Caffé Prima Pour-Over Coffee Guide: Mastering V60 and Chemex Brewing
Pour-over coffee has become the method of choice for home brewers who want full control over their morning cup. Unlike automatic machines, manual brewing with a V60 or Chemex allows you to extract precise flavours from freshly roasted beans. This guide will help you get the most from your Caffé Prima coffee using proper technique, temperature control, and the right grind size for each roast.
Why Pour-Over Brings Out the Best in Freshly Roasted Beans
Caffé Prima roasts all coffee in the UK, ensuring beans reach you at peak freshness. This matters because freshly roasted coffee contains trapped carbon dioxide that affects extraction. According to the Specialty Coffee Association, the bloom phase in pour-over brewing releases this CO2, allowing water to saturate the grounds evenly and extract flavour more effectively.
Paper-filtered pour-over methods remove most oils and fine sediments from your cup. The result is a cleaner, lighter body that allows subtle tasting notes to come through. This makes pour-over ideal for Caffé Prima's single-origin and lighter roasted offerings, where delicate characteristics like citrus brightness or almond sweetness might otherwise be masked by heavier extraction methods.
Choosing the Right Caffé Prima Coffee for Pour-Over
Not all roasts perform equally in a V60 or Chemex. Lighter roasts typically work best because paper filtration highlights their nuanced acidity and origin-specific flavours.
Top Picks for Pour-Over
Brazilian (Light Roast): The ideal choice for V60 brewing. Its light roast profile preserves delicate almond and chocolate notes without bitterness. The clean extraction from paper filtration allows these subtle flavours to shine.
100% Colombian (Medium Roast): Excellent for Chemex brewing. The caramel and nut characteristics pair beautifully with the extra clarity that thick Chemex filters provide. Mountain-grown acidity becomes pleasantly pronounced rather than sharp.
Roma (Medium Roast): A strong option for those who enjoy brightness in their cup. The citrus notes in this coffee become far more prominent through pour-over extraction than they would in espresso.
Approachable Pour-Over Options
Decaffeinated (Brazilian Arabica): The smooth, milk-chocolate character makes this an excellent evening pour-over. Paper filtration creates a silky, clean finish.
Continental Coffee: While darker roasted, this can work for V60 if you prefer bold cups with hazelnut undertones. Use a coarser grind to prevent over-extraction and bitterness.
V60 vs Chemex: Understanding Your Equipment
The European Coffee Brewing Centre has tested coffee brewing equipment since 1971, establishing the Gold Cup Standard that defines optimal extraction parameters. Different pour-over brewers achieve these standards through distinct filter designs and flow rates.
Hario V60: Features a 60-degree cone angle with internal spiral ribs that create channels for faster water flow. It uses thinner paper filters that allow more oils through. Best for: Roma coffee, when you want to emphasise citrus brightness and a lighter body.
Chemex: Uses proprietary thick paper filters that remove almost all sediment and oils. The result is the cleanest possible cup with tea-like clarity. Best for: 100% Colombian, when you want to experience caramel sweetness without any heaviness.
Grind Size Guide for Each Roast Level
Grind size directly affects extraction speed and flavour. The Specialty Coffee Association recommends starting with a medium grind for pour-over, then adjusting based on taste.
Adjustment tips: If your coffee tastes bitter or harsh, try a coarser grind. If it tastes weak or sour, grind finer. Small changes make significant differences.
Water Temperature and The Golden Ratio
Water temperature directly impacts extraction. According to the British Coffee Association, the optimal water temperature for brewing filter coffee in the UK is between 92-96°C.
Too hot (above 96°C): Risks scorching delicate oils in light roasts like the Brazilian, creating harsh, burnt flavours.
Too cool (below 90°C): Under-extracts the coffee, leaving medium roasts like the Colombian tasting sour and underdeveloped.
The Specialty Coffee Association confirms these parameters in their brewing standards, noting that proper extraction requires water temperature to reach 92°C within the first minute of brewing and never exceed 96°C.
The Golden Ratio
For Caffé Prima beans, use a 1:16 or 1:17 ratio of coffee to water.
Example: 18g of coffee to 300ml of water. This ratio preserves the smoothness characteristic of these coffees without producing a watery result.
The Bloom Technique That Unlocks Flavour
The bloom is the first critical step in pour-over brewing. When hot water first contacts freshly roasted coffee, trapped carbon dioxide escapes rapidly, creating bubbles across the coffee bed.
How to bloom properly:
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Add ground coffee to your filter and level the bed with a gentle shake
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Pour water equal to roughly double the coffee weight (e.g., 36g water for 18g coffee)
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Wait 30-45 seconds while gas escapes
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Watch for active bubbling, which indicates fresh beans
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Begin your main pour once bubbling subsides
This bloom phase ensures even saturation of the coffee bed during the remaining pour.
With Caffé Prima's freshly roasted beans, expect good bloom activity. If your coffee shows minimal bubbling, the beans may have passed their peak freshness window.
Pour-Over vs Espresso: How Flavour Profiles Change
The same Caffé Prima coffee will taste noticeably different depending on brewing method.
Espresso uses high pressure to create concentrated shots with heavy body and crema. It excels at highlighting the dark cocoa and toffee notes in darker roasts like Italian Mahogany. The intensity and texture become the focus. We talk in detail about this in our guide on making the perfect espresso using an espresso machine.
Pour-over relies on gravity and paper filtration rather than pressure. This approach emphasises clarity and nuance, allowing hidden notes to emerge. The citrus in Roma, the almond in Brazilian, and the caramel in Colombian all become more apparent through pour-over brewing.
Lighter roasts preserve more of the unique qualities of a coffee compared to darker roasts. Pour-over brewing amplifies this effect by removing oils that can mask delicate flavours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best water temperature for pour-over coffee?
The British Coffee Association and European Coffee Brewing Centre both recommend 92-96°C for pour-over brewing. Within this range, 92-94°C works well for most Caffé Prima coffees. Water below 90°C under-extracts, producing sour flavours, while water above 96°C risks scorching lighter roasts.
What coffee-to-water ratio should I use for V60 or Chemex?
A ratio of 1:16 or 1:17 produces balanced results with Caffé Prima beans. For a single cup, use 18g of coffee to 300ml of water. Adjust slightly stronger (1:15) if you prefer more intensity, or weaker (1:18) for a lighter cup.
How long should I bloom pour-over coffee?
Bloom for 30-45 seconds using water equal to double the coffee weight. For 18g of coffee, pour 36g of water and wait for bubbling to subside before continuing. Active bubbling indicates fresh beans with trapped CO2.
Which Caffé Prima coffee is best for pour-over?
The Brazilian (light roast) and 100% Colombian (medium roast) perform exceptionally well. Light and medium roasts highlight the clarity and nuanced flavours that pour-over methods produce. Darker roasts like Continental can work but require coarser grinds to avoid bitterness.
What grind size should I use for pour-over?
For V60, use medium-fine (table salt texture) for light roasts and medium for darker roasts. For Chemex, go slightly coarser: medium for light roasts and medium-coarse (kosher salt) for medium roasts. Adjust finer if coffee tastes weak, coarser if it tastes bitter.
How is pour-over different from espresso?
Pour-over uses gravity and paper filtration to produce a clean, lighter-bodied cup that highlights origin flavours and acidity. Espresso uses pressure to create concentrated shots with heavier body and crema. The same Caffé Prima coffee will taste noticeably different between methods.
Start Brewing Better Coffee Today
Pour-over brewing rewards patience and attention to detail. With the right Caffé Prima beans, proper temperature control, and correct grind size, you can produce café-quality coffee at home every morning. Start with the Brazilian or Colombian for your first pour-over attempts, follow the parameters in this guide, and adjust based on your taste preferences. The clarity and complexity you will discover in each cup makes the extra effort worthwhile.