Best Coffee Beans For Pour Over Coffee
Pour over is possibly the most hands-on brewing method, done by slowly pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee. The pour-over result is a very different brew, which brings out all of the most complex natural flavors in the bean.
This is why the right pour over coffee beans are often different from what you’d want for espresso or even drip coffee. Read on for some of the best coffee for pour over you can buy online.
Bolivia Cup of Excellence
LIMITED EDITION
Not often can we tell you not to waste your time looking for beans that best suit your taste. This is it now. You CANNOT MISS the chance to try this limited edition light-medium-roast coffee. Coffee Bros. now offers a premium mix of Batian, SL28, and SL34 varietal beans at your doorstep.
They are also giving a 10% DISCOUNT for the Home Grounds readers – use code HGCOE at the end of your purchase and enjoy the Bolivian cup of excellence while you can.
Thailand Cup of Excellence
LIMITED EDITION
The second option from Coffee Bros. is another limited edition: Catimor variety beans. Light-medium-roast of rare premium green beans is a delicacy you cannot miss out on.
They are also giving a 10% DISCOUNT for the Home Grounds readers – use code HGCOE at the end of your purchase and enjoy Coffee Bros. Thailand cup of excellence while you can.
9 Best Coffee Beans For Pour Over In 2023
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Coffee Bros. Floripondio Bolivia Cup of Excellence |
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Coffee Bros. Ma Family Thailand Cup of Excellence |
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Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffe |
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Atlas Coffee Club |
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Koa Coffee Grande Domaine |
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Lifeboost Medium Roast |
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Driftaway Mexico Chiapas Tzeltal Tzotzi |
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Peet’s Luminosa Breakfast Blend |
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Joe Coffee La Familia Guarnizo |
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Let’s get straight into the best-tasting coffee beans for pour-over brewing this year. They range from light to dark roast and from bright, fruity single origins to rich dark chocolate blends, so you’re sure to find the right beans for you.
1. Coffee Bros. Floripondio Bolivia Cup of Excellence – Best Overall
Certifications: Kosher
- Ground or whole bean: Whole bean coffee
- Origin: Bolivia
- Varietal: SL34 & Batian & SL28
Light roast coffee lovers will appreciate the characteristic tastes inherent in the whole coffee beans used to shine through their brews. They are too powerful to hide away behind darker and more caramel-flavored roasts. To get the most optimal flavor profile, you need high-quality green coffee beans. So Coffee Bros. found some by sourcing “Exotics” Floripondio coffee from Bolivia.
Coffee Bros. Floripondio beans are from a mix of the Batian, SL28, and SL34 varietals. They are naturally processed for a bold cup with the sweet flavors of maple, toasted brown sugar, orange, grape, and raisins. We recommend a pour over brewer like a Hario V60 to get the most out of this speciality micro-lot.
Floripondio coffee is open for pre-order. Coffee Bros. will roast and ship it in late March. It costs a fair bit, but there are only less than 100 bags left of this limited edition coffee. As a Home Grounds reader, we’d love to give you our special discount: Use the code HGCOE for 10% off!
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2. Coffee Bros. Ma Family Thailand Cup of Excellence – Runner Up
Certifications: Kosher
- Ground or whole bean: Whole bean coffee
- Origin: Thailand
- Varietal: Catimor
The close-second premium Coffee Bros. pick is their Thailand beans. Like Floripondio beans, these whole coffee beans are roasted to a light-medium level to get the most out of its unique and prominently-tasting toasted brown sugar and grape notes. They are of the Catimor variety and naturally processed for a full-bodied cup. We recommend a pour over brewer or espresso.
Coffee Bros. Thailand coffee is open for pre-order, roasting, and shipping in late March. It’s even pricier than the Bolivian, yet justifiably so as it is even more rare with only less than 30 bags left. You’re in luck though as a Home Grounds reader, thanks to the Coffee Bros. special discount:
Use the code HGCOE for 10% off!
3. Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffe – Best Medium Roast
Roast level: Light-Medium Roast
- Origin: Ethiopia
- Tasting notes: Lemon, Blueberry, and Blackberry
- Certifications: Kosher, Fair Trade, Organic
Volcanica Coffee began when its founders noticed all their favorite coffee beans shared a common trait: they all came from volcanic regions. The combination of high altitude and fertile volcanic soils provides ideal growing conditions for Arabica coffee, and the success of Volcanica Coffee stands testament to this. These coffee beans have a fruity flavor profile, making them an excellent choice for the pour-over brewing method. Expect to experience flavor notes of blueberry, blackberry, and lemon.
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans are considered some of the best coffee beans in the world. These particular beans are heirloom Arabica beans that have been harvested mainly from wild trees then wash-processed to enhance the floral flavors and acidity.
The advantage of buying Volcanica Coffee beans is that they’re very affordable and are freshly roasted to ensure the best possible coffee tastes. These beans have been sustainably sourced, grown using organic farming methods, and certified kosher.
The only disadvantage to these coffee beans is that they might be too delicate for someone looking for a bold flavor profile.
Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is priced at $19.99 for 16 oz and is available as whole beans or ground coffee.
For more background on the brand, read our Volcanica Coffee review.
4. Lifeboost Medium Roast – Best Organic
Roast level: Medium
- Origin: Nicaragua
- Tasting notes: Nuts, chocolate, strawberry
- Certifications: Kosher, Fairly traded, Organic, GMO-free
Nutrition expert Dr. Charles Livingston founded Lifeboost Coffee to deliver coffee as healthy as it is delicious. They achieve this by sourcing only the top 0.5% of Arabica coffee beans grown worldwide and processing them with great care. They produce some fantastic organic coffee. In terms of flavor, you can expect a smooth and balanced cup of coffee. You’ll get nuts and cocoa powder notes accompanied by a subtle strawberry sweetness and no bitter flavors.
Lifeboost Medium Roast coffee comes from a small plantation in Nicaragua located at 5,700 feet on Mt. Kilambe. Arabica and Maragogipe beans are hand-picked by skilled workers, sun-dried, and washed in spring water to preserve the purity of the coffee.
The best thing about brewing coffee from Lifeboost is the benefits for your health. Their coffee is third-party tested to ensure it’s free from mycotoxins, heavy metals, acrylamides, pesticides, and 400 other toxins.
The downside to these beans is that they are priced a little higher than other non-specialty coffee beans.
Lifeboost Medium Roast costs around $27.95 for a 12 oz whole beans or ground coffee package, and it’s also available as coffee pods or coffee bags. Read our Lifeboost Coffee review to learn more.
5. Atlas Coffee Club – Best Single Origin
Roast level: Light to medium, medium to dark, or all levels
- Origin: Varies, but always single-origin
- Tasting notes: Varies
- Certifications: Kosher
A great way to sample a variety of coffees is to sign up for a Coffee of the Month Club. One of our favorites is Atlas Coffee Club. They source exclusively single-origin specialty coffee, so no matter what you receive in the mail, it’s sure to make a delightful pour over brew.
Each month, Atlas will send you a new coffee from a different region of the world – hence the name Atlas. It’s an excellent way to explore global coffee flavors and learn how the origin and growing conditions can influence taste. Along with your coffee, you’ll receive a beautifully designed postcard with information about where your coffee was grown, the farmers who grew it, and recommended brewing methods.
When you sign up, you can choose your preferred roast level, along with selecting delivery frequency and quantity. We’d suggest choosing either light-to-medium roasts or all roast levels if you’re ordering this subscription for pour over brewing. Lighter roasts have more of the subtle and complex flavor notes showcased by a pour over brew.
6. Koa Coffee Grande Domaine – Best Dark Roast
Roast level: Dark
- Origin: Hawaii
- Tasting notes: Tropical fruits, coconut, chocolate
- Certifications: Kosher
The Koa Coffee brand specializes only in sourcing and roasting the highest quality coffee from Hawaii, including the highly-prized Koa coffee. Found in 1997, the company has won the Gevalia Cupping Competition, PCCA Coffee of the Year, and been listed in Forbes’s “Top 10 Coffees of the World”. These dark roast beans offer flavor notes of toasted coconut, passionfruit, and milk chocolate with floral aromas. There’s a medium body, low acidity, and rich, smooth taste that will make this coffee an excellent addition to your auto-drip or pour-over routine.
Koa’s Grande Domain beans are a blend of Kona coffee beans and Kona peaberry beans. True Kona beans only come from a small growing region on Hawaii’s Big Island, making them considerably rare and much sought after.
Koa Coffee’s advantage is that their Kona coffees are guaranteed 100% pure. More than a few brands will advertise Kona blends that contain as little as 10% Kona beans.
The downside to these beans is the high price. While it’s a very reasonable price for pure Kona beans, it does make it more expensive than many other beans on our list. They’re also only available as a dark roast, which is not as popular with the pour-over method.
The price of Koa Coffee Grande Domaine starts at $35 for 8 oz. It’s available as whole beans or ground coffee in 8 oz, 1 lb, or 2 lb packages.
7. Driftaway Mexico Chiapas Tzeltal Tzotzi – Best Value for Money
Roast level: Medium-dark
- Origin: Mexico
- Tasting notes: Baking Spices, Black Tea, Brown Sugar
- Certifications: Direct Trade, Kosher
Driftaway Coffee is known for high-quality beans, sustainable operation, and ethical sourcing – three things we can definitely get behind.
Each month, Driftaway features a new set of five single-origin coffees with different taste profiles – Fruity, Classic, Balanced, Bold, and Extra Bold – roughly corresponding to roast level. While light roast pour overs are all the rage in Third Wave coffee shops, if you enjoy a more robust pour-over brew, consider the Bold profile from Driftaway. It’s a medium-dark roast that maintains enough complexity to make a delightful pour over. If you’re worried about a one-note coffee that tastes as much of smoke as anything else, toss those worries aside.
Because the Driftaway Coffee selection changes regularly, we strongly recommend signing up for a subscription. You’ll receive a new Bold coffee each month, plus plenty of other member perks.
At present, the Bold offering is a washed Mexican coffee sourced from small, family-run farms. It has a nicely balanced flavor profile of nuttiness, chocolate, and spice notes, equally delicious when consumed black or with a splash of cream.
These beans are $19 per 12oz, quite an amazing deal we’d say.
8. Peet’s Luminosa Breakfast Blend – Budget Pick
Roast level: Light
- Origin: Colombia and Ethiopia
- Tasting notes: Passionflower, stonefruit, cacao
- Certifications: Kosher
Peet’s Coffee is a San Francisco brand known for its signature coffee blends. Founded in 1966, it now also provides a wide range of single-origin coffees at affordable prices for the average coffee lover. With this coffee, you can expect the floral notes of passionflower, with sweetness from stone fruit, tempered by hints of cacao. It has a mild body with bright acidity.
The Luminosa Breakfast Blend features beans from the Huila region of Colombia, harvested at altitudes over 4,500 feet and known for their sweetness. They’re blended with Arabica coffee beans from Ethiopia, adding floral notes to the blend.
Buying from Peet’s Coffee allows you to get expertly blended quality beans at a budget price. Each expertly roasted batch is shipped the same day to ensure that your beans arrive as fresh as possible.
The downside to buying these lightly roasted coffee beans is that they’re only available as a 1lb bag. You’ll either need an excellent airtight storage container or use these beans quickly to enjoy them while they’re fresh.
Peet’s Colombia Luminosa is $16.95 for 1 lb. It’s available as whole beans or ground coffee for drip, French press, or espresso.
9. Joe Coffee La Familia Guarnizo – Best Light Roast
Roast level: Light
- Origin: Colombia
- Tasting notes: Citrus, honey, nuts
- Certifications: Rainforest Alliance
The Joe Coffee Company started as a single cafe in New York in 2003 and has since expanded to include 21 cafes around the city and its own roastery. The company works directly with farmers and cooperatives to ensure ethical sourcing and sustainable relationships. La Familia Guarnizo light roast coffee beans have a sweet flavor with a hint of nuttiness. Expect to taste citrusy clementines, caramel, honey, and toasted pecans.
These are single-origin beans sourced from the Huila region of Colombia. Here, the Guarnizo family grows Caturra coffee beans at an altitude of 5,200-5,900 feet on the slopes of the Andes Mountains.
For those that want to constantly explore the flavour merry-go-round that is coffee, single origins can provide a wide variety of options from wild to tame.
Joe Coffee La Familia Guarnizo has the advantage of being a single-origin coffee from a well-respected growing region. It has a bright and light body, making it an excellent match with the pour-over brewing method.
The downside to these beans is that they are a little more expensive than other beans on our list.
Joe Coffee La Familia Guarnizo beans are at $21.20 for 12 oz. They’re available as whole beans or in six different sizes of ground coffee.
How To Choose the Best Pour Over Coffee Beans
To choose the coffee beans for pour-over, you first need to understand what makes this brewing method so unique and how to make pour over coffee.
What is Pour Over Coffee?
We refer to coffee made with a manual pour-over brewer when we talk about pour-over coffee. You slowly pour hot water over coffee grounds held in a filter, extracting the coffee flavors and oils as it passes through. However, drip coffee uses a similar technique, the automation of the process results in a very different tasting coffee.
The main benefit of using a pour-over coffee maker is that it provides control over every part of the brewing process. You can make small changes to the ratio of coffee to water, the coffee grind size, the water temperature, bloom time, and rate of flow.
The result is a clean but complex cup of coffee that highlights the beans’ natural flavors.
People often use the pour-over method of brewing to brew specialty single-origin beans or coffees with delicate flavor profiles.
How Do You Make a Pour Over Coffee?
To make a pour-over coffee, you’ll first need to equip yourself with the following tools:
- Pour-over coffee maker
- Filters to match your coffee maker
- Good burr coffee grinder
- Gooseneck kettle
- Thermometer
- Coffee scale
- A serving vessel (optional)
- Good quality water
While you can brew a good pour over without a gooseneck, there are some techniques and recipes that are nearly impossible without the control a gooseneck offers.
The steps for brewing pour-over coffee are:
- Heat the water to 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit
- Weigh your coffee beans–you’ll need 9-11 grams per 6-ounce cup
- Rinse the paper filter if using
- Grind your coffee–you’ll need anything from medium-fine to medium-coarse grind size depending on your coffee maker
- Pour the water over the grounds, first to bloom the coffee, then to brew it
If you don’t have your equipment yet, check out our guide to the best gooseneck kettles and some cool pour over coffee stands. Or, watch Home Grounds’ video review on best pour-over coffee makers:
Why roast level matters
The coffee roast level also strongly influences the taste, aroma, and mouthfeel of your final brew.
Lighter roasts typically have fragrant floral and/or fruity notes, with a mild body and brighter acidity.
Light roasts are excellent for exploring the subtleties of single-origin coffee beans.
For example, trying out coffee beans from China, and brewing using the pour-over method is a great way to appreciate a light roast. Here are some of our favorite light roast coffees.
Medium roasts offer a bit more sweetness and less acidity than light roasts due to the caramelization of sugars during the roasting process. Medium roast coffee beans will have a more substantial body and a slightly toasted flavor.
Good dark roasts have a slightly bitter taste and a bold, rich body. Their flavors, which tend towards chocolatey, nutty, and earthy, are a product of the roasting process as much as the coffee bean itself. Light and medium roasts are the usual choices for pour-over coffee lovers, but it’s worth experimenting with dark roasts if you like these flavors.
The Verdict
There is no single best coffee for pour-over brewing, which is good news because it means you can find a favorite that suits your coffee taste. Look for something with complex, subtle, or contrasting flavors to understand why the pour-over technique has become popular.
This time, we’re choosing the best pour-over coffee by it’s uniqueness. This year, we’re lucky to have two picks from the cup of excellence trait: Coffee Bros. Thailand and Bolivian excellence beans. The delicate sugary flavors are precisely the kind of tastes that the pour-over method extracts so well from beans. It also gives you the chance to enjoy one of the world’s best coffee beans at an affordable price.
FAQs
Yes, pour-over coffee can be healthier. For example, it is healthier for coffee drinkers compared to unfiltered brewing methods such as the French press. The paper filter used for pour-overs keeps more of the natural oils from the brewed coffee. These coffee oils can result in higher levels of bad cholesterol.
The best pour over coffee makers should be durable, provide consistent results, and brew delicious coffee. The right coffee maker for you should also match your skill level, the capacity you need, and your budget.
The best pour-over coffee makers for 2022:
Kalita Wave
Hario V60
Bee House Ceramic Dripper
Chemex Coffee Maker
Melitta Ready Set Joe
Kone Filter
Walkure Pour Over Coffee Maker
Hario Woodneck Drip Pot
The difference between pour-over and drip coffee is the brewing method. Pour-over coffee is a manual brewing method, while drip coffee is made in an automatic drip coffee maker. Pour-over coffee has crisp but complex flavors, whereas drip coffee has a smooth, mild taste. Brewing with pour-overs requires more skill than drip coffee.
