Pour-over coffee too sour? Here is what to change

If your pour-over tastes sour, grind finer first. Then raise the water temperature toward 205 F (96 C), and slow the pour so the total brew time lands near three minutes. Change one thing at a time. Sourness usually means the water pulled too little out of the coffee, so every fix below pushes toward more extraction.

Why does pour-over taste sour?

Sour is the taste of coffee that is under-extracted. The bright acids come out of the grounds early, and the sweeter, rounder flavors come later. If the water leaves too soon, you taste only the early part. For the general explanation, see why does my coffee taste sour. This post is about the V60 and Kalita Wave steps that fix it.

What should I change, and in what order?

Try these in order. Brew once after each change and taste before moving on.

A starting recipe for one big mug: 20 g of coffee and 320 g of water. Bloom with 50 g for 30 to 40 seconds, then pour the rest in slow circles. If the water runs through in under two minutes, the grind is too coarse. That is the most common cause.

Does it matter whether I use a V60 or a Kalita Wave?

A little. A V60 has a single large hole and a cone shape, so the grind and your pour control the flow. If you rush, it runs fast and sour. A Kalita Wave has a flat bed and three small holes, which slows the drain and is more forgiving of an uneven pour. If you keep getting sour cups on a V60, slow down your pour or try the Kalita.

The reverse problem has its own fix. If the cup swings the other way, read pour-over coffee too bitter. If it is just thin, read pour-over coffee too weak.

Which of our coffees is the most forgiving in a pour-over?

We would start with No. 1 Common Sense. The label says medium roast, fully washed, with notes of cocoa, red apple and brown sugar. We make no claim that it cannot taste sour, because any coffee can if it is under-extracted. It is simply the one we would learn on, because the label notes lean toward chocolate and sweetness and not toward bright fruit.

No. 6 Hegemony (medium roast, cocoa, smooth) is a second good choice for practice. Our post on who No. 6 Hegemony is for explains what the label tells us. Coffees whose notes lean to citrus or florals, such as No. 4 Conjuncture, will show a sour cup more clearly when you under-extract. That is useful once your technique is steady, and less so while you learn.

If you want it ground for a V60, tell us in the order. If you grind at home, the grind notch you land on for this coffee is a handy reference for the next bag. You can see every bag on our coffee page.

What if the cup is still sour after all five changes?

Check the basics. Rinse the paper filter so it does not add a papery taste that people sometimes mistake for sourness. Weigh the coffee and the water instead of using scoops, because a heaped scoop and a level scoop can differ by several grams. Use water you like the taste of, since water that is very soft or very hard can change how a cup tastes. If you are curious about yours, your city publishes a water quality report. Last, taste the cup while it is still warm. Coffee often reads sharper right off the brewer and settles as it cools a few degrees.

Keep a note of the grind setting, the water temperature and the total time for each brew. After three or four cups you will see the pattern, and the setting that tastes best becomes your default. For other questions about ordering or shipping, our FAQ page covers it. One change at a time, and the next cup will tell you if it worked.