Pour-Over Techniques | How to Choose a Pour-Over Kettle? 7 Secrets to Selecting the Perfect Kettle

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee: Guangzhou's Roastery

A small shop but with a diverse variety of beans, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

The Art of Pour-Over Coffee

The most fascinating aspect of pour-over coffee, besides the sensory pleasure of taste, is appreciating the elegance, persistence, and professionalism displayed when a barista holds the pour-over kettle. Therefore, choosing a suitable pour-over kettle becomes particularly important. To do a good job, one must first understand their tools. So before purchasing a pour-over kettle, in addition to measuring one's own abilities and needs, one should also understand the structure of various equipment, that is, the characteristics of each pour-over kettle, to easily find the right tool for oneself. Below are seven points of my experience in selecting pour-over kettles for your reference:

Seven Key Factors for Choosing a Pour-Over Kettle

1. Appearance

Choose a color you love, and you'll feel happy just holding it. Common metal original colors include stainless steel, copper, or with added paint and enamel, which provides even more color options.

2. Heating Methods

After hot water is poured into the pour-over kettle, if the water temperature is insufficient, it needs to be reheated. Commonly used heat sources are induction cookers and gas stoves, but because each kettle has different materials, it is recommended to read the instructions carefully before purchase.

3. Material Thickness and Characteristics

This affects the heat retention and thermal conductivity of the pour-over kettle. The thicker the material, the better the heat retention, the better the thermal conductivity, and the faster the heat dissipation, but the temperature equalization speed between the kettle body and spout will also be better.

4. Kettle Body

Pour-over kettles mostly have a shape that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The width-to-narrowness ratio of the kettle body will directly affect water pressure and stability.

5. Spout Curvature

Each time the water passes through a turn when pouring, it reduces the pouring force and makes the water flow smoother. The kettle body and spout curvature often complement each other. For example, the KALITA narrow-mouth stainless steel kettle (700ml) has a tall and slender body. To reduce the pouring force, the spout is designed with a nearly 90-degree double curve; while another KALITA palace narrow-mouth kettle (900ml), due to its short and stout body, has a relatively gentler spout curve angle.

6. Spout Inner Diameter

Divided into narrow-mouth and wide-mouth, this affects water flow rate, stability, and pouring force.

7. Spout Opening

Divided into flat-cut and crane-style.

★ Narrow-mouth kettles are all flat-cut, with flow rate easy to control, more suitable for beginners to choose, but they also limit changes in pouring techniques. For example: KALITA narrow-mouth stainless steel kettle (700ml)

☆ Crane-style narrow-mouth has good flow control, and pouring techniques can vary more, but it still requires practice to master. For example: Moon Rabbit Mark pour-over kettle (700ml)

★ Wide-mouth flat-cut has large and smooth water flow, but small water flow requires more practice, making it difficult for beginners to control. For example: Moon Rabbit Mark Noda enamel pour-over kettle

☆ Crane-style wide-mouth has large and concentrated flow, suitable for large-flow brewing methods. For example: KALITA big-bird pour-over kettle.

Popular Pour-Over Kettles

HARIO Long-Spout Cloud Kettle 1L/1.2L

Reference price: (depending on kettle size) 220-400

Practicality: Known as the most widely used pour-over kettle in cafes, lightweight feel with completely cool handle, the cloud kettle's cute design makes the handle feel like an extension of your hand

Material: Stainless steel

Recommended pour-over method: Fast pour

Barista experience: The water flow is relatively coarse, and controlling fine water flow requires skill. V60 is the company's best-selling pour-over coffee maker. Using the highest quality metal, glass, and ceramics can complement the modern yet simple design of the V60. The large-diameter design allows coffee to expand more space when hot water is added for extraction. The V60 pour-over coffee set includes the V60 dripper, measuring spoon, filter paper, and microwaveable coffee pot, most suitable as a gift for coffee enthusiasts or for personal use.

Bonavita Goose-Neck Narrow-Mouth Wooden Handle Pour-Over Kettle

Reference price: 268-288

Practicality: Can be used on induction cookers, effectively controls water flow speed, flow rate, and direction, with smooth kettle lines and comfortable feel, elegant and beautiful appearance

Material: Stainless steel

Recommended pour-over method: Slow pour

Barista experience: The water flow is gentle, and even beginners can control it well. Generally speaking, it's very user-friendly. Beginners are suitable for narrow-mouth kettles (inner diameter above 6mm). The professional goose-neck style fine-point spout design more effectively controls water flow speed, with moderate flow rate.

HARIO Copper Pour-Over Coffee Kettle

Reference price: Old version discontinued, 800-900

Practicality: This kettle's spout curve angle can move up and down without changing the center position. Copper has better thermal conductivity and even heat dissipation, with an elegant shape. The discontinued old version has collectible value.

Material: Copper (new version has heat-resistant handle)

Recommended pour-over method: Basically suitable for all methods

Barista experience: Water flow is somewhat difficult to control, handle gets hot, but after practice, large and small water flows can be switched at will, making it easy to handle. With good control, the water flow can be very fine, very suitable for Japanese pour-over style.

Melitta Pour-Over Kettle

Melitta pour-over coffee makers have a long history and are also market leaders. Coffee lovers worldwide agree that pour-over coffee is the best and most convenient way to make coffee. Melitta's trendy design allows users to easily and conveniently make a cup of rich coffee, enjoying the most authentic taste of coffee.

Reference price: Around 400

Practicality: Although the large kettle body appears somewhat bulky, it benefits from the high, upward-curving crane-beak design, providing excellent water flow control.

Material: Stainless steel

Recommended pour-over method: Slow-percolation brewing method

Barista experience: The Kalita 1.3L large-mouth spout ensures sufficient water flow force when brewing coffee for multiple servings, increasing the agitation of the coffee grounds and easily creating strong brewing convection, thus achieving more complete extraction. The solid wood handle also provides a very comfortable grip with excellent feel. Personally, I find it a very user-friendly kettle with large capacity, recommended for commercial use.

Kalita Elephant Trunk Pour-Over Kettle

Reference price: 800-900

Practicality: Copper has better thermal conductivity and even heat dissipation, with an elegant shape, giving a sense of stability and sturdiness in appearance. It makes the user also exude a sense of sophistication.

Material: Copper

Recommended pour-over method: Japanese pour-over

Barista experience: The Kalita 1L kettle neck doesn't rise smoothly but forms a triangular streamline from the kettle body to the spout tip, gradually gathering and increasing curvature, thereby limiting the water flow speed. The pouring force is much gentler compared to its bold appearance.

The Wave series has injected new vitality into the traditional pour-over coffee world worldwide. The Wave series is available in two sizes and three materials (ceramics only available for large size). Wave has a unique flat-bottom design that reduces the distance between the dripper and coffee pot during coffee extraction.

Reference price: 450

Practicality: The entire kettle has a wave-like design appearance. The handle can be firmly gripped between the fingers, making operation very stable.

Material: Stainless steel

Recommended pour-over method: Suitable for slow-percolation brewing method.

Barista experience: The Kalita 1L kettle neck doesn't rise smoothly but forms a triangular streamline from the kettle body to the spout tip, gradually gathering and increasing curvature, thereby limiting the water flow speed. The pouring force is much gentler compared to its bold appearance.

Types of Pour-Over Kettles

Except for a few extreme pour-over kettles with large spouts, the kettles on the market today generally fall into these categories:

1. Narrow-mouth kettle (inner diameter 4-5mm)

Representative: Kalita POT 900 copper kettle. Due to the thin and long spout, even if the hand shakes or the kettle is tilted, the water flow can be fine and relatively stable; but it also causes the water flow to have strong impact force when increasing water volume.

2. Narrow-mouth kettle (inner diameter above 6mm)

Representative: Bonavita temperature-controlled pour-over kettle, Bonavita pour-over kettle. Imported from the UK Strix temperature control system, precisely controls water temperature with plus or minus 1 degree Celsius. Professional goose-neck style fine-point spout design more effectively controls water flow speed, flow rate, and direction. The base has temperature adjustment, heat preservation, and memory functions.

3. Flattened wide-mouth spout

Representative: Enamel porcelain. The advantage is that large water column flow is smooth, and the control over water flow thickness is higher, but it's not easy to control thin water columns. If the tilt angle is not well controlled, water can easily pour out all at once.

4. Wide-mouth crane spout

Representative: Taguchi Mamoru coffee master pour-over kettle. The pouring force is much gentler compared to its bold appearance, suitable for slow-percolation brewing method.

5. Big-bird style

Representative: Kalita coffee expert enamel kettle.

The feeling when using it is similar to pointed crane spouts, but can inject larger water columns. The characteristic is that the water application range is wider, and different degrees of water output can be used when brewing coffee grounds of different sizes. However, if not controlled properly, it can easily cause unstable water flow thickness, requiring higher brewing skills from the user.

The enamel kettle has a large spout opening, with a thick and low neck, close to the kettle body, unable to effectively limit water flow speed. With slight carelessness during use, water can pour out or cause interruption. Water control is more difficult compared to regular kettles.

TAKAHIRO

TAKAHIRO, commonly known as the "cheating kettle," originates from Japan. Its water output is extremely stable, hence the name that suggests even beginners can achieve stable water flow as if cheating. Pour-over techniques are generally divided into fast pour and slow pour. Fast pour usually completes the entire process including bloom within 2 minutes, while slow pour generally takes more than 3 minutes. In terms of pouring techniques, there are continuous steady pouring and drip pouring. Both steady and drip pouring require high water control ability, and new kettles are more adept at controlling water flow, making it easy even for beginners.

Many coffee professionals recommend this pour-over kettle, which makes me eager to introduce it to everyone, not only because of its beautiful appearance but also because it received rave reviews as soon as it was launched. Its origin story is simple - it was born from a customer's comment: "Isn't there finer hot water for brewing coffee?" This ultra-narrow-mouth pour-over kettle was unexpectedly created, elegant and noble, truly a tabletop weapon.

TAKAHIRO comes in many colors and textures, but the most famous is the black matte model. Because it's so popular, many sellers say it's out of stock eight seasons a year.

Puppy Mark

Puppy Mark, with heat-resistant resin inside the handle to prevent burns, has a uniquely shaped spout and is a very popular style in Japan. The Puppy Mark series was established in 1951, made of 18-8 stainless steel with a certain thickness, giving it a substantial feel in hand. It's also a hot-selling model that works well as a tea kettle.

Common Puppy Mark kettles include one-person, two-person, and five-person kettles, as well as matching sugar bowls and creamers, widely used in some cafes and restaurants in Japan, adding a beautiful touch to the dining table.

Aizawa Workshop

Actually a tea kettle, but some people use it as a pour-over kettle. It's a common item on the tables of too many foodies and experts. Aizawa Workshop was established in 1922 and is a time-honored brand making metal tableware. Since its establishment, it has adhered to a production process that combines machinery and handcrafting, flexibly launching many practical and beautiful products according to users' needs. Besides kettles, Aizawa Workshop is also famous for its copper cutlery.

Conclusion

There are many types of pour-over kettles to choose from, but you should still choose the right pour-over kettle based on your preferred method. There's no absolute best, only what's more suitable for you!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473