Pourover Coffee As Meditation

Hey… hey…Hey…HEY…HEY!!! Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about one of the most daunting looking brew methods out there, the pourover. There’s so much going on, especially if you’re a coffee snob like me. Ok, mini-rant, we need a new name for someone who is passionate about good coffee. Just because I don’t like getting my coffee from a drive-thru with enough cream and sugar to render it palatable doesn’t mean I’m some kind of stuck-up jerk (even if I am a little bit… wink). Coffee aficionado sounds too posh, coffee enthusiast doesn’t quite hit the mark either, coffee… devotee? I guess I see why we still use snob, anyways, back to pourover.

This might seem counterintuitive, I’m about to suggest that the world’s most used stimulant can simultaneously be an exercise in mindfulness, even a full-on meditative practice, with a small (ish) investment in equipment, a little bit of know-how, and an open mind.

Think about it, if you weigh out your coffee, hand-grind it, set your kettle temperature just right, you have the olfactory and tactile sensation of transforming coffee beans into a delicious beverage, and we haven’t even added water yet! The beauty of pourover coffee is that it is a process driven endeavour, so it forces you to focus all of your attention on each micro-task as you go. When you weigh the beans you’re looking for that exact measurement (for us, 20g), as you grind you feel the vibration in your hands, you hear the beans being forced through those precisely cut burrs, when you open the grinder you get your first whiff of that glorious smell, freshly ground coffee.

Now for the water, giver of life, the ingredient that makes up 95% of what we call coffee. You pull your gooseneck kettle off of its base after the water reaches your preferred temperature (for us, 196°F for a lighter roast) and rinse your filter inside your dripper of choice (for me, the Orea with a Kalita Wave 185 flat bottom filter). Take a moment here to really focus on the water that you swirl in the carafe before you pour it out. Breathe in slowly through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Now it’s time for the magic to happen. You have your freshly ground coffee in the rinsed filter inside your favorite dripper on top of your favorite carafe on top of your scale. Before you start, maybe you set a little intention for your day, or think of something you’re grateful for.

Start the timer, think of that beep as the signal to be present, just you and the coffee and your intention. Slowly pour water over all of the coffee, just enough to wet it all, a good rule of thumb is 2-3 times the mass of the coffee in water for the bloom stage (we do 50g of water here). This allows the coffee to release trapped carbon dioxide left over from the roasting process and has the lovely side effect of sending up the delicious aroma to your nose. Let that sit until your timer reads 30 seconds and then add another 50g of water in a slow, circular motion. I get so focused on this process, watching the water slowly drip through, the smells, the sounds, for just a couple minutes everything outside of this cup of coffee melts away. If you watch me make these in the coffee shop this is usually the moment where a contented smile spreads across my face.

At approximately 1 minute I begin to add more water, still slowly, still circular, up to 200g. This pour takes a good 10-15 seconds so I can really zone in on my intention at this point, it’s almost hypnotic just pouring slowly, hearing the water gently splash down, smelling faint traces of the flavor notes for the coffee, seeing the seconds slowly tick forward on the timer. At 1:45 or so I add another 50g of water and then again at approximately 2:15 I add the last 50g bringing the total to 300g of water for 20g of coffee (15:1 is my preferred ratio). Depending on the coffee this whole process will take between 3:00-3:30.

Now take another deep breath, thank yourself for spending these few minutes preparing not just your morning cup of coffee but a gift to yourself (or your partner) made with love, reverence, intention and gratitude. Be thankful for the farmer who grew those beans, the roaster who properly roasted them, and to yourself for making this ritual possible. Clean up with the same respectfulness and then sit down, pay extra attention to the smells, the warmth, the rich color. Take one more deep breath and then enjoy the reward for your mindfulness.