Why does pour over coffee taste so much better than drip when it's basically the same concept?

[slackerinabox]

So my unintentional experiment of the week was with a cheap coffee maker- my expensive calphalon coffeemaker died and the rma's on its way, but we needed coffee stat. Bought a cheap $20 black and decker and the cup this morning was absolutely dreadful. It taste burnt but the damn thing doesn't even have a hot plate. Annoyed, I disassembled the thing to make basically a pour over filter holder (using the coffee maker just to heat the water). AMAZINGLY different results, same beans same parts just reconfigured.

My question is, isn't drip coffee technically the same process (hot water dispersed on beans, filtered downward)? What is it about the pour over process that makes it so much better tasting? Is it the fact that it's slower? Would turning off the machine throughout the process (allowing the grounds to bloom) replicate that? couldn't coffee maker manufacturer's emulate this process (mostly the stirring of the grounds and the slower pace) to make a dope drip coffee maker? Hmmm. I obviously have a lot of free time on my hands.


Moved from P&N

AT Moderator ElFenix

 

[GoodRevrnd]

All sorts of more attention to detail in pourover... temp, volume, flow rate, etc.

couldn't coffee maker manufacturer's emulate this process (mostly the stirring of the grounds and the slower pace) to make a dope drip coffee maker?

I think Moccamasters get close.

 

[interchange]

First, wrong forum.

For 1, temperature matters as not to scald the coffee. That can be controlled with pour over brewing.

Otherwise, pour over is hand-controlled brewing. Controlling the amount of time the grounds are in contact with the water will allow you to control what gets extracted from the beans. You can maximize extraction of the yummy oils that will get missed from brewing too fast and minimize extraction of the bitter compounds that you might get from, e.g. a French press, where coffee grounds get saturated instead of controlled pours.

But pour over is a technique. You might get good results from luck, but it's not inherently any better than another method except for the control. Personally I've hated some pour overs because the technique used wasn't good for the beans used. They need to match up or you could get really unbalanced coffee.

 

[IronWing]

Moved from P&N

AT Moderator ElFenix

Bet you it ain't.

 

[pauldun170]

A cheapo $4 or homemade pour over funnel.
Boil some water.
Wait for about the amount of time it takes to toss some coffee grounds and filter ( if you don't have one with built in strainer) in the funnel. Bout 25-45 seconds.
Pour the water
Done

Some of the best coffee I've had is on campouts where that's all we do.

 

[zinfamous]

I don't see why it can't be done by what would probably be a rather expensive machine.

Zaijuishi or whatever they're called make great water pitchers that are excellent at precise temperature control. Pair that kind of water control with a dispenser that controls water distribution over the grounds, maybe with some sort of spinning disk bored so that water is added in a rotating fashion, and timed on/off for the initial bloom, then for the pour over. ...I'm sure it can be done.

Problem is that this thing would be really expensive, and would involve a lot of maintenance. Maybe not much more than most high-end brewers, but maintenence none-the-less, which doesn't really exist in something like a cheap pour-over device or even an Aeropress, which honestly gets you about 90% there wrg to taste.

 

[hal2kilo]

A cheapo $4 or homemade pour over funnel.
Boil some water.
Wait for about the amount of time it takes to toss some coffee grounds and filter ( if you don't have one with built in strainer) in the funnel. Bout 25-45 seconds.
Pour the water
Done

Some of the best coffee I've had is on campouts where that's all we do.

Melida makes them. Used them on camping trips 40 years ago. It uses #1s. Nice backup.

 

[Captante]

I have to say that the price of the coffee maker by itself doesn't tell you a lot. I've had $150 coffee makers that were meh at best and as a perfect example right now I'm using a $20 Hamilton Beach which actually does a surprisingly great job provided you kill the heat-plate right after brewing.

 

[lxskllr]

I've been using a pourover for awhile now cause my electropercs all failed, and I've gotta wonder, what the hell's the point of an autodrip anyway? They're exponentially more expensive, and only infinitesimally easier than pouring water over grounds, and I never have to wonder "Did I turn the coffee maker off??".

 

[sdifox]

Pouring gives better control of where water goes. Drip coffee maker have set water pattern.

 

[Denly]

The best coffee maker I have had was a $10 single cup, basically a tiny coffee maker with reusable filter and a travel mug. I had a few but each only last about a yr or 2 and they make great coffee. Now I settle with a press, cheap, proof and zero waste.

 

[KB]

Did you first run the coffee maker once or twice with water only. I usually do that to clean it and get rid of the first run plasticy taste.

 

[skyking]

A cheapo $4 or homemade pour over funnel.
Boil some water.
Wait for about the amount of time it takes to toss some coffee grounds and filter ( if you don't have one with built in strainer) in the funnel. Bout 25-45 seconds.
Pour the water
Done

Some of the best coffee I've had is on campouts where that's all we do.

I have a stainless french press in the RV to replace the glass one that shattered, and it sits in the cabinet and I use the plastic #2 filter holder.

 

[sandorski]

It is possible that what you are tasting is Plastic or some other thing from having a New Coffee Maker. That said, I'll never use anything other than a French Press again.

 

[db]

A lot of things matter, including the size and consistency of size of the grinds, the water temperature, how long the water is in contact with the grinds, what the filter is made of, etc. If all of those things is predetermined for you, you get what you get. OTOH, when you have control of those things, you can make pretty good coffee.