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How to Adjust Parameters for Pour-Over Coffee and Make It Sweeter

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Many coffee enthusiasts have developed the habit of making pour-over coffee at home, but sometimes find themselves unable to replicate the café-quality flavor, leading to frustration and overthinking. In this guide, we'll share the key parameters that influence a cup of coffee. I. Coffee Beans Quality coffee beans are the foundation of a great cup of coffee. Generally, pour-over coffee uses single-origin beans, meaning beans from a single growing region,

Many coffee enthusiasts enjoy making pour-over coffee at home, but often find themselves wondering why their homemade brew doesn't quite match the quality of café coffee. This can lead to getting stuck in frustrating trial-and-error loops. In this article, we'll share the key parameters that influence the quality of a cup of coffee.

1. Coffee Beans

High-quality coffee beans are the foundation of a great cup of coffee. For pour-over coffee, single-origin beans are typically used, as they better showcase the unique flavors of their growing region. The quality of coffee beans is directly reflected in their flavor profile, defect rate, and roasting freshness. Defective beans can negatively impact the overall flavor of the coffee, so it's best to choose freshly roasted beans. Generally, the optimal flavor period for coffee beans is between 4-30 days after roasting.

Freshly roasted coffee typically requires a 4-7 day degassing period. After this period, the coffee flavors will reach their peak state, after which the flavors will gradually diminish.

2. Grind Size

Good coffee needs the appropriate grind size to fully express its potential flavors. The most common reference point for grind size is comparing it to sugar granules, which indeed provides a useful comparison. Generally, the grind size for pour-over coffee ranges from 600-800 microns, similar to the coarseness of sugar. The finer the grind, the greater the surface area of coffee exposed to water, resulting in higher extraction efficiency; conversely, coarser grinds have less surface area exposed to water, leading to lower extraction efficiency.

We recommend starting with a sugar-sized grind as a reference point, then making fine adjustments after brewing and tasting. For example, if the coffee tastes too weak, you can slightly adjust to a finer grind.

3. Water Quality

Over 98% of a cup of pour-over coffee consists of water, so water quality directly affects the quality of the final brew. The basic requirements for water quality are: TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): 150 mg/L, chlorine-free, and pH between 7-8. We recommend using filtered purified water or mineral water (you can check the label on bottled water). Generally, water with lower TDS values will dissolve more substances from the coffee.

4. Water Temperature

Water temperature directly affects coffee extraction efficiency. Higher water temperatures result in higher extraction efficiency, and vice versa. Based on our observations, water temperatures ranging from 80°C to 96°C are commonly used. Therefore, understanding the extraction principles is more meaningful than simply memorizing numbers. Different roast levels will require corresponding temperature adjustments.

For light to medium roast beans, which have denser structures and are harder to extract, higher temperatures (90°C-93°C) can be used for extraction; for medium to dark roast beans, which have more porous structures and are prone to over-extraction, lower water temperatures (86°C-89°C) can be used.

5. Water-to-Coffee Ratio

The ratio of water to coffee grounds directly affects the concentration of coffee. Currently, the most commonly used water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15. This is not an absolute rule but merely a reference point, as personal preferences vary widely. You can adjust this ratio to suit your own taste. For those who prefer richer flavors, a 1:13 ratio can be chosen; for those who prefer lighter flavors, it can be adjusted to 1:16.

6. Pouring Technique (Brewing Method)

There are many types or schools of pouring techniques (brewing methods). Taking FrontStreet Coffee's standard brewing method as an example, FrontStreet Coffee uses a three-stage pouring method: the first stage involves pouring twice the amount of water for blooming, the second stage pours six times the amount of coffee grounds in water, and the final stage pours seven times the amount of coffee grounds in water.

Regardless of the brewing method, the essence remains pouring water over the coffee grounds layer. As for how to pour, we believe that mastering a stable water stream will make your coffee brewing efforts twice as effective.

7. Time

Brewing time involves many influencing factors, such as grind size, amount of grounds, water-to-coffee ratio, filter characteristics, pouring technique, and so on. Therefore, it's impossible to give an exact time, but typically, brewing a cup of pour-over coffee (15-20g of grounds) takes approximately 1 minute 30 seconds to 3 minutes (excluding special methods like Japanese-style brewing).

Conclusion

The parameters mentioned above are intricately interconnected and complementary. Coffee bean quality and water quality are the most important factors affecting the quality of a cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, grind size, water temperature, water-to-coffee ratio, time, and pouring technique work in harmony. Finding a balance point among them that suits you is key. This is a cumulative process, and gradually, you will develop your own unique brewing method.