LOW-TECH COFFEE POUR-OVER

Specialty equipment needed for this technique can be bought online or at kitchen specialty stores.

1 3/4 cup (395 grams) water

1/4 cup (23 grams) fresh coffee beans, ground medium-fine just before brewing

Bring the water to a boil in a tea kettle or other pourable water kettle. Remove from the heat and let stand for about 1 minute 30 seconds. (The time will vary depending on how well your kettle retains heat; you’re aiming for a temperature right around 205 degrees.)

While the water is coming to the proper temperature, grind the coffee beans to a mediumfine consistency. (You don’t want to grind them too coarsely because your coffee won’t steep long enough for a proper pour-over.)

Place the paper filter into the dripper perched over your coffee cup, then wet the filter with a small amount of hot water from the kettle. Dump any water that drips into the cup before starting your pour-over.

Dump the grounds into the damp filter. Distribute the grounds evenly across the bottom of the dripper so that they form a flat surface.

Pour enough hot water to wet the grounds but not submerge them. The grounds should start to bubble and maybe even rise like bread in a hot oven. (This is called the“bloom”stage when the beans are releasing carbon dioxide, which allows the hot water to better extract flavors from your coffee.) Let the grounds bloom for 30 seconds.

Start pouring the hot water in a thin stream directly in the center of the dripper, about 8 inches above the device.

Slowly pour in concentric circles over the grounds until you reach the outer edge of the dripper, making sure no stray grounds are caught in the folds of the filter. The grounds will change color as you add hot water, usually turning from dark to light brown. They also will bubble along the way.

Repeat the concentric-circle pouring technique several times until the kettle is empty. Ideally, the process should take 3 to 4 minutes. If your pour time is shorter than 3 minutes, grind your beans finer next time. If longer than 4 minutes, grind them a little more coarsely.

Remove the dripper from the cup, dump the grounds and let your coffee cool for a few minutes before tasting it. The full flavors of the coffee won’t reveal themselves until the temperature drops a little. Makes 1 cup of coffee.

Nutrition: Ingredients are too minimal for a meaningful analysis.

LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY/ WASHINGTON POST Low-Tech Coffee Pourover.