Making the switch from Keurig to pour over coffee with help from local baristas | DC Refined

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When author Kelly Magyarics' Keurig broke, she used it as an opportunity to explore other coffee-making avenues, such as the world of pour over coffee. (Image: Courtesy Compass Coffee)

“The number one thing we recommend to up your coffee game is a grinder,” says Harrison Suarez, coffee roaster at Compass Coffee in D.C. Kelly opted for the JavaPresse, a manual burr grinder that costs $24, and the fineness or coarseness of the grind is adjustable. But no matter what style of grinder you use, you’ll want to grind beans to the coarseness of sea salt. “If you grind your coffee too fine the water will have a hard time flowing through, and if you grind your coffee too coarse then your pour over will be too watery,” explains Dinitra “Ruthie” Thomas, store manager of Buzz Ballston.

The actual contraption you’ll need to brew a cup of pour over coffee is nothing more than a cone-shaped filter (either metal mesh or paper) set over some kind of heatproof container. (Image: Courtesy Compass Coffee)

Kelly sampled two brands: the 400 ml-sized Coffee Gator ($26, pictured here) which consists of a handled glass pitcher into which a metal filter sets, and the Osaka Gold Cone Dripper ($20, next image), which can be set over any container, Thermos or mug. (Image: Courtesy Coffee Gator)

"I actually prefer using a combo of the two: the Osaka filter set over the Coffee Gator glass container," says Kelly. "The former gives nice, dark, robust coffee, while the latter is easy to pour from and has markings for one to four cups." (Image: Courtesy Osaka)

And of course, you can’t get your caffeine fix without some beans. "I’m still experimenting with different beans, but what I’ve found so far is that the same bean brewed in a standard coffee maker, a French press and a pour over system tastes wildly different, which is eye-opening," says Kelly. No matter which ones you use, Suarez says the proportion of beans to water is super important -- most people either use way too much or way too little. "I’ve had pretty good success with four tablespoons and twelve to thirteen ounces of water, which is just enough to fill my favorite mug," says Kelly. (Image: Courtesy Buzz Bakeshop)

It may take some practice, but you will find it becomes more efficient and second-nature every day. The biggest mistake with pour over, Suarez says, is stressing out about it. “It's supposed to be fun: you'll drive yourself crazy if you're super uptight and worried about ‘messing it up.’” He recalls when he and fellow coffee roaster Michael Haft were just getting started and made tons of mistakes--which ended up teaching them a lot. “Those little discoveries kept us excited and hungry to learn more.”(Image: Courtesy Compass Coffee)

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