The pourover method is being used to great success, exploiting the characteristics of single origin coffees - there are SO many fantastic single origins - microlots - specific farms - areas - microclimates, that there has been an explosion of fascinating coffee aspects to explore in single origins! Many roasters will specify the extraction temperature, or will engineer the roast around an ideal target temperature, so for brewing temps you do have that point to start with (of course, your mileage may vary!)

As far as grind, the baristas that we have spoken with specify a very fine, but not quite espresso grind. Like in espresso, grinding slightly coarser results in a slightly faster drip process, and finer will result in a slower process, so manipulating the grind fineness is one factor in changing the process, and therefore the taste in the cup.

The coffee dose recommended to us, and that we generally use, is 2.2 grams per 1 fluid ounce of desired coffee volume in the cup - to make a 6 ounce cup of coffee, it's about 7 grams (about 1 standard coffee measure, or 1 Tablespoon - you may want to use a scale at first).

That brings us to technique...we have been taught the pourover method by Kasey Klimes, of PT's Coffee (thanks Kasey & Pt's Coffee!), and his method has worked very well for us:

First wet & rinse the filter paper in the cone with extraction temp water. Add the appropriate amount of coffee for the desired cup, make a small crater in the center of the dry coffee grounds. Using a dripper kettle, with small diameter, long spout, add extraction temp water to the center of the crater, carefully working the stream in a small circle for the pre-infusion, and bloom of the coffee grounds - careful not to wash the grounds down the sides of the cone, add water to the center. Ideally, if ground properly, there will be little coffee dripping through the filter at this point - you want just enough water to fill, but not push through the grounds. This preinfusion stage lasts about 30 seconds or so.

The extraction stage involves extraction temperature water, poured into the dripper cone, carefully, in a slow, controlled fashion, into the center of the pre-infused coffee, adding water in a gentle, circular fashion, until the top of the extraction mixture in the cone, is near the top of the filter edge - careful not to add more than the filter will hold! Water should be added at the same rate that the water is dripping out of the cone - small stream in, small stream out, or dribble in, dribble out - one drip in, one drip out.... The pour over kettle, while not absolutely necessary, is an excellent tool for maintaining absolute control of the water stream - depending on your grind, may be an extremely slow, and fine stream (difficult to do with a standard short, large diameter spouted water kettle). When your target volume in the cup has been reached, the cup is removed - that is the END of your extraction, pull the cup, even though the filter cone will still be full of extraction mixture - that is waste & will be over extracted, and should be discarded. Time to drink the coffee!

You can see the definite parallels between the espresso technique, and the pourover. The speed of dripping, and extraction, can be controlled by changing the grind, and by adding more, or less water in the filter cone, if the water level is higher in the cone, a greater hydraulic pressure will push the fluid through the filter, a lower water height in the cone will exert less hydraulic pressure, leading to a slightly slower extraction rate. The technique is important, but is not difficult. Also similar to espresso preparation is 'pulling the cup' - in espresso preparation, the end of extraction is noted by the blonding of the stream, and the over extracted parts are left behind, not caught in the cup, and not consumed. It is the same with dripper coffee - you catch the best parts, and leave the nasty bits behind in the cone.

We designed the oneDRIP as a single station dripper, we are aware that there are multistations available for commercial use, and wanted the same convenience available in our kitchen, at home. One can become frustrated with dripper coffee because when using the cone on the cup, you can't see the extraction rate, and juggling the cone from cup to cup, you dribble, overflow, make a mess, overflow your 6 ounce cup with 7 ounces, stop extractions too soon - it can become a less than satisfying experience! So, our oneDRIP stand keeps the filter cone level well above the cup, or carafe, and enables the flow rate to be easily monitored - just like it is done in the professional setting. The oneDRIP is compact, and creates a centralized unit for making your cup of coffee, rather than having your gear scattered all over the counter tops in the kitchen. Central to this brewing method is pulling the cup when the extraction hits the proper volume - for us, that meant that a drip tray was important in the design - it allows the rinsing of the filter in the first stage of coffee preparation, with the water dripping directly into the drip tray, and to pull the cup at the right moment, when the extraction is complete. The waste can be caught in the carafe, or in the drip tray.

We designed the oneDRIP around 3 of the top drip cone systems - the Beehouse Dripper (either size will fit), the Hario V60, either with the plastic base, or without, and the Melitta flat bottom dripper cone. We're sure it will fit others, but we have not tried them.

The bottom ceramic plate of the Beehouse Dripper cone has bumps that sit inside a cup or teapot, and that is one of the reasons the oneDRIP has bumpers on the top of the oneDRIP stand - to accommodate those bumps, and to reduce grating, scratching & general banging about. The Hario V60 glass cone can be used without the plastic base, as it will rest against the bumpers, and not against the metal oneDRIP stand.

The thin 'waist' of the back of the oneDRIP stand gives a convenient grip point when moving the stand, or rinsing it. The rubber feet will protect both your counter, and the dripper.

Some of the considerations have to do with aesthetics, some durability, and maintenance, but most were to make the oneDRIP useful within the parameters of pourover coffee! We hope it works for you as well as it does for us!