This Simple Pouring Technique Makes Coffee Taste Less Bitter

When you start to dive into the nitty-gritty of coffee brewing, you’ll soon learn that the small details matter. This is especially true when making a simple pour-over coffee. If you use the same beans at the same grind size and use the same weight of coffee, but add 10 more grams of water to one of your brews, the difference in taste will be striking. 

Ten grams of water is about 10 milliliters — practically nothing to the naked eye — but when you’re trying to get that perfect pour, a tiny misstep can make all the difference. So, too, can the way you pour water over grounds for a pour-over. There’s a reason baristas use a gooseneck kettle to make a pour-over; it offers far more control than a typical electric kettle, and where and how the water hits the grounds matters. 

To that end, it’s possible to make your pour-over taste slightly sweeter (and less bitter) without adding anything sweet: Pour directly into the center of the grounds. We consulted Heidi Rasmussen, director of UDC education, quality & sustainability for illycaffè North America, who gave us professional insight into this simple brewing trick.

The center pour-over method

“The physics support center pouring for sweeter coffee,” says Rasmussen, referencing studies on how water flow rate and pouring height affect a coffee’s tasting notes. Though there haven’t yet been any peer-reviewed studies published to this effect, she says that the evidence is “all empirical but very strong.” 

Rasmussen has conducted her own testing, and her results support this center-pour theory. Her test, using Illy’s Regenerative Brazil Drip grind, compared brews made with both a center pour and a wider pour. She says the results were unmistakable: “The center pour was sweeter and a bit lighter in body.”

The science behind the technique

What is it about a center pour that yields a sweeter profile? “By concentrating the pour in the center, the wet grounds stabilize and produce a more even extraction of sugars and aromas,” says Rasmussen.

This doesn’t mean you should always avoid pouring along the filter. While a center pour produces a sweeter cup, that’s not to say that it produces the “better” cup — after all, taste is subjective, and some coffee drinkers may not want that sweetness to be more pronounced. There are other advantages to a standard edge pour. “[An edge pour] can help avoid some channeling of the water,” Rasmussen says. If you do want to continue pouring close to the edge of the filter, she suggests using a flat-bottomed filter. 

Brew tips to produce sweeter (less bitter) cups

In this step-by-step guide, Rasmussen shares what it takes to produce a well-balanced pour-over coffee, with a touch of sweetness. The recipe below yields about one-half liter (500 grams, or 16 ounces). You’ll want to heat your water to 200°F and use 25 grams of coffee at a medium-fine grind.

• Bloom the coffee (pre-wet the grounds) slowly, pouring 40 to 50 milliliters of water (about 2 ounces) with a gooseneck kettle. Let the coffee sit for 30 to 40 seconds.
• Start the pour slowly in a tight circular motion in the center to avoid excess turbulence. Keep the pour steady and maintain the water level in the dripper so the water travels smoothly through the coffee.
• When the pour is finished, let the coffee draw down completely before serving.
• Brew for about 3 1/2 minutes.

Regardless of the brewing method, to get a sweeter cup, Rasmussen recommends using water between 195°F and 200°F, saying that “water above 200°F extracts harsh flavors quickly.”

A higher water-to-coffee ratio and a shorter brew time will help mitigate astringency in your cup, and you always want to use fresh beans; Rasmussen says that, as beans get stale, they get more bitter. To optimize your chances of getting a well-rounded cup, she advises always choosing a medium roast. Darker roasts will emphasize coffee’s bitter notes, while lighter roasts can lean more acidic. 

As always, when it comes to coffee, personal preference is everything. If your pours have been too dry, acidic, or bitter, these brewing tips may help — even something as simple as switching to a center pour can make all the difference.