Which one suits your #perkonality?
Who loves a beautiful hand poured filter coffee? Pour over style coffee is one of the favourites of coffee aficionados everywhere. Why? Because it puts control over your brew back into your own hands! From pour style to ground size to temperature, everything can be adjusted so you get that perfect cup – one that suits how you love to drink your coffee. The best part is that it’s so simple, the coffee dripper does most of the work while you fine tune the variables of coffee origins, grind size, water temperature and ratio. Even better is that there is a myriad of coffee drippers for you to pick from.
So what exactly is a pour over coffee
Pour over coffee, also called filter coffee, is a method of brewing coffee by manually pouring hot water over ground coffee in a filter. While some baristas make it an art form, perhaps even a scientific process, the rest of us are really just after a good brew. The pour over makes it simple for a beginner and also an experienced pourer. The key is not to be afraid of experimenting in order to get your perfect coffee.
Why switch to pour over coffee?
The ritual of making pour over coffee creates that moment of bliss. Close your eyes and savour the rich aroma that fills the air. You’re directly in tune with how your coffee is being made and many brewers relish the process. From grinding, pouring, weighing, watching the coffee bloom, breathing in that fresh aroma and finally taking a sip of their hand-poured coffee. A pour over coffee is the ultimate in coffee drinking pleasure.
It also suits the brewer who just wants a good cup of coffee without the scientific process and fuss behind it… All you really need to do is fill the filter with ground coffee and pour over hot water. Anyone can do it!
The birth of pour over coffee
The pour over was discovered by Melitta Bentz, a German woman dissatisfied with the taste and mess of percolator coffee. She started to prototype alternative brewing methods in the 1900s. Even while she was experimenting with alternatives, the actual discovery was made in the simplest of ways. One day, she decided to use a scrap of her sons blotting paper, set it over an old tin pot with holes punched through it, filled it with coffee grounds and poured hot water through. The result was the start of what we know as the pour over coffee.
The team at Perk are huge fans of pour over coffee and while we all have our own techniques, we’re after the same thing… perfecting our brew for what we each individually love.
If you are new to the world of pour over coffee, you’ll soon notice that pour over coffee is done with a coffee dripper and hot water. These all-important tools for pour overs come in a myriad of shapes and sizes, each with their own benefits and highlights. If you’re trying to navigate the world of pour overs, it might be a bit scary to find the coffee dripper you like. Allow us to reveal our top 3 favourite coffee drippers of all time – there just may be one to suit your #perkonality!
Which dripper suits your personality?
Everyone in our team has a personal favourite and we’ve come to realise that it actually relates very closely to one’s personality. While there are countless coffee drippers on the market, the team at Perk have their firm favourites. Check out the following insights on our favourite drippers.
Hario V60
The Hario V60, a staple in every brewer’s range of brew gear. While it’s the go-to for many experienced coffee brewers, it also suits a beginner because of its ease of use. The V60 allows any brewer the chance to experiment with their brew style, from pour technique, water temperatures and types of coffee.
What’s to love about it? From team Perk, Paul says:
“I like that I can brew my cup of coffee the way I like it. One day I may want a strong cup, the next day, I may feel like a light brew. The V60 is really simple in its form and function so it’s easy to use for anyone. It brews a bright, clean cup of coffee. For the beginner, it’s a great starting point. For an experienced brewer, it’s a great way to play with how you like your brew. And for a guy with 1,000 things to do all the time, this is by far the easiest to clean up.”
Key highlights:
- Comes in three different types of materials (ceramic, copper, plastic)
- Signature conical shape – allows for the direct flow of liquid through the coffee
- Sleek and well-designed
- Produces a clean cup of coffee
- Easy cleanup – just throw away the paper filter and rinse your gear!
- Easy to control the pour and brew by varying your technique
- With a single large hole in the centre, it allows for more water to come into contact with the coffee grounds, extracting more of the delightful and nuanced flavours from the same.
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MICRO DRIPPERS (ONLY IN MALAYSIA)
Portable, sleek looking and oh so easy to take anywhere! Micro drippers are the simplest in form and function. There is no need for filters, just add ground coffee and pour water over for a bold cup of coffee. Great for travellers and people who enjoy outdoor activities without compromising on quality coffee.
What’s to love about it? From team Perk, Wan Yen says:
“The micro dripper suits my lifestyle, always being on the go. I can pop it into my handbag easily, take it on trips – I love the River’s one as the silicone holder is detachable from the filter so I stuff it inside a tumbler if I need another cup during the day (don’t we all!). It’s also quick and simple to use so I can make myself an excellent cup of coffee even while the kids are distracting me and I have so many things to do.”
Key highlights:
- Two options: Stainless steel (Rivers Micro Dripper) or gold mesh filter (Cores Single Cup)
- Portable
- Easy to clean
- In-built filters ensure coffee with a bolder flavour
- Rivers silicone holder can be detached so the filter can be stored inside any travel cups
- Silicone holder allows it to fit in almost all sort of cups (we tried!)
- Contact points to the filter are kept to a minimum, this helps to achieve smooth extraction
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*Does not require filter paper
ORIGAMI
New to the Perk Brew Gear, the pretty Origami Dripper that comes in 9 bright colours. Brewers with an eye for aesthetics will fall in love with this! Not only does the Origami Dripper brew an amazing cup of coffee, but it’s also made of high-quality ceramic and comes with a smooth wooden ring to set the dripper on top of. It’s beautiful, fuss-free and simple to use!
What’s to like about it? From team Perk, Angela says:
“I’m in love with how it looks – quality made ceramic (I choose the turquoise one) and a beautiful, real wooden ring that you set the dripper on! Of course, it also brews a great cup of coffee. Having used a V60 for years, this was equally easy and produces a beautiful clean cup of coffee. I also enjoy the compliments I get from my friends while I brew. They think it’s gorgeous.”
Key highlights:
- Aesthetically beautiful – designed without a handle for a clean, minimalistic look
- Comes in 9 bright, cheerful colours
- Carefully crafted and well designed to fit most cups or jugs
- 20 creases in the porcelain ensure smooth passage of hot water that is stabilised to perfectly extract coffee flavours.
- Compatible with V60 and Kalita Wave filters (in case you run out of either!)
- Unique design that gives you full control over the flow rate
- Designed with a separate ceramic dripper and wooden ring to place the dripper on when brewing (Convenient!)
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Use it with the Kalita Wave filter or the V60 filter
There are many factors involved in choosing the right dripper – even within the Perk team, we have our favourites. Once you are in the world of pour over coffee, trust us, it’s difficult to step out again! We encourage you to explore and find out what suits you best. Feel free to ask us if you have any questions and if you have any tips and techniques to share, please do. We are always keen to know more ourselves.
Other Resources:
How to Make the Best Pour Over Coffee Like a Pro
The Perfect Pour Over Coffee Maker For Your Everyday – Ratio Eight