# How to make filter coffee, the fundamentals

> Pour-over rewards a handful of basics done consistently. Here's the full process, start to finish.

By Joey Krosch. Published 2025-02-17, updated 2026-08-17.

Filter coffee, brewed through a paper filter with a dripper like a
V60 or Chemex, produces a clean, bright cup that shows a coffee's
character clearly. The method is simple, but it rewards consistency
more than most, small habits done the same way every time matter more
than any single piece of equipment.

## What you need

- A dripper (V60, Kalita or similar) and paper filters sized to it
- A kettle, ideally with a narrow spout for a controlled pour
- A scale
- Freshly ground coffee, medium-fine

## The full process

**Rinse the filter first.** Run hot water through the paper filter
before adding coffee, this removes any papery taste and preheats your
dripper and cup.

**Use a 1:16 ratio as a starting point.** For every gram of coffee, use
16 grams of water. Adjust from there to taste, lower for stronger,
higher for lighter.

**Grind medium-fine**, similar to table salt, and grind fresh
immediately before brewing if you can.

**Bloom first.** Pour just enough water to saturate the grounds, roughly
double the coffee's weight, and let it sit for 30 to 45 seconds. This
releases trapped CO2 that would otherwise interfere with even
extraction.

> **Why the bloom matters:**
> Fresh coffee releases carbon dioxide when it hits water. Skipping the
> bloom traps that gas against the grounds, pushing water around them
> instead of through them evenly, an uneven bloom usually means an uneven
> extraction.

**Pour in slow, controlled stages.** After the bloom, pour the remaining
water in two or three slow additions, moving in gentle circles, rather
than dumping it all at once. This keeps the grounds bed saturated evenly
throughout the brew.

**Aim for a total brew time of 2.5 to 3.5 minutes.** If you're finishing
much faster, your grind is likely too coarse. Much slower, and it's
probably too fine.

**Water temperature**: 90 to 96°C. Cooler tends to under-extract,
hotter risks pulling out unwanted bitterness.

## Troubleshooting

**Sour, thin cup**: under-extracted, grind finer or extend the brew
time slightly.

**Bitter, harsh cup**: over-extracted, grind coarser or shorten the
time.

**Uneven or muddy**: check your pour technique, a fast, uncontrolled
pour disturbs the grounds bed and causes channelling.

## The takeaway

Filter coffee is genuinely simple in principle: rinse the filter, bloom
properly, pour slowly and consistently, and dial in ratio and grind from
there. The method rewards repetition and small, deliberate adjustments
far more than expensive equipment.