-steel look stylish and are higher quality and durable. They can also be insulated. | Heating element: heats the water in the machine. The element is made of a coiled wire on the base of the coffee maker. |
| Shape: can be a conical shape or flat bottomed. Can have fewer, smaller holes or larger, many holes which alter how fast the water flows through. Smaller holes give you more control over the pour. | Reservoir: where you pour cold water into the machine. It sits here until it is warmed by the heating element and brought up to the showerhead. |
| Size: smaller devices can make one or two cups and rest directly on top of a mug. Larger devices can make up to eight cups and rest on top of a larger vessel such as a carafe. | Showerhead: the element of the machine that drips the heated water over the grounds in the filter. |
| Filter: can be disposable or reusable and made of various materials such as paper, cloth, metal, or stainless steel. Paper filters catch finer coffee grounds, whereas metal filters work best with coarse grounds. | Filter basket: this holds the filter and the coffee grounds. The filter basket is an inbuilt part of the machine. Depending on the design you purchase, the filter could also be inbuilt, or you may have to add disposable paper filters in to catch the grounds. |
| Carafe: the vessel that the coffee is distributed into. This could be a mug or a larger vessel such as a carafe depending on if your pour over maker is single serve. | Carafe: the vessel that the coffee is distributed into. This could be a mug or a larger vessel such as a carafe depending on if your drip coffee maker is single serve. |
Control and Consistency
| Pour Over | Drip |
| This method gives you complete control over the brewing process as you pour the water through yourself. You can control how fast the water flows through and how much water is added at a time to alter the strength of your brew. | Automatic drip machines make the same coffee each time as the water drips through in the same way. |
Flavor
| Pour Over | Drip |
| Pour over coffee tends to have more flavor due to the blooming of the grounds and longer saturation with the water. | Drip coffee is still strong and bold, but does not contain as many flavors and oils as pour over. |
Convenience
| Pour Over | Drip |
| Less convenient – it takes more skill and practice to get the pour right. It is a more involved way of making coffee as the water must be heated and manually poured through consistently for several minutes. | More convenient – all you need to do is add coffee grounds in the filter and water into the reservoir, push a button and you are ready to go. The automatic process takes care of the heating and pouring for you. |
| Easier to clean – the simple design means you just need to clean the filter and carafe. The device is made of easy-to-clean materials such as glass, stainless steel or ceramic. | More difficult to clean – there are different parts of the internal machine which you may need to take the machine apart to clean. |
Price
| Pour Over | Drip |
| Low range models are available for around $10, but these are usually plastic and only make a single brew. For a good quality pour over made of stainless steel or glass, costs vary between $20 and $60. | You can purchase low range models for around $20, and high-range models can go up to around $200 dependent on your price range and quality level. |
| More durable: are made of long-lasting materials such as glass, stainless steel, metal and ceramic. With regular cleaning they will last for many years. | Less durable: are made of plastic so could break more easily. As they are electric there is also more chance for something to go wrong and need replacing after a few years. A circuit could short, the heating element could fail, or inner parts could get clogged and stuck. |
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.