Pour Over Curious? Start Here
You might have heard someone rave about the taste of pour over coffee. Maybe you've tasted one at a café and wanted to try making one at home. Then you saw the price of a temperature-controlled gooseneck kettle and the YouTube videos about blooming and pour technique and decided it wasn't for you (yet).
At the Stillwater Coffee Club, we were in your shoes once: "pour over curious" but not ready to dive into all the gear and technique. Then we found the Hario Switch.
Pour Over Without the Pour Over Problems
The Switch has a simple switch at the bottom that converts it from an immersion dripper (we'll get into what this means) to a pour over. Close the switch and water stays with the coffee until you decide to drain it. Open the switch and the water flows through it like traditional pour over.
Most people start using the Switch with the switch closed (the "immersion method"). If you've used a French press, you already understand the concept: coffee and water sit together, then you separate them. It's easier, more forgiving, and you can use any kettle you already own to make it happen.
Start Simple, Stay Simple (Or Don't)
Here's how most Switch users begin:
- Put a filter in the Switch, place on your mug
- Add ground coffee
- Close the switch
- Pour hot water over the grounds
- Wait 2-3 minutes
- Open the switch and let it drain
This method makes clean, bright coffee that's better than most cafés. The paper filter removes the oils and particles that can make French press coffee taste muddy, and the shorter contact time prevents bitterness. You don't need perfect timing, spiral pours, or expensive kettles. Just hot water and patience.
Many people stick with this method forever. It's that good.
The Pour Over Option is Always There
But if you get curious about traditional pour over, the Switch lets you experiment. You can try opening the switch partway through brewing for a hybrid approach. Or keep it open the whole time and practice your pouring technique.
The difference is that you're not starting from scratch. You already know the coffee tastes good, so you can focus on technique without worrying about wasting beans on bad cups.
What You Actually Need
Unlike traditional pour over setups, the Switch doesn't require much:
- The Hario Switch
- Paper filters
- Hot water
- A grinder (which you need for any good coffee method)
- Ground Coffee (About two tablespoons per cup - feel free to mess around with the amount and coarseness to get the flavour you want)
No gooseneck kettle. No scale if you don't want one. No complicated timing. Just the basics.
Perfect for Pour Over Curious
The Switch gives you permission to be interested in pour over without committing to the full gear setup or learning curve. Start with immersion brewing and make great coffee immediately. Explore pour over technique if and when you want to.
It's pour over for people who aren't sure they want to be pour over people yet. And that's exactly the right place to start.