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Pour-Over Coffee Extraction Time Calculation: How Long Before Your Coffee Becomes a Souless Beverage

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Pour-Over Coffee Times: 15-20g of coffee grounds requires 2-2 minutes 30 seconds; 21-25g requires 2 minutes 30 seconds-3 minutes; 26-30g requires 3-3 minutes 40 seconds. The longer the brewing time, the higher the concentration, but many pour-over enthusiasts have no concept of time, boldly using large amounts of water.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee - Guide to Pour-Over Coffee Timing

15-20g of coffee grounds: brewing time 2-2.5 minutes

21-25g of coffee grounds: brewing time 2.5-3 minutes

26-30g of coffee grounds: brewing time 3-3.5 minutes

The longer the brewing time, the higher the concentration. However, many pour-over enthusiasts ignore timing considerations, boldly using large water flow to complete a cup in less than a minute. Such pour-over coffee lacks delicate flavor profiles, tasting weak and lifeless with unbalanced flavors and even sharp acidity. This is caused by under-extraction, where many coffee essence compounds remain in the grounds. Conversely, if the grind is too fine, flow is restricted, extraction time becomes too long, and over-extraction easily occurs, producing coffee that is bitter and harsh on the throat. Pour-over coffee brewed too briefly cannot extract sufficient aromatic and flavor compounds, resulting in watery taste. Pour-over coffee brewed too long extracts too many high-molecular-weight compounds that create harsh mouthfeel, resulting in excessive bitterness.

Pour-Over Coffee Must Exceed 2 Minutes

The duration of pour-over brewing should be guided by roast level and coffee ground quantity. With normal grind size, pour-over brewing of 15-20g of coffee should ideally be timed from the pre-infusion stage - meaning including pre-infusion time, total brewing time should be between 2-2.5 minutes. Lighter roasts or larger quantities should approach 2.5 minutes, while darker roasts or smaller quantities should move toward 2 minutes. If below the 2-minute minimum, coffee will taste weak and lose its lively character. If exceeding 2.5 minutes, bitterness and harshness increase.

For pour-over brewing of 21-25g of coffee, pre-infusion plus extraction time should ideally be between 2.5-3 minutes. Lighter roasts or larger quantities should approach 3 minutes, while darker roasts or smaller quantities should move toward 2.5 minutes.

For pour-over brewing of 26-30g of coffee, pre-infusion plus extraction time should ideally be between 3-3.5 minutes. Lighter roasts or larger quantities should approach 3.5 minutes or even 4 minutes, while darker roasts or smaller quantities should move toward 3 minutes.

For Japanese-style pour-over, coffee grounds should ideally not exceed 30g to avoid too thick a coffee bed, which prolongs extraction time and causes excessive temperature drop in the pouring kettle, increasing extraction instability. Coffee grounds for pour-over should ideally not be below 15g for easier handling.

Fine Spout for Slow Pouring, Wide Spout for Fast Pouring

Japanese-style pour-over mostly uses light to medium roasts up to medium-dark roasts, with 15-30g of grounds being most common, so pour-over times typically range between 2-4 minutes. The spout diameter of the pouring kettle affects pouring speed. Kalita pouring kettles have narrow spouts with finer water streams, making flow control easier and popular among beginners. However, this doesn't mean wide-spout kettles are inferior. With diligent practice, wide-spout kettles can also be mastered for alternating between small and large water flows during pour-over, offering more challenge. Coffee professionals seem to prefer wide-spout kettles for their greater versatility and creative freedom.

Knowledge Point

Pour-over coffee has strong adaptability - dark-roasted espresso blends can also be used for pour-over. However, to truly experience the charm of pour-over coffee, we recommend selecting specialty beans with cupping scores above 80 points.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation because we want more friends to fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee activities every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices - this has been our mission for the past 6 years!