Pour Over VS. Drip Coffee: [Comprehensive Guide With Detailed Breakdown]

Pour Over VS. Drip Coffee. Which one is perfect? Do you want the convenience of an electric Drip coffee machine, or do you need the optimum control over the extraction from a Pour Over coffee maker?

These are the 2 popular brewing methods in the United States in recent times. In this comprehensive guide, we will try to differentiate these 2 types. Of course, both of them are great for making regular cups of joe, but we will find out which one would be the best match for individuals like you!

From this guide, you will learn about the basics of the Pour Over and Drip coffee methods, different types of machines for them, and quite a few FAQs in order to enrich your knowledge and quench your curiosity.

So, without wasting too much time, let’s begin!

Pour Over Coffee VS Drip Coffee


What Is Pour Over Coffee?

Pour Over Coffee is a popular coffee brewing method among coffee connoisseurs. A German woman named Melitta Bentz first invented this brewing method that lots of coffee lovers love nowadays.

The key benefit of his method is that it gives you full control over the extraction process. This means you can effortlessly reach your desired taste level by tweaking some variables of brewing coffee. However, you need to have pretty good skills for brewing delicious-tasting coffee in order to do that tweaking thing.

If you feel that a better-tasting cup of coffee matters more to you, then you can go for the Pour Over coffee brewing method. The brewing process of Pour Over is intricate. You have to wait around 7-8 minutes before sipping your coffee cup.

In order to brew coffee by following the Pour Over method, you have to gather some equipment. First off, you need a nifty Pour Over coffee brewer (like Chemex, Hario v60, or Katila Wave). Chemex is slightly different from the other two in terms of its interface. But it gained more popularity as you may see a Chemex Pour Over coffee brewer in some series or movies.

Along with a brewer, you need to collect some freshly roasted coffee beans. It plays a significant role in delivering a superior flavor. Some other required items are a paper filter, a gooseneck kettle, a scale, and lastly, a certain amount of hot water. If you successfully gathered all of these items, you are good to go now.

how is pour over coffee different from drip


What Is Drip Coffee?

Drip coffee is a method of brewing coffee using an electric automatic coffee maker. Both the Pour Over and Drip coffee have the same brewing process; a certain amount of hot water filters through some ground coffee.

With the Pour Over method, you have to pour that hot water using a kettle. On the flip side, an automatic coffee maker will take all the responsibility of pouring water into the coffee. You just need to fill the brew basket with ground coffee and, of course, fill the water reservoir.

Like the Pour Over coffee brewing method, you don’t need to gather lots of items. A good drip coffee maker and some freshly ground coffee are all that you need. Make sure to fill the water reservoir with some normal water before beginning to brew.

The key benefit of Drip Coffee is that you will get superior convenience; hence you don’t have to be super skilled in coffee brewing. A nifty electric drip coffee maker will do everything for you. Folks who used to be busy in the morning absolutely like this method. They can enjoy drinkable cups of coffee while they are in a rush.

A downside of a Drip Coffee machine is that you have to depend on the machine for brewing coffee. Some coffee connoisseurs think that the drip coffee method is not perfect for even extraction and temperature control.

However, you can find some handy drip coffee makers such as HamiltonBeach FlexBrew, and BUNN BT Velocity that can deliver pretty good coffee output. In order to get excellent coffee output, it’s true that you have to spend a bit more money.


Pour Over VS. Drip Coffee: The Ultimate Debate

Now we know quite a bit about the basics of the Pour Over and Drip coffee brewing method. It’s time to differentiate both types and find out which one would be the best match for you.

ConsiderationPour OverDrip Coffee
Brewing TypeManualAutomatic
Ease of useMediumSimple
Control Over ExtractionYesNo
Price Range$20-$100$20-$300
Skill RequireYesNo
Difference Between Pour Over and Drip Coffee

By following the brewing process of Pour Over, Gottlob Widmann patented the very first electric drip coffee machine in 1954. Since then, electric drip coffee machines are becoming more and more popular because of their superior convenience.

You don’t need any prior brewing skills to prepare a coffee with a drip machine. On the other hand, you need pretty good skills to get delicious and full-bodied coffee while following the Pour Over method.

Drip coffee machines can do everything to make coffee, which means you get less scope to control the extraction process. You have to depend on the machine solely. All you need to do is fill the water reservoir with normal water and Brew Basket with freshly ground coffee.

The machine will then automatically turn the filled water hot and pour it through the ground coffee. And you will get a clean cup of coffee because of the paper filter. Some drip coffee machines also come with a programmable feature, which makes them more convenient to use.

When talking about the Pour Over brewing method, we have to say that it will give you optimal control over the brewing process. If you have some skill and are looking to make absolutely delicious cups of coffee, then you can try Pour Over.

As most of the work is manual in this method, you can control the temperature level and extraction. Hence, you can ensure that your coffee doesn’t taste bitter or sour. Depending on the machine, the drip coffee maker usually takes comparatively less time than the Pour Over coffee maker. Besides, they are easy to use; therefore, you can operate them just by pressing or touching some particular buttons.

Those who care about their coffee more than anything can try Pour Over coffee. However, You may need to gather quite a few items for brewing. But the result is definitely worth it without any doubt. You can adjust every single coffee variable to get your desired tasting coffee.

We won’t say that all of the drip coffee machines can’t deliver rich flavored and delicious coffee. There are some automatic coffee machines available that can give you absolutely perfect cups of coffee. However, you need to spend a bit more money on such machines.

Do you want to spend comparatively more money on superior convenience, or do you want excellent control over the extraction by spending less money? It’s entirely up to you. You can get a pretty handy Pour Over coffee machine for 100 bucks. On the flip side, to purchase a good quality drip machine, you have to spend around $150-$300. Keep an eye on our Pour Over and Drip coffee machine segment for more information.


Pour Over VS. Drip Coffee: The Coffee Makers


Pour Over Coffee Makers

It’s better to call the Pour Over coffee maker a funnel-shaped cone. Usually, most of the Pour Over coffee makers come with just a simple cone. There are a bunch of different Pour Over coffee makers available at the market within an affordable price range.

Chemex, Hario v60, or Kalita wave could be nice examples of some popular Pour Over coffee makers. Chemex is slightly different from others as it comes with a single piece of equipment attached to a Carafe and a funnel-shaped cone.

To set up the brewer, place a paper filter on the cone and then add a certain amount of freshly ground coffee. After that, Pour some hot water into that ground coffee, and it will extract the flavor from the coffee. Of course, you have to follow the exact procedure of Pour Over coffee making in order to get superior quality coffee.

When it comes to pricing, a good quality Pour Over coffee maker is 3 or 4 times cheaper than an electric Drip coffee machine. Usually, almost all of the Pour Over coffee makers come with a compact design; therefore, you don’t have to think about your valuable countertop space.

Lastly, as Pour Over, coffee makers tend to take a longer time; hence you can get more flavorful cups of coffee. Some coffee connoisseurs think that more brewing time means more flavor extraction.


Drip Coffee Makers

Drip coffee is nothing but an automatic process of making coffee by using electrical machines. With a drip coffee machine, you don’t have to brew the coffee manually like Pour Over. The machine will automatically turn your poured water hot and let it flow through the ground coffee.

In order to begin the brewing process, you have to fill the water tank and add some freshly ground coffee to the brew basket. The machine will do the rest in delivering your final coffee. As there’s less scope to adjust brewing variables manually, you can’t control the extraction process and temperature level.

However, some folks love drip coffee machines because of their efficiency. Moreover, you can see some cutting-edge features such as programmable brewing on drip coffee machines that add a bit more convenience.

More importantly, you actually don’t need to be a highly skilled person for brewing coffee with a drip coffee machine. Because of all these user-friendly, convenient features, Drip Coffee makers have become much more popular since 1970.

If you are a busy person and looking for an option to make regular cups of coffee in no time and without much effort, you can Purchase a Drip coffee machine. For getting excellent brew output, you may need to invest more money in a nifty machine. 


Is Pour Over Really Worth It?

drip coffee vs pour over

People are practicing the Pour Over brewing method for centuries now. Because of the Third Wave of Coffee, Pour Over coffee gained lots of eyeballs as a perfect method of brewing delicious coffee.

Lots of coffee connoisseurs love Pour Over coffee as they think it’s a great way to brew evenly extracted and full-bodied, clean cups of coffee. Like the Drip Coffee machine Pour Over coffee makers don’t need electricity for brewing. It’s entirely a manual brewing process; hence you can customize any brewing aspect in order to reach your desired cups of joe.

So, why do you skip such an excellent and affordable way of brewing coffee that just needs some time and effort? We would say, “Yes, Pour Over is worth the effort.”


FAQs

  • Why is my pour-over coffee bitter?

    If you feel that your Pour Over coffee is excessively bitter, you can grind the coffee bean coarser. Excessive fine grind may taste bitter, and excessive coarse grind size may deliver a sour type taste. Also, try to reach the 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit water temperature level to get the authentic taste.

  • Is Pour Over coffee healthy?

    Yes, absolutely. As Pour Over coffee brewing uses paper or other types of filters for brewing coffee; therefore, it can omit some coffee compounds that can be the reason for high cholesterol. Thus it can reduce the chance of dying from cardiovascular disease.

  • Does coffee affect cholesterol?

    Not all coffee raises the cholesterol level. Coffee such as Pour Over uses a filter that can remove some harmful compounds from the final cups that can increase the LDL level. On the flip side, French Press or Turkish Coffee is more harmful and is responsible for raising the LDL(Bad Cholesterol).

  • What Coffee-To-Water Ratio Should You Use for Pour Over?

    You can follow the 1:16 ratio as most folks believe that this can make a good cup of coffee. But we would recommend you customize the coffee water ratio to reach your desired tasting Pour Over coffee. Keep in mind that more coffee means more flavor.

  • Does pour-over coffee have more caffeine?

    Pour Over contains a pretty large amount of caffeine. But it’s not more than French Press. Pour Over uses paper, plastic, or metal filters that can reduce some compounds that could make the coffee more strong. But because of its longer brewing process Pour Over coffee has some caffeine, which is 163 mg per 8oz.


Final Thoughts

We hope this comprehensive guide will help you to justify the debate of drip coffee vs. pour over. If you follow all the way along with us, you may know quite a bit about both types of coffee.

Finally, if you think that you need a quick and drinkable cup of coffee while you are in a rush, you can purchase a handy drip coffee machine. On the other hand, if you want to implement your brewing skill and make great coffee cups without letting them bitter or sour, you can go for the Pour Over method.

If you find this guide helpful, don’t forget to share it with your coffee lover friend and let him know about the difference between Pour Over and Drip coffee. Also, if you have any kinds of thoughts regarding this guide, feel free to share them in the comment section below. We would love to discuss more.

Enjoy Your Coffee!

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